Do you jump out of bed early, wide awake and ready to start your day？If so, you would be called an “early bird”. Perhaps, you hate the sound of your alarm clock each morning and have little energy until afternoon. If so, you're probably a “night owl”．
Most people can be divided into such two groups, but what makes us this way？And is one better than the other？There are different opinions.
Usually, early risers have been praised as hard-working while those who prefer to get up late are considered lazy. Most people believe the early bird catches the worm.
Yet some scientists now believe “night owls” can really focus(集中) longer and produce more than early risers.
Research has found that the early bird does not always get the worm. In a Belgian study, both “morning people” and “evening people” were watched during their normal asleep and awake routines(常规)．After 10 hours of being awake, the “evening people” became more alert(思维敏捷的). However, the “morning people” became sleepy and less focused. Researchers believe the reason for this difference is that night owls receive a last-minute increase from their brains. This added energy allows them to stay alert for longer periods of time.
Environment, lifestyle, activities and childhood routines all may have an effect on sleeping habits, yet genetics(遗传学)may play the biggest role.
It is possible to change your sleeping habits through regular bedtimes, early exercise and by avoiding midnight snacks. But if you're happy rising early or staying up late, you're probably doing what works best for your own personal body clock.
1．The author introduces the subject by ________.| A．telling an interesting story |
| B．giving different opinions |
| C．showing research results |
| D．asking a question |
| A．Those who get up early achieve their goals. |
| B．Early to bed, early to rise is good for health. |
| C．“Night owls” can focus longer than “early birds”. |
| D．“Early birds” are as hard-working as “night owls”. |
| A．Late risers become sleepier than early risers. |
| B．Early risers become as focused as later risers. |
| C．Late risers can think quickly after being awaken for 10 hours. |
| D．Early risers can think clearly after being awake for 10 hours. |
| A．People should get up early. |
| B．Whatever time suits you, it’s OK. |
| C．Staying up late is good for health. |
| D．It’s impossible to change one’s sleeping habit. |
In 2019, the world generated 54.6 million tons of e-waste. However, just 17.4 percent of it was formally collected and recycled. Since 2014, the amount of e-waste recycled has grown by 1.8 million tons—a relatively small amount, considering that the amount of e-waste generated increased by 9.2 million tons in the same period.
Global reserves of some elements, such as platinum (铂), are supposed to be fully used up within15 years if the proportion of recycled stocks entering production doesn’t increase. E-waste and EV batteries are currently recycled through processes called pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy. However, they involve burning temperatures with a high energy demand and deep carbon footprint, and poisonous chemicals which are harmful to the environment. Alternatives are therefore being sought.
A team of scientists from the University of Coventry are extending one such alternative. They have been using non-poisonous bacteria to oxidize (使氧化) and recover the precious metals—a process known as ”bioleaching“. They have shown that copper is widely recoverable from e-waste, and that all metals present in EV batteries can be recovered by using microbes (微生物). If extended, bioleaching facilities would mean that manufacturers of EV batteries and other electronic goods would be able to recover metals locally, relying less on costly exports to recycling centers abroad.
”At present, a key limitation for e-waste recycling is the lack of certification detailing the types and amounts of metals contained in electronic goods. But with an efficient recycling process appearing, manufacturers have the motivation to use more recycled material in their products, which will change the very design of electronics goods. It’s about closing the loop of a product’s life cycle,“ said the leader of the Bioleaching Research Group, Sebastien Farnaud.
Ultimately, bioleaching technology is born out of the idea of creating a truly circular process for the things that we consume. We need to shift from a mindset and economy where we see waste as an end product, to one where there isn’t even a start or an end at all.
1．What do the statistics in paragraph 1 indicate?| A．The recycling rate of e-waste is comparatively low. |
| B．People pay little attention to e-waste recycling. |
| C．E-waste has caused serious environmental problems. |
| D．The amount of e-waste is sharply increasing every year. |
| A．They only apply to certain e-waste. |
| B．They generate metals with a complex process. |
| C．They are not environmentally friendly. |
| D．They cause a sharp rise in local temperatures. |
| A．It recovers metals by microbes. | B．It produces non-poisonous bacteria. |
| C．It has been applied abroad. | D．It promotes the local export trade. |
| A．A news report. | B．A scientific journal. |
| C．A health magazine. | D．A fiction novel. |
It is widely accepted that being overweight definitely poses a danger to our health. According to a new study, obesity may even damage the brain’s ability to recognize the sensation of fullness and be satisfied after eating fats and sugars.
