Part III 阅读理解

Passage One

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio set a new record on Monday, Sept.11 for the longest single spaceflight conducted by a U.S. astronaut, after spending 371 days in space, and his mission isn't over.

Rubio originally was scheduled to spend six months in space before his mission was extended to more than a year. Throughout his record-breaking mission, Rubio contributed to several science experiments geared toward understanding how spaceflight affects human physiology and psychology.

"Every day we spend up here, we know a little more about how the human body behaves in space," Rubio explained. "We continue to do studies in the station that will help us when we continue exploring deeper and deeper into our solar system."

Rubio is the first astronaut to participate in a study examining how exercising with limited gym equipment affects the human body. Recognizing that crew members traveling to the Moon and elsewhere will not have enough room in their spacecraft for a treadmill (跑步机), researchers are eager to determine whether other exercise plans could keep crews healthy on long missions. So rather than running on the space station's treadmill, Rubio exercised only on the space station's bicycle and weightlifting machine.

He is also one of a handful of astronauts to help researchers test whether an enhanced spaceflight diet can help humans better adapt to life in space. For this study, Rubio met with a specialist to create a customized diet loaded with nutrients, with an emphasis on foods such as fruits, vegetables, and fish. Scientists will evaluate whether consuming this diet boosted his immunity and improved how his body functioned.

For another experiment, Rubio helped nurture and monitor vegetables produced in the space station's Vegetable Production System, or Veggie. Future deep space missions will require astronauts to grow fresh food in space as an alternative to prepackaged food. This Veggie study evaluates regulations for growing produce in space, and whether plants grown in microgravity can help satisfy the dietary needs of astronauts on more distant spaceflight missions.

21. What is special about Rubio?

    A He serves NASA for the longest time.B He has the longest spaceflight in the U.S.C He scheduled a single spaceflight.D His space mission seems endless.

22. Why is treadmill a poor exercise choice in the spacecraft?

    A Its maintenance is difficult.B It makes too much noise.C Its effect on human body is uncertain.D It is too big to fit in the spacecraft.

23. What does an enhanced spaceflight diet (Para.5) refer to?

    A Meals favored by astronauts.B Customized foods with nutrients.C A diet created by researchers.D Foods that benefit mental health.

24. Why did Rubio grow vegetables in the space station?

    A To cope with food shortage in space.B To prepare for distant space missions.C To reduce waste from prepackaged food.D To boost farming production on Earth.

25. What is the main topic of this passage?

    A An astronaut's contributions to space mission.B Feasible experiments in outer space.C Human body behavior and function in space.D Challenges in adapting to outer space.

Passage Two

Mainstream science is finally recognizing the medicinal properties of ant honey, a substance native Australians have been using for centuries to treat colds and sore throats. According to a new study, this sweet substance carries strong antimicrobial (杀菌的) properties.

Scientists from the University of Sydney's Carter Lab, led by Professor Dee Carter, studied the Australian honeypot ant. This ant species is found in desert areas, mainly in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. The honey these ants make isn't stored in cells in hives but inside other ants. Certain ants in their colonies are fed flower juice by other ants until their bellies swell to the size of grapes. Then when food is scarce, the honey-filled ants vomit up (吐出) their sweet liquid for the other ants to eat.

"For our people, honey ants are more than just a food source. Digging for them is a very enjoyable way of life and a way of bringing the family together," says Danny Ulrich who operates honeypot ant tours in Western Australia. "Our people have been enjoying sweet honey ants for thousands of years. As for its medicinal use, we use it for sore throats and sometimes as a skin cream to help keep infections from getting worse."

The study conducted by the Carter Lab marks the first time that ant honey has been investigated for its medicinal properties. The researchers found that ant honey possesses "unique" antimicrobial activity against bacteria. They confirmed that its mechanism of action is different from that of Manuka honey, a well-established treatment for wounds and skin infections. Manuka honey is produced from the flowers of a native New Zealand tree.

"Our research shows that honeypot ant honey possesses a distinctive effect that sets it apart from other types of honey," says Dr. Kenya Fernandes from the Carter Lab team. "This discovery means that honeypot ant honey could contain compounds with substantial antimicrobial power; identifying these could provide us with starting points for developing new and different types of antibiotics."

