As we close out the final days of this year, treat yourself to a deliciously distracting new book — a book that you can dip into and out of throughout the holidays. Read up, rest up, and enjoy yourself.
Yoga for Pregnancy, Birth and beyond
A must-have guide for yoga-loving mamas, Yoga for Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond offers helpful relaxation techniques and breathing exercises that are tailored to each pregnant (怀孕的) woman. The book also lays out valuable techniques for labor and staying in touch with your body as it continuously changes.
Mindfulness Activities for Kids
We could all use a little more peace in our lives. Uniquely suited for children and parents to do together, the 40 mindfulness exercises recommended here — from pausing to fully enjoy a tasty sandwich to taking chalk walk together — will not only teach children calm and gratitude, but also bring grown-ups and their littles closer together.
Before She Disappeared
Frankie Elkin is a recovering alcoholic who devotes her time to solving cold cases, especially those involving people of color. A new investigation brings her to Boston, searching for a Haitian teenager who disappeared months ago. But as Frankie starts asking questions, someone else will stop at nothing to keep the answers hidden.
Oak Flat
Lauren Redniss' Oak Flat tells the story of the land near the San Carlos Apache Reservation through an Apache family fighting to protect the land, which the U. S. government and two world-power mining enterprises are attempting to seize and destroy for its copper resources. Visually striking and deeply reported, Oak Flat tells a larger story of endless westward expansion and native resistance.
1. Which book can help to improve family relations?| A．Yoga for Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond. | B．Mindfulness Activities for Kids. |
| C．Before She Disappeared. | D．Oak Flat. |
| A．It centers on an Apache family's struggle. |
| B．It's a brief account of mining enterprises. |
| C．It sings high praise of the US government. |
| D．It supports westward expansion and native resistance. |
| A．Women. | B．Teenagers. | C．Grown-ups. | D．Pupils. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】I never knew anyone who'd grown up in Jackson without being afraid of Mrs. Calloway, our librarian. She ran Jackson's Carnegie Library absolutely by herself. SILENCE in big black letters was on signs hung everywhere. If she thought you were dressed improperly, she sent you straight back home to change your clothes. I was willing; I would do anything to read.
My mother was not afraid of Mrs. Calloway. She wished me to have my own library card to check out books for myself. She took me in to introduce me.“Eudora is nine years old and has my permission to read any book she wants from the shelves, children or adults,” Mother said.
Mrs. Calloway made her own rules about books. You could not take back a book to the library on the same day you'd taken it out; she didn't care whether you'd read every word in it and needed another to start. You could take out two books at a time and two at most. So two by two, I read library books as fast as I could go, rushing them home in the basket of my bicycle. From the minute I reached our house, I started to read. I knew this was extreme happiness, and knew it at the time.
My mother shared this feeling of mine. Now, I think of her as reading so much of the time while doing something else. I remember her reading a magazine while acting the Wolf in a game of “Little Red Riding Hood” with my brother's two daughters. She'd just look up at the right time, long enough to answer—“I will eat you, my dear,” and go back to her place in the magazine article.
1. Which of the following statements would Mrs. Calloway most likely agree with?| A．Readers can speak aloud in her library. |
| B．Readers can borrow one book every time. |
| C．Readers can return a book to the library on the 8ame day they borrow it. |
| D．Readers can take out any book they want from the shelves without returning it. |
| A．Creative and helpful. | B．Outgoing and patient. |
| C．Silent and humorous. | D．Strict and principled. |
| A．Love for her job. | B．Worries about the library rules. |
| C．Eagerness to read. | D．Admiration for Mrs. Calloway, |
| A．She has a great passion for reading. | B．She enjoys playing games with children. |
| C．She is interested in playing the part of a wolf, | D．She always forces the author to go to the library to read books. |
【推荐2】When we think about pirates (海盗), there is a nearly universal image that comes to mind, which has been made to continue throughout pop culture. Pirates have developed quite the reputation for saying things such as “Shiver me timbers!” and “Arrr!” and for having a fake leg—maybe even sporting a parrot on their shoulder. This idea of pirates, both in the way they speak and the way they look, develops mostly from the popular novel Treasure Island and one of its movie adaptations. Unfortunately, it probably doesn’t have much bearing in reality.
Treasure Island was serialized in a magazine from October 1881 to January 1882 and published in a book form 1883. It was written by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson under the pseudonym pen-name “Captain George North.” The novel follows teenager Jim Hawkins, who finds himself in possession of a map that leads to buried treasure. Sounds familiar, right? Jim leads the reader on a wild adventure, encountering pirates such as the one-legged Captain Long John Silver and Israel Hands, who want to take the treasure for themselves.
While the novel Treasure Island certainly influenced the way we think of pirates—and especially their imaginary tendency for burying treasure and marking it on secret maps—it’s the 1950 movie adaptation of the book, directed by Byron Haskin, that gave us the typical image of pirates and pirate talk. It’s in this movie where audiences first heard pirates employ words such as “matey” and say “arrrr” instead of “yes.” Long John Silver always has a parrot on his shoulder, and other pirates in the movie wear eye patches and have hooks for hands, bringing together some existing piratical stereotypes. Subsequent pirate films, from The Goonies (1985) to Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), show influence of the mannerisms, speech, and even costuming established by Treasure Island.
