相关试卷

D

With the completion of the Human Genome（基因组）Project more than 20 years ago, and the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA enjoying its 70th birthday last year, you might assume that we know how life works. Think again!

Evolution has a 4bn-year head start on us. However, several aspects of the standard picture of how life works-the idea of the genome as a blueprint, of genes as instructions for building an organism, of proteins as precisely tailored molecular（分子）machines and more-have wildly reduced the complexity of life. 

In the excellent book How Life Works, Philip Ball explorers the new biology, revealing life to be a far richer, more delicate affair than we have understood. Ball explains that life is a system of many levels-genes, proteins, cells, tissues, and body modules-each with its own rules and principles, so there is no unique place to look for an answer to it. 

Also, How Life Works is a much more appealing title than the overused question of "What is life?". We should be less concerned with what a thing is, and rather more focused on what a thing does. Defining a living thing implies an unchangeable ideal type, but this will run counter to the Darwinian principle that living things are four-dimensional, ever changing in time as well as space.

But it's an idea that is deeply rooted within our culture. Ball points out that we rely on metaphors（比喻）to explain and explore the complexities of life, but none suffice. We are taught that cells are machines, though no machine we have invented behaves like the simplest cell; that DNA is a code or a blueprint, though it is neither; that the brain is a computer, though no computer behaves like a brain at all.

Ball is a terrific writer, pumping out books on incredibly diverse subjects. There's a wealth of well-researched information in here, and some details that are a bit chewy for the lay reader. But the book serves as an essential introduction on our never-ending quest to understand life.

C

These days, many young people wonder if they would be better served by striking out on their own than pursuing a college education. In this rapidly evolving（进化）digital era, narratives of overnight success and entrepreneurial（创业的）glory have flooded our social media feeds, fascinating the digital natives of Gen Z into questioning the worth of an expensive traditional college degree. 

Contrary to popular belief, successful entrepreneurship is rarely seen among the young. Recent research suggests that the average age in the U. S. of founders when they launched their companies is 42, rising to 45 for those within the top 

0.1% of earnings based on growth in their first five years. That's even the case for high-tech startups. Indeed, successful entrepreneurship is frequently the result of years of learning, experimenting and risk-taking—traits cultivated over time.

Campuses create environments rich in intellectual diversity and foster cooperation among their inhabitants, promoting an entrepreneurial mindset. They encourage students to challenge established norms and develop their unique thinking patterns to create value-practices that are also key to entrepreneurial success. Thus, higher education is not just about attaining a degree; it's more importantly about acquiring the skills and experiences that inspire and enable the entrepreneurs of tomorrow.

But some may doubt since formal entrepreneurship itself isn't typically a course of study, are all college majors capable of installing entrepreneurial skills? Let's examine the arts majors, which are often subjected to the most suspicion concerning their career paths. Consider a theater major. That curriculum often includes entrepreneurship-focused capabilities beyond stage direction, lighting, sound systems and performance. Students learn to mobilize resources, lead creative teams and navigate the uncertainties of a theatrical production-skills that are readily transferable to launching any entrepreneurial business.

Like a compass for the future, entrepreneurship guide s us toward a society that prizes critical thinking, nurtures（培养）intellectual curiosity and champions innovation. Let's not get swept away by short-lived trends or misleading narratives. Instead, we should appreciate the enduring value of college education.

B

My wife and I have always had a non-negotiable when looking for a place to rent: a gas stove. We love cooking together, and countless food shows have impressed upon us that there is nothing more essential to a tasty meal than a flame（火焰）. 

Then came the shift of work forcing us to move into a new apartment with an induction （电磁感应）cooker. Past encounters with the slow and inconsistent heating elements of early electric stoves had soured us to the idea of cooking with electricity, but it took only a couple of days for us to realize that our new induction cooker was far superior: Water boiled at lightning speed; I could set a timer and walk away knowing the heat would automatically turn off. 