Further, those brain changes may last even after people considered medically obese lose a significant amount of weight — possibly explaining why many people often regain the pounds they lose.
The study, published Monday in Nature Metabolism, was a controlled clinical trial in which 30 people considered to be medically obese and 30 people of normal weight were fed sugar carbohydrates (glucose), fats (lipids) or water (as a control). Each group of nutrients was fed directly into the stomach via a feeding tube on separate days.
The night before the testing, all 60 study participants had the same meal for dinner at home and did not eat again until the feeding tube was in place the next morning. As either sugars or fats entered the stomach via the tube, researchers used functional magnetic resonance(磁共振) imaging and single-photon emission computed tomography(断层扫描技术) to capture the brain’s response over 30 minutes.
In people with normal weight, the study found brain signals in the striatum(纹状体) slowed when either sugars or fats were put into the digestive system — evidence that the brain recognized the body had been fed. At the same time, levels of dopamine rose in those at normal weight, signaling that the reward centers of the brain were also activated. However, when the same nutrients were given via feeding tube to people considered medically obese, brain activity did not slow, and dopamine levels did not rise.
Next, the study asked people with obesity to lose 10% of their body weight within three months — an amount of weight known to improve blood sugars, reset metabolism and boost overall health.
Tests were repeated as before — with surprising results. Losing weight did not reset the brain in people with obesity.
Much more research is needed to fully understand what obesity does to the brain, and if that is triggered by the fat tissue itself, the types of food eaten, or other environmental and genetic factors.
1．What aspects did the researchers mainly focus on in the research?| A．Blood sugars and metabolism. | B．Diet and environmental factors. |
| C．Nutrients and the digestive system. | D．Brain activities and dopamine levels. |
| A．①④③② | B．④①②③ |
| C．②①④③ | D．②①③④ |
| A．Weight loss had no impact on the brain’s response to food. |
| B．The level of dopamine was closely related to people’s brain activity. |
| C．Nutrients taken by participants affected their digestive system rather than brain activity. |
| D．The sum of dopamine released varied slightly among participants with different weights. |
| A．Effective Strategies for Weight Loss in Obesity |
| B．The Persistent Effects of Obesity on the Brain |
| C．Exploring the Brain’s Response to Sugars and Fats |
| D．How Obesity Harms the Brain’s Fullness Sensation |
The recent reports of a 4-year-old girl on a Shanghai beach have gone viral on social media platforms, provoking debate about whether China should criminalize negligence in child supervision.
The father of the little girl claimed that he left her alone on the beach for about 12 minutes to fetch his phone. However, she was nowhere to be found when he was back. Surveillance (监控) videos show that she waited for about 10 minutes before walking toward the water’s edge alone, and then disappeared into the water. Two weeks later, her body was discovered about 100 kilometers away in neighboring Zhejiang Province.
The core issue in this case is the father’s leaving his young daughter unattended on the beach, causing her tragic death. Should such behavior, when it causes harm to a child, be seen as a criminal act? In an online survey, more than 90 percent of respondents insisted that the father be held legally responsible and face criminal punishments.
Nevertheless, according to Liu Chunquan, a lawyer, it may not satisfy the criteria for criminal negligence, since the primary focus of Chinese criminal law is on extreme cases of parental neglect, such as physical abuse and mental torture. Rarely do legal authorities charge parents; instead, they are just likely to face penalties consisting of warnings and fines.
In 2022, a 2-year-old baby drowned in a cesspool while in the company of his father. The court ruled shared responsibility between the father and the cesspool’s owner, with a 7:3 proportion. The owner was ordered to pay 20,000 yuan to the child’s family. Unluckily, similar cases do exist nationwide. Roughly, 100,000 children lose their lives in accidents annually in China, which is largely due to negligence, such as parents leaving their children unattended, either in locked cars or at home. Besides, drowning is now the main cause of death for children aged 1 to 14 years old.
