Nostalgia (怀旧) has become increasingly common in our current climate of unexpected, fast-paced change. More and more people are turning back with longing for what feels like simpler, sweeter times. They collect cassette tapes, manual typewriters even decades-old video games.
Is it a mistake to get too obsessed with the past? Some psychologists warn that too much devotion to the so-called good old days is an escape from reality; it can indicate loneliness or that a person is having a difficult time coping in the present. Psychologist Stephanie Coontz argues that nostalgia distracts us from addressing the problems of modern life and contributes to anxiety, depression, insomnia etc.
But new studies suggest that a modest dose of nostalgia is not only harmless, but actually beneficial. They suggest it helps strengthen our sense of identity and makes us feel more optimistic and inspired. It is also a tool for self-discovery and memories are a psychological immune response that is triggered when you want to take a break from negativity. Interestingly, those happy memories can be particularly beneficial both to kids in their teens and to society’s elders. Recalling our childhood reminds us of “the times when we were accented and loved unconditionally,” says Krystine Batcho, a psychologist. “That is such a powerfully comforting phenomenon, knowing that there was a time in life when we didn’t have to earn our love.” Nostalgia can transform even the most ordinary past into legends which warms the heart and the body. Let’s not forget that nostalgia has been a source of inspiration to innumerable American writers. Mark Twain recalled his boyhood, writing, “after all these years, I can picture that old time to myself now, just as it was then: The white town drowsing in the sunshine of a summer’s morning.”
So go ahead, daydream a little about your best childhood friend, your first car, a long-gone family pet. As Dr. Sedikidessays, “Nostalgia is absolutely central to human experience.” But at the same time, keep these words of wisdom from the great inventor Charles Kettering in mind as well: “You can’t have a better tomorrow if you are thinking about yesterday all the time.”
1. What did some psychologists in paragraph 2 probably agree?| A．Nostalgia can cause some mental problems. |
| B．Nostalgia makes us devoted to the present life. |
| C．Nostalgia shows you are trying to get rid of loneliness. |
| D．Nostalgia helps us cope with the difficult time we are going through. |
| A．It can enable us to know ourselves better |
| B．It can bring us some comfort when we recall |
| C．We are likely to gain attention if we recall the happy childhood |
| D．We can sometimes break away from negativity with happy memories |
| A．The reasons why we should avoid nostalgia. |
| B．The great changes nostalgia will bring to you. |
| C．The bad memories that always stick around you. |
| D．The bad influence of too much devotion to nostalgia. |
| A．People tend to be lost in nostalgia. |
| B．People actually benefit from nostalgia. |
| C．Childhood memories influence present life. |
| D．There are some periods when people look back. |
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【推荐1】Born in 1823 in Wales, Alfred Russel Wallace was a man of modest means, but he had a passion for nature and he chose to follow it. He started out collecting insects as a hobby, but eventually his longing for adventure led him to explore the world.
Luckily for Wallace, Victorian Britain was discovering an interest in weird and wonderful insects, so the demand from museums and private collections for these beasts was growing. Wallace was able to make a living doing what he loved: collecting beetles and other insects.
But his first trip of exploring the world ended in disaster. Wallace proceeded to the Amazon in South America. Its giant forests promised a wealth of new species, sure to put him on the scientific map. The trip took 6 weeks and involved every mode of transport in existence at the time. After four years Wallace set off for home, but his boat caught fire in the middle of the Atlantic. Everyone survived, but Wallace had to watch in despair as his samples went up in flames — including live animals he was bringing home that were trying to jump free of the flames. But he did not let it stop him.
In 1854, Wallace set off on another adventure, this time to the Malay Archipelago. Wallace found himself humbled by the new and exciting things he saw. He later recalled: “As I lie listening to these interesting sounds, I think how many besides myself have longed to see with their own eyes the many wonderful and beautiful things which I am daily encountering.”
In 1858, Wallace wrote what became known as the “Ternate essay”: a piece of writing that was to change our understanding of life forever. In his essay, Wallace argued that a species would only turn into another species if it was struggling for existence. Henry W. Bates was one of many scientists delighted by the idea of evolution by natural selection. In a letter to Wallace, he wrote: “The idea is like truth itself, so simple and obvious that those who read and understand it will be struck by its simplicity; and yet it is perfectly original.”