Our belated switch to induction came amid a rise of horrifying stories about the health and climate risks of gas stoves. Studies have found cooking with gas is like having secondhand smoke in the kitchen. Worse still, the primary ingredient that fuels gas stoves is methane, a greenhouse gas 80 times more harmful to the environment than carbon dioxide. That's why I finally quit using gas stoves and abandoned my prior conviction that I could never live in a home without one.

Don't get me wrong-there's still a place for flame, and there's a reason why barbecued food is so delicious. Barbecuing food impart s special flavour that you can't experience with an electric cooker. But dishes that truly require cooking over an open flame are the exception, not the rule.

Changing the fundamentals of our lives is hard. But just as we have stopped commuting by horse, or have replaced a coal fireplace with central heating, it's time to move gas out of our kitchens. Some might be horrified. The rest of us, though, can step calmly into the future. Hopefully the governments, too, will soon smell the gas.

A

I sat in my parents' car. Mom had insisted I go with her to pick up Dad from work. Across from Dad's office is a bike store. That was the day my eleven-year-old eyes first saw the purple BMX Mongoose bike. From that day on, all I could think about was that bike. I even drew pictures of the bike in class. Every evening afterward, at five thirty, I eagerly went along with Mom to get Dad.

And every day I told my parents, "I want that bike!" But they disagreed and replied that I had already had a perfectly good bike at home. I'd argue it was old and ugly, thinking that my happiness depended on that purple bike. Days later, I found the store had sold that bike. I knew I'd never be happy again.

A week later, returning home from school, I tripped over something. Lying in the weeds near a river and some wooded lots, was a bike — the exact bike from the store. "Hey, whose bike is this?" I shouted, scanning the area. No one replied, and there was no one in sight. Maybe its owner didn't want it any longer. I couldn't leave it lying in the weeds. So I took it home and hid it behind the garage. Every day after school, I sat there, admiring it. But I didn't feel like riding and didn't feel as happy as I had thought. Thinking about the bike made my stomach tighten and uncomfortable.

A few days later, during lunch at school, my friend said, "Did you hear about Tyler, in the other fifth-grade class? He lost his new purple BMX Mongoose bike he had just gotten for his birthday. He left it by a river while playing in the woods. It got dark, and he couldn't find it."

"I'd never go off and leave a new bike like that. He doesn't deserve to have that bike," I replied. My friend added, "Kids say he's nice. And they say Tyler is upset because his dad worked overtime to buy the bike for him." For the rest of the day, I couldn't stop thinking about Tyler.

注意：

1.续写词数应为150左右；

2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

After school, I returned home and dragged to my room.

"I know Tyler's house," Mom said. "I'll drive you there."

1.志愿服务的意义；

2.你的经历；

3.你的感悟。

注意：

1.词数80左右；

2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；

3.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

My Volunteering Experience

Li Hua

What might your hometown look like in someone else's eyes? ① (fascinate) by the unique cultural atmosphere of Beijing, Russian illustrator Liuba Vladimirova draws romantic and peaceful images of the Chinese capital.

Since childhood, she ② (develop) a love for drawing and painting. ③ attracts Vladimirova most is Beijing's historic hutong. These narrow alleyways, rich in history and culture, serve ④ a source of inspiration for her art pieces. It allows her to observe the ⑤ (local) as they chat casually about the weather, savoring tea, and playing games.

Liuba's fresh perspective allowed her to arrive in the city with fresh eyes and an eager heart, offering⑥ unique blend of culture, history, and natural attractions. For instance, Vladimirova thinks⑦ interesting that elderly parents will gather in parks ⑧ (find) potential marriage partners for their adult children. She also notes the absence of the 4th floors in some Chinese buildings due to the superstition (迷信) associated with the number four, the pronunciation of ⑨ is nearly identical to that of the word for "death" in Chinese.

"I wanted to share my personal experiences and observations of Beijing and Chinese culture in a fun and⑩ (access) way, in the hope that readers would relate, reflect, and consider their own experiences," Vladimirova said.

My mom loved to pass her wisdom to me: "Nothing beats a good bite that bites back." She was referring to her bitter-taste foods like dill pickles and rhubarb (大黄叶). But I was not a big fan.

