When I was a kid I was a bit of a scaredy-cat. The "adventurer" in my family has always been my big brother. Still, I'm always trying to shake up the scaredy-cat inside me. And I've always known how important it is for girls to feel brave. However, girls, at large, experience so much hesitancy and a drop in confidence as they grow up.
One way to stop losing heart is to encourage a sense of adventure in girls before they are teenagers. Such adventures don't have to be big. Research from Angelia Ruskin University shows that even just going for a walk or a run outside leaves people feeling more confident and better about their bodies. After all nature doesn't care how we look. It doesn't care who our friends are or what grades we get. It is a place where we can really be ourselves.
That's why I teamed up with Amy Blackwell, the award-winning illustrator, to create a middle-grade book containing real-life women's adventures from around the world, from 2,000 years ago to today. The Girl Who Rode a Shark and Other Stories of Daring Women has been receiving star reviews in lots of places.
It is all of those amazing women that make the book a hit. While reading, they can trace the ocean-soaring flights of pilot Amelia Earhart, follow Isabella Bird's exploration up the Yangtze River and meet Kimi Werner, the freediving chef who met with a great white shark. That's why kids just can't get enough of those stories. I hope these stories can help so many kids feel confident and excited when they walk into the world.
As for me? While I still feel a little nervous to begin an adventure up a big mountain or across a frozen river, I feel I have more courage than I did as a kid. I now have a lot of role models to help me.
1. What does the underlined part in the first paragraph probably mean?| A．The author wants to keep a pet cat. |
| B．The author makes effort to overcome her fear. |
| C．The author wishes to beat her brother in the game. |
| D．The author plans to experience an adventure on her own. |
| A．Playing outdoor sports. | B．Having a long-term hobby. |
| C．Making friends with strangers. | D．Improving their school performance. |
| A．They are all travel diaries. | B．They are based on true stories. |
| C．They teach girls how to succeed. | D．They are designed for preschool kids. |
| A．To express her pride in her career. | B．To attract more readers to writing. |
| C．To present the trouble of creating her stories. | D．To explain the reason for the book's popularity. |
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【推荐1】Twenty years ago, when Angela and I were studying in college, our professor taught us a lesson we've never forgotten. On the last day of class before graduation, she walked up on stage to teach one final lesson, which she called "a life lesson on the power of mindset". As she raised a glass of water over her head, everyone expected her to repeat the saying "glass half empty or glass half full. Instead, with a smile on her face, our professor asked, “How heavy is this glass of water I'm holding？"
Students shouted out answers, from a couple of ounces to a couple of pounds. After a few moments of fielding answers and nodding her head, she replied, "From my point of view, the absolute weight of this glass is not important. It all depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute or two, it's quite light. If I hold it for an hour straight, my arm might feel painful. If I hold it for a day straight, my arm will likely be losing the power of sense, and finally get paralyzed (麻痹的), forcing me to drop the glass to the floor. In each case, the absolute weight of the glass doesn't change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it feels to me．"
As most of us students nodded our heads in agreement, she continued. "Your anxiety, anger, disappointments, fear and other passive feelings are very much like this glass of water. Think about them for a little while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and you begin to feel pain. Think about them all day long, and it will make you paralyzed, unable to do anything else until you drop them．"
1. What is the passage mainly about？| A．A lovely professor． |
| B．The weight of the glass |
| C．How long we should hold the glass． |
| D．Glass half empty or glass half full |
| A．During the writer's last visit to the college． |
| B．When the writer started his college life． |
| C．In the professor's last lesson at college． |
| D．Just before the writer graduated from college． |
| A．They gave no reply． |
| B．They disagreed with her． |
| C．They accepted her viewpoint． |
| D．The text didn't talk about it． |
| A．worry |
| B．hopefulness |
| C．joy |
| D．fearlessness |
| A．Working under stress for long is quite common for modern people． |
| B．Momentous feeling of sadness will definitely ruin a person． |
| C．People will feel well if they don't touch the bottle at all． |
| D．One should get rid of bad feelings as soon as possible． |
At first we think about human relationship. In the year 2050, we will use computers almost every day. We will be making new friends through the Internet----even our husbands or wives will be met in this way. It will be much faster and easier for us. On the other hand, our relationships with people won’t be as important as they are today----we will feel a little lonely.