26. What do we learn about native Australians in Paragraph 1?

    A They cure sore throats with ant honey.B They stopped using ant honey long ago.C They participated in an ant honey study.D They found a new medicinal property of ant honey.

27. Where do Australian honeypot ants store their honey?

    A In their hives.B In the flowers.C Inside their bodies.D Inside the grapes.

28. What is Ulrich's job as mentioned in Paragraph 3?

    A A local cook.B A leading scientist.C A family doctor.D A tour agent.

29. What do we know about ant honey from the Carter Lab's study?

    A It was investigated for the first time.B It has a special effect against bacteria.C It has its origin from New Zealand.D It works the same way as other honey.

30. What would be the next step for the Carter Lab team?

    A To identify the compounds of ant honey.B To propose a new treatment for colds.C To develop more honey products.D To call for action to protect the ants.

Passage Three

Coffee makes you happy. The researcher David Warburton observed what I could have told him without writing a study: A low dose of caffeine (咖啡因) can lead to a "significant increase in happiness and calmness and decrease in tenseness." He also noted that, among the study participants, these effects did not come from alleviating a desire from a caffeine addiction; the effect was true, pure, and wonderful. A miracle, really.

Caffeine is a gift in ways besides happiness. Combined with exercise, it can improve cognitive performance, and if you've been sleeping less than optimally, it can enhance your reaction time and logical reasoning abilities. Remember this as you head out in traffic: The life your coffee saves could be your own.

Nothing in life is free, of course. Consuming more caffeine over time may lead to a state of tolerance, in which caffeine has a smaller effect after chronic use. However, this "problem" is really just an opportunity to enjoy more coffee.

Some people believe that the solution to tolerance is to hit the reset button. My wife is one of them: Recently, noticing the increases in my consumption over the years, she innocently proposed that I "take a little break" from coffee. The very suggestion made me fly into a rage. "Here's an idea," I replied, heart rate soaring. "Why don't we just live apart for a year so it feels more like it did when we were first married?" An overreaction? I think not.

I'm at peace with the long-term effects of my devotion to coffee. Research from Japan shows that habitually drinking coffee reduces all-cause mortality. Studies in mice suggest that it does so by, among other things, encouraging autophagy, the biological process of cleaning out cellular trash, which naturally slows as we age. Coffee has also been found to reduce levels of fatty acid in the blood of aged mice, which has been linked to diabetes and cancer in humans.

Assuming that coffee does keep me alive for an extra few days or decades, I know how I'll spend them: drinking more coffee, of darker and darker roasts, whose strong smell helps combat age-related loss of taste and smell.

31. The "miracle" in the first paragraph refers to _______.

    A the exciting research resultB the strong caffeine addictionC the wonderful effect of coffeeD Warburton's achievement

32. Caffeine brings the following benefits EXCEPT _______.

    A enhancing your happinessB making you more intelligentC improving your reasoning abilitiesD helping you sleep optimally

33. The phrase "hit the reset button" (Para.4) means "_______".

    A stop drinking coffee for a whileB lower caffeine consumptionC live apart from one's familyD reduce levels of fatty acid

34. What is the effect of drinking coffee regularly, according to Japanese research?

    A It increases the risk of death.B It helps clean out cellular trash.C It poses threat to mental health.D It is a cause of aging problems.

35. What does the author indicate in the last paragraph?

    A He will spend more time promoting coffee.B He will try to find a substitute for coffee.C He will consume more and stronger coffee.D He will develop a better habit of drinking.

Passage Four

Humans help each other—it's one of the foundations of civilized society. But a new study by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, reveals that a lack of sleep weakens this fundamental human attribute, with real-world consequences.

The study, led by UC Berkeley research scientists Eti Simon and Matthew Walker, adds to a growing body of evidence demonstrating that inadequate sleep not only harms the mental and physical well-being of an individual, but also compromises the bonds between individuals.

