专题06 阅读理解（说明文）（北京专用）2026年中考英语一模分类汇编

专题06 阅读理解（说明文） Passage 1 （2026·北京石景山·一模）In the classic story The Little Engine That Could, a small train worked hard up a steep hill, repeating, “I think I can.” This story shows how much society values perseverance—sticking with something even when it’s hard. But researchers suggest that sometimes, instead of always setting new goals, we should ask: “What do I no longer need?” Past goals may no longer fit our lives. They might be too hard, too expensive, or simply not what we want anymore. However, quitting (放弃) is often looked down upon, so letting go can be even harder than persevering. Why We Stick with Past Goals Scientists are now studying why quitting is so difficult. One reason is the “sunk-cost” bias— we find it hard to give up something after we’ve spent time, money, or effort on it. In one online game, researchers had over 3, 500 players push colored buttons to get points. Some buttons gave points more often than others, but players weren’t told which. They could turn to a new color at any time but couldn’t go back. Most players stuck with a color far longer than they should have, even though making a change would have been smarter. “Even in this unpaid game, people worked hard to move on,” said researcher Rachit Dubey. In real life, where emotions are involved, it’s even harder. How to Quit in a Healthy Way So if quitting is sometimes the best choice, how do we do it? Studies show that why we quit is the key point. A 2022 study followed over 900 people who were giving up long-term goals. Those who quit because others pressured them often felt“stuck” (被困住的) and doubted their decision. But those who quit because the goal no longer fit found it easier to move on. Psychologist Andreea Gavrila compares quitting to a breakup. “It’s very messy,” she says. Quitting a goal can take months or even years. But if there’s a moment you decide from your inner motivation (内在的动机) to do it, there’ll be the process of moving on. A Different Kind of Courage We often think of perseverance as a strength. But sometimes, holding on does more harm than good. Letting go of a goal you’ve outgrown can free up mental space and energy for new dreams. Finding a new way forward may first require the courage to say, “I think I can’t.” 1．Why does the writer use the story at the beginning of the passage? A．To explain how trains work. B．To show his love for classic stories. C．To prove that quitting is always bad. D．To lead into the topic of perseverance. 2．What does the phrase “sunk-cost” bias in Paragraph 3 most probably mean? A．The habit of giving up when things get hard. B．The feeling of sticking with what you’ve put in. C．The idea about trying new things in a brave way. D．The worry about wasting money on something new. 3．Which of the following would the researchers agree with? A．It’s easy for people to give up old goals quickly. B．People should stick with their long-held goals in life. C．Quitting based on inner drive helps people move on. D．Outer pressure is the best reason for people to quit a goal. 4．Which of the following is the best title for this passage? A．The Importance of Persevering in Our Life Goals B．Different Ways to Realize Our Dreams Successfully C．How to Set New and Practical Goals for a Better Life D．Sometimes Letting Go of Unfit Goals Is the Best Choice 【答案】1．D 2．B 3．C 4．D 【导语】本文是一篇说明文，借助经典故事引出“坚持”这一话题，进而提出新观点：适时放弃不合时宜的旧目标同样重要。文章分析人们难以放弃的原因、健康放弃的方式，指出适时放手也是一种勇气。 1．文章开头引用《小火车头》的故事，体现社会对毅力的看重，目的是引出下文关于坚持与放弃的话题，因此选To lead into the topic of perseverance。 2．第三段解释“sunk-cost”bias：人们在一件事上投入时间、金钱、精力后，就很难放手，对应含义为执着于自己已经付出的事物。 3．文中提到，因目标不再适合自己、出于内在动机主动放弃的人，更容易向前看。由此可知研究者认同：基于内在动机主动放弃，有助于人继续前行。 4．全文打破“坚持一定正确”的固有想法，核心观点是：不合适的目标不必硬扛，适时放手才是更好的选择，因此最佳标题为Sometimes Letting Go of Unfit Goals Is the Best Choice。 Passage 2 （2026·北京石景山·一模）Many kids find it hard to stay focused on their lessons for long. Research shows that movement breaks help students learn better—and it doesn’t take much. According to a study in Psychology of Sport & Exercise, just a few minutes of activity can improve classroom performance. Lead scientist Eric Drollette, an exercise psychologist at the University of North Carolina, wanted to find a kind of exercise that could fit into a classroom setting with limited space. Early studies had tested 20 to 30 minutes of moderate-intensity (中等强度的) exercise, but they couldn’t be done in a classroom and would take too much time away from lessons. Drollette’s team designed a nine-minute high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE). Kids performed moves like jumping jacks (开合跳), squats and high knees—exercising for 30 seconds, resting for 30 seconds, and then repeating. The study tested 25 children aged 9 to 12. Each child visited the lab three times, taking part in three different activities: doing the nine-minute HIIE, riding a stationary (静止的) bike, and watching an educational video. After each activity, the children completed tasks testing attention, language skills, and math. Drollette’s team showed that after the high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE), children’s brains became more efficient at recognizing mistakes. Language performance also improved after the HIIE. However, for math, the kids performed a bit less than after less-intense exercise. “That could be because of tiredness.” Drollette says. Tasks that require higher-level thinking, such as math, seem to be the first ones affected by tiredness. Experts find the results exciting. Lauren Raine, an exercise scientist at Northeastern University, noted that short, high-intensity exercise breaks in classrooms might improve learning performance and help students deal with mistakes more effectively. Drollette also believes such exercise could benefit teens. An overactive mistake response is connected with mental (精神的) health problems, which have become more common in high school. By helping calm this response, high-intensity exercise may support mental well-being. “Being active can help with a lot of things that are going on in society,” Drollette said, encouraging students to find chances to stand up and get moving. 1．Why did Drollette’s team create the nine-minute HIIE? A．To find the most popular exercise for young kids. B．To make exercise fit limited classroom time and space. C．To replace the moderate exercise in students’ daily life. D．To compare moderate exercise with a high-intensity one. 2．What is mentioned in Paragraph 4 about Drollette’s team’s study? A．Its results. B．Its process. C．Its challenges. D．Its limitations. 3．What can we learn from the passage? A．20-30 minutes’ exercise is out of date today. B．The kids did activities instead of tests in the lab. C．Tiredness may influence the kids’ math performance. D．The HIIE program mainly benefits the kids’ learning. 【答案】1．B 2．A 3．C 【导语】本文是一篇说明文，主要介绍了Drollette团队设计的一种9分钟高强度间歇运动（HIIE），这种运动能提高儿童的注意力、语言能力及错误识别效率，但对数学表现可能有暂时的疲劳影响。同时，高强度运动可能有助于心理健康。 1．根据文章第二段“wanted to find a kind of exercise that could fit into a classroom setting with limited space... would take too much time away from lessons”以及“Drollette’s team designed a nine-minute high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE)”可知，设计9分钟HIIE是为了让运动适应有限的教室时间和空间。故选B。 2．根据文章第四段“Drollette’s team showed that after the HIIE, children’s brains became more efficient at recognizing mistakes. Language performance also improved... however, for math, the kids performed a bit less...”可知，该段主要介绍了在进行九分钟HIIE后学生大脑和语言等方面发生的变化，是研究结果。故选A。 3．根据文章第四段“That could be because of tiredness... math tasks seem to be the first ones affected by tiredness.”可知，疲劳可能影响孩子的数学表现，故选C。文中未提及“20-30分钟的运动如今过时了”，不选A。根据第三段“completed tasks testing attention, language skills, and math”可知，孩子们在实验室进行测试，选项B与原文不符。根据文章第四段“However, for math, the kids performed a bit less than after less-intense exercise.”可知，HIIE可能会导致数学表现下降，故选项D过于片面。 Passage 3 （2026·北京朝阳·一模）. Many people think that eating a fruit in summer has the same effect on your body as eating it in winter. However, new research shows a different result. Our bodies have body cycles, which are just like our body clocks. There’s a main clock in the brain and other clocks in different body parts. These clocks work together to control different body activities. For example, at night, our bodies produce chemical substances (化学物质) that make us sleepy. The body knows what time it is mainly through light. Since the daylight changes with the seasons, our bodies adjust (调整) accordingly. There are two types of body cycles: daily cycles and yearly cycles. Food also influences our body clocks. The idea suggests that parts in plants can let our bodies know about the place where the plants grow. So, eating fruits and vegetables when they’re in season can help our bodies get used to the changing seasons. For example, apples are in season in autumn. Apples from this season have certain things that can help our bodies save energy and get stronger against illness as the weather turns cold. However, these days, we can eat all kinds of fruits and vegetables at any time of the year. According to the recent study, polyphenols (多酚) which are things in fruits and vegetables are good for our health and can affect our body cycles. Different plants have different kinds of polyphenols because of their growing conditions. It is believed that eating out-of-season fruits might cause a difference between our body clock and the real environment. Let’s take bananas as an example. Bananas grow in areas with a hot climate. In the places where they come from, they come together at a certain time of the year. If people in mild-climate (气候温和的) areas eat bananas when they’re not in season locally, it might mess up the body’s normal cycle. Our bodies may get “wrong” signals, which could possibly influence how our body processes (加工) food and our general health. So, it’s better to eat fruits in season to keep our body cycles in line with the environment. But remember, eating any fruit is better than not eating at all. 1．According to the passage, what can we learn about body cycles? A．They have nothing to do with food. B．They change as the daylight changes. C．They work together because of the main clock. D．They produce chemical substances to control sleep. 2．Why does the writer mention polyphenols in Paragraph 5? A．To tell readers what polyphenols are in plants. B．To show all fruits are good for people’s health. C．To advise people to eat more fruit in cold weather. D．To explain why out-of-season fruits influence body cycles. 3．What is the passage mainly about? A．The differences between summer fruits and winter fruits. B．The ways to keep our body clocks working properly all year round. C．The relationship between eating seasonal fruits and our body cycles. D．The reasons why our bodies need different chemicals in different seasons. 【答案】1．B 2．D 3．C 【导语】本文介绍了食用应季水果对我们的身体循环有影响，体现了健康饮食的重要性。 1．根据第一段“However, new research shows a different result”，新研究表明在不同季节食用相同的食物对我们的身体有着不同影响，A项认为身体循环与饮食无关，不符合句意；第三段明确指出“Since the daylight changes with the seasons, our bodies adjust accordingly”，B项正确；第二段写道“There’s a main clock in the brain and other clocks in different body parts. These clocks work together to control different body activities”，说明我们不同的身体部位有着不同的时钟，它们共同控制了我们的活动，C项说它们之所以能协同工作是因为大脑中的主时钟，不符合句意；由第二段“our bodies produce chemical substances that make us sleepy”可知，身体产生的化学物质能让我们感觉到困意。D项认为可以控制睡眠，不准确，排除D项。 2．由第五段“It is believed that eating out-of-season fruits might cause a difference between our body clock and the real environment”，可知作者介绍多酚主要是为了解释为什么非季节水果会影响我们的身体循环。D项符合句意。 3．本文主要介绍了食用应季水果和身体循环之间的关联，C项符合文章主旨。 Passage 4 （2026·北京朝阳·一模）A large body of research has been developed in recent years to explain willpower. Most of the researchers exploring self-control do so with a clear goal in mind: How can willpower be improved? If willpower is truly easily used up, as the research suggests, what can be done to keep it strong? Avoiding temptation (诱惑) is an effective method for keeping self-control, so please follow “out of view, out of mind” rule. One recent study, for example, found office workers are less attracted to candy in the desk drawer than that on top of their desks. The research suggesting that we have a limited amount of self-control raises a troubling question. When we face too many temptations, are we to fail? Not necessarily. Researchers don’t believe that one’s willpower is ever completely used up. Rather, people appear to hold some willpower in reserve (储备), saved for future needs. The right drive allows us to tap into those reserves, allowing us to carry on even when our self-control strength has been run down. High drive might help deal with weakened willpower, at least to a point. Willpower may also be made less easily exhausted (精疲力尽的) in the first place. Researchers compare self-control to a muscle (肌肉) that gets tired with heavy use. But there is another side to this comparison, they say. While muscles become exhausted by exercise in the short term, they are strengthened by daily exercise in the long term. Similarly, we should take regular (有规律的) practices of self-control to build willpower strength. Studies on willpower exhaustion suggest that making a list of decisions on New Year’s Eve is the worst possible way. Being exhausted in one area can reduce willpower in other areas, so it makes more sense to focus on a single goal at a time. In other words, don’t try to give up smoking, choose a healthy diet and start a new exercise plan at the same time. Taking goals one by one is a better way. Once a good habit is in place, psychologist Baumeister says, you’ll no longer need willpower to keep the behavior. Finally, healthy habits will become routine (常规) and won’t require making decisions at all. Many questions about the nature of self-control remain to be answered by further research. Yet it seems likely that with clear goals, good self-control and a little practice, you can train your willpower to stay strong in the face of temptation. 1．From the studies, we can learn that ________. A．daily activities can keep people’s willpower active B．willpower is not easily completely used up in daily life C．strong wishes are the key to solving willpower problems D．people can improve their willpower by controlling themselves less 2．What does the phrase “tap into” in Paragraph 3 most probably mean? A．Set up. B．Take up. C．Run out of. D．Make use of. 3．To form a good habit, which of the following does the writer prefer? A．Focusing on one goal before moving on to another. B．Preparing a long list of decisions on New Year’s Eve. C．Trying different plans to develop healthy daily habits. D．Carrying out several lifestyle changes at the same time. 4．What is the writer’s main purpose in writing this passage? A．To offer advice on how to improve and keep willpower. B．To explain why people’s willpower becomes weak easily. C．To show how to avoid different kinds of daily temptations. D．To discuss the problems caused by poor self-control in life. 【答案】1．B 2．D 3．A 4．A 【导语】本文介绍通过避免诱惑、利用意志力储备、规律练习及单目标聚焦来提升和保持意志力。 1．第三段明确指出：“Researchers don’t believe that one’s willpower is ever completely used up. Rather, ... in reserve.” 说明意志力在日常生活中不会完全耗尽，总有储备。  A项“日常活动保持意志力活跃”文中未直接支持；C项“强烈愿望是关键”文中提到“high drive”但非关键；D项“通过减少自我控制来改善”与原文相反（需多练习）。 2．前文说人们有储备的意志力“hold some willpower in reserve”，后文说“让我们能继续下去(allowing us to carry on)”，所以此处应是利用那些储备。选项D符合。   3．第五段明确说：“making a list of decisions ... is the worst possible way... it makes more sense to focus on a single goal at a time... Taking goals one by one is a better way.” 因此作者偏好一次专注一个目标，完成后再进行下一个。  B、C、D均与原文相反。 4．全文开篇问“How can willpower be improved?” 随后给出各种方法：避免诱惑、利用储备、像肌肉一样锻炼、一次一个目标等。结尾总结“you can train your willpower”。整体目的是提供改善和保持意志力的建议。选项B解释为何变弱（只是部分内容），选项C仅提避免诱惑（片面），D讨论自控差导致的问题（非重点）。 