Computers will also help us in many other activities in 2050. For example, they will be used by the children at school to make their learning easier. In addition, there will be much more other machines which will play a similar role as computers, like robots which will do the housework for us.
Spending holidays will also be completely different. Traveling to other planets or to the moon will be available for everyone. Means of transport will, of course, change, too. We will be using solar-powered cars, which will be much more environmentally friendly.
We could expect that the faster technological progress would lead to a more polluted environment. But it isn’t true. We will pay more attention to protecting the environment. And, scientists will probably find cures for many dangerous diseases, like cancer or AIDS. Therefore, our surroundings as well as our health will be in a better condition.
Although we can’t predict the exact changes which will be made in the world, we often think about them. We worry about our and our children’s future; we have expectations, hopes as well as fears. But I think we should be rather sanguine about our future. We should be happy and believe good things will happen.
1. Why will people probably feel a little lonely in 2050?
| A．Because the number of people will become much smaller. |
| B．Because people won’t communicate with each other much often. |
| C．Because people won’t like making friends with each other. |
| D．Because there will be less face-to-face communication. |
| A．It won’t be difficult for people to travel to other planets. |
| B．The way of spending holidays will be the same as that of today. |
| C．The relationship between people will be more important than today. |
| D．Our environment will be much more polluted with a growing number of cars. |
| A．disappointed | B．optimistic |
| C．curious | D．surprised |
| A．How people will communicate in the year 2050. |
| B．What high technology will appear in the year 2050. |
| C．How people will travel and spend their holiday in the year 2050. |
| D．What our life will be like in the year 2050. |
【推荐3】The benefits of positive emotions never stop after a few minutes of good feelings go back to normal.
A child who runs around outside, swinging on branches and playing with friends, develops the ability to move athletically (physical skills), the ability to play with others and communicate with a team (social skills), and the ability to explore and examine the world around them (creative skills).
These skills last much longer than the emotions that initiated them. Years later, that foundation of athletic movement might develop into a scholarship as a college athlete or the communication skills may turn into a job offer as a business manager. The happiness that promoted the exploration and creation of new skills has long since ended.
But how can you get yourself to be positive in your life?
| A．Negative emotions do the opposite. |
| B．However, the skills themselves live on. |
| C．But many of us look at things negatively. |
| D．The biggest benefit is an improved ability. |
| E．That is why the “broaden and build” theory is valuable. |
| F．In this way, positive emotions help to build valuable skills. |
| G．Anything arousing feelings of joy, contentment, and love will do the trick. |
【推荐1】When we see a person in deep sorrow， our immediate reaction is to lend a hand． Not to do so would be a moral failure． But what if we see an animal in deep sorrow， does the same logic apply？
This question was raised following the "rescue" of a group of penguins from an icy gully in Antarctica． It was filmed for the BBC wildlife series Dynasties．
The film crew was alarmed when they saw that a group of penguins had fallen into a gully and been trapped with their young． The crew dug a shallow ramp so that a few of the penguins could save themselves．
The case has taken the international media by storm． Viewers watching this episode let out a sigh of relief on social media． "I'm so glad． I understand not getting directly involved， but a helping hand isn't intervening right？" viewer Kathryn Shaw tweeted．
However， others think that human intervention is unnatural． It's an unwritten rule among documentary filmmakers that they are there to observe， not to intervene， according to CBS News． For example， in another episode of Dynasties， David the chimpanzee， was left to die after he was filmed being beaten up by other chimps．