Three years ago, I finally decided to ask if I could 1 out her rhubarb while weeding the garden. "2 not!" Mom gasped, throwing me a(n) 3 look. Clearly, I had underestimated her4 for it. However, as I continued 5 , I thought about how rhubarb is one of the first to appear in spring. It 6 the snowy ground before the arrival of other plants. How can anyone fail to 7 it? When those first sprouts (嫩芽) appeared, Mom would count them like a 8 counting a newborn's fingers and toes.

When I was a kid and my mom gave me that pie, it made me 9  to try. In my teens, it made me complain about the bitterness. Even ice cream or candies did not 10  the deal for my young taste buds (味蕾). Rhubarb was something to be 11  at all costs.

Then, last summer, I came across the 12  for her rhubarb pie in an old drawer. So I decided to give it a 13 . A few attempts later, I served rhubarb pie to family and guests. All agreed, including me, that it tasted incredible.

Since then I've come to a 14 about rhubarb. Rhubarb's taste may be lost on children, but adults can15 it. Like my wise mother, I now understand that "Nothing beats a good bite that bites back."

Make a difference at school

Besides being a great place to learn, school offers a great opportunity to make friends, try new things, and give back to others. The beginning of a school year is a good time for you to take advantage of opportunities and activities that your school offers. ① . Here's how to get started.

Reach out

Try to be more involved in activities, clubs, and teams. All of these help you meet more people, including teachers and staff, who can give you an idea of the needs the school might have. ② . Ask if you can attend meetings to share ideas and listen to what others want to change at school.

③ 

Your school may have a variety of clubs — from robotics to anime. If you have an interest that's not covered by a current school club, you could consider forming your own. Many schools have a standard process for approving clubs, which may include asking a teacher to advise the club, and finding a place and time to meet.

Identify a need and take action

Think about what makes you feel happy at school. Maybe you enjoy having lunch or playing soccer during break. Now think about ways those could be even better. You might wish there were more food options or more balls to play. Once you have your idea, talk to a staff to see if students could help. ④ .

Be kind

⑤ . However, you can help create a positive atmosphere at school by being kind and respectful to others. This includes respecting a teacher's rules, saying thank you when a student helps you, cleaning up any mess you make, and saying hello to others in the hallway. Attitude is infectious!

A. Start something new

B. Find what appeals to you

C. It may seem like a simple action

D. For example, involve yourself in the student union

E. You can also take full advantage of what you have on hand

F. It's also a good time to think of ways to make a difference to your school

G. You could offer to develop a diverse meal plan or organize fundraising for new balls

Hibernation (冬眠) is a classic topic of science fiction. In movies such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien, or Passengers, crew members are put into a state of sleep to take year-long journeys to space. Now a new study from Washington University has shown that human hibernation may soon become a reality.

The research team carried out tests on rats — animals that do not naturally hibernate. They first identified a group of neurons (神经元) in a deep brain region, which were found to be involved in controlling body temperature during hibernation. They showed that, in mice, these neurons could be stimulated using ultrasound (超声波), which was delivered through a helmet without causing an injury.

When receiving the ultrasound, the mice showed a drop in body temperature of about3℃, and their heart rates fell by about 47%. When the ultrasound system was switched off, they woke up again. The result was "surprising and fascinating", said Hong Chen, a professor who led the work.

Researchers are also trying to determine how to harness the power of hibernation to help humans. They believe that it could be key to addressing health conditions like heart disease, and Alzheimer's. Furthermore, hibernation's ability to slow aging, which was observed in bats, could benefit space exploration, enabling longer missions with less food requirements. Research in animals also suggests that bodies of hibernating astronauts might lose less bone and muscle, making them fit and ready to start challenging exploration soon after they wake up.

By unlocking the secrets of this remarkable process, researchers may uncover ways to improve human health, as well as gain new insights into the natural world. Therefore, the exploration of hibernation is an exciting area that is sure to yield numerous benefits in the years to come.

The scientists now plan to look at how lowered body temperature might affect the cognitive abilities of humans. "Our next experiments will test working memory in monkeys. This is important because while astronauts physically hibernate as they fly into deep space, their brain still needs to be working," said Chen.