Passage 5 （2026·北京·一模）Do you know that if a dolphin echolocates (进行回声定位) on you, it will see your lungs and your skeleton (骨骼)? Or that cows can see in front, to the side, and behind them all at once? While we humans are prisoners (囚犯) of our own senses, the animals experience the world in ways we can hardly imagine. This is what Pulitzer Prize-winner Ed Yong explores in An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us. With lively stories, Yong shows that the way we see the world isn’t the only way. After reading the book, I was shocked by the fact that we can send satellites into space and use AI every day, yet still hardly understand the creatures (生物) living right beside us. I especially valued how Yong respects different ways of perceiving (感知) things. What lifts this book above dry science is Yong’s writing. His humor is frank (“I could go on. I’m going to go on”), and his metaphors (比喻) are vivid: deep-sea creatures reacting to submarine (潜艇) lights as if attacked by glowing figures. Reading this felt less like a textbook and more like an invitation to wonder. The book’s last chapter is both sobering (发人深省的 ) and hopeful. Humans have changed the environment in ways that harm animal senses: lights that confuse birds, flat surfaces that cause bats to crash. Yet we’ve also seen, during the quiet of the pandemic, how quickly nature rebounds (复苏) when we step back. Restoration (修复) is not only possible, but a choice. A choice that is ours to make. Some people might be put off by how long and dense (难懂) this book is. But as a person who is not really into science or biology, I still found myself drawn in. An Immense World will leave anyone with a new respect for the living world around them. And for those who do have a passion for biology or the animal kingdom— buckle up (准备好). This is a ride well worth the admission price. 1．What fact in the book shocked the writer? A．Each creature helps keep the balance of nature. B．AI technologies can tell animals’ senses clearly. C．Humans know little about the animals close to them. D．Animal senses are more powerful than human senses. 2．What can we learn from the last chapter of the book? A．It is up to humans to help restore nature. B．Nature can hardly recover though given a chance. C．Humans have changed their ways to get along with animals. D．Animals can easily change their senses to fit new conditions. 3．What does the underlined phrase “put off” in the last paragraph probably mean? A．Amazed. B．Confused. C．Inspired. D．Discouraged. 【答案】1．C 2．A 3．D 【导语】本文是一篇科普书评，介绍了埃德▪扬的《An Immense World》，并分享了作者对动物独特感知世界方式的思考，以及对人类与自然关系的反思。 1．文中第三段提到“After reading the book, I was shocked by the fact that we can send satellites into space and use AI every day, yet still hardly understand the creatures living right beside us.”这句话的意思是：人类虽然能探索太空、使用AI，却几乎不了解身边的生物。 2．第四段提到“Restoration is not only possible, but a choice. A choice that is ours to make.”，意思是 “自然修复不仅是可能的，更是人类可以做出的选择”，对应选项A“It is up to humans to help restore nature.”。 3．最后一段“Some people might be put off by how long and dense this book is.”，可推测出 “有些人可能会因为这本书篇幅长、内容难懂而望而却步/打退堂鼓”，与选项D“Discouraged（气馁的、打消念头的）”意思最接近。 Passage 6 （2026·北京大兴·一模）We often talk about “trusting our gut.” But the gut feelings people refer to can actually come from two very different sources: instinct and intuition. Because they feel so similar—fast, automatic (自动的), sometimes emotional — we are likely to treat them the same, which can lead to poor decision-making in many situations. Instinct refers to inborn behavioral responses (反应) shaped by evolution (进化). These responses are fast and automatic because they come from brain systems such as the amygdala and brainstem, which process threat and survival signals. When you jump back from something that looks dangerous or feel a sudden rush of fear, your brain focuses on speed rather than accuracy (准确性). In evolutionary terms, reacting quickly to possible danger increased the chances of survival. Intuition, by contrast, comes from experience-based pattern recognition. Research on expert decision-making shows that people who have spent years in a field develop the ability to notice small details that others miss. Psychologist Gary Klein recorded this in studies of firefighters and emergency workers: experienced professionals often sensed that something was wrong before they could explain why. Their intuition was not mysterious — it was the brain rapidly matching present signs to patterns learned over time. Next time you experience an automatic response, such as fear, attraction, or confidence, take a moment to pause for a while and ask yourself the following two questions: (1) Is this instinct or intuition? (2) Are you in immediate danger, or is this a more complex (复杂的) situation? THE GUT DECISION MATRIX Instinct Intuition Immediate danger Act immediately (a) Act then verify (c) Complex situation Slow down and question it (b) Treat it as a hypothesis (d) (a) If your response is instinct in immediate danger, act right away. (b) However, instincts can go wrong in complex modern situations, so slow down and question them. (c) If you have experience in similar fast-moving situations, strong intuition may be worth acting on quickly. (d) In slower-developing or more complex situations, treat intuitions as hypotheses (假设) and examine them through more thinking and evidence. Instinct and intuition both act without our active mental processing, which is why they’re often put together as “gut feelings”, but they arise from different mechanisms and serve different purposes. So instead of asking whether to trust your gut, a better question is: what kind of gut feeling is this? Once you know that, deciding what to do next becomes much easier. 1．What is the difference between instinct and intuition? A．Instinct controls feelings; intuition controls actions. B．Instinct is inborn; intuition is from experience. C．Instinct is strong; intuition is weak. D．Instinct is slow; intuition is fast. 2．What is the main idea of Paragraph 5? A．How to tell instinct and intuition apart. B．When to act on instinct and intuition. C．How to stay away from danger. D．Why people have gut feelings. 3．Which of the following would the writer most probably agree with? A．Trusting our gut feelings can lead to poor decision-making. B．Instinct is more believable because it protects us from threats. C．Telling instinct from intuition helps make better decisions. D．Intuition is formed by noticing and analyzing small details. 【答案】1．B 2．B 3．C 【导语】本文介绍本能与直觉的区别，说明二者来源不同，指导读者在不同情境下合理运用它们做决策。 1．第二段定义本能：“Instinct refers to inborn behavioral responses shaped by evolution”，说明本能是与生俱来的；第三段定义直觉：“Intuition, by contrast, comes from experience-based pattern recognition”，说明直觉源于经验积累。 2．第四段引出问题：“take a moment to pause for a while and ask yourself the following two questions: (1) Is this instinct or intuition? (2) Are you in immediate danger or is this a more complex situation?”，后续表格及说明具体阐述了在不同情境下，应如何处理本能与直觉，核心是指导何时采取行动。 3．最后一段总结观点：“So instead of asking whether to trust your gut, a better question is: what kind of gut feeling is this? Once you know that, deciding what to do next becomes much easier”，说明区分本能与直觉有助于做出更好的决定。 Passage 7 （2026·北京平谷·一模）When you think of fast animals, cheetahs and falcons may come to mind. But do you know some of the fastest living things on Earth are very small cells? If cells had their own Olympics, who would win the speed game? Manu Prakash, a scientist at Stanford University, says the “competitors” won’t show up ready to compete. “We have to go search in puddles and ponds and in the deep ocean,” he says. His team collected information on the speed of different cells to compare them. So how do these tiny speeders move? Some fast cells jump or slide across water. Others move by waving long, thin parts that look like whips (鞭子), or swim with the help of tiny, hair-like parts. There are also speedy cells that do not move from one place to another but grow bigger or become smaller very quickly, and this makes them special “speed players” too. Take Spirostomum, for example. In Liberia, Prakash saw many white spots in a pond. They were not spread out randomly. He took a sample (样本) and found this single-celled creature. It can shrink (缩小) its body faster than any other eukaryote (真核生物) — a living thing whose cells have a nucleus. Why does it shrink so fast? Prakash says it’s part of how it communicates. “It actually talks to other cells … using sound underwater.” Another amazing cell is Pyrocystis. These algae (水藻) do not swim, but they make a huge journey. Prakash found them deep in the ocean near Hawai’i. They need sunlight to live, but how do they get it? The algae can inflate like a balloon to five times their size and then shrink back down. This allows them to travel about one kilometer up to the sunlit surface. Compared to their size, that is the longest journey on Earth. Prakash has found many super-fast cells in different places. These unusual living things help us learn more about the secret of life. "This planet is full of amazing things," he says. "When we study and compare them, we will find how wonderful life is." 1．Where did Manu Prakash find the fast cells? A．In rivers and cities. B．In space and on other planets. C．In high mountains and forests. D．In puddles, ponds and the deep ocean. 2．What does the word “inflate” in Paragraph 5 most likely mean? A．blow up B．take off C．calm down D．break down 3．What can we learn about the “speed” of cells from the passage? A．It is measured by how fast a cell moves from one place to another. B．It can be understood in different ways, including changes in a cell’s size. C．It mainly depends on a cell’s ability to swim using whips or hair-like parts. D．It has been fully studied by scientists like Manu Prakash around the world. 【答案】1．D 2．A 3．B 【导语】 本文是说明文，介绍了科学家Manu Prakash的研究发现，地球上除猎豹、猎鹰外，部分微小细胞也拥有惊人的“速度”，展现了生命的奇妙多样性。 1．第二段“We have to go search in puddles and ponds and in the deep ocean”，直接说明了Prakash寻找快速细胞的地点。 2．第五段“The algae can inflate like a balloon to five times their size and then shrink back down”，句中“像气球一样变大”直接对应“inflate”的含义，与选项A（blow up 膨胀）意思一致。 3．第三段“There are also speedy cells that do not move from one place to another but grow bigger or become smaller very quickly, and this makes them special 'speed players' too”，说明细胞的“速度”不仅指移动速度，也包括体型快速变化，与选项B表述一致。 Passage 8 （2026·北京房山·一模）Birdwatching is a popular hobby around the world. Millions of people enjoy it. But beyond learning to identify (识别) birds, is it possible that birdwatching is actually shaping our brains? A new study suggests the answer may be yes. Scientists were curious about whether the brains of expert birdwatchers differ from those of beginners. To find out, they studied 58 adults. Half of them were experienced birdwatchers, while the other half had much less experience. Then the scientists sent all of them into specialized brain-imaging (脑成像) machines to study brain structure and brain activity while having them identify birds. Compared with beginners, expert birdwatchers showed more organized brain structure in areas linked (连接) to attention and visual perception (视觉感知). The more organized the brain structure, the better the ability to identify birds. Interestingly, these same areas of the brain lit up on brain imaging when bird experts were identifying less familiar birds. This suggests that spending time birdwatching and becoming an expert may actually reshape the brain over time. This builds on another recent study. It found that people who took part in more creative activities had more youthful-looking brains and this was directly linked to how skilled they were at those activities. Besides these brain changes, birdwatching may help improve brain health in other ways. With social connections at the top of the list of things that support brain health, joining a social birdwatching group could provide a direct positive brain effect. Birdwatching can lead to physical activity, which is clearly good for the brain. Spending more time in nature is also increasingly linked to improved overall brain health, as is staying away from screens. Finally, birdwatching may help people reduce stress. This is important because stress is bad for the brain. There is still much more to learn about the possible good effects of birdwatching on our brain. But while spending your day looking for birds does not replace the need for a healthy diet, good sleep, and daily exercise, it may still be doing your brain some good. 1．Why did the scientists compare expert birdwatchers and beginners? A．To help beginners identify birds better. B．To study their ability to know different birds. C．To find out whether their brains are different. D．To test how quickly birdwatchers can identify birds. 2．What did the scientists find out from their study? A．A more organized brain did help with identifying birds. B．Long-term birdwatching hardly changed one’s brain structure. C．Expert birdwatchers were better at creative activities than beginners. D．Experts’ brains showed little activity on identifying birds new to them. 3．What is mainly discussed about birdwatching in Paragraph 5? A．Its help in reducing stress. B．Its benefits for brain health. C．Its role in social connection. D．Its effects on brain structure. 【答案】1．C 2．A 3．B 【导语】本文是一篇说明文，主要讲述了一项关于观鸟是否会影响大脑的研究。科学家通过对比有经验的观鸟者和初学者的脑成像，发现专家的大脑在注意力和视觉感知相关区域结构更有序，且观鸟还可能通过社交、运动、接触自然和减轻压力等方式对大脑健康产生其他益处。 1．第二段提到：“Scientists were curious about whether the brains of expert birdwatchers differ from those of beginners. To find out, they studied 58 adults.”，说明科学家对比有经验的观鸟者和初学者是为了弄清楚他们的大脑是否不同。 2．第三段提到：“Compared with beginners, expert birdwatchers showed more organized brain structure in areas linked (连接) to attention and visual perception (视觉感知). The more organized the brain structure, the better the ability to identify birds.”，说明更有序的大脑确实有助于识别鸟类。 3．第五段提到：“Besides these brain changes, birdwatching may help improve brain health in other ways.”，说明本段主要讨论的是观鸟对大脑健康的好处。 Passage 9 （2026·北京平谷·一模）Imagine you just finished a hard hike to the top of a mountain. The view of the city below is beautiful, and you want to take a photo. But it’s already quite dark, and you’re not sure you’ll get a good shot. Luckily, your phone has an AI night mode. It can take great photos even after sunset. Here’s something you may not know: that night mode may have been trained on computer-made nighttime images—scenes that were never actually photographed. This kind of data is called synthetic data. Why use synthetic data? AI researchers use up all the real data on the internet, so they turn to synthetic data. But this creates a problem. In science, making up data is a very bad thing. So how can computer-made data be good? Is it just a nice word for lying? As a researcher, I think it comes down to why you do it and how open you are about it. Synthetic data is usually not made to cheat. In fact, using it can be the right thing to do. For example, showing real people’s faces can violate privacy, but computer-made faces offer the same benefits without that risk. There are other reasons. Some things are so rare that there isn’t enough real data. Instead of letting this become a big problem, researchers create those situations with computers. Also, collecting real data can be costly or dangerous. Imagine collecting data for a self-driving car during a storm. It’s much easier and safer to create such data with computers. How is synthetic data made? Researchers create synthetic data in two main ways. One method uses physics-based models—for example, using the laws of light to show how a scene would look. The other method uses AI that learns from real data and then creates new, realistic text, images, and videos. Is synthetic data perfect? Synthetic data is not perfect. It is only as good as the model it comes from. Researchers have to be careful about biases—unfair patterns in the data. It is also important to know the difference between computer-made data and the real world. Synthetic data is great for training AI, but the final system should be tested with real data before it is used. AI systems learn by finding patterns, but they cannot tell what is real or true. The desire for truth belongs to people, not machines. So next time you use a cool AI feature, remember: synthetic data may have helped train it. But reality is still the final judge of what we create. 1．Why does the writer begin the passage with the example of taking a photo on a dark mountain top? A．To explain how AI night mode works in detail. B．To show that hiking is a popular outdoor activity. C．To lead into the topic of synthetic data used in AI training. D．To prove that phone cameras are better than professional ones. 2．What is synthetic data according to the passage? A．Information is stored in AI night modes. B．Data collected from real-life situations. C．Man-made data was used to train AI systems. D．Real photos taken by phones in dark places. 3．How does the writer mainly support his opinion about synthetic data? A．By arguing real data is bad. B．By showing its uses and limits. C．By listing AI models using it. D．By comparing it with real data. 4．Which of the following is the best title for the passage? A．Why AI Will Soon Replace Human Judgment B．The Privacy Problems of Using Real Face Data C．How AI Night Mode Helps You Take Photos in the Dark D．Synthetic Data Is Useful but Still Needs Real-World Checks 【答案】1．C 2．C 3．B 4．D 【导语】本文主要介绍了什么是“合成数据”，为什么要使用它，以及它目前存在的局限性，旨在让读者客观认识这一人工智能领域的关键训练技术。 1．第一段描述了在黑暗山顶拍照的场景，第二段紧接着指出：“This kind of data is called synthetic data.”