It is no wonder that an increasing number of netizens request that specific laws and regulations be passed to ensure the safety of children and their well-being. Hopefully, criminalizing child supervision negligence in China can serve as a warning and precaution.
However, downsides of introducing such legislation may also emerge. For instance, it’s difficult to distinguish between a regrettable accident and criminal negligence, so that over-criminalization can be triggered, in which well-meaning parents making honest mistakes are charged with a crime.
Therefore, a more balanced approach to addressing the issue of infant safety should involve a combination of new legislation, education and support services. The ultimate objective is to prevent similar catastrophes in the future. We must recognize that children are not only their parents’ offspring, but also the nation’s future.
1．What can we infer from the tragedy of the 4-year-old girl?| A．Her father’s carelessness and negligence should be to blame. |
| B．The beach in Shanghai should not be open to small children. |
| C．Her father has been sentenced to severe penalties by the police. |
| D．She would have survived if she had not waited in the water for a long time. |
| A．Irresponsible adults contribute to children’s death. | B．People can’t be too concerned about child safety. |
| C．Kids shouldn’t be allowed to swim alone. | D．Parents’ constant monitoring is a must. |
| A．the mild penalties in the existing laws | B．parents’ ignorance of potential dangers |
| C．frequent occurrence of such incidents | D．masses of netizens’ urgent appeals |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Negative. | C．Objective. | D．Supportive. |
Expecting to travel abroad but lacking a loose budget? Interested in meaningful volunteering programs but worried about issues like your security or working conditions? Here comes a right place for you — Kindred Spirit Elephant Sanctuary (保护区).
Volunteering with elephants and bringing them back into their natural habitat
Making a difference in the conservation efforts to save elephants living under awful conditions
Helping teach English to the communities and raising awareness about the captive (圈养的) elephant situation
Wandering the forests and observe elephant’s natural behaviors in their home environment
Our sanctuary has rescued 5 elephants from the tourism industry and we have now brought them home to live out their lives in the forest, in semi-wild conditions. We need volunteers to help us keep these elephants happy and healthy in their natural habitat. With volunteer support, we hope to return more elephants to the forest soon.
Performing research on the natural elephant behaviors and the surrounding forest
Taking part in community projects such as teaching English at the school and to other locals
Carrying out litter pick-ups with the kids to educate on waste management
Day 1: Pickup from Chiang Mai at 9 am. Travel through a national park and stunning mountains until you arrive in our unique village. Meet your homestay family and the other volunteers, and immerse yourself in hill tribe culture.
Day 2: Wake up early to hike in the forest and find our elephants. Spend the morning recording and learning about these amazing animals and their natural behaviors. Return to the village in the late afternoon and take part in our community & camp & teaching projects.
Day 3: Another early start to hike to observe our elephants one last time. Return to Chiang Mai in the afternoon.
1．Which of the following is a feature of volunteer work at the sanctuary?| A．Looking after captive elephants with the locals. |
| B．Seeking and observing elephants in natural forests. |
| C．Helping rescue elephants living in the poor environment. |
| D．Teaching people to conserve elephants’ natural habitat. |
| A．You should participate in anti-poverty projects. |
| B．You should have the great ability to go hiking for days. |
| C．You should master local languages and know about tribe culture. |
| D．You should undertake research into wild elephants independently. |
| A．A holiday brochure. | B．A travel journal. |
| C．A geographical essay. | D．An educational website. |
I had a secret. I had been considering the decision for some time, but hadn’t discussed it with anyone. As an English Language Arts teacher in my fourth year, I had to leave my beloved profession.
I kept praying for a sign to stay, but my father was very ill and needed someone to take care of him. Although many students liked my class and I had received hundreds of letters from former students appreciating my influence on their lives, I still made this difficult decision.
It was nearing the end of what I had come to think of as my last year. A senior named Lyric, who was my assistant, asked if I could meet him and another student named Ari for dinner to discuss how to prepare for college. I agreed but didn’t think anything of it.
