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Waiting and praying were a daily1for Michelle as she's one of the hundreds of American children2a new liver. But recently the prayers were more3as she'd been showing danger signs that made the transplant critical, but the telephone was as silent as the snowy scene outside.

Then one morning, the phone rang, saying a hospital in Omaha had4 the right liver donor and it was a(n)5for Michelle. But they needed her there6 12 hours.

The family couldn't tell what to do first — overjoy or7. Because they were, snowbound, 600 miles away.8, the phone lines were still working, so they put out a call for help through the radio station, which immediately broadcast9messages for practical suggestions.

Teresa Arnshoff heard the story and suggested that the church parking lot would be the perfect helicopter landing spot. As precious minutes10, the Arnshoffs rushed out, pleading for help to clear the lot. Neighbors came without11. In half an hour, 50 volunteers were working in sub-zero winds to clear the snow.

With dusk12, the family finally made it to the church, where 150 people, leaning on shovels, were surrounded by mountainous piles of snow. As fire trucks arrived to provide lights for the helicopter, the crowd13to 300, applauding and waving as the helicopter flew off into the snowy night.

Michelle's14was successful. It was the success not only of a skilled medical team, a family with the fight to survive -but the success of a whole village that would never15.

As studies have found, the brain has "hedonic hotspots" — specialized regions that increase the rewarding feeling or "liking" of palatable (可口的) tastes. This can result in a dopamine (多巴胺) hit that strengthens a person's motivation to seek palatable food rewards. Therefore, people might be encouraged by their brains to consume particular foods.

But why are comfort foods generally somewhat unhealthy? They are often referred to as "hyper-palatable" foods, easy to digest, sweet, salty, or rich. These very ingredients that make the food taste so good are bad for our health when consumed too much. So, a person's brain tends not to want them in the same way it does a donut or a slice of pizza.

Comfort foods are an attempt to feel content or a means of reducing stress, but it seems they are not always effective. In a survey of 2,000 adults, one in four people admitted eating comfort foods at least five times a week, even though over half said those meals made them feel worse. So, why? People are aware that these foods are not nutritionally beneficial.

Some researches, however, have also found that comfort foods do have the ability to comfort us but just no more than any other food. Comfort foods can result in an immediate mood lift. Individuals may just be giving comfort food credit for mood effects that would have occurred even in the absence of that particular food.

A. Healthy foods tend not to contain these elements.

B. Over time, this causes them to feel regret and shame.

C. But making comfort foods itself can be more helpful.

D. Any other food is also able to achieve the same outcome.

E. Comfort foods are often associated with carefree memories.

F. The brain rewards people when they consume certain foods.

G. The key is the emotional connection and the sense of well-being.

So far so good. However, what might happen if I was to do the same, but get you to choose from a bigger basket of different varieties? Chances are that you might take longer to make a choice — struggling to weigh up the benefits of each. After thinking for a while, you might experience brain fog and frustration and decide you don't want an apple after all. Or, you might choose one and walk off with it, only to wonder if you made the correct choice. And, if by chance you actually chose the very same apple as you did in our first example, the chances are that it wouldn't taste quite as good.

You can understand the reason for this when you read about the theory of loss aversion. Put simply, studies have found that a loss has more than twice the psychological impact of an equivalent (同等的) gain. It's more preferable to avoid losing £5 than to gain £5. Such is the pain of regret in losing out through making a "poor choice".

The Paradox of Choice is common in modern society. We live in a world of endless choices. Never have human beings been surrounded by such plentiful supply and convenience. Thus, we've been suffering a great deal. However, one idea that I've found helpful is to get into a habit of setting a time limit on making choices and feeling happy with that. To adopt this idea requires us to become happy with finding something that's good enough, without necessarily being the best. We could recognise that our time is more important than the need to get an extra 10% on top of what is already good enough.

The biggest shock came the next morning. I stepped outside to find a communal tap (公共水龙头) where residents brushed teeth and washed vegetables side by side. An elderly man in pajamas nodded at me while spitting into the drain — a common practice here but shocking to Western eyes. Later, when I tried to throw trash into a bin, Mrs. Li from next door rushed over, sorting my waste into four colorful categories with a patient smile. "Recycling matters," she said, though I understood little Chinese.