1. ________ finally caused Wallace to explore the world.| A．His strong affection for nature | B．His life-long devotion to beasts |
| C．His deep love for adventure | D．Increasing demand for insects |
| A．It took him six weeks to explore the Amazon with all kinds of transportation. |
| B．He made a scientific study of a fairly limited number of insects. |
| C．The fire cost him his four years’ collection of animals. |
| D．His passion cooled after the disaster. |
| A．fearless | B．lucky | C．challenged | D．risky |
| A．made no sense at that time | B．built up a new concept of life |
| C．was too simple to be true | D．revealed the origin of nature |
【推荐2】Maths and Music
An excellent way to kill a conversation is to say you are a mathematician. Tell others you are also a musician, however, and they will be hooked. Although there are obvious similarities between mathematical and musical activity, there is no direct evidence for the kind of magical connection many people seem to believe in.
I’m partly referring here to the “Mozart effect”, where children who have been played Mozart compositions are supposedly more intelligent, including at maths, than other children. It is not hard to see why such a theory would be popular: we would all like to become better at maths without putting in any effort. But the conclusions of the experiment that expressed the belief in the Mozart effect were much more modest. If you want your brain to work better, you clearly have to put in hard work. As for learning to play the piano, it also takes effort.
Surely a connection is quite reasonable. Both maths and music deal with abstract structures, so if you become good at one, then it is likely that you become good at something more general that helps you with the other. If this is correct, it would show a connection between mathematical and musical ability. It would be more like the connection between abilities at football and tennis. To become better at one, you need to improve your fitness and coordination (协调). That makes you better at sport and probably helps with the other.
Abstract structures don’t exist only in maths and music. If you learn a language then you need to understand its abstract structures like grammar. Yet we don’t hear people asking about a connection between mathematical and linguistic (语言的) ability. Maybe this is because grammar feels mathematical, so it wouldn’t be surprising that mathematicians were better at learning grammar. Music, however, is strongly tied up with feelings and can be enjoyed even by people who know little about it. As such, it seems different from maths, so there wouldn’t be any connection between the two.
Let’s see how we solve problems of the “A is to B as C is to D” kind. These appear in intelligence tests but they are also central to both music and maths. Consider the opening of Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (小夜曲). The second phrase is a clear answer to the first. The listener thinks: “The first phrase goes upward and uses the notes of a G major chord (和弦); what would be the corresponding phrase that goes downward and uses the notes of a D7?” Music is full of puzzles like this. If you are good at them, expectations will constantly be set up in your mind. The best moments surprise you by being unexpected, but we need the expectations in the first place.
1. What does the author say about “Mozart effect”？| A．The goal of it was not carefully thought about. |
| B．The interest people showed in it was unexpected. |
| C．The way it was carried out proved to be ineffective. |
| D．The findings from it gave people wrong information. |
| A．music and maths have something in common |
| B．football and tennis are played in a similar way |
| C．certain skills may be developed through practice |
| D．abstract structures bring benefits to various fields |
| A．language is less attractive to learners |
| B．mathematicians are good at music learning |
| C．language seems more like maths than music does |
| D．the structure of language is easier to learn than that of music |
| A．To prove how music finally differs from maths. |
| B．To describe the mathematical processes musicians may have. |
| C．To show how abstract thinking applies to both music and maths. |
| D．To explain why Mozart is so highly considered by mathematicians. |
【推荐3】“Baby signing” classes established to improve language skills actually make little difference to children’s development, according to new research. Scholars claimed there was no evidence that the lessons—in which babies are taught simple gestures to communicate their everyday needs—enable children to talk quicker than others.
In a threeyear study, it was claimed that the method could make mothers more responsive to their children’s behaviors but failed to actually increase babies’ vocabulary. An active home environment in which parents regularly talk to their children was much more effective, researchers warned. The findings will cast doubt on the movement—born in the United States—which has proved hugely popular among middleclass parents.
Baby signing is now a multimillion pound industry, with thousands of mothers and fathers paying for classes, books and DVDs. Young children are taught simple gestures for words and phrases to communicate their everyday needs, such as “milk” “more” “all gone” “food” and “tired”. It is claimed that the technique brings great benefits, including improving the relationship between mother and child, helping language development and even increasing a child’s intelligence.
But research from Hertfordshire University has found no evidence that using baby signing helps to improve their language development. The scholars added, “Baby signing has become big business and mothers, particularly firsttime mums or less confident parents, feel the pressure to do it. Some even think ‘if I don’t do it and everyone else does, I must be a bad mother’.”
However, baby signing experts hardly sustained the findings. Wendy Moat, 45, who has been running baby signing classes for three years, said that the classes encouraged speech development, and may help develop a higher IQ. She said, “So many mums say that their children talk so well because they did baby signing when they were babies. Parents wouldn’t say it if they didn’t believe it.”
1. Which of the following may help improve children’s language skills?| A．Using simple words and phrases. | B．Talking to them as much as possible. |
| C．Buying them more books and DVDs. | D．Creating a serious home environment. |
| A．they are influenced by others | B．they are sure of the effects of them |
| C．they don't want to be looked down upon | D．they don't know how to teach their children |
| A．found | B．got rid of | C．supported | D．quit |
| A．How to teach children to communicate effectively. |
| B．Baby signing classes increase children’s intelligence. |
| C．How to improve the relationship between mother and child. |
| D．Baby signing classes fail to improve children’s language skills. |
【推荐1】Cars powered by batteries made from seawater and planes fueled by ammonia (氨) will become common over the next 10 years, Bill David, a professor of materials chemistry has predicted.
Most batteries for electric cars and smartphones are powered by lithium (锂), which has to be mined, but David thinks that they will be overtaken by batteries made from sodium (钠), which can be obtained from seawater and salt. The future of air travel could also be greener thanks to biofuels.
David said: “We are developing an ammonia-based plane. In principle, we can improve on an Airbus A320 or a Boeing 787 and essentially replace jet fuel with ammonia.”
David said that batteries could, at first, combine sodium and lithium, as sodium was not quite as powerful as lithium but is much more sufficient. “It’s not quite perfect in terms of performance, so we need both,” David said.“Sodium is on the way up and most electric cars have had a combination of lithium and sodium batteries in them. My estimate is that by 2040 I would not be surprised if there were ten times more sodium batteries than lithium ones, maybe even 100 times.”
The first generation of mass-produced sodium batteries has been used for an electric car for the first time. Sodium will not be the final answer to eco-friendly air travel, however, which is why David’s team is looking into the use of ammonia. Some companies are looking into whether jet fuel can be replaced with hydrogen, but David sees ammonia as more sustainable. He said: “If you do the sums, then at 500mph you get the same amount of power as jet fuel, but just 40 per cent of the range. However, even with the range hit, a 787 could still go from London to New York.”
However, a report from the Royal Society on net-zero aviation, which David co-wrote, says that replacing jet fuel with biofuel would require half of the agricultural land in the UK.
1. What is an advantage of sodium batteries?| A．Their performance is easy to improve. | B．Their raw material is easily accessible. |
| C．They are widely applied to various vehicles. | D．They are more powerful than other batteries. |
| A．Lithium battery. | B．Sodium battery. | C．Hydrogen fuel. | D．Ammonia fuel. |
| A．Hydrogen casts a light on jet fuel market. |
| B．Electric car makers favor sodium batteries. |
| C．Ammonia features sustainability and practicability. |
| D．Companies have mass-produced recycled batteries. |
| A．Tolerant. | B．Unclear. | C．Cautious. | D．Doubtful. |
【推荐2】A perfectly preserved wreck (沉船) that has lain unnoticed in the icy Baltic Sea for over 500 years has finally been confirmed. The European ship was first observed in 2009, when a sonar(声呐) exploration by the Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA) indicated a large object in the area. However, it was not until early 2019 that researchers from Soton and MMT found evidence of the sunken ship using underwater robotic cameras.
When the team observed the pictures of the 60-foot-long shipwreck, they were surprised to discover it was 99 percent complete. The scientists considered that the wreck's good condition is due to its place in the Baltic Seabed, where the oxygen levels are low. Oxygen is key to most ocean life's survival. Therefore, such an environment where the shipwreck stays reduces or completely removes the creatures that feed on rotting wood.
So although this ship is contemporary to the times of Christopher Columbus, it shows a remarkable level of preservation after 500 years at the bottom of the sea. Dr. Pacheco-Ruiz, who led the MMT effort, said,“It's almost like it sank yesterday. It's a truly astonishing sight."
The scientists are unsure what let the ship sink. However, the ship's guns, which are in their"ready to fire" positions, indicate it may have been the victim of a naval battle. Since the ship dates back to the early 16th century, historians predict it may have sunk during Sweden's three year independence war with its Danish rulers between 1521 and 1523. Alternatively, it could also have been involved in the border dispute (争端) between Russia and Sweden from 1554 to 1557.
The ship is by far the best-preserved shipwreck ever found from the Age of Exploration, when Europeans explored the world by sea.
What's more exciting is that the ship is similar to the Pinta and La Nina, which Comlubus famously sailed toward North America. The scientists, who continue to observe the shipwreck hope the boat's design will expose some of the technologies available to the Italian explorer during his 1492 voyage of discovery.
1. What scientific achievement did Soton 's and MMT' s researchers make?| A．Discovering a wreck using sonar. |
| B．Getting the wreck out or icy water. |
| C．Identifying the object found by SMA. |
| D．Making the ancient wreck well preserved. |
| A．It is generally unfit for creatures to live in. | B．It is tough for scientists to do research. |
| C．It contains too many harmful gases. | D．It is filled with rotting wood. |
| A．his curiosity about the time when the ship sank |
| B．his amazement at the ship's previous grandness |
| C．his surprise at the wreck's well-preserved condition |
| D．his shock at the sinking of the great European ship |
| A．The damage to the ship. | B．The causes of the ship's sinking. |
| C．The construction of the ship. | D．The possible function of the ship. |
| A．Recovering the ancient ships, the Pinta and La Nina. |
| B．Finding every aspect of life in the Age of Exploration. |
| C．Exploring the role the ship played in Columbus' exploration. |
| D．Leaning about Columbus' voyage according to the ship's design. |
【推荐3】My generation — people born after 1990 — are accustomed to “all-in-platform” life, where we use mobile apps of different platforms to do almost everything in life.
For instance, I ordered a cup of coffee on Monday using an online delivery app. Then, I called a taxi by tapping on the app of a ride-booking service. Next, I bought some necessities on shopping platform Taobao. That done, I moved on to various other online destinations to get my daily fix of music, reading, social networking and so forth.
Platforms now play an increasingly important role in almost all aspects of day -to-day life, not just in economic and political processes. Consumption and social interaction are closely linked to platforms now.
But, I began to get confused recently. I thought I was being treated differently. My friend and I called a taxi at the same time on a ride-hailing platform(打车平台) and found that for the same destination, the prices were different. The price indicated on my phone was higher. One of the potential reasons could have been that I regularly use the ride-hailing platform and have a higher ranking while my friend doesn’t use it that often. So, the ride-hailing platform offers discounts to newbies like her, to attract and have such customers.
China’s latest efforts in regulating monopolistic or improper market behavior are of great significance in protecting consumers’ lawful rights.
“The essence of platform-based monopoly(垄断) is that a large number of users are gathered on only a select few platform companies, leading to uneven data gathering different platforms. But in China some platforms use their own data and traffic (流量) to expand capital in a disorderly way,” said Wang Yong, deputy director of the Institute of Economics at Tsinghua University.
Data monopoly also brought another inconvenience for consumers — platforms block links to each other. For instance, link to WeChat Pay of Tencent is not available on Alibaba’s Taobao while there is no Alipay link on JD app’s payment options.
Last year, Meituan was charged with preventing customers from using Alipay as a payment option on Meituan apps and platforms.
In July, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology launched a six-month special rectification (专项治理) for the internet industry, asking platform operators to stop blocking each other’s link.
“More efforts should also be made to strike a good balance between personal information protection and interconnectivity between platforms. Companies are being encouraged to further develop data encryption (加密) technology so that the data are available but not visible.”
1. What is the function of Para.2?| A．To introduce the topic. | B．To illustrate the author’s statement. |
| C．To arouse readers’ interest. | D．To show off the author’s life. |
| A．The author and his friend were treated differently by taxi drivers. |
| B．The author encountered so called “big data price discrimination”. |
| C．Due to the author’s higher ranking, the platform offered him a cheaper price. |
| D．The ride-hailing platform offers discounts to regular customers. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Approving. | C．Critical. | D．Grateful. |
| A．Data monopolies and the inconvenience they bring to mobile app life. |
| B．Mobile apps have greatly changed our lives. |
| C．How to protect personal information on mobile apps. |
| D．Platforms have impacted every aspect of our daily lives. |
