2026年真题01

Listen to a talk in a physics class. Man: We've been talking about the law of inertia. An object moving in a straight line will continue to move in a straight line unless it is acted upon by another force. So what does this mean in the real world? Let's look at something many people do all the time, riding a bicycle. Think about riding along in a straight line. Once the bike is moving, inertia will keep it going in a straight line. But we don't just ride in straight lines, do we? We turn at corners and steer around things that are in our way. So how do you get the bicycle not to go straight? Easy, right? Don't you just need to turn the front wheel in the direction you want to turn? In fact, if you only turn the front wheel, you're likely to end up on the pavement. The wheel will turn, but because of inertia, your body and the rest of the bike will want to keep moving straight ahead. So how does a cyclist avoid this? The key is to lean in. Weight needs to shift in the direction of the turn so that the force of gravity can work against the force of inertia. Professional cyclists who move at high speeds need to hit a sweet spot. They must lean more to keep their bicycles from sliding out of turns, but not too much. At a certain point, gravity will bring both rider and bicycle down to the ground.

Listen to a talk on a business podcast When launching a new business, entrepreneurs face countless decisions, from choosing a target market to deciding which features to include in their first product. These choices can be overwhelming, especially when resources are limited and time is short. To address these challenges, some startups adopt a strategy that emphasizes speed, experimentation, and customer feedback. This approach, known as the Lean Startup methodology, was popularized by Eric Ries and has gained traction in the tech world and beyond. One of its core practices is building a minimum viable product, or mvp. This is a basic version of a new product that can be released quickly to gather feedback from early users. The goal is to learn what works and what doesn't, so that future development is guided by actual user experience rather than assumptions. Another key principle is validated learning. Instead of doing traditional market research like surveys or focus groups, entrepreneurs test their ideas by putting the product out in the real world. This helps them figure out whether their product actually meets the needs of their customers. In all fairness, I should point out that this approach isn't perfect. Rapid iteration and constant feedback can sometimes lead to confusion or a lack of clear direction. And in the pursuit of efficiency, some teams may cut corners, which could affect product quality. Still, many entrepreneurs find the Lean Startup methodology helpful for navigating the uncertainties of launching a new business.

Listen to a talk on a science podcast. Woman: Let's talk a bit about bird migration. Migratory birds travel vast distances between their breeding and wintering grounds, often covering thousands of miles. These journeys are driven by the need to find suitable habitats with adequate food supplies and favorable climate conditions. One of the most remarkable aspects of migration is a bird's ability to navigate accurately over such long distances. Birds use a variety of navigational cues, such as the position of the sun, stars, and, incredibly, Earth's magnetic field. Certain bird species have a special protein in their eyes that allows them to see magnetic fields, and this helps them stay on course. Migratory birds play key roles in ecosystems by dispersing seeds and controlling pests, so their decline can cause imbalances throughout food webs. Of course, a migration over hundreds or even thousands of miles will be fraught with risk. Obvious dangers include harsh weather conditions, predators, and the risk of exhaustion and starvation. Less obviously, human activities also pose significant threats to migratory birds. Habitat destruction, pollution and climate change have led to a decline in many migratory bird populations. At night, light pollution can disorient birds that navigate by the stars, causing them to become lost or collide with buildings. Protecting key habitats and reducing light pollution are a few of the steps that can help safeguard migrating birds. Solutions include bird friendly building design and programs that encourage turning off unnecessary lights during peak migration seasons.

Listen to a talk in an archaeology class. Often when we think of mummies, we think of ancient Egyptians and their elaborate methods of preserving bodies. We used to think Egyptians were the only people practicing mummification during the Bronze Age about, oh, 4,000 years ago, because typical mummies are found in places, for example, with very dry climates like Egypt. But then archaeologists discovered a site in Scotland with evidence of mummification, and Scotland is, well, wet, rainy. This site is called Cladh Hallan, the only place in Britain where we found prehistoric Bronze Age mummies. So researchers unearthed skeletons at Cladh Hallan, including a man and a woman from around 1500 BCE. Since these were just skeletons, the researchers didn't realize at first that they had actually been mummies. That realization came after doing a test called radiocarbon dating on the bones. Radiocarbon dating revealed that the man and woman had died several hundred years before being buried. Normally, such a long wait would turn a body into a pile of bones, not an actual skeleton, like what was found. So their bodies must have been purposely preserved for hundreds of years before burial. Why? Well, who knows? But we do know how. The bodies were preserved, mummified in a peat bog. Peat bogs are kinda like swamps, except their conditions prevent organic materials like bodies from fully breaking down. They stay more intact. Prehistoric people in Scotland used to preserve animal fat like butter in peat bogs. So they definitely had the concept.