。作者利用生活中常见的手机AI夜间拍照功能作为切入点，是为了引出下文关于“合成数据”及其在AI训练中应用的话题。 2．第二段对该术语进行了定义：“…computer-made nighttime images—scenes that were never actually photographed. This kind of data is called synthetic data.”。这明确说明合成数据是由计算机生成的、用于训练AI系统的非真实拍摄数据。 3．文章在“Why use synthetic data?”部分介绍了其在隐私保护、稀有数据模拟和安全性方面的优势，在“Is synthetic data perfect?”部分则指出了其偏见和局限性。通过展示其用途和局限，作者全面地支持了自己对合成数据的观点。 4．文章大部分篇幅在讨论合成数据的必要性，但第七段强调：“Synthetic data is not perfect…the final system should be tested with real data before it is used.”。选项D“合成数据很有用但仍需现实检验”精准且高度概括了文章既肯定价值又指出不足的中心思想。 Passage 10 （2026·北京西城·一模）. From a young age, we are taught not to lie. But do people sometimes lie when it is to their advantage? If they do lie, how often do they do so? What kind of lies do people usually tell? These are the questions that interest researchers. To study lying behavior without influencing the behavior of a liar, researchers have developed some creative experiments. One is the die-under-the-cup experiment. Each participant (参与者) sits alone in a closed room. In front of the participant is a cup with a small hole and a die. Each participant is asked to cover the die with the cup, shake the die, peek through the hole, and report the number on the die. They are told that the higher the number they report, the more they get paid, which means if they report 2, they will receive $2, and 6 for $6. In this experiment, it is worthwhile for them to report a high number to receive more money. They know only they can see the true result. When people roll a die, the chance of rolling any number from 1 to 6 is the same — exactly 1/6 (about 16.67%). So, if a large number of participants roll a die and report the number they really see, then about 1/6 would report 1, 1/6 would report 2, and the like. However, if participants lie and report higher numbers to get more money, the percentage of participants reporting 1 or 2 would be lower than 1/6. Here is what the researchers found. Participants were more likely to report more high numbers (4,5,6) and fewer low numbers. However, instead of always reporting the highest number, participants usually reported slightly (稍微) higher numbers than what they rolled. Why do people lie only a little? Some studies note it is important for people to think of themselves as honest people, so they balance the longing to benefit from the lie with the longing to keep a positive self-image (自我形象). Also, the longing to keep a positive social image is another reason. The fear of being seen as a liar often reduces the possibility to lie. How is it possible to use these findings to reduce dishonesty? In a study in the UK, aimed at stopping people from stealing bicycles, researchers placed signs near the bicycle parking area with a photograph of eyes and the words “we are watching you.” After that, fewer bicycles were stolen in those areas. The image and words increased people’s social image concerns (担忧). That means the findings are useful in reducing dishonesty to some degree. Future experiments should test how these findings might help people be more honest in different real-life situations. 1．Which of the following can best show the result of the die-under-the-cup experiment? A． B． C． D． 2．What can we learn from the passage? A．The chance of rolling each number on a die shows how often people lie. B．Participants could choose to be honest because they want to get paid more. C．People lie only a little because they value a positive self-image over a social image. D．The UK study proves the longing for a positive social image reduces dishonesty. 3．What is the writer’s main purpose in writing this passage? A．To explain why people sometimes lie to their advantage. B．To show that it is common for people to have lying behavior. C．To review some key findings on the degree to which people lie. D．To introduce some research on how to reduce people’s dishonesty. 【答案】1．B 2．D 3．C 【导语】这是一篇说明文。本文讲述了研究人员通过实验探究人们在何种情况下会说谎、说谎的程度，以及如何利用相关发现减少不诚实行为。   1．第4段第2句“Participants were more likely to report more high numbers (4,5,6) and fewer low numbers. However, instead of always reporting the highest number, participants usually reported slightly higher numbers than what they rolled.”可知，参与者倾向于报告偏高的数字（4、5、6），低数字（1、2、3）报告率低于理论值，且不会总是报告最高的数字6，因此选项B符合该分布特征的柱状图。 2．第6段第4句“The image and words increased people's social image concerns. That means the findings are useful in reducing dishonesty to some degree.”可知，英国的研究表明，对积极社会形象的担忧减少了不诚实行为。 3．第1段第2句“But do people sometimes lie when it is to their advantage? If they do lie, how often do they do so? What kind of lies do people usually tell? These are the questions that interest researchers.”可知，文章围绕人们为何会在对自己有利时说谎展开介绍，核心是解释人们有时会为了自身利益说谎的现象及相关研究。 Passage 11 （2026·北京通州·一模）For many students, math is a source of stress that can prevent performance. However, scientific research is now providing new strategies to change this fear into mastery. An excellent finding is the flipped (翻转的) classroom model. Traditional teaching, where lectures (授课) happen in class and practice at home, is being changed. Students now learn new concepts (概念) through videos at home, freeing class time for cooperative problem solving and discussion. Researchers are leading a study across 40 math classrooms to compare this method with traditional teaching. They find students have different flipping styles and watch introductory videos at their own pace (节奏). The key idea is to make better use of class time for active engagement (参加) and teacher support. Researchers also find changing sitting position can produce benefits. Erik Peper studied the effect of posture (姿势) on math performance. In the study, his team asked 125 students to mentally subtract (心算减法) large numbers. Half were told to slouch (无精打采地坐着). The rest were directed to sit upright. For 30 seconds, each student started with the number 964 and then silently subtracted by sevens. Then they changed positions and repeated the exercise, this time starting from the number 834. A survey asked each person which position made it easier for them to do the mental math. More than half (56.4%) found it was easier when they sat upright. One sixth (17%) said it was easier when they slouched. The rest said posture didn’t matter. Notably, those who struggled most while slouching were often the same students who reported high test anxiety. This suggests that keeping an upright posture could be a simple way to help reduce stress and increase the focused thinking required for math. Now technology also offers more chances for participation. A math education researcher is exploring how motion-based video games can help learn geometry (几何). In her game “The Hidden Village”, players use body movements to control the figure in the game and interact (互动) with geometric concepts. Research shows that when students work in groups and use gestures (手势) to solve problems, their intuitive (直觉) understanding and deeper insight improve clearly. For example, groups using gestures showed correct intuition 70% of the time, compared to only 27% for groups that did not gesture. This proves using physical movement in teamwork can improve math reasoning. In conclusion, science is helping educators and students with different tools—from restructuring classrooms and using body posture to joining interactive games. These ways are moving beyond rote memorization (死记硬背), aiming to build confidence, deepen understanding, and finally help students become good at math. 1．In the flipped class, students can ________. A．learn the lectures in the classroom and practice at home B．learn math concepts from their teachers at the same pace C．have the same learning styles as they do in traditional classes D．take part in the class discussion more actively 2．What can we learn from the passage? A．Slouching in math class makes it easier to do mental math. B．Sitting straight can increase the focused thinking in math class. C．Making gestures helped students choose the game of “The Hidden Village”. D．Body movements can be improved by playing video games. 3．What can probably be the best title? A．Math teachers help students get new learning skills. B．Traditional games improve students’ math performance. C．Technology is opening new doors for science. D．Science is helping kids become math masters. 【答案】1．D 2．B 3．D 【导语】本文主要介绍了科学研究为学生克服数学压力、掌握数学知识提供的新策略，包括翻转课堂模式、改变坐姿以及利用互动游戏等，旨在帮助学生建立信心、加深理解，最终学好数学。 1．文章第二段指出“Students now learn new concepts through videos at home, freeing class time for cooperative problem solving and discussion.”，说明在翻转课堂中，学生在家通过视频学习新概念，课堂时间被解放出来用于合作解决问题和讨论，由此可知学生可以更积极地参与课堂讨论。选项A是传统教学模式，不符合；选项B中“same pace”与文中“watch introductory videos at their own pace”不符；选项C中“same learning styles”与文中“students have different flipping styles”不符。 2．文章第三段提到“This suggests that keeping an upright posture could be a simple way to help reduce stress and increase the focused thinking required for math.”，说明坐姿端正有助于减少压力，增加数学所需的专注思考。选项A与文中“More than half (56.4%) found it was easier when they sat upright”不符；选项C中“gestures helped students choose the game”文中未提及，文中是说游戏中使用手势有助于理解几何概念；选项D与文中“motion-based video games can help learn geometry”不符，并非通过游戏改善身体动作。 3．文章开篇点明“scientific research is now providing new strategies to change this fear into mastery”，后文围绕翻转课堂、坐姿、互动游戏三种科学策略展开，结尾总结“science is helping educators and students with different tools... help students become good at math”，核心是科学帮助学生学好数学。选项A侧重数学老师，与文章核心“科学”不符；选项B中“traditional games”错误，文中是“motion-based video games”，且并非文章核心；选项C侧重科技为科学开辟新道路，与文章主题“科学帮助学生学数学”不符。 Passage 12 （2026·北京昌平·一模）For many teenagers, growing up means stepping out of family life to build friendships. Hanging out after school and sharing secrets may seem like simple fun, but scientists say these experiences are important as they shape a teen’s “social brain”—the system for understanding others and managing feelings. Recently, however, teens in many places spend far less time face-to-face with friends, mainly connecting through screens instead. Being alone from time to time is not necessarily bad, but the social habit of overusing screens often leads to a serious problem: long-term social isolation. In such a situation, teens are unwilling to be with people their age and hardly have meaningful face-to-face communication outside the home, which is quite different from choosing to be alone voluntarily. During the teenage years, the brain changes rapidly and strengthens connections between its different areas. It is in this period that the social brain becomes better at reading facial expressions, understanding others’ thoughts, and making proper behavioral choices. One researcher compares this process to language learning: the brain is born with such an ability, yet it still requires plenty of practice to use the ability properly. Similarly, teenagers need real-life social connections to improve the systems supporting their social understanding and behavior. Scientists have been carrying out long-term studies to explore the effects of social isolation on teenagers. They follow large groups of teens, collecting both brain scans and daily-life information. In one recent project, researchers compared the brain scans of socially isolated teens with those of teens who had more face-to-face social activities, and used parents’ reports to judge the social isolation levels of these teens, such as whether they often stayed away from group activities. There were worrying differences: teenagers with long-term social isolation had underdeveloped signs in brain areas related to social understanding and emotional control. Surprisingly, brain areas for attention and decision-making also performed poorly, something that researchers had not expected, as they never thought isolation would harm so many brain parts. This finding matters because these negative changes during the teenage years can leave long-lasting effects on a developing brain, making it harder for them to succeed in the future. The hopeful news is that teenage brains can still be shaped, so early support can reduce the risks of long-term social isolation. This can be achieved by offering teens more opportunities to socialize or asking a trusted adult or a doctor for help. What matters most is that teenagers keep meaningful face-to-face connections with others their age, and with proper support and balance, most can develop healthy social habits that benefit both their brains and overall well-being. 1．What does the word “isolation” in Paragraph 2 most probably mean? A．A feeling of being lonely. B．A preference for quiet environments. C．A habit of avoiding group activities. D．A state of staying away from others. 2．Which of the experiences listed below is the most helpful for a teen’s social brain? A．Planting a tree in the backyard with a family member. B．Learning how to play the piano with a private teacher. C．Joining a football club and practising together at school. D．Communicating with friends mainly through social media. 3．What does Paragraph 5 mainly talk about? A．The methods researchers used to collect information from teens. B．The findings about brain areas influenced by long-term isolation. C．The solutions to prevent long-term social isolation among teenagers. D．The reasons why teenagers prefer staying alone instead of going out. 4．Which of the following would the writer most probably agree with? A．Being alone voluntarily leads to negative emotions. B．Timely help protects teenagers from lasting brain harm. C．Using screens sometimes is harmful to the social brain. D．Social isolation mainly influences social understanding. 【答案】1．D 2．C 3．B 4．B 【导语】本文主要介绍了青少年长期社交隔离对大脑发育的负面影响，以及早期干预的重要性。 1．第二段提到“the social habit of overusing screens often leads to a serious problem: long-term social isolation. In such a situation, teens are unwilling to be with people their age and hardly have meaningful face-to-face communication outside the home”，“长期社交隔离”是青少年过度使用屏幕导致的严重问题，表现为不愿意与同龄人在一起，几乎没有有意义的面对面交流。因此“isolation”意为“远离他人的状态”。 2．第三段提到“Similarly, teenagers need real-life social connections to improve the systems supporting their social understanding and behavior”，说明现实生活中的社交联系对青少年社交大脑有帮助。C选项“加入足球俱乐部并在学校一起训练”是与同龄人进行的现实社交活动，对青少年社交大脑最有帮助。 3．第五段开头提到“There were worrying differences: teenagers with long-term social isolation had underdeveloped signs in brain areas related to social understanding and emotional control...”，接着阐述了这些发现的重要性，所以第五段主要讲的是关于长期隔离影响的大脑区域的研究发现。 4．最后一段指出“teenage brains can still be shaped, so early support can reduce the risks”，说明及时的帮助可以保护青少年免受持久的大脑伤害。 Passage 13 （2026·北京海淀·一模）In the deep dark waters of the Arctic and North Atlantic, Greenland sharks, which can live for centuries, have been found to have a few tricks for long-term survival. Recent studies suggest that some organs (器官) of Greenland sharks may not be easily harmed by aging, while others seem able to handle tissue damage (组织损伤) that builds up over time. The findings explain how these sharks live longer than any other vertebrate on Earth. Swiss biologist Lily Fogg says that the findings may one day help treat aging in human organs, calling it her “biggest dream goal”. People used to believe that the sharks either had seriously damaged eyesight or were completely blind. However, Fogg and her team studied eye tissue from 10 Greenland sharks, some of which were as old as 150 years, and published their findings in Nature Communications. Surprisingly, the sharks had all the basic tools needed to see in the dim light of the deep sea. Also, their eye tissue did not show the usual wear and tear of aging. Fogg also explains that this may be because their eyes have more active DNA repair tools. These tools can repair damage that would otherwise lead to cell death and tissue breakdown. However, the anti-aging (抗衰老) method in the eyes may not work in all organs of Greenland sharks. Italian researcher Cellerino examined the hearts of 6 Greenland sharks and found that they were full of hard scars formed with age. In humans, such scar tissue suggests heart disease, making the heart stiff (僵硬的) and less able to pump (泵送) blood. The sharks’ hearts also showed cell damage, yet Cellerino notes they still functioned — able to send blood despite damage that would fail other animals’ hearts. The reason is unclear, but sharks’ tissue may produce protective body chemicals to handle age-related heart damages. Ecologist Catherine Macdonald isn’t surprised by these findings. She notes, “Any animal that lives such a long life must have the ability to repair and maintain itself.” Still, Macdonald doesn’t see direct applications for human health in the near future. And she stresses, “The new findings certainly do not mean people should rush to follow anti-aging trends using shark products.” 