This week Xingliang Zhang of Northwest University in China reports in Science the discovery of a new site full of soft-bodied animals that have never been seen before.
For soft-bodied animals to be preserved, something disastrous must take place. In the case of the world's two most famous Cambrian（寒武纪）sites, the Burgess Shale accumulation in Canada and the Chengjiang site, this disaster was a series of storms that dunked vast quantities of mud upon a community of animals, burying them alive.
The new site that Dr Zhang is reporting, known as Qingjiang, is similar to the others in that the animals seem to have been killed by a sudden mud burial. However, that is where the similarities end.
Qingjiang has produced over 20, 000 specimens（样本）thus far. Of these, 4, 351 have been properly analysed and are thought to represent around 100 groups of creatures. Dr Zhang and his colleagues estimate that 54 of these groups have never been seen before.
There are some familiar animals like cnidarians（刺细胞动物），but these also raise quite a lot of questions. Cnidarians exist widely in modern oceans and have simplistic bodies that suggest they evolved early during the rise of animal life. Given this, it was expected that cnidarians would be common in the sedimentary layers when the Burgess Shale and Chengjiang sites were first unearthed. But precisely the opposite proved true.
Qingjiang surprised Dr Zhang by being loaded with spectacularly well-preserved members of this soft-bodied group. Containing everything from delicate comb jellies to the medusae（水 母）,Qingjiang reveals that these animals were well established at the time and rapidly multiplying in some environments. Precisely what these environmental differences were though, remains the subject of considerable inquiry. Anyway, the discovery of the fossils could make clear the diversity of extinct creatures as well as their connection with animals in modern times, said Zhao Fangchen, a researcher of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
1. What is the most probable reason of those soft-bodied animals' being so well-preserved?| A．Existing widely in some environments. |
| B．Being buried alive by a sudden mud. |
| C．Being abandoned during evolution. |
| D．Being well-established at the time. |
| A．100 groups of creatures were found in Qingjiang site for the first time. |
| B．Cnidarians were common in Burgess Shale and Chengjiang sites. |
| C．Cnidarians existed in large numbers in Qingjiang site. |
| D．The animals were killed by something disastrous. |
| A．They became extinct because of sudden mud burials. |
| B．The environmental differences of their existence are clear now. |
| C．Their bodies are so simplistic that they can be easily wiped out. |
| D．They developed at the beginning of the appearance of animal life. |
| A．To bring us some knowledge about Qingjiang site. |
| B．To display the diversity of extinct water creatures. |
| C．To illustrate the significance of archaeology. |
| D．To distinguish Qingjiang site from others. |
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【推荐1】Unlike octopuses (章鱼), we don’t have brains in our limbs. So we can’t really “remember” anything with our arms and legs. But it’s true that once we learn how to do something physical—whether riding a bike or weightlifting—it becomes easier and easier to do it without conscious thought. Most people are referring to this phenomenon when they talk about “muscle memory”. They think the secret to learning a skill is to do it over and over again until they have developed muscle memory. But when biologists and neuroscientists (神经学家) study it, they mean at least two slightly different things.
A recent research by biologists at the University of Oslo found that the key indicators of muscular growth —myonuclei (肌核), which are inside muscle fibers, won’t disappear as muscles shrink, which suggests that our myonuclei are doing at least some of the remembering. The researchers have noted that muscle built during one’s younger years might functionally serve to allow individuals to “bank” myonuclei that could be drawn upon later in life to slow the effects of aging.
Neuroscientists, on the other hand, believe that learning to ride a bike is an exercise in episode memory: You can know how to ride a bike without being able to explain how you’re doing it. It feels to us as if that memory is stored in our muscles and they’re remembering how to perform an action without our really being aware of it. But the reality is that the activity is happening in our brains. “The processes that are important for learning and memory of new skills occur mainly in the cognitive (认知) system, not in the muscles,” explained Ainslie Johnstone, a neuroscientist at Oxford University. The parts of your brain responsible for that movement develop stronger connections between neurons that serve as the representation for the motion, and it’s these connections that make the memory better and easier to access.