"Tragedy is a part of life． You can't have sunshine throughout your life． To have done anything else would only make matters worse and distort （扭曲）the truth，" said the show's creator David Attenborough，according to The Times．
In this case， however， Mike Gunton， the executive producer of the series， said that this was a one-off situation． "There were no animals going to suffer by intervening． It wasn't dangerous． You weren't touching the animals and it was just felt by doing this…they had the opportunity to not have to keep slipping down the slope，" he told the BBC．
Such cases are familiar to Paul Nicklen， wildlife photographer for National Geographic．
"I have a practical view when it comes to the natural rhythm （节律）of life，" he told Metro． "If it's ever a dangerous situation， no matter how gut-wrenching， you stay out of the way． Even when you are watching a male polar bear eat the young．"
But he said that he would help animals if he saw no real gain or disruption （扰乱） to the ecosystem．
Indeed， there will always be two sides to the coin， and human beings will forever be conflicted in such circumstances． "There's no rule book in those situations． You can only respond to the facts that are right there in front of you，" Will Lawson， the show's director， told Daily Mail．
1. The case has taken the international media by storm because ______ ．| A．people all over the world prefer documentaries of Antarctica |
| B．people were very curious about how the penguins died |
| C．what the film crew did upset people all over the world |
| D．it has caused a heated discussion on human intervention in wildlife |
| A．highly embarrassing | B．slightly worrying |
| C．very comforting | D．extremely upsetting |
| A．is a topic rarely mentioned by international media |
| B．once resulted in chimpanzee's death directly |
| C．is usually not expected in making documentary films |
| D．surely breaks the natural rhythm of life |
【推荐2】A 2003 U．S． Education Department survey of adult literacy（识字） estimates that over 10 percent of adults in America can not read． Globally， the number is over 775 million．
For the elderly， illiteracy makes other problems worse in big ways． ABC News reported on a study from the Archives of Internal Medicine， which said that adults who were unable to read their prescriptions （处方） were 50 percent more likely to give in to disease than literate old people．
Various organizations， including the New York Public Library， sponsor adult literacy programs． Success stories， like Ed Bray， are always inspiring．
Ed Bray stormed the beach at Normandy during World War II， earning two purple hearts． And yet， the toughest thing the 89-year-old said he had to face in his life was his illiteracy． For decades， Bray went to extraordinary efforts to keep his inability to read or write a secret． While on the job at an Air Force base， he had a coworker help him with documents． At home， his wife did the same for 62 years until her death in 2009． Finally， the determination to get rid of the shame and learn how to read broke through． " I want to read one book，" he said． "I don't care if it's about Mickey Mouse． I want to read one book before I die．"
In early 2013， Bray found Professor Tobi Thompson at Oklahoma's Northeastern University． Her patient and dedicated （奉献的） attitude helped Bray accomplish what he never thought possible． In February， he read his first book， a grade-school biography of George Washington． "It just makes me feel good，" Bray said． He's since gone on to read three books and has no plan to stop now．
1. What can be inferred from the text about the problem of illiteracy？ ______| A．The American government ignored it． |
| B．It is especially troublesome for old people． |
| C．Global organizations are founded to deal with it． |
| D．10percent of the adults in the world are illiterate． |
| A．He considered it as a shame． |
| B．He didn't want to disappoint his wife． |
| C．He thought it unmatched the honors he won． |
| D．He was afraid it would affect his service in the Air Force． |
| A．it's a famous book | B．it's a classic book |
| C．it's a simple book | D．it's an interesting book |
【推荐3】Cloud computing is set to change how people communicate,work and learn.But do you know it may also affect how you are hired for a job in the future?
It was once more common for people to find jobs advertised in the newspaper and then physically send applications to organizations. Now we primarily look online using job sites and apply for those jobs using cloud recruitment (招聘) services.