1．What is Fogg’s “biggest dream goal”? A．To discover how Greenland sharks survive. B．To find out why tissue damage builds up over time. C．To study the ways Greenland sharks protect their eyes. D．To use the findings to fight against aging of human organs. 2．What can we learn about Greenland sharks? A．They are highly inactive in DNA repair. B．They have poor eyesight or totally blind. C．Their hearts still work even with damage. D．Their eye tissue shows typical aging signs. 3．What is the passage mainly about? A．Research findings on Greenland sharks’ secrets to long life. B．Applications of shark research to treat aging human organs. C．Biological advantages of Greenland sharks over other animals. D．Scientific methods for DNA repair in Greenland sharks’ organs. 【答案】1．D 2．C 3．A 【导语】本文是一篇说明文，主要讲述了格陵兰鲨长寿的生物学秘密，介绍了其器官抗衰老、组织损伤修复的研究发现，以及这些发现对人类抗衰老研究的潜在影响与相关讨论。   1．第二段中提到“Swiss biologist Lily Fogg says that the findings may one day help treat aging in human organs, calling it her ‘biggest dream goal’. ”这直接说明她的“最大梦想目标”是利用这些发现来对抗人类器官的衰老。 2．第四段中提到“the sharks’ hearts also showed cell damage, yet Cellerino notes they still functioned — able to send blood despite damage that would fail other animals’ hearts.”这直接说明格陵兰鲨的心脏即使受损，仍然可以正常工作。 3．全文第一段开篇点明“Greenland sharks, which can live for centuries, have been found to have a few tricks for long-term survival”，后文围绕格陵兰鲨长寿的器官抗衰老、DNA修复、心脏损伤耐受等研究发现展开，因此本文主要是关于格陵兰鲨长寿秘密的研究成果。   Passage 1 （2026·北京丰台·一模）. Household robots have long been a popular idea in science fiction. Now, scientists are finally making them real, yet one daily task has proved surprisingly challenging: folding laundry. Picking up a T-shirt and folding it seems easy, but it requires a complex (复杂的) understanding of how objects move in three dimensions (维度). Humans learn how fabrics (织物) respond and can apply that knowledge to new situations, but robots cannot. As a result, robots are slow and poor at folding laundry. One key difficulty in teaching robots this skill is the endless number of ways various fabrics can fold. It’s simple for people to pick up a shirt and quickly find a sleeve or collar to fold it, but each way a shirt crumples is a new challenge for robots, which are often trained on images of smooth clothing lying flat on a surface. This task is easier for people because we learn by seeing and feeling things. Our eyes and hands provide rich information by interacting with objects. Simply looking at a piece of fabric gives us a learned understanding of how heavy or stretchy it is, and how it would best be folded. For example, we know jeans don’t fold like silk. Robots, however, don’t understand that more force is required to lift and fold a pair of jeans than a blouse and instead must interact with the object before determining (确定) a folding plan. Additionally, robots’ “hands” aren’t as flexible (灵活的) as ours. Many grippers are designed for specific objects, like picking up exact-sized screws (螺丝) in a car factory. Laundry presents a challenge: the dimensions of fabric change with every fold, so grippers must be able to adjust (调节) to match any fabric shape and size. “Folding laundry requires skilled hand control and high-level reasoning,” computer scientist Danica Kragic explains. Many robots fold laundry using “pick and place”. They pick up a point on clothing and move it along a fixed path to a set spot. However, this method adapts (适应) poorly to real-time changes. Now, a newer method called AdaFold can adjust its plan during folding by monitoring the fabric and adapting its actions as needed. This flexibility could help scientists design robots that better adapt to changing environments. Even though robots still have trouble with messy, crumpled clothing, new methods like AdaFold are bringing folding laundry closer to reality. 1．What is the main challenge for robots folding laundry? A．The way fabric crumples creates too many changes. B．Robots are not trained to fold different kinds of clothes. C．Robots perform poorly on finding a fixed point to start folding. D．The movement of objects requires robots to have learned skills. 2．What can we learn from the passage? A．Robots can determine a folding plan after looking at fabrics. B．“Pick and place” follows flexible paths for folding clothes. C．AdaFold can adapt its folding path to fabric changes. D．Grippers are adjustable to fit various fabrics. 3．Which of the following is the best title for this passage? A．Want A Household Robot? Keep Waiting B．Need Laundry Folded? Don’t Ask A Robot C．Folding Laundry: People Perform Better than Robots D．Folding Laundry: Reasoning matters More than Skills 【答案】1．A 2．C 3．B 【导语】本文主要介绍了机器人难以叠衣服是因为织物折叠方式千变万化、机器人缺乏人类的视觉触觉感知能力以及机械手不够灵活，但新的方法 AdaFold 能实时调整，使叠衣服更接近现实。 1．根据第三段开头“One key difficulty...is the endless number of ways various fabrics can fold.”，即织物皱褶的方式太多，机器人难以应对。B（未训练折叠不同衣服）是表现之一；C（找固定起点差）是“pick and place”方法的局限；D（物体运动需要学习技能）过于笼统。 2．第六段明确说“AdaFold can adjust its plan during folding by monitoring the fabric and adapting its actions as needed.”。A错误（机器人需要触摸才能确定）；B错误（“pick and place”路径固定）；D错误（抓取器目前难以灵活适应各种织物）。 3．文章通篇对比人类轻松完成叠衣服和机器人的困难，强调人类优势，结尾虽提到新方法但未改变机器人目前不如人类的事实。Need Laundry Folded? Don’t Ask A Robot（需要折叠衣服？别指望机器人）以幽默的方式概括了全文的主题——折叠衣服对机器人来说依然困难重重。 Passage 2 （2026·北京燕山·一模）Imagine a cute cat doll that chats with you while showing lively facial expressions, a smart globe that introduces local cultures based on where you tap, or a small robot ready to play Go or Chinese chess. These creative toys all use artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, and such interactive and responsive “smart companions (伴侣)” are quickly becoming popular with consumers (消费者) around the world. As new AI technologies develop rapidly, these smart toys are being produced and used in larger numbers. They have turned from something unusual into common products in many families, bringing new experiences to both children and adult users. Experts and business leaders say AI toys, created to provide emotional support and companionship, are well placed to drive the next wave of consumer trends by using advanced technologies to build emotional links with consumers. “Young consumers are increasingly paying for emotional value, and AI companionship is emerging (出现) as a key early use case,” some industry experts have pointed out in recent reports. Beyond emotional support, AI toys may also affect the way kids grow up. They promise every child a kind of upbringing (养育) that was once only available to rich families, with private tutors (辅导), personalized learning activities and custom-made entertainment. However, there are risks. AI may influence vulnerable (易受伤害的) people and children to harm themselves. For example, some AI toys told researchers where to find potentially dangerous objects. Similar concerns have been raised about AI toys, which could potentially store personal data. According to some critics, “AI toys feel like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, because when using them it’s hard to tell how much privacy you don’t have.” AI may also reinforce echo chambers (信息茧房), where people see only content they agree with. A favorites-only diet means a person never needs to learn to accept something unfamiliar. AI companions that never criticize or share their own feelings may leave people unprepared for dealing with real human beings. Because of this, some basic protective measures are urgently needed. These could include stricter age restrictions (限制) on chat bots and tighter rules for AI companies. At the same time, parents should think carefully before trusting their children to a machine that only tells them what they already agree with. 1．What can we infer from the passage? A．Rich kids refuse to use AI toys in their daily life. B．AI toys are welcomed but cause worries as well. C．AI toys will take the place of human teachers soon. D．People have found effective ways to reduce the risks of AI toys. 2．What is one of the benefits AI toys can bring to kids? A．They offer personalized support. B．They teach kids to be independent. C．They help children think more actively. D．They develop kids’ awareness of self-protection. 3．Some critics call AI toys “a wolf in sheep’s clothing” because they________________. A．seem educational but are just for fun B．may cheat children into buying them C．usually give users what they agree with D．appear friendly but actually put users’ privacy at risk 4．How can we deal with the risks of AI toys according to the passage? A．Strengthen age limits and rules. B．Provide users with regular training. C．Stay with children when they play with AI toys. D．Do more research before putting AI toys on the market. 【答案】1．B 2．A 3．D 4．A 【导语】本文是一篇说明文，主要介绍了AI智能玩具的发展、给消费者尤其是儿童带来的好处，同时指出了AI玩具存在的诸多潜在风险，并提出了应对风险的相关措施。 1．根据文章第2段“such interactive and responsive ‘smart companions (伴侣)’ are quickly becoming popular with consumers (消费者) around the world”，以及文章第7段“However, there are risks.”，可知后文接连介绍了AI玩具引发的诸多担忧，可推知AI玩具广受欢迎，但同时也引发了不少问题与担忧。 2．根据文章第6段“They promise every child a kind of upbringing (养育) that was once only available to rich families, with private tutors (辅导), personalized learning activities and custom-made entertainment.”可知AI玩具能为儿童提供个性化支持，这是它给孩子带来的好处之一。 3． 根据文章第8段“According to some critics, ‘AI toys feel like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, because when using them it’s hard to tell how much privacy you don’t have.’”可知批评人士这么说的原因是AI玩具表面友好，实际会将用户的隐私置于风险之中。 4．根据文章最后一段“These could include stricter age restrictions (限制) on chat bots and tighter rules for AI companies.”可知应对AI玩具风险的方法是加强年龄限制和相关监管规则。 Passage 3 （2026·北京顺义·一模）. If you’ve ever worn a cotton T-shirt, drunk bottled water, or forgotten to turn off the tap, you’ve unknowingly connected with coral reefs—those vibrant underwater ecosystems that are disappearing faster than we realize. National Geographic’s 2024 Marine Survey reveals that 50％ of the world’s coral reefs have died since 1995, and without action, another 90％ could disappear by 2050. Coral reefs aren’t just exotic wonders—they’re linked to our lives, and saving them starts with understanding that link. First, let’s uncover why coral reefs matter beyond their beauty. Though they cover less than 1％ of the ocean floor, they support 25％ of all marine species (海洋物种), from tiny clownfish to large sea turtles. This biodiversity isn’t just fascinating—it’s necessary and important to human survival. Over 500 million people rely on reef fish for protein, and reefs act as natural breakwaters, reducing storm damage to coastal communities by up to 97%. For students, reefs also fuel curiosity: their limestone skeletons, built over thousands of years, hold clues to Earth’s past climate, much like tree rings. Losing reefs means losing a classroom of natural science. So what’s harming them? The biggest threats are linked to our daily habits. Carbon emissions (排放) from cars and energy use warm oceans, causing “coral bleaching”—when corals force out the algae (藻类) that give them color and food. Plastic waste, often from single-use items like water bottles or snack wrappers, entangles (缠住) coral polyps and gives off toxic chemicals. Even water waste plays a role: a single load of laundry uses 41 gallons of water, and runoff from our homes carries pollutants into reef habitats. The good news? These are problems students can deal with directly. Teenagers around the world are already leading the charge, proving that age doesn’t limit impact. In Cape Town, 18-year-old Jade founded Oceano Redemptores, an organization that turns beach plastic into “eco-bricks” for building houses. Her team hosts monthly clean-ups where students collect plastic waste that would otherwise reach reefs, and she gives talks at schools to teach peers about the reef-plastic connection. Across the globe, high school students in Australia use smartphone apps to report bleached coral to marine scientists, helping track damage in real time. Even small acts add up: switching to reusable water bottles, buying secondhand clothes (to reduce cotton’s water footprint), and using reef-safe sunscreen can cut your personal impact by 30％. National Geographic explorer Sylvia Earle once said, “The ocean connects us all.” This is never truer than for coral reefs. Every time you choose to walk to school instead of getting a ride, or recycle a plastic bag, you’re sending a lifeline to these underwater ecosystems. Saving reefs isn’t about grand gestures—it’s about recognizing that your daily choices are part of a global web. 1．According to the passage, what makes coral reefs a “natural classroom”? A．Offering a large number of reef fish for people to eat. B．Providing clues about Earth’s past climate conditions. C．Protecting coastal communities from serious storms. D．Supporting different kinds of marine species. 2．Why does the writer mention Sylvia Earle’s saying? A．To stress that people are closely linked to coral reefs. B．To explain that coral reef protection is important to humans. C．To prove that coral reef protection requires global cooperation. D．To suggest that people should take action to protect coral reefs. 3．According to the passage, what can you do to protect coral reefs? A．Wear a cotton T-shirt. B．Wash clothes every day. C．Use one water bottle many times. D．Choose common sunscreen. 【答案】1．B 2．A 3．C 【导语】本文主要介绍了珊瑚礁生态系统对人类生存的重要性、目前其面临的消失危机及其原因，并列举了青少年及个人可以采取的保护措施，强调了个人选择与全球生态系统的紧密联系。 1．第二段最后两句指出：“…their limestone skeletons, built over thousands of years, hold clues to Earth’s past climate…Losing reefs means losing a classroom of natural science.”。这直接说明珊瑚礁之所以被称为“自然教室”，是因为它们的石灰岩骨骼中蕴藏着地球过去气候状况的线索。 2．最后一段第一、二句提到：“National Geographic explorer Sylvia Earle once said, ‘The ocean connects us all.’ This is never truer than for coral reefs.”。作者通过引用名言及其后的评价，旨在强调人类与珊瑚礁之间存在着紧密的相互联系，每个人日常的细微选择都会影响到这些水下生态系统。 3．第四段最后一句列举了减少个人影响的具体做法：“…switching to reusable water bottles…can cut your personal impact by 30%.”。文中建议使用“可重复使用的水瓶”，这与选项C中“多次使用同一个水瓶”的含义一致。 Passage 4 （2026·北京顺义·一模）After dinner, I told my six-year-old son, who was mid-meltdown, “Use your words!” He had just started yelling and hitting his eight-year-old sister because she wasn’t sharing a toy he believed was his. Both kids froze for a second, giving me just enough time to slow my own quickly rising emotions. Looking back, I realize I never actually explained to my kids why words can help. But putting feelings into words is how we begin to name what’s happening inside us, and that naming can start to change the experience itself. Sometimes, as research shows, the words we choose to describe our lives can shape our mental health for months and years to come. Psychologists are exploring how verbalizing our feelings can transform experience. It can help us manage heated moments and also support healing from life’s hardest situations. Research published over the past 40 years on expressive disclosure—using your words—shows it can lead to significant health improvements, especially for those dealing with stressful life events. Another research shows that writing about feelings can have a similar effect. After writing about a challenging situation, people report fewer doctor visits, reduced pain, stronger immune function (免疫功能), and better outcomes for conditions. Research also shows that writing about feelings can actually change the way you remember them. For those who don’t like to write, talking through one’s feelings works just as well. When we describe painful or overwhelming events, we don’t just relive them. We reorganize them. We add meaning, emotional context and resolution. In doing so, we can reduce the pain these memories cause and make them easier to deal with. Similar expressive writing programs are being explored with children and stem from (源于) research by psychologist John Gottman. A recent review shows these newer expressive writing programs have small but meaningful effects on improving outcomes for emotional well-being among kids ages 10 to 18 years old. There’s even some indication that these programs can improve school achievement among kids who have significant emotional problems. Even for young kids, storytelling and drawing can help make sense of big emotions, especially when guided by a teacher or parent. “Use your words” is a tool, and like any tool, it takes practice for someone to use it effectively. Sometimes we see it pay off. The boy is trying new ways to ask the girl to share her toys, and sometimes it even works. When using their words helps them get what they want or helps them solve a problem, it creates its own reward loop (循环). Over time, these small moments of language aren’t just about resolving conflicts. People begin to see themselves as the main characters in their own life stories—those who can take action and make changes, which, as research shows, is a foundation for lasting well-being. 