As humanity has got richer, animal's roles have changed. People need their services less than before. Fewer wolves and thieves meant less demand for dogs for protection; the internal combustion engine (内燃机) made horses unneeded; modern sanitation (卫生设备) kept rats in check and made cats less useful. Domestic animals are no longer necessities, but commonly seen companions. Pet-keeping seems to become more and more popular, as a recent survey found that 69% of American households keep at least one pet.

The pet business is growing even faster than pet numbers, because people are spending more and more money on them. No longer are they food-waste-recyclers, fed with the remains that fall from their masters' tables. Pet food shelves are full of cuisines tailored to satisfy a range of appetites, including ice cream for dogs and foods for pets that are old, diabetic, or suffer from sensitive digestion.

In the business, this is called "pet humanization" — the tendency of pet owners to treat their pets as part of the family. This is obvious in the names given to dogs, which have evolved from Fido, Rex, and Spot to Bella, Lucy, and Max.

People still hold the false assumption that pets must be working for humanity in some way, perhaps making people healthier or less anxious. But the evidence for that is weak. New research suggests that dogs have evolved those "cute eyes" to affect human emotions and control them, which works very well. Humans now work very hard to pay for the care of their pets. For example, Americans often refer to themselves not as cat owners but as the cat's "mommy" or "daddy". South Koreans go one step further, describing themselves as cat "butlers (管家)". Watch an unlucky man walking his dog, plastic bag in hand to pick up its mess, and we have to doubt: who's in charge now? Is this relationship what we really want?

Tonight, our family was going out to play under the full moon.

My husband Todd and I first started going on full moon walks for ourselves, as we needed these little doses of moonlight to stay happy, though sometimes we had to hike through the forest to find a perfect spot. But after we became parents, we did this for our children. We wanted to show Sierra and Bryce that it was not necessary to travel far from home to have an adventure and learn something new, and that there was much magic in the natural world, available to all.

Once we arrived at our location, Sierra and I stood holding hands, waiting to cheer the full moon in its rising—a thin sliver of the appealing moon emerged above the ridge of the mountain afar. Soon, more of the moon came out until it turned into a brilliant orange sphere. Todd explained to Sierra and Bryce that the moon generates no light, but simply acts like a mirror, reflecting the sunlight back to us. "Does the moon's face change?" Bryce asked. I told him that the moon rotates (旋转) around the earth, but does not spin by itself, so the same side of the moon is always facing the earth. Sierra remarked that the moon looked larger and closer when it was rising. I explained that it is a visual illusion (错觉) because it is so close to the horizon that the moon magically tricks our eyes into comparing it with nearby objects, thus creating the impression of the increased size.

Much of the knowledge that I shared with the kids was learned from my parents. During my childhood, they would take me on educational adventures out in the woods, and as I later found, so did their parents. So every time I go for a full moon walk with my beloved family, I thank those wise educators who came before me.

To educate, sometimes all it takes is going outdoors and gazing up at the heavens.

What is PayQuick?

PayQuick is a fast payment service for shopping in the biggest supermarket in UK — Tesco. It allows you to add your credit or debit card details to the app so you can use your smartphone to pay for your shopping with just one scan, which means you can go wallet-free in all UK Tesco stores.

What are the benefits?

●Collect your Tesco points automatically

●Pay for your weekly shopping up to £250

●Use PayQuick offline, even with no signal

●Track your spending in Tesco

However, only one qualifying deal per week will collect the extra Tesco points. Additional payments in the same week won't receive extra points. Tesco points will be added to your future Tesco points statement.

How to get your PayQuick?

Available to new customers who sign up by 3^rd March 2024, the PayQuick app can be downloaded from the App Store or our official website. Once you have the app on your phone, register your personal details on the app to get an account. Note that for each customer, only one account is allowed and a family shared account will not be acknowledged. Finally, with all the preparation work done, you'll be ready to shop using just your phone.

Plus, there's no need to worry about your bank details being stored on your phone — they're all securely protected in our data centers. So not only is it quicker and easier, it's safer than going shopping with your wallet as well.