Gradually, the hutong revealed its magic. Children played hopscotch (跳房子游戏) on stone paths, and shopkeepers knew everyone's name. One rainy day, my roof leaked. Before I could call for help, one of my neighbors climbed up with a ladder and fixed it himself. That evening, he invited me for jiaozi. As we dipped them in vinegar, I realized privacy in the West meant disconnection; here, "noisy closeness" meant belonging.

Now, when I bike past the morning crowds buying baozi or see neighbors playing chess under tree shades, I feel at home. The hutong taught me that culture shock is just the first step to discovering a new way of living - one where community wraps around you like a warm quilt.

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Sam was a junior high school student. He lived in a community in Charlotte and usually had little exposure to country life. So much of what he knew about plants came from text-books. Sam was a kind-hearted person. He longed for a chance to explore nature and he wanted to do his part to beautify the world.

Finally, the opportunity came. On Arbor Day (植树节), his class organized a trip to a local village to plant trees. Sam was excited about it and couldn't wait to tell his mom the good news. So the next day, Sam and his mom went to buy some tools for planting trees, including a shovel (铲), a bucket, gloves and so on.

On the day of the event, Sam and his classmates arrived early at the starting point. It was a beautiful day and everyone looked particularly happy. With the tools in hand, Sam got into the bus with everyone else and headed off to their destination.

As soon as they reached the village, all the students were divided into three teams by their teacher. One team was responsible for planting the trees, one team for shovelling the soil and one team for watering the trees. At the teacher's command, everyone started to do their job.

However, it was the first time that many of the students had taken part in planting trees, so they had no idea about how to start. Of course, Sam was one of them. Fortunately, their teacher was a middle-aged man from the countryside who had some knowledge of planting trees. In order to set an example to the students, the teacher started to plant trees himself. After watching the teacher plant the trees, everyone also became busy. Before long, they planted hundreds of trees. Sam watched very carefully, not wanting to miss any of the details. Finally, Sam learned how to plant trees by himself and felt happy.

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。

Paragraph 1: A few days later, a storm damaged some young trees in the community.

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Paragraph 2: The neighbours saw Sam's hard work on those trees.

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Questioning is a bridge to learning. When you begin to doubt something and search for an answer, you will learn.

内容包括：

1. 你对该名言的理解；

2. 生活中的例子；

3. 你的感悟。

注意：

1. 写作词数应为80个左右；

2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

My Understanding of Questioning

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In the opening of the World Conference of Classics in Beijing, Martin Kern, a famous sinologist, advocated transformative role of cross-cultural study in understanding ancient civilizations.

Kern argued that studying ancient China or Greece(separate) limits the ability of scholars in classical studies to understand makes each culture distinct, as well as the universal characteristics shared across civilizations.

"If you only know about China, only know about Greece, you will never know what is particular and special about either one and what (share) with other ancient civilizations," Kern said, (emphasize) the importance of engaging in comparative scholarship.

Kern shared how comparative study had reshaped his own work, as investigating Greek (debate) on reading practices brought new insights to his research on early Chinese manuscripts. For him, cross-cultural dialogues are not simply supplemental to (specialize) research; they are essential for transforming scholars' understanding of their own fields. "To know something about other cultures is to better understand (one) own," he commented.

Kern said that without engaging with other civilizations, "we rob ourselves of fundamental insights into our own fields and civilization." The incredibly rich traditions of ancient China, he added, can contribute a wealth of new perspectives the study of other civilizations and global antiquity as a system.

Consequently, the question arises: Where, then, shall we get our information from if not from the media? Who can we trust? How about experts- people who devote their working lives to understanding their chosen slice of the world? However, even experts can fall prey to the allure of oversimplification, leading to the "single perspective instinct" that hampers (阻碍) our ability to grasp the intricacies (错综复杂) of the world.

Simple ideas can be appealing because they offer a sense of understanding and certainty. And it is easy to take off down a slippery slope, from one attention-grabbing simple idea to a feeling that this idea beautifully explains, or is the beautiful solution for, lots of other things. The world becomes simple that way.