1．Why does the writer mention the experience at the beginning of the passage? A．To introduce a topic. B．To offer a solution. C．To describe a problem. D．To support a viewpoint. 2．What does the word “verbalizing” in the third paragraph most probably mean? A．Understanding. B．Showing. C．Controlling. D．Voicing. 3．What can we learn from the passage? A．Simple expressions make stressful events easy to face. B．Words change how people understand their bad experiences. C．Talking is more effective than writing in dealing with emotions. D．People’s physical health decides their ability to manage feelings. 4．Which of the following is the best title for this passage? A．“Using Your Words” Shapes Mental Health B．“Using Your Words” Builds Lasting Well-being C．“Using Your Words” Reorganizes Painful Memories D．“Using Your Words” Helps Make Sense of Big Emotions 【答案】1．A 2．D 3．B 4．B 【导语】本文主要阐述了用语言表达情感对心理健康的积极影响，包括缓解压力、重组痛苦记忆以及促进儿童情绪发展等。 1．第一段描述了作者让孩子“用语言表达”的生活经历，随后引出关于语言如何帮助情绪管理的讨论，因此该经历是为了引出话题。 2．第三段提到“Psychologists are exploring how verbalizing our feelings can transform experience. It can help us manage heated moments and also support healing from life’s hardest situations.”以及后文对用语言描述感受的阐述，可知“verbalizing”意思是“用语言表达”，与“Voicing”意思相近。 3．第四段明确指出：“When we describe painful or overwhelming events... We reorganize them. We add meaning... we can reduce the pain”，说明语言改变了人们理解痛苦经历的方式。 4．根据文章内容，全文围绕“用语言表达”对心理健康的积极作用展开，从帮助管理情绪、重组痛苦记忆，到对儿童情绪发展的意义，最终落脚于为持久幸福感奠定基础。因此最合适的标题是“‘用语言表达’建立持久幸福感”。 Passage 5 （2026·北京西城·一模）You’ve been there before: promising to finish that report by Thursday, telling your partner you’ll be ready in “just five minutes,” or confidently planning back-to-back meetings with zero buffer (缓冲) time. Then reality hits, deadlines rush by, and you’re left wondering why you’re so bad at estimating (估计) time. You’re not alone. Most people often underestimate the time, costs, and risks of future actions while overestimating their benefits. This is the “planning fallacy.” The planning fallacy is more than just poor time management. Imagine you are short on time but have to write an email. You quickly estimate it will not take too long, but it takes far longer than you thought. What has happened? Most likely, you pictured yourself writing the message, reviewing it once, and hitting send. The problem is, when you plan, you focus on the task itself while forgetting the countless small interruptions (干扰) and difficulties that unavoidably appear. The planning fallacy also explains why large projects always run over budget and take more time than planned. Part of the reason is that everyone makes optimistic (乐观的) estimates, which quickly produce wildly unrealistic expectations. The problem is often made worse by the “sunk cost fallacy.” We refuse to accept failure when too much effort has been made, and throw more time and money at the project instead. The planning fallacy can be very costly. Missed deadlines hurt your reputation (名声). Poor planning eats your time away and then other chances will pass you by. And when every task takes longer than expected, you keep playing catch-up, creating unnecessary stress and health problems. So what can you do? Instead of thinking about the task, use data (数据). Think back to when you last completed a similar task. How long did it take? This works best if you keep some actual notes. Adding buffers is also a good idea, but one rule to keep you realistic is to add percentages instead of fixed time buffers. For example, add 25% to your estimate instead of 10 minutes more. Break big projects into smaller, more predictable steps, and estimate the time of each one. Estimating a big project holds lots of unknowns. Vague commitments hardly work. Instead, create clear “if-then” plans: If I have a meeting at 9 a.m. on Monday, then I’ll add a 25% buffer (leave 30 minutes earlier than usual) to account for the rush hour traffic instead of just saying “I’ll go earlier.” When you learn to make more clear time estimates, you will experience less stress, achieve higher-quality work, and improve your reputation. You’ll also save time, make more space in your mind needed for creative work and have the time to chase other chances. 1．Which of the following would probably lead to “planning fallacy”? A．Putting off a task until the last minute. B．Creating timetables based only on the best cases. C．Spending more time than planned to complete a task. D．Continuing a failing project because so much has been put into it. 2．What do the words “vague commitments” in Paragraph 5 most probably mean? A．Goals that are difficult to achieve. B．Statements that hurt one’s reputation. C．Promises that are general and uncertain. D．Agreements that aren’t carefully considered. 3．According to the passage, what can we do to avoid planning fallacy? A．Stay optimistic to achieve more higher-quality and creative work. B．Make clearer plans by building in a 15-minute buffer for each task. C．Break large tasks into smaller parts and decide which one to complete first. D．Record how long it takes to complete a task as a guide for the next time. 4．Which of the following would the writer most probably agree with? A．Planning fallacy keeps you from falling behind where you should be. B．Avoiding sunk cost fallacy develops people’s ability to estimate time. C．Avoiding planning fallacy may improve people’s productivity and possibility. D．Planning fallacy probably results in forgetting to take every task into account. 【答案】1．B 2．C 3．D 4．C 【导语】本文是一篇说明文，主要介绍了“规划谬误”的概念、成因、影响及应对方法。   1．由第一段第四句“Most people often underestimate the time, costs, and risks of future actions while overestimating their benefits. This is the‘planning fallacy’.”可知，规划谬误是指低估未来行动的时间、成本与风险，同时高估回报的心理现象，仅凭理想情况制定计划、低估实际用时，都属于该范畴。 2．由第五段“Instead, create clear‘if-then’plans ... instead of just saying ‘I’ll go earlier.’”可知，清晰明确的行动方案可以改善问题，反向推断，vague commitments指代模糊笼统、缺乏细节的口头承诺。 3．由第五段第五句“This works best if you keep some actual notes.”可知，如实记录每项任务的实际耗时，是规避规划谬误的有效方式。 4．由第六段“When you learn to make more clear time estimates, you will experience less stress, achieve higher-quality work, and improve your reputation. You’ll also save time, make more space in your mind needed for creative work and have the time to chase other chances.”可知，合理预估时间、摆脱规划谬误，能够减轻压力、提升工作质量、节省时间，还能腾出精力、把握更多发展机会。 / 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $ 专题06 阅读理解（说明文） Passage 1 （2026·北京石景山·一模）In the classic story The Little Engine That Could, a small train worked hard up a steep hill, repeating, “I think I can.” This story shows how much society values perseverance—sticking with something even when it’s hard. But researchers suggest that sometimes, instead of always setting new goals, we should ask: “What do I no longer need?” Past goals may no longer fit our lives. They might be too hard, too expensive, or simply not what we want anymore. However, quitting (放弃) is often looked down upon, so letting go can be even harder than persevering. Why We Stick with Past Goals Scientists are now studying why quitting is so difficult. One reason is the “sunk-cost” bias— we find it hard to give up something after we’ve spent time, money, or effort on it. In one online game, researchers had over 3, 500 players push colored buttons to get points. Some buttons gave points more often than others, but players weren’t told which. They could turn to a new color at any time but couldn’t go back. Most players stuck with a color far longer than they should have, even though making a change would have been smarter. “Even in this unpaid game, people worked hard to move on,” said researcher Rachit Dubey. In real life, where emotions are involved, it’s even harder. How to Quit in a Healthy Way So if quitting is sometimes the best choice, how do we do it? Studies show that why we quit is the key point. A 2022 study followed over 900 people who were giving up long-term goals. Those who quit because others pressured them often felt“stuck” (被困住的) and doubted their decision. But those who quit because the goal no longer fit found it easier to move on. Psychologist Andreea Gavrila compares quitting to a breakup. “It’s very messy,” she says. Quitting a goal can take months or even years. But if there’s a moment you decide from your inner motivation (内在的动机) to do it, there’ll be the process of moving on. A Different Kind of Courage We often think of perseverance as a strength. But sometimes, holding on does more harm than good. Letting go of a goal you’ve outgrown can free up mental space and energy for new dreams. Finding a new way forward may first require the courage to say, “I think I can’t.” 1．Why does the writer use the story at the beginning of the passage? A．To explain how trains work. B．To show his love for classic stories. C．To prove that quitting is always bad. D．To lead into the topic of perseverance. 2．What does the phrase “sunk-cost” bias in Paragraph 3 most probably mean? A．The habit of giving up when things get hard. B．The feeling of sticking with what you’ve put in. C．The idea about trying new things in a brave way. D．The worry about wasting money on something new. 3．Which of the following would the researchers agree with? A．It’s easy for people to give up old goals quickly. B．People should stick with their long-held goals in life. C．Quitting based on inner drive helps people move on. D．Outer pressure is the best reason for people to quit a goal. 4．Which of the following is the best title for this passage? A．The Importance of Persevering in Our Life Goals B．Different Ways to Realize Our Dreams Successfully C．How to Set New and Practical Goals for a Better Life D．Sometimes Letting Go of Unfit Goals Is the Best Choice Passage 2 （2026·北京石景山·一模）Many kids find it hard to stay focused on their lessons for long. Research shows that movement breaks help students learn better—and it doesn’t take much. According to a study in Psychology of Sport & Exercise, just a few minutes of activity can improve classroom performance. Lead scientist Eric Drollette, an exercise psychologist at the University of North Carolina, wanted to find a kind of exercise that could fit into a classroom setting with limited space. Early studies had tested 20 to 30 minutes of moderate-intensity (中等强度的) exercise, but they couldn’t be done in a classroom and would take too much time away from lessons. Drollette’s team designed a nine-minute high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE). Kids performed moves like jumping jacks (开合跳), squats and high knees—exercising for 30 seconds, resting for 30 seconds, and then repeating. The study tested 25 children aged 9 to 12. Each child visited the lab three times, taking part in three different activities: doing the nine-minute HIIE, riding a stationary (静止的) bike, and watching an educational video. After each activity, the children completed tasks testing attention, language skills, and math. Drollette’s team showed that after the high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE), children’s brains became more efficient at recognizing mistakes. Language performance also improved after the HIIE. However, for math, the kids performed a bit less than after less-intense exercise. “That could be because of tiredness.” Drollette says. Tasks that require higher-level thinking, such as math, seem to be the first ones affected by tiredness. Experts find the results exciting. Lauren Raine, an exercise scientist at Northeastern University, noted that short, high-intensity exercise breaks in classrooms might improve learning performance and help students deal with mistakes more effectively. Drollette also believes such exercise could benefit teens. An overactive mistake response is connected with mental (精神的) health problems, which have become more common in high school. By helping calm this response, high-intensity exercise may support mental well-being. “Being active can help with a lot of things that are going on in society,” Drollette said, encouraging students to find chances to stand up and get moving. 1．Why did Drollette’s team create the nine-minute HIIE? A．To find the most popular exercise for young kids. B．To make exercise fit limited classroom time and space. C．To replace the moderate exercise in students’ daily life. D．To compare moderate exercise with a high-intensity one. 2．What is mentioned in Paragraph 4 about Drollette’s team’s study? A．Its results. B．Its process. C．Its challenges. D．Its limitations. 3．What can we learn from the passage? A．20-30 minutes’ exercise is out of date today. B．The kids did activities instead of tests in the lab. C．Tiredness may influence the kids’ math performance. D．The HIIE program mainly benefits the kids’ learning. Passage 3 （2026·北京朝阳·一模）. Many people think that eating a fruit in summer has the same effect on your body as eating it in winter. However, new research shows a different result. Our bodies have body cycles, which are just like our body clocks. There’s a main clock in the brain and other clocks in different body parts. These clocks work together to control different body activities. For example, at night, our bodies produce chemical substances (化学物质) that make us sleepy. The body knows what time it is mainly through light. Since the daylight changes with the seasons, our bodies adjust (调整) accordingly. There are two types of body cycles: daily cycles and yearly cycles. Food also influences our body clocks. The idea suggests that parts in plants can let our bodies know about the place where the plants grow. So, eating fruits and vegetables when they’re in season can help our bodies get used to the changing seasons. For example, apples are in season in autumn. Apples from this season have certain things that can help our bodies save energy and get stronger against illness as the weather turns cold. However, these days, we can eat all kinds of fruits and vegetables at any time of the year. According to the recent study, polyphenols (多酚) which are things in fruits and vegetables are good for our health and can affect our body cycles. Different plants have different kinds of polyphenols because of their growing conditions. It is believed that eating out-of-season fruits might cause a difference between our body clock and the real environment. Let’s take bananas as an example. Bananas grow in areas with a hot climate. In the places where they come from, they come together at a certain time of the year. If people in mild-climate (气候温和的) areas eat bananas when they’re not in season locally, it might mess up the body’s normal cycle. Our bodies may get “wrong” signals, which could possibly influence how our body processes (加工) food and our general health. So, it’s better to eat fruits in season to keep our body cycles in line with the environment. But remember, eating any fruit is better than not eating at all. 1．According to the passage, what can we learn about body cycles? A．They have nothing to do with food. B．They change as the daylight changes. C．They work together because of the main clock. D．They produce chemical substances to control sleep. 2．Why does the writer mention polyphenols in Paragraph 5? A．To tell readers what polyphenols are in plants. B．To show all fruits are good for people’s health. C．To advise people to eat more fruit in cold weather. D．To explain why out-of-season fruits influence body cycles. 3．What is the passage mainly about? A．The differences between summer fruits and winter fruits. B．The ways to keep our body clocks working properly all year round. C．The relationship between eating seasonal fruits and our body cycles. D．