I faced a tight budget when I was nine. On November Ist, I used up most of the money I saved. With a small amount of pocket money left before Christmas I didn't have enough to buy presents for the family.

I was seriously considering going to my dad and asking for an advance on the next year's pocket money, so I could at least buy gifts for my family members. But then, one evening, I was sitting in my room reading advertisements in the back of a magazine. Several greeting-card companies were telling us how people could make money by selling their cards and stationery (文具). Normally, I would have passed right over the ads, but this time my situation was so difficult that I felt I had nothing to lose.

The ad that attracted me most was one by a well-known greeting-card company in my nation, whose products were of high quality. With my parents' help, I contacted the company, although they preferred adults or older kids to advertise their products. After my sincere request, they agreed to give me, a nine-year-old boy, a chance.

My sales materials arrived within the week. I had expected something small and neat, but the package looked like a dinosaur's shoebox it was close to three feet long and nearly a foot wide, full of stuff. There was a thick binder (活页夹) containing a complete selection of the cards and some writing paper, which I would be selling for around $3 per box.

Although my parents supported my try to make money by myself, they had little confidence in my success; after all, instead of an outgoing kid, I was somewhat shy. However, I was determined to have a try to challenge myself. 

注意：

1. 续写词数应为150左右；

2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Wasting no time, I set off and knocked on doors in my neighborhood. 

Eventually, I earned over $20, a large sum of money for a 9-year-old kid in 1954.

1. 活动简介；

2. 注意事项。

注意：

1. 写作词数应为80左右；

2. 请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。

Notice

Student Union

Walking along the Great Wall is a once-in-a-lifetime dream for many, but Jim Spear has taken it one step  (far), spending the last 18 years living in a village beneath the ancient wonder. 

 68-year-old, a self-taught architect from the US, made the most important decision of his life to move to China in 1986, a year before the Great Wall  (list) as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, Spear calls Mutianyu village home. In this quiet place, (locate) at the foot of the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, he lives with his dog in a home with a courtyard garden he tended  (he). 

As an architect, not only did Spear renovate (翻新) his own dream house,  comes with multiple views of the Great Wall, but he also explored ways to boost the local business and support rural residents. Over the years, the architect  (help) renovate around 20 households in Mutianyu, most of which now operate  hotels or restaurants, while  (do) his best to preserve the original structures as much as possible. 

In  (recognize) of his contributions, Spear was given the Great Wall Friendship Award in 2014.

Community ovens are a centuries-old tradition worldwide. There are actually records going back to the 12th century when home ovens were not 1 . The community ovens were places where people chatted together while their food was 2 .

Fast forward to today, Brickyard Bakery has 3 the unique approach. It 4 to bake cakes for customers and provides them with a warm place to stay while their cakes, which 5 take four or more hours to bake, are in the oven. It's reported that due to the increasing cost of fuel, many individuals cannot 6 to leave their ovens on that long.

Owner Ed Hamilton-Trewhitt told the BBC, "We've 7 the idea of a community oven from ancient times. People can 8 their cake base (胚) at home. But 9 being baked in their own ovens, it can be 10 to our bakery for a large amount of baking."

"It struck me that if one was 11 about the energy costs of baking the Christmas cake, there would be lots more out there 12 the same situation," he added. "In the big picture, it costs me so little but makes a massive 13 . "

The response to this attempt has been so 14 that Hamilton-Trewhitt has provided the 15 until right before Christmas. After all, that's what being a good neighbor is all about.

My name is McKenzie Skiles and I'm a snow hydrologist (水文学家) at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Actually, the purpose is to track dust's impact on water resources.

I am most interested in the impact of warming temperatures on snow melting rates, and I have started studying snowmelt since 2009 in Utah and Colorado. When I skied to research sites in Utah to collect snow for my experiment, the mountainous landscapes were covered in dust. It's clear that 2009 was one of the biggest years for dust deposition (沉积) onto snow.

