听第 6 段材料，回答第 6 、7 题。

听第 7 段材料，回答第 8 至 10 题。

听第 8 段材料，回答第 11 至 14 题。

听第 9 段材料，回答第 15 至 17 题。

听第 10 段材料，回答第 18 至 20 题。

Sichuan has added another six national 4A-level tourist attractions! Here are four of them that you cannot miss.

Songjing-Taoyuan Scenic Spot 

Located in Zhuotongjing Town in Daying County, the scenic spot consists of two core sites — the Zhuotongjing Park of Ancient Brine Wells and Songjing-Taoyuan. Highlights of the tour at the scenic spot include a ride on the mini train that brings visitors to the history of salt making dating back to more than a thousand years ago.

Fulai Scenic Spot

Located in Mabian County of Leshan City, it has picturesque landscapes and colorful cultures of the Yi ethnic group, where visitors can appreciate the view of mountains, tea farms, forests, distinctive ethnic cultures and Buddhist traditions.

Yulong Lacuo Scenic Spot 

It is located at the foot of the Que’er Mountain in Dege County, which stands 6,168 meters above sea level. Travel to the spot, with the Yulong Lacuo Lake as its main attraction, features outdoor sightseeing and an ecological experience.

Jianchuan Community of Film Studios

It is located at Anning New City of Xichang City in southern Sichuan. With its planned area consisting of 17 museums and 5 functional sections with creative designs and multiple contents, the site is a cultural community for visitors to experience the elements of art and enjoy the charm of the cinema world.

My uncle George, a mentally disabled man, enjoys a simple life — no smartphones, no Internet — so communication is limited to in person or old-style phone calls.

I have always shared a special bond with him. For years, George would periodically ask for my cellphone number and write it down. He’d call a bunch of times and then suddenly stop, because he had lost the piece of paper with my number on it. This went on for years, until at some point, around six years ago, he committed my number to memory. Ever since then, from 7 am to 7 pm, he calls me once a day, without fail, 365 days a year.

Our phone calls always follow the same structure, using one of three fantasy realities from George’s imagination. In one, he’s my dad and I’m his son. In another, he’s Major Charles Winchester, and I’m Captain B.J. Hunnicutt, reporting for duty. In the last, we’re both lifeguards, performing the rescue of a drowning person. We go back and forth in character for about a minute and a half, only breaking the bit to laugh wildly. Then he’ll go quiet.

“You know something, Tommy,” he’ll say. “I’m just calling to say you’re the best guy I know.”

“So are you,” I reply. We both laugh. Then, he’ll ask what I’m eating for dinner and wrap up telling me he’ll call back at a specific time.  

This conversation has been repeated for years. No matter what’s going on in the world, these calls are something I can count on. In my darkest moments — painful breakups, professional setbacks — that phone call rolls in, allowing me to escape reality for a bit and just laugh and act like a kid again. Though he can’t understand my adult life or daily struggles, his love remains unshakable. This love is an incredible gift. Whenever I’m struggling for life, I know George will call, telling me I’m the best guy through his phone calls.

A free online platform that allows speakers to practice in front of thousands of virtual audience has been released to help many people deal with their anxiety when making a speech. Dr Chris Macdonald, who created the online platform, said the approach was an attempt to reduce the lengthy waits or high costs people often face when seeking help.

The Virtual Reality Public Speaking platform is based on the idea that facing fears directly can help reduce them. It is combined with breathing exercises and eye movements that help slow the heart rate and control the fear response. People using the technology can practice speaking in various virtual reality (VR) settings, from an empty classroom or small audience of virtual figures who feel bored and sleepy, to a stadium of 10,000 viewers, with the option to add distractions such as flashing cameras and loud noises.

A recent study suggests the platform could be beneficial. The research involved 29 volunteers from China, who each finished a 30-minute session in which they switched between using the VR system and practicing a simple breathing exercise. After that, they delivered a prepared one-minute speech in English to 34 people in real life. The percentage of students who said they were anxious public speakers fell from 65% before the experiment to 20% after the presentations, while the percentage who described themselves as confident rose from 31% to 79%. More students said they enjoyed public speaking after using the platform.

But Cella, a psychologist and leader of the virtual reality lab at King’s College London, who was not involved in the work, said there was a potential risk that overdependence on the platform could increase people’s avoidance of public speaking. “There is a lot of enthusiasm and problem-solving energy from digital innovators to address mental health challenges in our society. But unfortunately, many products like this platform have poor uptake (利用) and short lifespan due to the rapid development and limited evidence,” he said. “As with any emerging technology, it’s crucial to evaluate its real-world impact, how people use it, whether it truly improves confidence and reduces anxiety, and what unintended effects might arise.”

You probably know the feeling of having a hearty meal at a restaurant, full and satisfied, but only take a look at the dessert menu and you decide the cheesecake looks just irresistible. Why do you somehow make an exception for a sweet treat, since you are too full to have another bite? Thanks to a recent study, scientists now have a better understanding of the origins of this urge.

Working with mice, researchers tried to set up a situation similar to the human experience described above. They started by offering a standard diet to mice who hadn’t eaten since the previous day. That “meal” period lasted for 90 minutes, and the mice ate until they couldn’t eat any more. Then it was time for a 30-minute “dessert” period. In the first round of the experiment, researchers offered mice extra regular food for dessert, and the mice ate just a little bit more. In the second round, during the “dessert” period, they offered a high-sugar feed to the mice for 30 minutes. The mice really went for the sugary feed, consuming six times more calories than in the first round.

In the mice, researchers monitored the activity of neurons (神经元) that are associated with feelings of fullness. They found that when the mice were eating the high sugar diet, the neurons released a chemical which was related to pleasure sensors in their brain and caused a feeling of reward, making the mice keep eating. When the team blocked the release of the chemical, the mice stayed away from the sugar. The researchers found the same went for humans when scanning the brains of volunteers, who were fed sugar drinks. This led the scientists to conclude that the neuron action in the human brain drives the consumption of high-sugar foods.

Researchers say the follow-up studies on this neural reward system could throw light on how sugar overconsumption may contribute to the development of obesity.