However, many new technologies, with the help of artificial intelligence(AI),are changing recruitment and the way we communicate with those holding the key to our dream jobs.
AI recruitment technology, such as ENGAGE Talent, is making it easier for recruiters to find potential employees by analyzing networking sites, like LinkedIn, for appropriate candidates. Primarily based on keywords, circumstance changes or current company performance, it can find candidates that haven’t clearly expressed an interest in changing jobs. Helen Poitevin, research director of IT research firm Gartner, stated, “This method of finding a passive candidate is the subject of a lot of investment and innovation today.”
Another innovation designed to help recruiters is AI assistants, similar to Apple’s Siri. CNN reported that graduates in the future might have to be overseen by a virtual assistant before getting a real interview for highly competitive graduate programs.
Companies such as Hire Vue have already developed software that plays prerecorded questions for candidates and analyzes their responses for different factors, including grammar, facial expressions and tones. It can then produce a result that defines the candidate’s qualities and recommends whether they should be considered.
The US graduate Sarah Ali has been through eight Hire Vue interviews. She told CNN, “Once I understood the AI interview process, I started thinking of it as a game and how I could optimize (优化) myself.”
This interview process has yet become the mainstream outside the US, but with the power of cloud computing, how long will it be before this tech is used worldwide?
1. According to the passage, how did people commonly find a job?| A．By using cloud recruitment services. |
| B．By submitting an online application form. |
| C．By searching for information on the Internet. |
| D．By reading job advertisements in the newspaper. |
| A．ENGAGE Talent is currently the only form of it. |
| B．Helen Poitevin didn’t think it was an innovative investment. |
| C．It is designed to help recruiters to find appropriate employees. |
| D．It can leave out the candidates greatly interested in changing jobs. |
| A．To show some companies have developed software for AI recruitment. |
| B．To show AI assistants have been widely adopted outside the US. |
| C．To explain how to optimize oneself. |
| D．To show Sarah knew well about the AI interview process. |
【推荐1】At first sight, Elana Schlenker’s pop-up store, Less Than 100, which was open in Pittsburgh during the month of April appeared just like any other gift store. However, when shoppers went to pay, they were in for a surprise. That's because while men paid full price, women received a 24% discount.
Though that may appear to be blatant(公然的) discrimination, Elana was merely obeying the store’s slogan “pay what you are paid”. And since women in the US get paid an average of 76 cents for every dollar men earn for the same job, it is only fair that they pay less.
As the store’s pricing policy was not enough to get the message across, Elana also distributed pamphlets(小册子). Entitled “What Are Women Worth?”, it explained the status of the wage gap both in Pennsylvania and across the country, and also gave women tips on how to better negotiate salaries. A 2015 study conducted by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research found that although the rate of women’s income has been rising, men still earn more in every state in the country.
Though the Less Than 100 project will not resolve the wage inequality, it is a thought-provoking way to bring to the forefront an issue that is increasingly causing a lot of worry among women. Fortunately, Elana is not the only one trying to change the unfair system. Ellen Pao, appointed as the temporary CEO of Reddit, recently announced that new employees would be forbidden from negotiating salaries. She believes that men are better negotiators than women, and therefore, tend to receive higher wages!
What’s encouraging is that male CEOs are also joining the fight! Earlier this month, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff launched a company wide program to address the issue. Called “Women Surge” it aims to remove all gender-based pay inequalities, hire and promote more women and ensure that they are better included in meetings! With all these visionaries taking the lead, it will not be long before gender pay inequality is something we will only read about in history books!
1. Men had to pay more at Less Than 100 probably because _______.| A．the shop was operated by a young woman |
| B．they received more salary than women |
| C．the gifts in the store were very expensive |
| D．the owner of the shop didn’t like men at all |
| A．sell more goods in the store |
| B．seek more support from others |
| C．teach women to ask for more salary |
| D．beg for the customers’ forgiveness |
| A．the wage system should be reformed |
| B．Elana does well in her job |
| C．women don’t care about salary at all |
| D．men should get more salary than women |
【推荐2】There once lived in China a very foolish king and queen. One day the queen had a baby daughter. When they saw their baby, they both cried out, “My goodness! How small it is! It’s hairless and toothless! It’s a monster!” They sent for all the doctors in the country and ordered them to prepare some medicine for her.