 I usually have to cover several kilometers, carrying a 27-kilogramme pack with a shovel (铲子) to dig a snow hole, tools to cut snow and measure its density, and containers to collect snow for analyses. One year, I hit a dusty area of snow, broke my ski and sliced my leg open. 

In areas with heavy dust deposition, such as the southern Rocky Mountains, dust speeds up melting by one or two months. Warming air temperatures affect snow gathering, but dust builds up over time and darkens the surface. 

I'm now exploring different ice and snow landscapes for further research. For example, how black-carbon buildup following forest fires affects melting. As we move into a future that is likely to be even dustier, we need them to predict snowmelt for many reasons, including working out how to use water in the western United States efficiently.

A．The dust caused a lot of trouble.

B．I went for miles in the wilderness.

C．Doing my research is no easy task.

D．One of the goals is to develop snowmelt models.

E．In Colorado, the red dust from desert soils had also blown in.

F．As a result, the snow will absorb more sunlight and quicken melting.

G．My job is to ski in the wilderness to measure dust on top of snow each spring.

Despite its benefits, drinking milk into adulthood, let alone other animals' milk, is a strange behavior in the animal kingdom. What makes it even stranger is that an estimated 68 percent of the global human population is actually lactose (乳糖) intolerant. Scientists are still getting to the bottom of why the practice began and continued. This research could unlock new understandings of our food cultures and even our DNA．

The earliest evidence of animal milk drinking dates back almost 

9. 000 years to modern-day Turkey near the sea of Marmara. where milk fats have been found on ancient pottery. According to Jessica Hendy. a scientist at the University of York. then milk would have been part of a diverse diet for it was mixed with other food. From its origins, the technology of making use of milk spread into the Caucasus and then across Europe. By the Bronze Age, people may have been using cow's milk to feed their babies.

For a long time, researchers believed that milk drinking changed as a cultural practice hand in hand with the spread of genetic mutations (变异) that allowed people to tolerate milk into adulthood. But one recent finding suggests milk drinking occurred before these mutations and might not even require them. In Europe. people appear to have been drinking milk for thousands of years before any genetic ability to drink milk became common. The ancient cheese making equipment might offer part of the solution: Fermenting (发酵) milk into yogurt. cheese, or other products reduces the amount of lactose. In Mongolia. researchers have not yet found a genetic mutation that allows people to digest lactose, despite the major role of milk in that culture. So some scientists held that there might be other potential factors helping. 

What we do know about the history of milk reveals how wrong-headed one-size-fits-all nutritional guidance can be. In modern America. milk drinking has been presented as a universal good. In reality, how milk is prepared can change the nutritional picture, and how much our bodies process depends, at least in part. on our own genes.

A new study involving nearly 50,000 people from four continents offers new insights into identifying the quantity of daily walking steps that will best improve adults' health and longevity(长寿), and whether the ideal number of steps differs across people of different ages. The study represents an effort to develop an evidence-based public health message about the benefits of physical activity. The often-repeated 10,000-step-a-day saying grew out of a decades-old marketing activity for a Japanese pedometer(计步器), with no science to back it up.

Led by physical activity professor Amanda Paluch, an international group of scientists conducted an experiment among adults aged 18 and older. They grouped the nearly 50,000 participants into four comparative groups according to average steps per day. The lowest step group averaged 3,500 steps; the second, 5,800; the third, 7,800; and the fourth, 10,900 steps per day. Among the three higher active groups, there was a 40—53% lower risk of death, compared to the lowest step group. 

More specifically, for adults 60 and older, the risk of early death leveled off at about 6,000—8,000 steps per day, meaning that more steps than that provided no additional benefit for longevity, while for adults younger than 60, about 8, 000—10,000 steps per day. 

"So, what we saw was this continuing reduction in risk as the number of steps increases, until it levels off. Interestingly, the study found no definitive association with walking speed." Paluch says.

The new study supports and expands findings from another study led by Paluch before, which found that walking at least 7,000 steps a day reduced middle-aged people's risk of early death. "There's a lot of evidence suggesting that moving even a little more is beneficial, particularly for those who are doing very little activity." Paluch says. "More steps per day are better for your health."