Yet, when we embrace a singular cause or solution for all problems, we risk oversimplifying complex issues. For instance, championing the concept of equality may lead us to view all problems through the lens of inequality and see resource distribution as the sole panacea. However, such rigidity prevents us from seeing the multidimensional nature of challenges and hinders true comprehension of reality. This "single perspective instinct" ultimately clouds our judgment and restricts our capacity to tackle complex issues effectively. Being always in favor of or always against any particular idea makes you blind to information that doesn't fit your perspective. This is usually a bad approach if you would like to understand reality.

Instead, constantly test your favorite ideas for weaknesses. Be humble about the extent of your expertise. Be curious about new information that doesn't fit, and information from other fields. And rather than talking only to people who agree with you, or collecting examples that fit your ideas, consult people who contradict you, disagree with you, and put forward different ideas as a great resource for understanding the world. If this means you don't have time to form so may opinions, so what?

Wouldn't you rather have few opinions that are right than many that are wrong?

One of its primary concerns is the depersonalization of instruction. These tools often rely on pre-packaged digital content and standardized solutions, leaving insufficient room for instructors to tailor their teaching methods. Each student possesses unique characteristics. Instructors, armed with their wealth of experience and knowledge, are best positioned to tailor their approaches to these individual needs. However, AI-driven tools restrict their ability to do so effectively, resulting in a one-size-fits-all approach that fails to inspire students to reach their maximum potential.

EdTech companies offer step-by-step solutions to textbook problems. These are intended to act as study aids. However, some students employ this feature as a means to merely copy solutions without comprehending concepts. Consequently, instances of cheating on assignments and exams become widespread. While these tools may offer convenience, students may use external resources or cooperate with others during quizzes, affecting the honesty of their learning outcomes.

The implications of this depersonalization and the increase in academic dishonesty are far-reaching. By decreasing the role of instructors as facilitators of meaningful educational interactions, we run the risk of preventing the growth of critical thinking and problem-solving skills among students. Education should not only focus on knowledge acquisition, but should also develop the ability to analyze, evaluate, and apply that knowledge in real-world contexts. It should help one's mind grow, not simply memorize information. Through dynamic classroom discussions, cooperative projects, and hands-on activities, instructors play a crucial role in developing these essential skills.

While AI-driven EdTech tools undeniably have their virtues, we must not lose sight of the importance of preserving instructor autonomy and educational experience. Instead of relying only on pre-packaged content and standardized solutions, these tools should be designed to empower instructors to adapt and customize their approaches while taking full advantage of the benefits of technology.

The beast's great grey skin is partly broken and aged from the African sun. Some mud drops on one side from its last trip to a nearby river. Its rough hair sticks out from all over its skin and two large, white tusks curve elegantly from either side of its mouth.

Somewhere a lion roars and something else gives a loud high shout. A vulture (秃鹫) drifts over far above this world, barely a black dot in the sky. The buzzing of the countless bush insects seems to collectively shift up in high tune, almost like the whole of the savanna (热带草原) was singing some song that only they knew.

I peer through the lens (镜头) at this scene. The zoom lens shows almost every detail of the elephant: the three small cuts in its left ear from playing as a baby around thorn trees, the scar down its front leg where a lion caught it unaware as a young adult, and weathering on its great, valuable tusks from decades of living in this unforgiving grassland on a dusty continent.

And then the elephant looks at me. It looks at me with those big, eyelashed eyes with a warmth coming outwards from a vast, hidden depth there. I can suddenly feel its soul, and feel the line of elephants that came before this one, trailing back to the very beginnings of this great savanna. We will never understand what wonders this ancient being and its kind have seen and whispered to each other across the ages on this old, sacred grassland.

It looks at me, and it looks through me and sees me. The elephant knows I am there. It always did. It is not running away, nor is it fighting. It accepts and forgives. It loves. But, mostly, it just feels sad. It feels sorry for me. I cannot do this anymore.

I take my eye off the sights and hand the gun back to my partner. "Let's go home," I said in a quiet voice, "let's just go home."

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Recently, I got to spend a lot of time with our 3-year-old grandson—Theodore. This opportunity was incredibly precious and a much-needed chance to make up for the moments I missed out on with my own son when he was little.