Your new understanding of muscle memory is probably some combination of the two basic ideas. Anyway, the proverb, “practice makes perfect”, always holds true for us non-octopus creatures.
1. What is people’s common belief in “muscle memory”?| A．It relies heavily on the passion for sports. |
| B．It can refer to two slightly different things. |
| C．It means remembering things with our arms and legs. |
| D．It is acquired from frequent repetition of a movement. |
| A．Muscle memory is a short-term memory. |
| B．Muscle memory performs best at an old age. |
| C．Myonuclei fail to function as muscles disappear. |
| D．Myonuclei help explain the phenomenon of “muscle memory”. |
| A．Personal feelings. | B．Episode memories |
| C．Neuron connections. | D．Muscle myonuclei. |
| A．How different are we from an octopus? |
| B．What is the secret to being skillful at sports? |
| C．Muscle memory is real,but more than what you think. |
| D．The existence of muscle memory is being challenged. |
【推荐2】You might think it’s going to be really challenging if you plan to learn a foreign tongue. You’ve probably heard a lot of talks about how easy it is to learn languages as a young child, and that learning as an adult can be tough. You might even know friends or family members who have tried to learn a foreign tongue and failed. That’s because they have friends or colleagues around them who experienced failure. We’re here to cheer you up with some good news and inspire you to get started. The amazing adult brain！
Scientists are always learning about the human brain. Decades ago, experts believed that the brain developed during childhood and then retained that way for life. However, modern studies have shown us that the brain has the ability to continually form new neural(神经的)connections throughout adulthood. A 2010 Swedish study tested two groups of people, one in the range of age 21 through 30 and another between 65 and 80. Remarkably, they found no significant differences in neuroplasticity(神经可塑性). In other words, this suggests that it’s possible for you to learn new things at any age.
Besides being possible to learn languages, research also suggests that it improves the adult brain in general. In a 2012 Chinese study, experts looked at a group of adults who were learning Mandarin over a nine-month period. They found that these adults showed improved integrity(完整性)in their white matter, the part of the brain that allows neural cells to communicate. The better your neural cells communicate, the easier it will be for you to learn new things.
Why may adults have an easier time learning? Children might be blessed with a naturally high degree of neuroplasticity, but that doesn’t mean learning is necessarily easier for them. In fact, adult brains have a number of great qualities that might actually make learning easier, especially if you take advantage of free learning apps like Mondly.
1. Why do some adults fail in the language learning?| A．Because they have no plans for language learning. |
| B．Because they have poor memories. |
| C．Because maybe they are affected by some adults who have failed. |
| D．Because language learning is too difficult for adults to learn. |
| A．Kept. | B．Changed. | C．Improved. | D．Strengthened. |
| A．Children can learn a language more easily. |
| B．Adults can learn a language even at old age. |
| C．The learning apps like Mondly are good for children. |
| D．Adults can learn a language more easily after learning Chinese. |
| A．How to learn a new language for adults. |
| B．How to tell the kids to learn a language. |
| C．How to improve neuroplasticity. |
| D．How to use the app Mondly. |
【推荐3】A good modern newspaper is an extraordinary piece of reading. It's great first for what it contains：the range of news from local crime to international politics, from sports to business，from fashion to science, and the range of comment and special feature(特写) as well，from editorial page to feature articles and interviews to criticism of books, art theatre and music.
A newspaper is even greater for the way one reads it：never completely, never straight through，but always by jumping from here to there, in and out, glancing at one piece，reading another article all the way through, reading just a few paragraphs of the text.
A good modern newspaper offers a variety(多样性) to attract many different readers, but far more than the reader is interested in. What brings this variety together in one place is its topicality(时事性), its immediate relation to what is happening in your world and your locality now. But immediacy and the speed of production that goes with it also mean that much of what appears in a newspaper has no more than transient(短暂的) value.
For all these reasons, no two people really read the same paper：what each person does is to put together, out of the pages of that day's paper, his own selection and order, his own newspaper. For all these reasons, reading newspapers efficiently, which means getting what you want from them without missing things you need and without wasting time，demands skill and self-awareness as you change and apply the techniques of reading.