It was on a Saturday evening and my schedule for that day was already packed. I attended an academic conference that morning and then spent the next four hours at the boys’ basketball game where I was the assistant coach of the school team. By the time the game ended, I had about an hour to get to the dinner. I was so tired that I almost called Lyric to re-schedule. But I had promised, so I got in my car and headed to the restaurant.
As I was walking up to the restaurant, I saw Lyric, Ari, and Sal, another former student, all dressed up. I asked Lyric, “Why are you guys so dressed up?” He responded, “Follow us and you’ll see. “The three of them led me to the outside patio (露台) where there was a long table full of some forty students. They had decorated the patio with fairy lights and flowers, and the table was adorned (装饰) with a beautiful tablecloth and candles. They had even prepared my favorite dishes and drinks!
When they saw me, they all stood up and started clapping.
A week later, I was voted Teacher of the Year.
Communicating science
One of the major problems for scientists lies in communicating the value of research to non-specialists that matter:policymakers and the general public. In recent years, scientific organisations have come a long way in developing ways to make science more accessible to non-specialist groups.
The development of blogs has helped substantially in bringing science closer to the public. According to Wikipedia, the ScienceBlogs network is now ranked 37th among the most authoritative blogs worldwide, with two of its sections having won weblog awards. Released from editorial restrictions, science bloggers generally focus on areas of science that they are both passionate and knowledgeable about. They often write about science in an accessible, lively manner, and it is this that perhaps most attracts members of the public. Ed Yong’s Not Exactly Rocket Science, for instance, is filled with the writer’s enthusiasm and down-to-earth attitude towards the subject. His chatty, youthful style appeals to a wide range of readers.
Television has also boosted the image of science. Early pioneers such as Jacques Cousteau, whose beautifully filmed documentaries opened up the oceans to millions, quickly realised the potential of TV to make science come alive for viewers. Other science disciplines have eagerly followed suit. Entertaining presenters carry out daring experiments or explore amazing scientific phenomena in order to attract attention. Celebrities such as Brian Cox, once famous for playing music in D:Ream, have also been instrumental in bringing science into popular culture. Now working in the field of physics, Brian is presenter of the BBC TV series Wonders of the Solar System. His background means that his face is not only well known to younger viewers but is also considered cool. Other organisations have been using the power of visual media through the internet. For example, SciVee offers scientists video services to create online presentations of their research.
Nevertheless, despite this progress, communication remains one of science’s biggest obstacle. Perhaps it is time that universities addressed this problem, and thought about adding communications training to the curriculum.
Could a New Battery Solve Our Energy Problem?
Researchers in the US have made headlines worldwide by developing a new type of battery that charges far faster and holds way more charge than today’s lithium cells (锂电池). It’s not just a terrific technology story, either. The team behind it is led by tech legend Prof John Goodenough of the University of Texas, Austin—the co-inventor of the original lithium-ion battery, and still doing brilliant work at the age of 94.
This depressing state of affairs is more than simply inconvenient. If we’re to make the most of renewable energy, we need ways of coping with those times when the wind drops or there’s no sunshine.
Elon Musk, the billionaire boss of electric car company Tesla, certainly thinks so. He’s already created a 20 megawatt battery ‘farm’ in California, and is willing to put his money where his batteries are.
But now Goodenough and his team may have found the answer, by switching from lithium to sodium (钠).
The lithium batteries that made Goodenough’s reputation contain a liquid electrolyte (电解质) which doesn’t respond well to rapid charging. One of Goodenough’s colleagues, Maria Braga, decided that the answer lay in switching to solid electrolytes. The team has now managed to get a solid glass electrolyte to work with sodium, which is similar to lithium but far more common.
Advances in energy storage are vital if renewable are going to reach their potential. The boundless energy of Goodenough—the Li-ion King himself—may just have found the solution just in time.
| A．Batteries that store energy for those times is one pretty obvious solution. |
| B．No one seriously questions the need for wind and solar power to be part of global energy strategy. |
| C．The result is transformational. |
| D．Yet not everyone is convinced current battery technology is up to the job. |
| E．While computing power famously doubles every two years, battery performance has barely doubled in 20. |
| F．Commercialisation may take a decade, though it could happen faster. |
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