Theodore was new to my home. He was fascinated by his new environments—his first experiences of cold weather and snow, a whole new household with different lights, different floors, a whole host of new drawers and cupboards to open and new sets of toys, a different place to sleep. He had experienced none of them before, which made his days full of exploration and inquiry. Every drawer and every cupboard had all sorts of new stuff that needed to be taken out, examined, sometimes thrown and sometimes put carefully away again.

During the first week, I felt fresh with such an energetic creature. However, everything began to change after a rainy day. The downpour kept us indoors. He went back and forth, back and forth between the floor and the carpet, dropping the same ring to see what it would do in different places. He would throw it, drop it or place it carefully. He would try different sized rings. For me, it was boring and meaningless. So I wanted to teach him something—something "useful" at least I considered. I took a shape-sorting toy from the shelf, knelt down(跪下), and held up a square block. "See this? It goes here," I said, guiding it into the square hole. He glanced(瞥)over, then went back to dropping his ring on the carpet, looking a little upset. I tried again, waving a circular block.

"Come on. Let's do this together. It's fun!" I said, but he just picked up another ring, his tiny fingers wrapping around it. It was then that I began to lose my temper.

注意：

1. 续写词数应为150个左右；

2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Also at that time, a familiar scene with my little son appeared in my mind.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Turning to look at Theodore, I realized I had to make a change.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. 告知情况及感受；

2. 活动后续。

注意：

1. 写作词数应为80个左右；

2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Dear Kevin,

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Best regards,

Li Hua

The 2025 national excellent farmers' painting exhibition opened at Jinshan Museum on Sept 16, offering a fresh take on Chinese folk art that centers on the richness of rural life.

Aimed at showing the liveliness of rural culture and promoting the (innovation) development of farmers' paintings, the exhibition stands out for pair of key reasons: its thematic structure rooted in nature, and its celebration of regional artistic diversity.

Over the past two months, the exhibition (select) 84 outstanding modern folk paintings from townships across China after strict evaluation by experts, which display striking regional charm. Spring Village from the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region employs fine brushstrokes (笔触) (illustrate) the scenery of Zhuang villages, residents relaxed chatting in courtyards. Sichuan province's Joyful Tibetan New Year presents the lively scenes of traditional festivals, showing people in colorful costumes (dance) to music.

Among them, Jinshan farmers' paintings (remarkable) stand out. The painters present everyday life using simple strokes — farmers planting rice beside stone bridges, fishermen returning with their catch at sunset. These scenes enable people to see intangible cultural heritage (非物质文化遗产) integrates into life.

The exhibition will travel beyond the museum walls. Organizers will select featured works for touring (show) across Jinshan's districts, towns and cultural spots, bringing rural folk art into daily life and allowing more people to experience its (unique).

Then came the time when I was4 old enough to go to 4-H camp myself. At first I was so excited. It was a(n)5 staying with other boys and the days were tightly scheduled. However, there was always some free time each day. But it was then that the6 would steal into my heart. I really missed my parents. One day during the free time I7 to slip back home and give them a8. But as I9 the room I noticed the house was empty. I guess Mom and Dad were out. It felt so strange. I took off back, fighting back10 in my eyes, and not really11 the feelings I was feeling.

I realize now it was the12 of losing my parents that I was feeling then. Being home13 nothing without them being there. It is the love not the house that14 so many happy memories that I carry in my heart to this day. A house is just a house, but a house full of love is a home. Love is the invisible15 that turns walls into shelter and memories into warmth.

Your tone of voice can transmit a wealth of information, ranging from passion to disinterest to anger.For example, if you want to show interest in something, express your passion by using an energetic tone of voice. Such signals not only display your feelings about a topic but also generate interest in the people listening to you speak.

Good eye contact is another essential nonverbal communication skill. When people fail to look others in the eye, it seems as if they are trying to hide something. However, too much eye contact comes across as unsettling. It's recommended that intervals (间隔) of eye contact lasting three to four seconds make people feel natural and comfortable.

Some require more formal behaviors that might be interpreted differently in other settings. For example, the nonverbal signals you use at work differ greatly from those used on a Friday night out with friends. Match your nonverbal signals to the situation to express your intended message accurately.