1. A modern newspaper is great for all the following EXCEPT its________.| A．wide variety | B．similar style |
| C．speed in reporting news | D．popularity |
| A．people look through the news they are interested in |
| B．different people prefer different newspapers |
| C．people are rarely interested in the same kind of news |
| D．people have different views about what a good newspaper is |
| A．apply reading techniques skillfully |
| B．jump from one newspaper to another |
| C．appreciate the variety of a newspaper |
| D．usually read a newspaper selectively |
| A．How to read newspaper? | B．Where to find a good newspaper? |
| C．What is a good newspaper? | D．Newspaper. |
【推荐1】Like Marty McFly’s banana-powered DeLorean （德罗宁时光机）,a future generation of flying cars could tip over the idea that all flying is bad for the climate. Firms such as the Rolls Royce, Lilium and Vertical Aerospace have argued that flying cars could be a green mode of transport despite the large amounts of energy they need to get off the ground.
One study into the environmental impact of such vertical （垂直的）takeoff and landing （(VTOL)） vehicles suggests their backers could be right — at least in some circumstances. Gregory Keoleian at the University of Michigan and colleagues found that VTOLs, if they ever took to the skies, would produce 6 per cent less emissions than an electric car over a 100-kilometre journey. "The VTOL is particularly energy intensive （集中的）during takeoff and landing. The flight phase,however,is much more efficient,and over long distances,makes fully loaded VTOLs competitive with ground based vehicles," says Keoleian. Flying cars would also have the advantage of being able to fly in a straight line, bypassing meandering routes.
However , don't act immedialely . The difference was only very small and there are several big catches. Flying cars don't really exist yet — they are only at the prototype （蓝本）stage. The prototypes rely on electric power and act as a taxi, but another issue is that the study is a bit of an apples-for-oranges comparison.
The researchers assume that each electric car carries an average of 1.54 passengers while the passengers and drivers of the flying car are three and one. The reason for this assumption is that the flying car will provide a shared taxi service like UberPool, but in fact electric cars can do the same. In addition t due to the need for energy during take-off, the emissions from the flight below 35 km will be more than those of electric vehicles.
Keoleian and his team conclude flying cars could have a minor role in sustainable transport. But even if they do prove to be green, they have a lot of other hurdles to cross first.
1. Why do firms like the Rolls Royce argue for flying cars?| A．They are banana-powered. | B．They are energy-saving. |
| C．They run faster. | D．They need less energy to take off. |
| A．They are nearly perfect. |
| B．They are able to fly in a straight line. |
| C．They can win out over long distances. |
| D．They can save 6% energy than electric cars. |
| A．Problems. | B．Advantages. |
| C．Differences, | D．Efforts. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Supportive. |
| C．Disapproving. | D．Neutral. |
【推荐2】To appreciate Dubai, you could start by going skiing. The ski resort, located inside one of the city’s shopping malls, looks from the outside like a silver spaceship. You put on a thick coat, pull on your gloves and then marvel at what strong air-conditioning can do. At the exit, you can buy a souvenir T-shirt. A cartoon thermometer in Celsius announces: “I went from +50 to minus 8!”
Indoor skiing in the desert has become a symbol of Dubai’s status as a wealthy, modem metropolis. This small fishing village, Dubai’s fortunes changed forever with the discovery of oil in the 1960s. Since then. it has evolved to become the largest city. But the rapid growth has come at a price. To power its cars and air-conditioning, the city has produced large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO. ) from fossil fuels. Now it is making some big changes.
To reduce its dependence on cars and lower its emissions, Dubai has invested in solar energy, green buildings, and a comprehensive public transportation system. In addition, all new buildings must meet strict energy regulations.
The most striking development can be found where the city’s suburbs meet the desert. Unlike much of Dubai, the Sustainable City to the south feels more like a close-knit-village community. About five hundred low-rise houses are distributed along attractive, tree-lined streets. They all face north, away from direct sunlight, and are close together to provide natural shade. Each building has reflective windows and wall paint, which reduce the heat absorbed from the sun. Rooftop solar panels and energy-saving lights contribute to the community’s energy efficiency. As a result, residents of the Sustainable City now consume 50 percent less energy than people living in other parts of Dubai.