The reasons why our bodies need different chemicals in different seasons. Passage 4 （2026·北京朝阳·一模）A large body of research has been developed in recent years to explain willpower. Most of the researchers exploring self-control do so with a clear goal in mind: How can willpower be improved? If willpower is truly easily used up, as the research suggests, what can be done to keep it strong? Avoiding temptation (诱惑) is an effective method for keeping self-control, so please follow “out of view, out of mind” rule. One recent study, for example, found office workers are less attracted to candy in the desk drawer than that on top of their desks. The research suggesting that we have a limited amount of self-control raises a troubling question. When we face too many temptations, are we to fail? Not necessarily. Researchers don’t believe that one’s willpower is ever completely used up. Rather, people appear to hold some willpower in reserve (储备), saved for future needs. The right drive allows us to tap into those reserves, allowing us to carry on even when our self-control strength has been run down. High drive might help deal with weakened willpower, at least to a point. Willpower may also be made less easily exhausted (精疲力尽的) in the first place. Researchers compare self-control to a muscle (肌肉) that gets tired with heavy use. But there is another side to this comparison, they say. While muscles become exhausted by exercise in the short term, they are strengthened by daily exercise in the long term. Similarly, we should take regular (有规律的) practices of self-control to build willpower strength. Studies on willpower exhaustion suggest that making a list of decisions on New Year’s Eve is the worst possible way. Being exhausted in one area can reduce willpower in other areas, so it makes more sense to focus on a single goal at a time. In other words, don’t try to give up smoking, choose a healthy diet and start a new exercise plan at the same time. Taking goals one by one is a better way. Once a good habit is in place, psychologist Baumeister says, you’ll no longer need willpower to keep the behavior. Finally, healthy habits will become routine (常规) and won’t require making decisions at all. Many questions about the nature of self-control remain to be answered by further research. Yet it seems likely that with clear goals, good self-control and a little practice, you can train your willpower to stay strong in the face of temptation. 1．From the studies, we can learn that ________. A．daily activities can keep people’s willpower active B．willpower is not easily completely used up in daily life C．strong wishes are the key to solving willpower problems D．people can improve their willpower by controlling themselves less 2．What does the phrase “tap into” in Paragraph 3 most probably mean? A．Set up. B．Take up. C．Run out of. D．Make use of. 3．To form a good habit, which of the following does the writer prefer? A．Focusing on one goal before moving on to another. B．Preparing a long list of decisions on New Year’s Eve. C．Trying different plans to develop healthy daily habits. D．Carrying out several lifestyle changes at the same time. 4．What is the writer’s main purpose in writing this passage? A．To offer advice on how to improve and keep willpower. B．To explain why people’s willpower becomes weak easily. C．To show how to avoid different kinds of daily temptations. D．To discuss the problems caused by poor self-control in life. Passage 5 （2026·北京·一模）Do you know that if a dolphin echolocates (进行回声定位) on you, it will see your lungs and your skeleton (骨骼)? Or that cows can see in front, to the side, and behind them all at once? While we humans are prisoners (囚犯) of our own senses, the animals experience the world in ways we can hardly imagine. This is what Pulitzer Prize-winner Ed Yong explores in An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us. With lively stories, Yong shows that the way we see the world isn’t the only way. After reading the book, I was shocked by the fact that we can send satellites into space and use AI every day, yet still hardly understand the creatures (生物) living right beside us. I especially valued how Yong respects different ways of perceiving (感知) things. What lifts this book above dry science is Yong’s writing. His humor is frank (“I could go on. I’m going to go on”), and his metaphors (比喻) are vivid: deep-sea creatures reacting to submarine (潜艇) lights as if attacked by glowing figures. Reading this felt less like a textbook and more like an invitation to wonder. The book’s last chapter is both sobering (发人深省的 ) and hopeful. Humans have changed the environment in ways that harm animal senses: lights that confuse birds, flat surfaces that cause bats to crash. Yet we’ve also seen, during the quiet of the pandemic, how quickly nature rebounds (复苏) when we step back. Restoration (修复) is not only possible, but a choice. A choice that is ours to make. Some people might be put off by how long and dense (难懂) this book is. But as a person who is not really into science or biology, I still found myself drawn in. An Immense World will leave anyone with a new respect for the living world around them. And for those who do have a passion for biology or the animal kingdom— buckle up (准备好). This is a ride well worth the admission price. 1．What fact in the book shocked the writer? A．Each creature helps keep the balance of nature. B．AI technologies can tell animals’ senses clearly. C．Humans know little about the animals close to them. D．Animal senses are more powerful than human senses. 2．What can we learn from the last chapter of the book? A．It is up to humans to help restore nature. B．Nature can hardly recover though given a chance. C．Humans have changed their ways to get along with animals. D．Animals can easily change their senses to fit new conditions. 3．What does the underlined phrase “put off” in the last paragraph probably mean? A．Amazed. B．Confused. C．Inspired. D．Discouraged. Passage 6 （2026·北京大兴·一模）We often talk about “trusting our gut.” But the gut feelings people refer to can actually come from two very different sources: instinct and intuition. Because they feel so similar—fast, automatic (自动的), sometimes emotional — we are likely to treat them the same, which can lead to poor decision-making in many situations. Instinct refers to inborn behavioral responses (反应) shaped by evolution (进化). These responses are fast and automatic because they come from brain systems such as the amygdala and brainstem, which process threat and survival signals. When you jump back from something that looks dangerous or feel a sudden rush of fear, your brain focuses on speed rather than accuracy (准确性). In evolutionary terms, reacting quickly to possible danger increased the chances of survival. Intuition, by contrast, comes from experience-based pattern recognition. Research on expert decision-making shows that people who have spent years in a field develop the ability to notice small details that others miss. Psychologist Gary Klein recorded this in studies of firefighters and emergency workers: experienced professionals often sensed that something was wrong before they could explain why. Their intuition was not mysterious — it was the brain rapidly matching present signs to patterns learned over time. Next time you experience an automatic response, such as fear, attraction, or confidence, take a moment to pause for a while and ask yourself the following two questions: (1) Is this instinct or intuition? (2) Are you in immediate danger, or is this a more complex (复杂的) situation? THE GUT DECISION MATRIX Instinct Intuition Immediate danger Act immediately (a) Act then verify (c) Complex situation Slow down and question it (b) Treat it as a hypothesis (d) (a) If your response is instinct in immediate danger, act right away. (b) However, instincts can go wrong in complex modern situations, so slow down and question them. (c) If you have experience in similar fast-moving situations, strong intuition may be worth acting on quickly. (d) In slower-developing or more complex situations, treat intuitions as hypotheses (假设) and examine them through more thinking and evidence. Instinct and intuition both act without our active mental processing, which is why they’re often put together as “gut feelings”, but they arise from different mechanisms and serve different purposes. So instead of asking whether to trust your gut, a better question is: what kind of gut feeling is this? Once you know that, deciding what to do next becomes much easier. 1．What is the difference between instinct and intuition? A．Instinct controls feelings; intuition controls actions. B．Instinct is inborn; intuition is from experience. C．Instinct is strong; intuition is weak. D．Instinct is slow; intuition is fast. 2．What is the main idea of Paragraph 5? A．How to tell instinct and intuition apart. B．When to act on instinct and intuition. C．How to stay away from danger. D．Why people have gut feelings. 3．Which of the following would the writer most probably agree with? A．Trusting our gut feelings can lead to poor decision-making. B．Instinct is more believable because it protects us from threats. C．Telling instinct from intuition helps make better decisions. D．Intuition is formed by noticing and analyzing small details. Passage 7 （2026·北京平谷·一模）When you think of fast animals, cheetahs and falcons may come to mind. But do you know some of the fastest living things on Earth are very small cells? If cells had their own Olympics, who would win the speed game? Manu Prakash, a scientist at Stanford University, says the “competitors” won’t show up ready to compete. “We have to go search in puddles and ponds and in the deep ocean,” he says. His team collected information on the speed of different cells to compare them. So how do these tiny speeders move? Some fast cells jump or slide across water. Others move by waving long, thin parts that look like whips (鞭子), or swim with the help of tiny, hair-like parts. There are also speedy cells that do not move from one place to another but grow bigger or become smaller very quickly, and this makes them special “speed players” too. Take Spirostomum, for example. In Liberia, Prakash saw many white spots in a pond. They were not spread out randomly. He took a sample (样本) and found this single-celled creature. It can shrink (缩小) its body faster than any other eukaryote (真核生物) — a living thing whose cells have a nucleus. Why does it shrink so fast? Prakash says it’s part of how it communicates. “It actually talks to other cells … using sound underwater.” Another amazing cell is Pyrocystis. These algae (水藻) do not swim, but they make a huge journey. Prakash found them deep in the ocean near Hawai’i. They need sunlight to live, but how do they get it? The algae can inflate like a balloon to five times their size and then shrink back down. This allows them to travel about one kilometer up to the sunlit surface. Compared to their size, that is the longest journey on Earth. Prakash has found many super-fast cells in different places. These unusual living things help us learn more about the secret of life. "This planet is full of amazing things," he says. "When we study and compare them, we will find how wonderful life is." 1．Where did Manu Prakash find the fast cells? A．In rivers and cities. B．In space and on other planets. C．In high mountains and forests. D．In puddles, ponds and the deep ocean. 2．What does the word “inflate” in Paragraph 5 most likely mean? A．blow up B．take off C．calm down D．break down 3．What can we learn about the “speed” of cells from the passage? A．It is measured by how fast a cell moves from one place to another. B．It can be understood in different ways, including changes in a cell’s size. C．It mainly depends on a cell’s ability to swim using whips or hair-like parts. D．It has been fully studied by scientists like Manu Prakash around the world. Passage 8 （2026·北京房山·一模）Birdwatching is a popular hobby around the world. Millions of people enjoy it. But beyond learning to identify (识别) birds, is it possible that birdwatching is actually shaping our brains? A new study suggests the answer may be yes. Scientists were curious about whether the brains of expert birdwatchers differ from those of beginners. To find out, they studied 58 adults. Half of them were experienced birdwatchers, while the other half had much less experience. Then the scientists sent all of them into specialized brain-imaging (脑成像) machines to study brain structure and brain activity while having them identify birds. Compared with beginners, expert birdwatchers showed more organized brain structure in areas linked (连接) to attention and visual perception (视觉感知). The more organized the brain structure, the better the ability to identify birds. Interestingly, these same areas of the brain lit up on brain imaging when bird experts were identifying less familiar birds. This suggests that spending time birdwatching and becoming an expert may actually reshape the brain over time. This builds on another recent study. It found that people who took part in more creative activities had more youthful-looking brains and this was directly linked to how skilled they were at those activities. Besides these brain changes, birdwatching may help improve brain health in other ways. With social connections at the top of the list of things that support brain health, joining a social birdwatching group could provide a direct positive brain effect. Birdwatching can lead to physical activity, which is clearly good for the brain. Spending more time in nature is also increasingly linked to improved overall brain health, as is staying away from screens. Finally, birdwatching may help people reduce stress. This is important because stress is bad for the brain. There is still much more to learn about the possible good effects of birdwatching on our brain. But while spending your day looking for birds does not replace the need for a healthy diet, good sleep, and daily exercise, it may still be doing your brain some good. 1．Why did the scientists compare expert birdwatchers and beginners? A．To help beginners identify birds better. B．To study their ability to know different birds. C．To find out whether their brains are different. D．To test how quickly birdwatchers can identify birds. 2．What did the scientists find out from their study? A．A more organized brain did help with identifying birds. B．Long-term birdwatching hardly changed one’s brain structure. C．Expert birdwatchers were better at creative activities than beginners. D．Experts’ brains showed little activity on identifying birds new to them. 3．What is mainly discussed about birdwatching in Paragraph 5? A．Its help in reducing stress. B．Its benefits for brain health. C．Its role in social connection. D．Its effects on brain structure. Passage 9 （2026·北京平谷·一模）Imagine you just finished a hard hike to the top of a mountain. The view of the city below is beautiful, and you want to take a photo. But it’s already quite dark, and you’re not sure you’ll get a good shot. Luckily, your phone has an AI night mode. It can take great photos even after sunset. Here’s something you may not know: that night mode may have been trained on computer-made nighttime images—scenes that were never actually photographed. This kind of data is called synthetic data. Why use synthetic data? AI researchers use up all the real data on the internet, so they turn to synthetic data. But this creates a problem. In science, making up data is a very bad thing. So how can computer-made data be good? Is it just a nice word for lying? As a researcher, I think it comes down to why you do it and how open you are about it. Synthetic data is usually not made to cheat. In fact, using it can be the right thing to do. For example, showing real people’s faces can violate privacy, but computer-made faces offer the same benefits without that risk. There are other reasons. Some things are so rare that there isn’t enough real data. Instead of letting this become a big problem, researchers create those situations with computers. Also, collecting real data can be costly or dangerous. Imagine collecting data for a self-driving car during a storm. It’s much easier and safer to create such data with computers. How is synthetic data made? Researchers create synthetic data in two main ways. One method uses physics-based models—for example, using the laws of light to show how a scene would look. The other method uses AI that learns from real data and then creates new, realistic text, images, and videos. Is synthetic data perfect? Synthetic data is not perfect. It is only as good as the model it comes from. Researchers have to be careful about biases—unfair patterns in the data. It is also important to know the difference between computer-made data and the real world. Synthetic data is great for training AI, but the final system should be tested with real data before it is used. AI systems learn by finding patterns, but they cannot tell what is real or true. The desire for truth belongs to people, not machines. So next time you use a cool AI feature, remember: synthetic data may have helped train it. But reality is still the final judge of what we create. 1．Why does the writer begin the passage with the example of taking a photo on a dark mountain top? A．To explain how AI night mode works in detail. B．To show that hiking is a popular outdoor activity. C．