“When she drinks your medicine, she must grow to the right size and have hair and teeth,” the king said, “If you don’t do this, you’ll have a beating.”
The doctors thought it impossible, but they dared not say anything against the king’s order. Just then and old doctor stepped forward. “Oh, we shall certainly obey your order,” he said, “but it takes time. We have to dig a mineral from the KunLun Mountains when the snow melts for the second time. The snow melts on those mountains only once in six years. So we need twelve years.”
At last the king agreed and the doctors took away the little princess. On her twelfth birthday, they brought her back to her parents with long black hair and beautiful teeth. The king and queen were very happy and gave the doctors expensive presents.
1. The doctors would be beaten if __________.| A．the baby daughter didn’t drink their medicine |
| B．they refused to obey the king’s order |
| C．the baby daughter grew to the right size |
| D．the baby daughter became a monster |
| A．they needed a lot of different plants |
| B．they need a lot of different minerals |
| C．this would give the baby time to grow up |
| D．they had to dig a mineral the snow melted for the second time |
| A．for them to change the king’s order |
| B．for them to prepare the medicine in twelve years |
| C．for the small baby to drink the medicine |
| D．for them to make the baby have teeth and hair or grow teeth at once |
| A．Had the doctors not brought back a beautiful girl |
| B．Had the doctors not found the minerals |
| C．Had the doctors not been able to prepare the magic medicine |
| D．Were the daughter still a monster twelve years later |
【推荐3】A Teenage Inventor
The world could be one step closer to quick and inexpensive Ebola detection thanks to a teenager from Connecticut.
Olivia Hallisey, a junior at Greenwich High School, was awarded $50,000 in the Google Science Fair for her new method that detects Ebola, a virus that causes bleeding from different parts of the body and usually causes death. Olivia’s method is to ask patients to put their saliva (唾液) onto a testing card. The card changes color if the person is catching Ebloa. Present Ebloa tests take up to 12 hours and cost $1,000. Olivia’s method, however, can be done just in 30 minutes for about $25. Besides, the sample (样本) doesn’t have to be put in a refrigerator thanks to the silk material Olivia uses to produce the testing cards.
Olivia was inspired to deal with this global problem after watching the news that more than 10,000 people died from Ebola in West Africa. She was particularly worried about the fact that, while the acts of involvement can improve survival rates, present detection methods are costly, time-consuming and require complex tools. Olivia got help from her science research teacher. She drew out directions from past research, and figured out detection systems that have proven to work with other diseases, including Lyme disease and yellow fever.
“What affects one country affects everyone,”Olivia told CNBC. “We have to work together to find answers to the huge challenges which cause harm to the global health.” The Connecticut’s teen, who hopes to become a doctor one day, was named the Google Science Fair winner in the competition of 20 competitors from across the globe. The fair is open to young people between the ages of 13 and 18 in most countries.
Olivia hopes her success will inspire other girls interested in science and computers. “I would just encourage girls to try it in the beginning, and remind them that they don’t have to feel naturally drawn or feel like they have a special talent for maths or science,” she told CNBC, “but just really look at something they are interested in and then think how to improve something or make it more enjoyable or relate it to their interests.”
1. According to the passage, present Ebola detection methods______.| A．require samples to be kept in refrigerators |
| B．must use a large amount of samples |
| C．may detect other deadly viruses as well |
| D．have proven to be ineffective in practice |
| A．Admitted. | B．Controlled. | C．Attracted. | D．Exposed. |
| A．inventors | B．students | C．doctors | D．scientists |