If you are confused about another person's nonverbal signals, don't be afraid to ask questions. A good idea is to repeat back your interpretation and ask for clarification. For example, "So what you are saying is that…" "Do you mean that…" Such questions help clarify a conversation and encourage the other person to keep talking.

Nonverbal communication is complex and varied. Being more aware of how nonverbal signals impact interpersonal relationships can help you learn to use nonverbal communication more effectively.

A. It can also strengthen your message.

B. How can you tell how much is appropriate?

C. Always consider the context of communication.

D. There's no one-size-fits-all way to use these signals.

E. It's better to pay close attention to a variety of signals.

F. Misreading them can easily lead to misunderstandings or conflicts.

G. This simple step helps prevent misunderstandings and keep the conversation smooth.

The team's work is built around the concept of memory "engrams (印记)," which describe how memories are physically stored. An engram can be thought of as a small, committed group of brain cells that activate together when a specific memory is recalled. In their model, each concept, like a banana, is an object defined by several features in a"conceptual space." These features correspond to sensory inputs—what a banana looks like, smells like, tastes like, and so on. For humans, this creates a five-dimensional (五维的) concept. The model simulates (模拟) how these engrams develop, becoming sharper with learning or fading through forgetting, based on interactions with the outside world.

Analyzing the model's dynamics, the researchers discovered that the system of engrams eventually reaches a steady state. In this mature state, the number of distinct concepts held in memory remains constant. The most surprising finding came when they tested how the dimensions of this conceptual space — the number of senses — affected its total capacity. The team found that the system's capacity for holding different concepts was at its highest when the space had exactly seven dimensions.

"It appears that when each concept stored in memory is characterized in terms of seven features — as opposed to, say, five or eight — the number of distinct objects held in memory is maximized," said study co-author Nikolay Brilliantov, a professor at the Skoltech Artificial Intelligence Center. Although he says it's just a guess to apply this idea to human development, the discovery provides a potentially crucial design principle for AI. By programming robots with seven distinct sensory inputs, engineers could maximize their ability to learn about and remember their environment.

As a landscape specialist at Colorado State University Extension, I think a lot about how to help people make designed landscapes more environmentally friendly.

But what is chaos gardening, really? Chaos gardening is the practice of mixing a wide variety of seeds and scattering (撒) them over a planting area with minimal planning. For many, it's a low-pressure, joyful way to experiment.

One reason chaos gardening may be catching on is that it sidesteps the rules of garden design. A traditional landscape design approach is effective and appropriate for many settings, but it is time-consuming and can feel stressful. Even that easy, messy look of a cottage garden still needs lots of planning. Chaos gardening, by contrast, lets go of control.

There's also the allure of ease. People want gardening to be simple. If chaos gardening brings more people into the joy and mess of growing things, I consider that a win in itself. Broader research has found that emotional connection and accessibility are major motivators for gardening, often more than environmental impact.

Chaos gardening might not replace the structured borders of a well-cut garden, but it might get newcomers into the garden. It might make things feel less risky, encourage experimentation, and help people see beauty in richness rather than in control. If that's the entry point someone needs, then let the chaos begin.

Pigeons in urban areas often suffer from a preventable condition known as "stringfoot", in which litter (垃圾) such as thread, fishing line or human hair gets wrapped around their toes. Untreated, the birds can lose a toe, or even a whole foot.

"There are so many problems in my life and in the lives of people I care about that I can't really do anything about," said Brennan, of the London Pigeon Rescue. "But what I can do is save a pigeon's life, or their toes, or restore their abilities. That might seem like a small difference, but to that pigeon, it's massive."

On rescues, the pair of volunteers use seeds to attract pigeons, then gently cover them with a kitchen towel before removing any tight trash with scissors. "It's a man-made problem," Brennan said. "I think someone needs to be responsible for helping them with the problem that we've created."

Brennan first began feeding pigeons in 2021 after reading they were going hungry. Over time, she began noticing injuries and sought help on Facebook from Peter, who was already rescuing birds. Since then, the two have worked together and attempted to tend to the birds three to four times a week, often responding to tips from concerned members of the public.

"Liking pigeons as much as I do means that I have little friends everywhere I go. I was busy, stressed, and felt a bit sorry for myself. Then I saw a couple of pigeons pass by, and it instantly brightened my day," Brennan said.