1. Which of the following is characteristic of pirates?| A．Carrying an eagle on the shoulder. |
| B．Saying“ Arrr!” in place of “Yes”. |
| C．Having a deep scar on the face. |
| D．Wearing a pair of sunglasses. |
| A．The author of Treasure Island |
| B．The director of Treasure Island |
| C．The hero of the Treasure Island |
| D．One pirate in Treasure Island |
| A．The novel of Treasure Island itself. |
| B．The interesting plot of Treasure Island. |
| C．The movie based on Treasure Island. |
| D．The magazine carrying Treasure Island. |
| A．Influences of Treasure Island. |
| B．The language used by the pirate. |
| C．Some films concerning pirates. |
| D．Robert Louis Stevenson. |
【推荐3】I love the experience of the real world disappearing as I lose myself in a story, and I also want my kids to know how amazing that feeling will be.
I had read to my son Lucas since his birth. But when he reached the age of 8, he didn’t show much interest. And though he enjoyed some picture books and non-fiction (纪实文学), I couldn’t get him into a real chapter book no matter how much I promised him he would love it. I didn’t want to keep pushing him about it because that would only make him more determined to choose what he liked. I needed to get creative.
I came up with a plan. I had a strong feeling that my son would love Harry Potter, so one night, I stayed with him to read as I would any other night — with J.K. Rowling’s book in hand. I read the first few chapters, and in the middle of Chapter 4, right after that “Hagrid drops the bomb on Harry...”, I stopped.
“My throat is hurting. I can’t go any further.” “Mom, just a little more?” “I’m sorry, honey. My voice just can’t take anymore tonight.” “Please?”
Ha! My plan was working. I asked him whether he wanted to read a little bit by himself and I would allow him to stay up a little past his bedtime.
He agreed. That was the night my son became interested in Harry Potter and fiction in general. I would never forget how. Several months later, he came running into my room long after he should have been asleep and threw himself in my arms crying because of that special character who died.
Today, at 13, Lucas is hardly without something to read within arm’s reach, and I owe it all to that first night when I tricked him into falling in love with J.K. Rowling.
1. What does the author mean in the first two paragraphs?| A．She wanted her son to be creative. |
| B．Her son didn’t listen to her words. |
| C．Her son didn’t enjoy reading long stories. |
| D．She supported her son’s choice of reading. |
| A．She felt uncomfortable after long reading. |
| B．She thought it was time for her son to go to bed. |
| C．She found her son had lost patience with the story. |
| D．She tried to trick her son into reading the story on his own. |
| A．To show her son becomes interested in reading stories. |
| B．To suggest how successful J.K. Rowling’s works are. |
| C．To tell she has earned her son’s love and trust. |
| D．To prove moving stories often attract kids. |
| A．Lucas forms a habit of reading. |
| B．Lucas develops different hobbies. |
| C．Lucas likes keeping books carefully. |
| D．Lucas finishes reading books quickly |
| A．Why family education is necessary for kids. |
| B．How stories in Harry Potter became popular. |
| C．Why reading is so important for a young boy’s growth. |
| D．How a mother smartly turned her son into a story lover. |
【推荐1】Prefer your coffee black? Then you probably like dark, bitter chocolate, according to a new research identifying a genetic basis for those preferences.
If that’s you, then congratulations — you are the lucky genetic winner of a sort that may offer you an advantage toward good health, according to caffeine researcher Marilyn Cornelis. Studies find moderate amounts of black coffee have been shown to lower the risk of certain diseases. But those benefits are likely to be more pronounced if the coffee is free of all of the milks, sugars and other fattening flavorings we tend to add.
In an earlier research, Cornelis and her team discovered that a genetic variant (变体) may contribute to why some people enjoy numerous cups of coffee a day, while others do not. “People with the gene metabolize (新陈代谢) caffeine faster, so the stimulating effects disappear faster, and they need to drink more coffee,” she said. “This could explain why some individuals seem to be fine consuming a lot more coffee relative to someone else who might become very anxious,” she added.
In the new study, Cornelis analyzed more precise types of coffee drinkers, separating black coffee lovers from cream and sugar lovers. “We found coffee drinkers with the genetic variant that reflects a faster metabolism of caffeine prefer bitter, black coffee,” Cornelis said. “We also found the same genetic variant in people who prefer dark chocolate over the milk chocolate.”
Cornelis and her team don’t think the preference has anything to do with the taste of plain black coffee tea. Instead, she said, people with this gene prefer black coffee and tea because they ae the bitter favor with the boost in mental comfort they desire from caffeine. “It’s possible these people are just very sensitive to the effects of caffeine and they also have that learned behavior with other bitter foods.”
Future studies will try to deal with the genetic preference for other bitter foods, Cornelis said, “which are generally linked to more health benefits.”