In the study, the scientists placed 24 healthy volunteers in a functional magnetic resonance imager (fMRI) (核磁共振成像仪) to scan their brains after eight hours of sleep and after a night of no sleep. They found that areas of the brain that form the mind network were less active after a sleepless night. "When we think about other people, this network engages and allows us to comprehend what other people's needs are: What are they thinking about? Do they need help?" Ben Simon said. "However, this network was markedly impaired when individuals were sleep deprived. It's as though these parts of the brain fail to respond when we are trying to interact with other people after not getting enough sleep."

The scientists also tracked more than 100 people online over three or four nights, and measured the quality of their sleep—how long they slept, how many times they woke up—and then assessed their desire to help others, such as holding an elevator door open for someone else, volunteering or helping an injured stranger on the street. They found that a decrease in the quality of someone's sleep from one night to the next predicted a significant decrease in the desire to help other people from one subsequent day to the next.

Looking at the big picture, a lack of sleep makes people less sympathetic and less generous. "Sleep, it turns out, is an incredible lubricant to connected and generous human behavior," Simon said. "It is time as a society to abandon the idea that sleep is unnecessary or a waste and, without feeling embarrassed, start getting the sleep that we need. It is the best form of kindness we can offer ourselves, as well as the people around us."

36. What can be learned about the study by Simon and Walker?

    A It examines sleep from a fresh perspective.B It confirms the findings of other sleep research.C It is a major breakthrough in the study of sleep.D It is part of a long-term research project on sleep.

37. What did the fMRI result indicate about the mind network?

    A It was activated to make sleep much easier.B It was enhanced when sleep loss occurred.C It formed obstacles to normal comprehension.D It was less responsive after sleep deprivation.

38. What did the scientists find after tracking people online and measuring their sleep?

    A People with poor sleep were less keen to help others.B Sleep quality was a poor indicator of generosity.C Generous human behavior followed a downward trend.D The willingness to help other people was hard to predict.

39. What does Simon emphasize in the last paragraph?

    A The risks of poor sleep tend to be underestimated.B The link between sleep and health remains unknown.C Adequate sleep helps improve interpersonal connection.D Better approaches to improving sleep should be developed.

40. Which of the following can be the best title for this passage?

    A Lack of sleep makes us less generousB Mutual help benefits a civilized societyC Why people's sleeping patterns matter?D Why people suffer from sleep deprivation?

Blog and Comments

With the cost-of-living crisis biting, more people are considering living in alternative housing, particularly vans and houseboats. A recent study found that 51% of millennials (千禧一代) would be willing to live in an alternative dwelling to get a foot on the first step of the ladder, with 53% saying they would live in a van, and 33% up for living in a houseboat.

When you live in a van, there's no mortgage or rent to pay, and there aren't any utility bills. Your main expense will be petrol for the van, so you can lower your costs even further by staying in one place for as long as possible. This allows you to work fewer hours if you choose. Living in a van can be a liberating experience. Working less gives you more time to travel, enjoy hobbies, work on side projects, or simply relax and enjoy yourself.

Van life can seem enticing, with its reduced expenses and enhanced freedom. However, this lifestyle comes with many challenges and isn't always as glamorous as it is portrayed on social media. Keeping yourself clean is one of the challenges of this lifestyle. A survey found that 28% of van lifers shower at the gym, 21% use built-in van showers, and 20% use campsite facilities, which normally come with a fee. A combined 13% said they bathe with baby wipes, or in rivers or seas. Although there is a range of sizes of vans and houseboats, none will offer you the same amount of space as most conventional homes. There are times when you feel very packed.

41. What makes more people think about living in vans and houseboats?

    A The desire to try new things.B The rising living expenses.C The pressure to find a job.D The increasing commute time.

42. What might be the biggest expense if you choose to live in a van?

    A Mortgage.B UtilityC Travel.D Fuel.

43. The word "enticing" (Para.3) probably means "______".

    A expensiveB promisingC attractiveD challenging

44. Which comment agrees that vans and houseboats do not offer enough space?

    A Comment 1.B Comment 2.C Comment 3.D Comment 4.

45. Which comment indicates the conveniences of living in vans?

    A Comment 1.B Comment 2.C Comment 3.D Comment 4.