To lead into the topic of synthetic data used in AI training. D．To prove that phone cameras are better than professional ones. 2．What is synthetic data according to the passage? A．Information is stored in AI night modes. B．Data collected from real-life situations. C．Man-made data was used to train AI systems. D．Real photos taken by phones in dark places. 3．How does the writer mainly support his opinion about synthetic data? A．By arguing real data is bad. B．By showing its uses and limits. C．By listing AI models using it. D．By comparing it with real data. 4．Which of the following is the best title for the passage? A．Why AI Will Soon Replace Human Judgment B．The Privacy Problems of Using Real Face Data C．How AI Night Mode Helps You Take Photos in the Dark D．Synthetic Data Is Useful but Still Needs Real-World Checks Passage 10 （2026·北京西城·一模）. From a young age, we are taught not to lie. But do people sometimes lie when it is to their advantage? If they do lie, how often do they do so? What kind of lies do people usually tell? These are the questions that interest researchers. To study lying behavior without influencing the behavior of a liar, researchers have developed some creative experiments. One is the die-under-the-cup experiment. Each participant (参与者) sits alone in a closed room. In front of the participant is a cup with a small hole and a die. Each participant is asked to cover the die with the cup, shake the die, peek through the hole, and report the number on the die. They are told that the higher the number they report, the more they get paid, which means if they report 2, they will receive $2, and 6 for $6. In this experiment, it is worthwhile for them to report a high number to receive more money. They know only they can see the true result. When people roll a die, the chance of rolling any number from 1 to 6 is the same — exactly 1/6 (about 16.67%). So, if a large number of participants roll a die and report the number they really see, then about 1/6 would report 1, 1/6 would report 2, and the like. However, if participants lie and report higher numbers to get more money, the percentage of participants reporting 1 or 2 would be lower than 1/6. Here is what the researchers found. Participants were more likely to report more high numbers (4,5,6) and fewer low numbers. However, instead of always reporting the highest number, participants usually reported slightly (稍微) higher numbers than what they rolled. Why do people lie only a little? Some studies note it is important for people to think of themselves as honest people, so they balance the longing to benefit from the lie with the longing to keep a positive self-image (自我形象). Also, the longing to keep a positive social image is another reason. The fear of being seen as a liar often reduces the possibility to lie. How is it possible to use these findings to reduce dishonesty? In a study in the UK, aimed at stopping people from stealing bicycles, researchers placed signs near the bicycle parking area with a photograph of eyes and the words “we are watching you.” After that, fewer bicycles were stolen in those areas. The image and words increased people’s social image concerns (担忧). That means the findings are useful in reducing dishonesty to some degree. Future experiments should test how these findings might help people be more honest in different real-life situations. 1．Which of the following can best show the result of the die-under-the-cup experiment? A． B． C． D． 2．What can we learn from the passage? A．The chance of rolling each number on a die shows how often people lie. B．Participants could choose to be honest because they want to get paid more. C．People lie only a little because they value a positive self-image over a social image. D．The UK study proves the longing for a positive social image reduces dishonesty. 3．What is the writer’s main purpose in writing this passage? A．To explain why people sometimes lie to their advantage. B．To show that it is common for people to have lying behavior. C．To review some key findings on the degree to which people lie. D．To introduce some research on how to reduce people’s dishonesty. Passage 11 （2026·北京通州·一模）For many students, math is a source of stress that can prevent performance. However, scientific research is now providing new strategies to change this fear into mastery. An excellent finding is the flipped (翻转的) classroom model. Traditional teaching, where lectures (授课) happen in class and practice at home, is being changed. Students now learn new concepts (概念) through videos at home, freeing class time for cooperative problem solving and discussion. Researchers are leading a study across 40 math classrooms to compare this method with traditional teaching. They find students have different flipping styles and watch introductory videos at their own pace (节奏). The key idea is to make better use of class time for active engagement (参加) and teacher support. Researchers also find changing sitting position can produce benefits. Erik Peper studied the effect of posture (姿势) on math performance. In the study, his team asked 125 students to mentally subtract (心算减法) large numbers. Half were told to slouch (无精打采地坐着). The rest were directed to sit upright. For 30 seconds, each student started with the number 964 and then silently subtracted by sevens. Then they changed positions and repeated the exercise, this time starting from the number 834. A survey asked each person which position made it easier for them to do the mental math. More than half (56.4%) found it was easier when they sat upright. One sixth (17%) said it was easier when they slouched. The rest said posture didn’t matter. Notably, those who struggled most while slouching were often the same students who reported high test anxiety. This suggests that keeping an upright posture could be a simple way to help reduce stress and increase the focused thinking required for math. Now technology also offers more chances for participation. A math education researcher is exploring how motion-based video games can help learn geometry (几何). In her game “The Hidden Village”, players use body movements to control the figure in the game and interact (互动) with geometric concepts. Research shows that when students work in groups and use gestures (手势) to solve problems, their intuitive (直觉) understanding and deeper insight improve clearly. For example, groups using gestures showed correct intuition 70% of the time, compared to only 27% for groups that did not gesture. This proves using physical movement in teamwork can improve math reasoning. In conclusion, science is helping educators and students with different tools—from restructuring classrooms and using body posture to joining interactive games. These ways are moving beyond rote memorization (死记硬背), aiming to build confidence, deepen understanding, and finally help students become good at math. 1．In the flipped class, students can ________. A．learn the lectures in the classroom and practice at home B．learn math concepts from their teachers at the same pace C．have the same learning styles as they do in traditional classes D．take part in the class discussion more actively 2．What can we learn from the passage? A．Slouching in math class makes it easier to do mental math. B．Sitting straight can increase the focused thinking in math class. C．Making gestures helped students choose the game of “The Hidden Village”. D．Body movements can be improved by playing video games. 3．What can probably be the best title? A．Math teachers help students get new learning skills. B．Traditional games improve students’ math performance. C．Technology is opening new doors for science. D．Science is helping kids become math masters. Passage 12 （2026·北京昌平·一模）For many teenagers, growing up means stepping out of family life to build friendships. Hanging out after school and sharing secrets may seem like simple fun, but scientists say these experiences are important as they shape a teen’s “social brain”—the system for understanding others and managing feelings. Recently, however, teens in many places spend far less time face-to-face with friends, mainly connecting through screens instead. Being alone from time to time is not necessarily bad, but the social habit of overusing screens often leads to a serious problem: long-term social isolation. In such a situation, teens are unwilling to be with people their age and hardly have meaningful face-to-face communication outside the home, which is quite different from choosing to be alone voluntarily. During the teenage years, the brain changes rapidly and strengthens connections between its different areas. It is in this period that the social brain becomes better at reading facial expressions, understanding others’ thoughts, and making proper behavioral choices. One researcher compares this process to language learning: the brain is born with such an ability, yet it still requires plenty of practice to use the ability properly. Similarly, teenagers need real-life social connections to improve the systems supporting their social understanding and behavior. Scientists have been carrying out long-term studies to explore the effects of social isolation on teenagers. They follow large groups of teens, collecting both brain scans and daily-life information. In one recent project, researchers compared the brain scans of socially isolated teens with those of teens who had more face-to-face social activities, and used parents’ reports to judge the social isolation levels of these teens, such as whether they often stayed away from group activities. There were worrying differences: teenagers with long-term social isolation had underdeveloped signs in brain areas related to social understanding and emotional control. Surprisingly, brain areas for attention and decision-making also performed poorly, something that researchers had not expected, as they never thought isolation would harm so many brain parts. This finding matters because these negative changes during the teenage years can leave long-lasting effects on a developing brain, making it harder for them to succeed in the future. The hopeful news is that teenage brains can still be shaped, so early support can reduce the risks of long-term social isolation. This can be achieved by offering teens more opportunities to socialize or asking a trusted adult or a doctor for help. What matters most is that teenagers keep meaningful face-to-face connections with others their age, and with proper support and balance, most can develop healthy social habits that benefit both their brains and overall well-being. 1．What does the word “isolation” in Paragraph 2 most probably mean? A．A feeling of being lonely. B．A preference for quiet environments. C．A habit of avoiding group activities. D．A state of staying away from others. 2．Which of the experiences listed below is the most helpful for a teen’s social brain? A．Planting a tree in the backyard with a family member. B．Learning how to play the piano with a private teacher. C．Joining a football club and practising together at school. D．Communicating with friends mainly through social media. 3．What does Paragraph 5 mainly talk about? A．The methods researchers used to collect information from teens. B．The findings about brain areas influenced by long-term isolation. C．The solutions to prevent long-term social isolation among teenagers. D．The reasons why teenagers prefer staying alone instead of going out. 4．Which of the following would the writer most probably agree with? A．Being alone voluntarily leads to negative emotions. B．Timely help protects teenagers from lasting brain harm. C．Using screens sometimes is harmful to the social brain. D．Social isolation mainly influences social understanding. Passage 13 （2026·北京海淀·一模）In the deep dark waters of the Arctic and North Atlantic, Greenland sharks, which can live for centuries, have been found to have a few tricks for long-term survival. Recent studies suggest that some organs (器官) of Greenland sharks may not be easily harmed by aging, while others seem able to handle tissue damage (组织损伤) that builds up over time. The findings explain how these sharks live longer than any other vertebrate on Earth. Swiss biologist Lily Fogg says that the findings may one day help treat aging in human organs, calling it her “biggest dream goal”. People used to believe that the sharks either had seriously damaged eyesight or were completely blind. However, Fogg and her team studied eye tissue from 10 Greenland sharks, some of which were as old as 150 years, and published their findings in Nature Communications. Surprisingly, the sharks had all the basic tools needed to see in the dim light of the deep sea. Also, their eye tissue did not show the usual wear and tear of aging. Fogg also explains that this may be because their eyes have more active DNA repair tools. These tools can repair damage that would otherwise lead to cell death and tissue breakdown. However, the anti-aging (抗衰老) method in the eyes may not work in all organs of Greenland sharks. Italian researcher Cellerino examined the hearts of 6 Greenland sharks and found that they were full of hard scars formed with age. In humans, such scar tissue suggests heart disease, making the heart stiff (僵硬的) and less able to pump (泵送) blood. The sharks’ hearts also showed cell damage, yet Cellerino notes they still functioned — able to send blood despite damage that would fail other animals’ hearts. The reason is unclear, but sharks’ tissue may produce protective body chemicals to handle age-related heart damages. Ecologist Catherine Macdonald isn’t surprised by these findings. She notes, “Any animal that lives such a long life must have the ability to repair and maintain itself.” Still, Macdonald doesn’t see direct applications for human health in the near future. And she stresses, “The new findings certainly do not mean people should rush to follow anti-aging trends using shark products.” 1．What is Fogg’s “biggest dream goal”? A．To discover how Greenland sharks survive. B．To find out why tissue damage builds up over time. C．To study the ways Greenland sharks protect their eyes. D．To use the findings to fight against aging of human organs. 2．What can we learn about Greenland sharks? A．They are highly inactive in DNA repair. B．They have poor eyesight or totally blind. C．Their hearts still work even with damage. D．Their eye tissue shows typical aging signs. 3．What is the passage mainly about? A．Research findings on Greenland sharks’ secrets to long life. B．Applications of shark research to treat aging human organs. C．Biological advantages of Greenland sharks over other animals. D．Scientific methods for DNA repair in Greenland sharks’ organs. Passage 1 （2026·北京丰台·一模）. Household robots have long been a popular idea in science fiction. Now, scientists are finally making them real, yet one daily task has proved surprisingly challenging: folding laundry. Picking up a T-shirt and folding it seems easy, but it requires a complex (复杂的) understanding of how objects move in three dimensions (维度). Humans learn how fabrics (织物) respond and can apply that knowledge to new situations, but robots cannot. As a result, robots are slow and poor at folding laundry. One key difficulty in teaching robots this skill is the endless number of ways various fabrics can fold. It’s simple for people to pick up a shirt and quickly find a sleeve or collar to fold it, but each way a shirt crumples is a new challenge for robots, which are often trained on images of smooth clothing lying flat on a surface. This task is easier for people because we learn by seeing and feeling things. Our eyes and hands provide rich information by interacting with objects. Simply looking at a piece of fabric gives us a learned understanding of how heavy or stretchy it is, and how it would best be folded. For example, we know jeans don’t fold like silk. Robots, however, don’t understand that more force is required to lift and fold a pair of jeans than a blouse and instead must interact with the object before determining (确定) a folding plan. Additionally, robots’ “hands” aren’t as flexible (灵活的) as ours. Many grippers are designed for specific objects, like picking up exact-sized screws (螺丝) in a car factory. Laundry presents a challenge: the dimensions of fabric change with every fold, so grippers must be able to adjust (调节) to match any fabric shape and size. “Folding laundry requires skilled hand control and high-level reasoning,” computer scientist Danica Kragic explains. Many robots fold laundry using “pick and place”. They pick up a point on clothing and move it along a fixed path to a set spot. However, this method adapts (适应) poorly to real-time changes. Now, a newer method called AdaFold can adjust its plan during folding by monitoring the fabric and adapting its actions as needed. This flexibility could help scientists design robots that better adapt to changing environments. Even though robots still have trouble with messy, crumpled clothing, new methods like AdaFold are bringing folding laundry closer to reality. 