1. The earlier study is mainly about ________.| A．why coffee is refreshing |
| B．why bitter foods attract black coffee lovers |
| C．why coffee drinking habits vary among people |
| D．why black coffee is healthier than white coffee |
| A．its bitter taste | B．faster metabolism of caffeine |
| C．the caffeine it has | D．the mental comfort it brings |
| A．The preference for black coffee may have a genetic basis. |
| B．People with the genetic variant are sensitive to sweet flavor. |
| C．Scientists found certain genetic variant in milk chocolate lovers. |
| D．Coffee drinkers with the genetic variant show a slower metabolism of caffeine. |
| A．Learn more health benefits associated with black coffee. |
| B．Cover more bitter foods with genetic preference. |
| C．Analyze more precise types of coffee drinkers. |
| D．Know more learned behavior people have. |
【推荐2】Is my article mid or valid? If you can answer this question, you already are used to what we term “algospeak.” As more and more online users join social media platforms such as TikTok (抖音), algospeak continues to grow. But what is it, what do these words mean?
Algospeak is a coded language or slang used online. For some communities it is the only way to talk safely about sensitive subjects. Due to the rise of algorithmic censorship (算法筛查) in media, algospeak developed as a way to prevent robot from deleting their videos and messages. Users had to get creative to avoid deletion. This means that as long as there is censorship, there will be a new language to avoid it.
Further, new slang created on social media platforms fits itself into everyday life. Even if you are not writing a message on TikTok, you may have caught yourself using phrases from the app in your daily life. This connection between people all over the globe allows for shared vocabulary. It also has the potential to completely change the way we as English speakers speak. Here is some new slang popularized by TikTok.
Bussin’ (adj.) — something is really good, usually referring to food
Mid (adj.) — ordinary, not good or bad
Sheesh (ex.) — response either meaning disbelief or surprise, can be positive or negative
Valid (adj.) — something very good or meets a very high standard; a respectable opinion
No one would have expected artificial intelligence (AI) would be the catalyst (催化剂) for change but it is. The combination of not only censorship but also high connectivity birthed a new language. Some older generations can’t even understand what the youngest generation says because of the lack of access to the new language. The gap between English before social media and English as it is now is huge, and it continues to grow.
So, what should we expect for the future? Will censorship loosen or will the English language continue to develop from digital media? Time can only tell.
1. What contributed to the appearance of algospeak?| A．The need for netizens to escape censorship. |
| B．The desire for a shared vocabulary around the world. |
| C．The authority’s demand for creating a new language. |
| D．The social media’s intention to catch public attention. |
| A．AI needs catalyst to develop. |
| B．Social media birthed a new language. |
| C．Algospeak may cause communication obstacles. |
| D．Strict censorship is a barrier to interpersonal relationships. |
| A．Optimistic. | B．Indifferent. | C．Doubtful. | D．Unclear. |
| A．It offers a new outlook on life. |
| B．It has reshaped the digital media. |
| C．Its development is associated with AI. |
| D．It has won popularity among all ages. |
【推荐3】Your guardian angel might have four legs and a rocking tail.
A new study from two researchers at Arizona State University found, like the hero dogs of film and TV, your real-life one likely wants to rescue you when you’re in trouble, reports AFP.
“It’s a popular legend(传说), ” explained researcher Joshua van Bourg. “Simply observing dogs rescuing someone doesn’t tell you much. The difficult challenge is figuring out why they do it.”
To test if and why dogs want to save their humans, Joshua van Bourg and his partner, Clive Wynne, took 60 dogs and their owners and set up artificial rescue scene. For the study, the owner was put in a large box that had a lightweight door that the owner’s dog could move to one side to “save” them. Once in the box, the human would pretend to be in trouble, calling out for help without using their dog’s name. The second part of the test involved researchers placing dog food in a box and watching to see how many of the same 60 dogs moved to open the box to get the reward.
Looking at the two tests, the researchers found that about one-third of the dogs successfully rescued their owners and that around the same number also opened the box with the food. The study suggests that these responses could signal that dogs find rescuing their loved ones to be a rewarding task, much like nosing out and finding food. According to Joshua van Bourg, a dog’s natural heroism becomes even more impressive when you take “a closer look” at the study’s results.
“The key here is that without controlling for each dog’s understanding of how to open the box, the percentage of dogs who rescued their owners is much more lower than the percentage of dogs who wanted to rescue their owners.” Joshua van Bourg said.
“The fact that two-thirds of the dogs didn’t even open the box for food shows that rescuing requires more than just motivation(动机), there’s something else involved, and that’s the ability.” he added.
1. What do the researchers focus on in the studies?| A．The number of dogs smelling dog food. |
| B．The way of dogs opening the light door. |
| C．The reason for dogs rescuing their owners. |
| D．The willingness of dogs to enter the rescue scene. |
| A．Twenty dogs are brave enough to rescue humans. |
| B．Forty dogs help humans and open the boxes for food. |
| C．Owners are saved without calling their dogs name. |
| D．Dogs consider rescuing owners as a rewarding task. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Objective. | C．Negative. | D．Pessimistic. |
| A．Teaching dogs how to rescue humans. |
| B．Reminding people of being kind to dogs. |
| C．Advocating people to raise more dogs as pets. |
| D．Testing dogs what to do while rescuing owners. |