By 2050, the government intends to obtain 75 percent of the city’s energy from renewable sources-mainly solar. It also wants to have the smallest ecological footprint in the world. The plan is ambitious. But if successful, even guilt-free skiing in the desert could become an reality.
1. Why does the writer start the passage by describing a ski resort?| A．To demonstrate the problems of living near a desert. |
| B．To describe an expensive and unsuccessful building project. |
| C．To give an example of how Dubai is a wealthy modern city. |
| D．To provide a warning of what Dubai might be like in the future. |
| A．distinctive | B．isolated | C．massive | D．uniform |
| A．Installation of energy-efficient lights. | B．Avoidance of the sunlight from north. |
| C．Placement of solar panels on rooftops. | D．Arrangement to allow natural cooling. |
| A．How Oil Has Changed Dubai. | B．Dubai’s Economic Future. |
| C．The Costs of Green Living. | D．Building a Sustainable City. |
【推荐3】Imagine an iPad that’s more than just an iPad — with a surface that can change shapes, potentially allowing you to draw 3D designs and even hold your partner’s hand from an ocean away. That’s the vision of a team of engineers from the University of Colorado Boulder. In a new study, they’ve created a one-of-a-kind shape-shifting display that fits on a card table. The device is made from a 10-by-10 grid (网格) of soft robotic “muscles” that can sense outside pressure and pop up to create patterns. It may also deliver something even rarer: the sense of touch in a digital age.
The group’s innovation builds off a class of soft robots pioneered by a team led by Christoph Keplinger, formerly an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at CU Boulder. The original model isn’t ready for the market yet, but the researchers envision that, one day, similar technologies could lead to sensory gloves for virtual gaming or a smart conveyor belt that can sort different items like selecting apples from bananas.
The project has its origins in the search for a different kind of technology: artificial organs. In 2017, researchers led by Mark Rentschler, professor of mechanical engineering and biomedical engineering, were developing what they called sTISSUE — soft organs that behave and feel like real human body parts but are made entirely out of silicone-like materials. “ You could use these artificial organs to help develop medical devices or surgical robotic tools for much less cost than using real animal tissue,” said Rentschler, a co-author of the new study.
In developing that technology, however, the team landed on the idea of a tabletop display. If you pass an electric current through the actuators (执行器), the surface will change shape and jump up. The actuators also include soft, magnetic sensors that can detect the pressure when you push them, which allows for some fun activities.
Other research teams have developed similar smart tablets, but the CU Boulder display is softer, takes up a lot less room and is much shifter: each of its robotic muscles can activate as much as 50 times per second. The group is also working to design a glove that allows you to “feel” objects in virtual reality.
1. What is a big feature of the new display?| A．The flexibility of its shape. | B．Its quick response to instructions. |
| C．Its good sense of the environment. | D．The great strength of its robotic muscles. |
| A．The system to pick high-quality fruits. | B．Robotic operation in medical surgeries. |
| C．Touch sensory function in virtual reality. | D．Real-time monitoring of environmental conditions. |
| A．To introduce sTISSUE to the public. | B．To stress the advantage of soft materials. |
| C．To highlight their impact on medical research. | D．To explain the inspiration for the new display. |
| A．Clearer. | B．Faster. | C．Smoother. | D．Lighter. |
【推荐1】I was in Walt Disney World with my son, Daniel, who is autistic (患自闭症的), and at that time he was 7 years old. My wife and our three other sons were with us too. He was having one of his melt down screaming tantrums (发怒), only God knows why. So my wife and I decided I would take the bus back to the hotel, and she would stay in the park with the other three children.
After we got on the bus, the screaming continued. My son looks “normal”. To the many people on the bus, he appeared to just be a kid screaming --- or a spoiled child who did not get his special toy that day. It did not take long --- less than a minute --- before the screaming brought about stares, then glares from the other passengers.
To my shame, I found myself losing my temper at my own son. I was embarrassed, angry, and frustrated, and felt cheated by God for not being able to enjoy a normal vacation with my family because of him. I started to wonder what life would be like without having to deal with this cross (痛苦).
And just as the reactions of the other passengers were becoming most intense, a man seated just in front of me turned around to face me. I cheered myself up for his advice on how to raise a well-behaved child.
He said calmly, “Is he alright?” I said, “He’s autistic.” Then the man said , “It's alright.” And he smiled. That’s all.
And suddenly, all the anger building up inside me was gone. I almost wept for shame at how I had felt a moment before. It no longer mattered what the other people thought. My son was my gift from God.
I will never forget that man, nor his small, simple act of kindness and understanding. I truly believe he was my son’s guardian angel that day maybe mine too.
1. Why did Daniel become angry?| A．Because he didn't get his special toy. |
| B．No one knew the reason for his anger. |
| C．Because something went wrong with him. |
| D．Because he quarreled with his brother or sister. |
| A．the passengers were not satisfied |
| B．the passengers felt sorry for the author |
| C．the author comforted him with patience |
| D．the driver asked the author and his son to get off |
| A．How the author helped his son calm down. |
| B．How the author reacted to his son's screaming. |
| C．What made the author angry and embarrassed. |
| D．What the author’s life would be like without Daniel. |
| A．The bus arrived at the stop near his hotel. |
| B．A stranger helped him realize his mistake. |
| C．His son stopped screaming and apologized to him. |
| D．He suddenly realized his son was an autistic child. |
【推荐2】The Montana Lil's Camp
Trip Description
Outgoing and energetic， the girls of the Montana Lil's camp are excited to find their inner adventurers!
This camp is an introduction to all the things girls would like， such as outdoor camp cooking， campfire building， roadside dance parties， camp skills， end - of - session award ceremony and， of course， making lots of new friends!
During this camp， girls will embrace their independence away from home， many for the very first time. The goal is to get girls comfortable at an overnight adventure camp， while packing their days with tons of fun activities!
Trip Campsites & Facilities
Three nights are spent in tents in public "front country" campgrounds where we have pre-assigned campsites with neighbors and campground hosts nearby， running drinkable water， and private outhouses or toilets.
Three nights are spent in tents in wilderness " back country" areas where we will purify（净化）our water before drinking and learn basic "Leave No Trace" camping skills such as how to select a campsite， how to go to the bathroom， and how to keep clean outdoors.
Why Choose This Trip
The Montana Lil's camp session is just for preteengirls! Attending this camp is a great way to introduce younger girls to the experience of outdoor living and backpacking，while still action packed with fun. Montana Lil's will be challenged to experience new things， but will have tons of fun with a great group of girls and guides.
1. What will the girls have at the end of the camp？ ______| A．An examination for living in the wild. |
| B．A reward ceremony for their performance. |
| C．An adventure for those excellent girls. |
| D．A challenge to compete with boys. |
| A．A country that girls have never visited before. |
| B．An area with many friendly neighbours. |
| C．A school for field survival training. |
| D．A campsite with fewer basic living facilities. |
| A．The girls who love science and sports. |
| B．The boys who enjoy outdoor activities. |
| C．The younger girls who love experiencing outdoor living. |
| D．The people who are interested in girls' education. |
【推荐3】Famous Chinese agricultural scientist Yuan Longping and his research team’s experiment of planting saltwater-tolerant(耐盐的) rice in desert areas of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates(阿拉伯联合酋长国) proved to be a success, with one type of rice producing more than 7.5 tons per hectare(公顷), Xinhua reported.
Saltwater-tolerant rice is designed to grow in tidal flats (潮滩地) or other areas with heavy salt content. It was the world’s first successful case of planting rice in a tropical(热带的) desert area, standing as China’s contribution to improving the ability of people in desert areas to be self-sufficient(自给自足的) in main foods, a move that can protect global food security and improve the desert ecological environment.
In January, the center chose dozens of types of hybrid rice and planted them on small places of desert areas near Dubai. After five months of growth, the center invited experts from India, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and other countries for evaluation, and found three types of rice producing more than 6 tons per hectare. In June, a second evaluation will be carried out for middle-season rice.
The technology of saltwater-tolerant rice plays a key role in the success as the natural environment of the Dubai desert is terrible for rice growth. The daytime temperatures could be as high as over 50 ℃, and nighttime temperatures could drop by 30 ℃. Humidity(湿度) stays below 20 percent and there are sandstorms from time to time. The biggest challenge is the desert soil, which is low in organic matter and unable to keep soil moisture as it is totally sand. To make it worse, sea water remains just 7.5 meters below the soil, which makes it easy to be full of salt.
With this success, the center and the private investment office of the ruler of the Emirate of Dubai plan to set up a 100-hectare experimental farmland in Dubai, to test the production costs and cultivation techniques(耕种技术) of the saltwater-tolerant rice and prepare for promotion. The two parties will construct a 100-hectare standard farmland in 2019 and speed up rice planting in 2020.
1. What can we infer from the second paragraph?| A．The tropical desert areas have done well in being self-sufficient. |
| B．Planting saltwater-tolerant rice can be easily achieved in many tropical desert-areas. |
| C．Chinese team play a great role in planting saltwater-tolerant rice in desert areas. |
| D．Saltwater-tolerant rice is designed to grow in areas with heavy salt content. |
| A．Its daytime temperature could be up to 50 ℃ and humidity stays below 20%. |
| B．It’s just 6.5 meters above the sea water and easy to be full of salt. |
| C．It is extremely expensive to conduct experiments in tropical desert areas. |
| D．Its soil is short of organic matter and hard to keep soil moisture. |
| A．Dubai still has a lot to do before the saltwater-tolerant rice benefits other areas. |
| B．The natural environment is the key factor of the success of the experiment. |
| C．No evaluation will be performed again as the experiment has been successful. |
| D．The ruler of the Emirate of Dubai thinks little of the result of the experiment. |
| A．The United Arab Emirates tries to improve the desert ecological environment. |
| B．Chinese team succeeds in planting saltwater-tolerant rice in Dubai’s desert. |
| C．The rice experiment is of great importance for the tropical desert-areas. |
| D．Chinese team help expand the farming of saltwater-tolerant rice. |
【推荐1】The man goes quietly into the room. He stands over the bed where his three-day-old son is lying and begins to speak to him.
“My son, I have dreamt of you for many, many years. I had your name picked out even before you were born because I knew that I wanted you. Every time I thought of you I would have a smile on my face. Gabriel. You always gave me joy.
“I really hope we have a great relationship, where you can talk to me about anything and not be embarrassed. Most of the time it will seem like I am too old to understand, but I’m sure you will see that, as I did with my father, my advice is some of the best you will get.
“I am sorry for the misunderstandings (误会) we will have, but you will understand I spent my whole life waiting for you. You are my son, so I am not going to sit back and watch you hurt yourself. You are very important to me. ”
The man stops and looks at his son. Then he begins to sob (呜咽).
“Sorry, my dear, I’m crying because something bad happened. I am seriously ill. I will leave you soon.” The man gives a weak laugh. “This is the first time in many years I have been brought to tears.” The man kisses the baby who is sleeping so soundly and whispers, “I will love you forever.”
1. Why does the man say so many words to his son?| A．He wants his son to fall asleep. |
| B．He loves his baby very much. |
| C．There are misunderstandings between them. |
| D．He dreamed of his son the night before. |
| A．He will be too old to understand his son one day. |
| B．He will die and leave his son soon. |
| C．His son doesn’t listen to him and falls asleep. |
| D．His son will hurt himself some day. |
| A．He picked out the child’s name before he was born. |
| B．The man is not pleased with his present life. |
| C．The man has had a great relationship with his child. |
| D．The man’s family will be much happier than before. |
【推荐2】Enjoy the challenge of a new term
The new term is finally here, which means, of course, it's time to return to school.
For many students across China, that also means having to leave home for the next several months and move into a school dormitory.
Being away from our family for a long time, however, often leads to homesickness, a feeling that most students have experienced at some point.
A study by the UK's National Union of Students found that up to 70 percent of UK students living away from home experience homesickness within their first few weeks of being away.
But homesickness isn't just a feeling of sadness that happens in our mind; it can also affect us physically.
“You feel homesickness in your stomach—it's an unease in which you feel uncomfortable, nervous, stressed because you're in a place or situation that's not familiar,” Joshua Klapow, a professor of public health at the University of Alabama, us, told HuffPost.
According to Klapow, the body reacts physically when it's placed in an unknown situation such as being separated from one's familiar surroundings for a long time.
“It's an evolutionary(进化的) thing that makes us protect ourselves from danger when something is unknown," he told the HuffPost.
“When we think about home, we know that the sense of unknown … is not happening there, so we want to return.”
So, how can we overcome these physical reactions?
Ruth Hardy of the Guardian offered advice for students who are feeling the effects of being away from the safety of home.
“Try and establish routines(常规) quickly. This can make your new environment feel more stable and will hopefully make you feel more settled,” she wrote.
Making friends with others who are in your situation is also a great way to feel less homesick, according to Hardy.
The most important thing to remember, however, is that homesickness is completely normal and is nothing to be ashamed of.
And once it's gone, you're free lo enjoy the adventures and challenges of a brand new school year.
1. The study by the UK's National Union of Students is mentioned to.| A．show how homesickness causes harm to students |
| B．prove it's common for students to feel homesick |
| C．introduce some causes of homesickness |
| D．show how all young people are troubled by homesickness |
| A．It's only a feeling in our mind. |
| B．It usually disappears after a few weeks. |
| C．It has a physical influence on our body. |
| D．It always happens once we visit an unfamiliar place. |
| A．It shows people the importance of their family. |
| B．It drives people to get used to changes. |
| C．It encourages people to express their feelings. |
| D．It keeps people away from possible dangers. |
| A．Take part in as many activities as possible. |
| B．Talk about your problems with your friends. |
| C．Get into a routine as early as possible. |
| D．Avoid seeing things related to your home life. |
【推荐3】It was early in 1981 when I first met George. I was in my early 30s, seeking a creative outlet unrelated to the humdrum of housework and raising little ones. My children, then aged three and five, were just entering kindergarten and school life. At 65, George had recently retired and was seeking a rewarding hobby for his golden years. For both of us, painting was art and we met at a local TAFE painting class. Thus began a friendship that was to last for 25 years—until the day he died.
In the late 1950s, George arrived in Western Australia from Britain with his wife and two children. He wasn’t a tall man but was as neat as a pin, with a mouthful of large teeth and glasses that gave his blue eyes a Bambi-like appearance. George was a man who lived life to the full; he worked hard, played hard, and had an opinion about everything. He loved his wife, his family, his friends, and was loyal and outspoken to the equal degree. A slim and vigorous man, George took pride in his fitness and health and walked three kilometres every day. “”I’d no more go without my walk than without brushing my teeth,” he’d say.
And as the only male in a painting class full of women, George was in his element. He loved his singular role and looked after his brood with the same attention he gave to everything.
He took to painting with passion and commitment, even turning the spare bedroom of his home into a studio. His painting equipment was comprehensive—an easel, quality paints, linseed oil, turpentine, brushes, palette, canvases, charcoal pencils, fixative, palette knives—even a rolling pin for removing air bubbles when gluing. Ever practical, George housed many of these items in a tool box-a red metal tool box-built to take hard knocks and purchased from a local hardware store.
For about six years George and I studied together through various units until the completion of the course and other commitments drew us apart, though we always maintained personal contact as we lived within a couple of kilometres of each other. Td sometimes see him on his daily walk or at the local shops and occasionally we'd touch base with a ‘proper’ afternoon tea, sharing a cuppa and a chinwag.
1. Why did the author start to learn painting?| A．To find a lasting and rewarding friendship. |
| B．To take a break from her boring family life. |
| C．To develop a hobby for her future golden years. |
| D．To realize her long-held dream of becoming a painter. |
| A．George’s interest | B．George’s tools |
| C．George’s family | D．George’s classmates |
| A．desired a luxurious life | B．was enthusiastic about sports |
| C．cared little about his appearance | D．seldom told others about his opinion |
| A．What happened on the day George died. |
| B．Why she became a painter while George didn’t. |
| C．How she and George turned away from each other. |
| D．Where George used to live before coming to Australia. |