1．What is the main challenge for robots folding laundry? A．The way fabric crumples creates too many changes. B．Robots are not trained to fold different kinds of clothes. C．Robots perform poorly on finding a fixed point to start folding. D．The movement of objects requires robots to have learned skills. 2．What can we learn from the passage? A．Robots can determine a folding plan after looking at fabrics. B．“Pick and place” follows flexible paths for folding clothes. C．AdaFold can adapt its folding path to fabric changes. D．Grippers are adjustable to fit various fabrics. 3．Which of the following is the best title for this passage? A．Want A Household Robot? Keep Waiting B．Need Laundry Folded? Don’t Ask A Robot C．Folding Laundry: People Perform Better than Robots D．Folding Laundry: Reasoning matters More than Skills Passage 2 （2026·北京燕山·一模）Imagine a cute cat doll that chats with you while showing lively facial expressions, a smart globe that introduces local cultures based on where you tap, or a small robot ready to play Go or Chinese chess. These creative toys all use artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, and such interactive and responsive “smart companions (伴侣)” are quickly becoming popular with consumers (消费者) around the world. As new AI technologies develop rapidly, these smart toys are being produced and used in larger numbers. They have turned from something unusual into common products in many families, bringing new experiences to both children and adult users. Experts and business leaders say AI toys, created to provide emotional support and companionship, are well placed to drive the next wave of consumer trends by using advanced technologies to build emotional links with consumers. “Young consumers are increasingly paying for emotional value, and AI companionship is emerging (出现) as a key early use case,” some industry experts have pointed out in recent reports. Beyond emotional support, AI toys may also affect the way kids grow up. They promise every child a kind of upbringing (养育) that was once only available to rich families, with private tutors (辅导), personalized learning activities and custom-made entertainment. However, there are risks. AI may influence vulnerable (易受伤害的) people and children to harm themselves. For example, some AI toys told researchers where to find potentially dangerous objects. Similar concerns have been raised about AI toys, which could potentially store personal data. According to some critics, “AI toys feel like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, because when using them it’s hard to tell how much privacy you don’t have.” AI may also reinforce echo chambers (信息茧房), where people see only content they agree with. A favorites-only diet means a person never needs to learn to accept something unfamiliar. AI companions that never criticize or share their own feelings may leave people unprepared for dealing with real human beings. Because of this, some basic protective measures are urgently needed. These could include stricter age restrictions (限制) on chat bots and tighter rules for AI companies. At the same time, parents should think carefully before trusting their children to a machine that only tells them what they already agree with. 1．What can we infer from the passage? A．Rich kids refuse to use AI toys in their daily life. B．AI toys are welcomed but cause worries as well. C．AI toys will take the place of human teachers soon. D．People have found effective ways to reduce the risks of AI toys. 2．What is one of the benefits AI toys can bring to kids? A．They offer personalized support. B．They teach kids to be independent. C．They help children think more actively. D．They develop kids’ awareness of self-protection. 3．Some critics call AI toys “a wolf in sheep’s clothing” because they________________. A．seem educational but are just for fun B．may cheat children into buying them C．usually give users what they agree with D．appear friendly but actually put users’ privacy at risk 4．How can we deal with the risks of AI toys according to the passage? A．Strengthen age limits and rules. B．Provide users with regular training. C．Stay with children when they play with AI toys. D．Do more research before putting AI toys on the market. Passage 3 （2026·北京顺义·一模）. If you’ve ever worn a cotton T-shirt, drunk bottled water, or forgotten to turn off the tap, you’ve unknowingly connected with coral reefs—those vibrant underwater ecosystems that are disappearing faster than we realize. National Geographic’s 2024 Marine Survey reveals that 50％ of the world’s coral reefs have died since 1995, and without action, another 90％ could disappear by 2050. Coral reefs aren’t just exotic wonders—they’re linked to our lives, and saving them starts with understanding that link. First, let’s uncover why coral reefs matter beyond their beauty. Though they cover less than 1％ of the ocean floor, they support 25％ of all marine species (海洋物种), from tiny clownfish to large sea turtles. This biodiversity isn’t just fascinating—it’s necessary and important to human survival. Over 500 million people rely on reef fish for protein, and reefs act as natural breakwaters, reducing storm damage to coastal communities by up to 97%. For students, reefs also fuel curiosity: their limestone skeletons, built over thousands of years, hold clues to Earth’s past climate, much like tree rings. Losing reefs means losing a classroom of natural science. So what’s harming them? The biggest threats are linked to our daily habits. Carbon emissions (排放) from cars and energy use warm oceans, causing “coral bleaching”—when corals force out the algae (藻类) that give them color and food. Plastic waste, often from single-use items like water bottles or snack wrappers, entangles (缠住) coral polyps and gives off toxic chemicals. Even water waste plays a role: a single load of laundry uses 41 gallons of water, and runoff from our homes carries pollutants into reef habitats. The good news? These are problems students can deal with directly. Teenagers around the world are already leading the charge, proving that age doesn’t limit impact. In Cape Town, 18-year-old Jade founded Oceano Redemptores, an organization that turns beach plastic into “eco-bricks” for building houses. Her team hosts monthly clean-ups where students collect plastic waste that would otherwise reach reefs, and she gives talks at schools to teach peers about the reef-plastic connection. Across the globe, high school students in Australia use smartphone apps to report bleached coral to marine scientists, helping track damage in real time. Even small acts add up: switching to reusable water bottles, buying secondhand clothes (to reduce cotton’s water footprint), and using reef-safe sunscreen can cut your personal impact by 30％. National Geographic explorer Sylvia Earle once said, “The ocean connects us all.” This is never truer than for coral reefs. Every time you choose to walk to school instead of getting a ride, or recycle a plastic bag, you’re sending a lifeline to these underwater ecosystems. Saving reefs isn’t about grand gestures—it’s about recognizing that your daily choices are part of a global web. 1．According to the passage, what makes coral reefs a “natural classroom”? A．Offering a large number of reef fish for people to eat. B．Providing clues about Earth’s past climate conditions. C．Protecting coastal communities from serious storms. D．Supporting different kinds of marine species. 2．Why does the writer mention Sylvia Earle’s saying? A．To stress that people are closely linked to coral reefs. B．To explain that coral reef protection is important to humans. C．To prove that coral reef protection requires global cooperation. D．To suggest that people should take action to protect coral reefs. 3．According to the passage, what can you do to protect coral reefs? A．Wear a cotton T-shirt. B．Wash clothes every day. C．Use one water bottle many times. D．Choose common sunscreen. Passage 4 （2026·北京顺义·一模）After dinner, I told my six-year-old son, who was mid-meltdown, “Use your words!” He had just started yelling and hitting his eight-year-old sister because she wasn’t sharing a toy he believed was his. Both kids froze for a second, giving me just enough time to slow my own quickly rising emotions. Looking back, I realize I never actually explained to my kids why words can help. But putting feelings into words is how we begin to name what’s happening inside us, and that naming can start to change the experience itself. Sometimes, as research shows, the words we choose to describe our lives can shape our mental health for months and years to come. Psychologists are exploring how verbalizing our feelings can transform experience. It can help us manage heated moments and also support healing from life’s hardest situations. Research published over the past 40 years on expressive disclosure—using your words—shows it can lead to significant health improvements, especially for those dealing with stressful life events. Another research shows that writing about feelings can have a similar effect. After writing about a challenging situation, people report fewer doctor visits, reduced pain, stronger immune function (免疫功能), and better outcomes for conditions. Research also shows that writing about feelings can actually change the way you remember them. For those who don’t like to write, talking through one’s feelings works just as well. When we describe painful or overwhelming events, we don’t just relive them. We reorganize them. We add meaning, emotional context and resolution. In doing so, we can reduce the pain these memories cause and make them easier to deal with. Similar expressive writing programs are being explored with children and stem from (源于) research by psychologist John Gottman. A recent review shows these newer expressive writing programs have small but meaningful effects on improving outcomes for emotional well-being among kids ages 10 to 18 years old. There’s even some indication that these programs can improve school achievement among kids who have significant emotional problems. Even for young kids, storytelling and drawing can help make sense of big emotions, especially when guided by a teacher or parent. “Use your words” is a tool, and like any tool, it takes practice for someone to use it effectively. Sometimes we see it pay off. The boy is trying new ways to ask the girl to share her toys, and sometimes it even works. When using their words helps them get what they want or helps them solve a problem, it creates its own reward loop (循环). Over time, these small moments of language aren’t just about resolving conflicts. People begin to see themselves as the main characters in their own life stories—those who can take action and make changes, which, as research shows, is a foundation for lasting well-being. 1．Why does the writer mention the experience at the beginning of the passage? A．To introduce a topic. B．To offer a solution. C．To describe a problem. D．To support a viewpoint. 2．What does the word “verbalizing” in the third paragraph most probably mean? A．Understanding. B．Showing. C．Controlling. D．Voicing. 3．What can we learn from the passage? A．Simple expressions make stressful events easy to face. B．Words change how people understand their bad experiences. C．Talking is more effective than writing in dealing with emotions. D．People’s physical health decides their ability to manage feelings. 4．Which of the following is the best title for this passage? A．“Using Your Words” Shapes Mental Health B．“Using Your Words” Builds Lasting Well-being C．“Using Your Words” Reorganizes Painful Memories D．“Using Your Words” Helps Make Sense of Big Emotions Passage 5 （2026·北京西城·一模）You’ve been there before: promising to finish that report by Thursday, telling your partner you’ll be ready in “just five minutes,” or confidently planning back-to-back meetings with zero buffer (缓冲) time. Then reality hits, deadlines rush by, and you’re left wondering why you’re so bad at estimating (估计) time. You’re not alone. Most people often underestimate the time, costs, and risks of future actions while overestimating their benefits. This is the “planning fallacy.” The planning fallacy is more than just poor time management. Imagine you are short on time but have to write an email. You quickly estimate it will not take too long, but it takes far longer than you thought. What has happened? Most likely, you pictured yourself writing the message, reviewing it once, and hitting send. The problem is, when you plan, you focus on the task itself while forgetting the countless small interruptions (干扰) and difficulties that unavoidably appear. The planning fallacy also explains why large projects always run over budget and take more time than planned. Part of the reason is that everyone makes optimistic (乐观的) estimates, which quickly produce wildly unrealistic expectations. The problem is often made worse by the “sunk cost fallacy.” We refuse to accept failure when too much effort has been made, and throw more time and money at the project instead. The planning fallacy can be very costly. Missed deadlines hurt your reputation (名声). Poor planning eats your time away and then other chances will pass you by. And when every task takes longer than expected, you keep playing catch-up, creating unnecessary stress and health problems. So what can you do? Instead of thinking about the task, use data (数据). Think back to when you last completed a similar task. How long did it take? This works best if you keep some actual notes. Adding buffers is also a good idea, but one rule to keep you realistic is to add percentages instead of fixed time buffers. For example, add 25% to your estimate instead of 10 minutes more. Break big projects into smaller, more predictable steps, and estimate the time of each one. Estimating a big project holds lots of unknowns. Vague commitments hardly work. Instead, create clear “if-then” plans: If I have a meeting at 9 a.m. on Monday, then I’ll add a 25% buffer (leave 30 minutes earlier than usual) to account for the rush hour traffic instead of just saying “I’ll go earlier.” When you learn to make more clear time estimates, you will experience less stress, achieve higher-quality work, and improve your reputation. You’ll also save time, make more space in your mind needed for creative work and have the time to chase other chances. 1．Which of the following would probably lead to “planning fallacy”? A．Putting off a task until the last minute. B．Creating timetables based only on the best cases. C．Spending more time than planned to complete a task. D．Continuing a failing project because so much has been put into it. 2．What do the words “vague commitments” in Paragraph 5 most probably mean? A．Goals that are difficult to achieve. B．Statements that hurt one’s reputation. C．Promises that are general and uncertain. D．Agreements that aren’t carefully considered. 3．According to the passage, what can we do to avoid planning fallacy? A．Stay optimistic to achieve more higher-quality and creative work. B．Make clearer plans by building in a 15-minute buffer for each task. C．Break large tasks into smaller parts and decide which one to complete first. D．Record how long it takes to complete a task as a guide for the next time. 4．Which of the following would the writer most probably agree with? A．Planning fallacy keeps you from falling behind where you should be. B．Avoiding sunk cost fallacy develops people’s ability to estimate time. C．Avoiding planning fallacy may improve people’s productivity and possibility. D．Planning fallacy probably results in forgetting to take every task into account. / 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $ 专题06 阅读理解（说明文） Passage 1：D B C D Passage 2：B A C Passage 3：B D C Passage 4：B D A A Passage 5：C A D Passage 6：B B C Passage 7：D A B Passage 8：C A B Passage 9：C C B D Passage 10：B D C Passage 11：D B D Passage 12：D C B B Passage 13：D C A Passage 14：A C B Passage 15：B A D A Passage 16：B A C Passage 17：A D B B Passage 18：B C D C / 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $