The tradition of giving gifts didn’t start with the modern holidays we celebrate. Many ancient cultures celebrated holidays with the exchange of gifts. People who love to give gifts often can’t wait until it’s time for the recipients to open their gifts. If you’ve ever been given a gift, you know that part of the fun is the curiosity that builds as you wonder what the gift is.
The wish to hide the identity of a gift until just the right moment led people to wrap gifts long, long ago. Historians believed wrapping gifts in paper probably started not long after paper was invented thousands of years ago.
Wrapping paper like what we use today, though, is a much more recent invention. More than 100 years ago, gifts were usually wrapped in heavy brown paper. Before that, cloth was often used. The technology to mass-produce wrapping paper didn’t come along until the early 1900s. The first American gift wrap company— Hy-Sill Manufacturing Inc. — was founded by Eli Hyman and Morris Silverman in 1903. It wasn’t as easy to wrap presents then as it is today, though, because adhesive tape (胶带) wasn’t invented until 1930.
Over the years, wrapping paper has developed into what we see in stores each holiday season. But scientists say that the United States alone produces an extra 5 million tons of waste over the holidays, most of which is from wrapping paper and shopping bags. To cut down on this waste, some people carefully unwrap presents, so that the wrapping paper can be reused. Others have started to use reusable gift bags instead of wrapping paper.
1. What is the interesting part of people giving a gift?| A．Hiding their gifts and their feelings. |
| B．Giving the recipients a surprise. |
| C．Letting the recipients open gifts at once. |
| D．Following a century-old tradition. |
| A．People didn’t wrap gifts until 1903. |
| B．People only used heavy brown paper to wrap gifts. |
| C．Technology made wrapping paper widely available. |
| D．Adhesive tape was first created by gift wrap companies. |
| A．The future of reusable gift bags. |
| B．The waste produced by Americans. |
| C．Wrapping paper’s influence on the environment. |
| D．People’s awareness of saving paper. |
| A．The popularity of wrapping gifts. |
| B．The start of wrapping gifts in paper. |
| C．The problems caused by wrapping paper. |
| D．The story behind wrapping paper. |
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【推荐1】No. It’s a simple word, but it can be so difficult to say. Whether it’s a favor asked by a friend, or even an unethical request from a colleague, many people will say “yes” because they hate to let others down and saying “no” makes them feel uncomfortable.
And we worry that saying no will change the way the other person views us. If you have a reputation of being a helpful and accommodating person, it is even harder to say no because you don’t want to hurt that good reputation, says Adam Grant, a professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
“Every ‘no’ is a missed opportunity to make a difference and build a relationship,” Grant wrote in a column for The Huffington Post.
Saying no is a rejection and a lot of times it does hurt feelings. But even so, psychologists say, most people probably won’t take our “no” as badly as we think they will. That’s because of something called a “harshness bias (严重性偏向心理)” —our tendency to believe others will judge us more severely than they actually do. For those people pleasers, Grant says there’s a big difference between pleasing people and helping them. “Being a giver is not about saying yes to all of the people all of the time to all of the requests. It’s about saying yes to some of the people (generous givers who will return your favor, but not necessarily the selfish takers) some of the time (when it won’t compromise your own goals and ambitions) to some of requests (when you have resources or skills that are uniquely relevant).”
Always saying yes can make us overcommitted and put us under too much pressure. Saying no helps us protect our own priorities, psychologist Judith Sills told The Wall Street Journal. Another important reason to say no, Sills says, is it keeps us from giving in to peer pressure. “To have your own values, sometimes you have to say ‘no’ to people with whom you don’t agree,” Sills says.
1. The underlined word “unethical” in paragraph 1 is closet in meaning to __________.| A．proper | B．unacceptable | C．moral | D．illegal |
| A．Saying yes is not necessarily satisfactory. |
| B．We should always say yes to the generous givers. |
| C．We should say yes to some requests from some of the people sometime. |
| D．Saying yes to other people’s requests should be forbidden for your own benefits. |
| A．Concerned. | B．Suspicious. | C．Supportive. | D．Optimistic. |
【推荐2】Historically, only local governments worried about a widespread food crisis, but today, the rapidly rising food prices and the resulting food crisis can quickly be a worldwide phenomenon. Over the next 20 years, the fight to feed the world will be a huge challenge facing the global economy.
The first solution lies in the combined effect of money and time.
Another way to solve the crisis is to double food production in developing countries.
While we may not be seeing all the symptoms of food shortage, we must be clear-eyed in our current support of food production. It is obvious that we will face a severe problem, but the problem is solvable.
| A．Since you think it beneficial to the whole world |
| B．What about developing economy to solve the crisis |
| C．If we are to reach our goal and prevent a global food crisis |
| D．How can we relieve the current crisis and avoid future risks |
| E．The goal needs an enormous investment in agriculture from various sources |
| F．Developing a national strategy to reduce food loss and waste is also useful to handle the crisis |
| G．Some countries like India have realized this fact and are giving more financial support to agriculture |
【推荐3】An ageless question: When is someone “old”?
What does “old” really mean these days? This isn’t a meaningless question — not only does the definition of “old” have an outsized impact on how we feel about ourselves (not to mention how others view us), it also matters to policymakers determining how to plan for aging populations.
The United Nations historically has defined older persons as people 60 years or over (sometimes 65). It didn’t matter whether you lived in the United States, China or Senegal, even though life expectancy is quite different in each of those countries. Everyone became old at 60.
Researchers Sergei Scherbov and Warren Sanderson, who study aging, are suggesting overturning the one-size-fits-all-across-the-globe definition of old. Instead, they talk about “prospective age”, which looks to the future. Everyone with the same prospective age has the same expected remaining years of life.
Scherbov explained that young and old are relative concepts, and their common reference point is life expectancy. It makes sense that “old” would vary between nations, especially between more-and less-developed countries, with differences in education, death rates, access to health care and life expectancy.
But who is “old” also varies-widely-between individuals. The point, says Scherbov, is that personal age is dependent on our “characteristics” — understanding abilities, disability, health history and even education levels. Those with more education tend not to smoke, exercise more frequently, have better diets and have regular checkups — and, therefore, live longer, meaning the beginning of their old age comes later, says Scherbov.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．How do we feel about ourselves? |
| B．How do others view us? |
| C．The importance of the definition of “old”. |
| D．The plan for aging populations. |
| A．The expected remaining years of one’s life. |
| B．The beginning of one’s old age. |
| C．The differences of our “characteristics”. |
| D．The age when one becomes old. |
| A．Understanding abilities. | B．Nations. |
| C．Education. | D．The reference point. |
| A．As much exercise as possible. | B．Losing weight. |
| C．Studying history. | D．Improving the education level. |
【推荐1】A calorie deficit is a state in which you burn more calories than you consume. As one of the most popular approaches of losing weight, how does it work? For example, if you burn 2,500 calories per day but only eat 2,000，you have created a deficit of 500 calories per day. There is mathematical certainty. But, this by no means tells the whole story about how calories deficit affects our lives.
Before wondering what a calorie deficit is, it’s probably best to learn what a calorie is. A calorie is a unit that we use to track our body’s energy expenditure (消耗) and storage. In order to just stay alive, human beings (and animals) burn calories. This means, even before we perform any activity, our bodies are already using energy (measured in calories) to keep us alive. Around 70% of the calories we consume are spent on just keeping our vital organs running. Thus, if a person consumes calories far more less than needed to look thin，it may have negative effects on the body.
When people pick up a calorie deficit, they often merely note that the calorie math is irrefutable (无可辩驳的). The question here is that not all calories are the same. If you eat a few bags of potato chip worth of calories to support the calorie intake needed to maintain or cut down on your weight, it will work. But, this doesn’t have the same effect on your body and overall health as a balanced nutritional meal containing the same amount of calories.
It seems like a simple unit of energy has become an object of our society’s obsession. It needn't be that way. Remember, calorie deficits are just a tool, which serves a purpose in losing some weight and keeping track of your calorie intake seems simple enough.
1. What do we know about the calorie deficit?| A．It helps people lose weight. |
| B．It is a way of doing exercises. |
| C．It affects people's lives positively. |
| D．It means the calories people consume. |
| A．A calorie is a unit to store daily energy. |
| B．People need to burn calories to be alive. |
| C．Calorie intake is to keep our organs operating. |
| D．Living animals only burn calories after activities. |
| A．Focusing on the calorie math when eating. |
| B．Focusing on different calories when eating. |
| C．Having bags of potato chips containing enough calories. |
| D．Having balanced nutritional diets containing proper calories. |
| A．Influences of calorie deficits. | B．Approaches to lose weight. |
| C．Distinctions between calories. | D．Ways to track calorie intake. |
【推荐2】History of amusement parks takes us back to the bar-periodic fairs, like the Bartholomew Fair which started in England. These can be considered a parent for the modern amusement park. Opening in the Elizabethan period, the fair had developed as a center of amusement with entertainment with fun, food, games, and many other attractions. The beer festival held in Munich, Germany which started in 1810 and the country and state fairs in the US, also played a part in the brief history of amusement park. Unlike the Bartholomew Fair, these annual events were usually held during an important time when crops were ripe, which deserved to be marked.
Amusement parks are also known to have grown out of the pleasure gardens that became very popular at the start of the Industrial Revolution. These were the zones where one could shun the dull urban life for a short while. We can find the oldest and still-surviving amusement park in the world: Bakken in Denmark, which opened in 1583. These parks consisted of fireworks displays, rides and the modern railroad to accommodate the growing expectations from their customers.
Another turning point in the history of amusement parks was the world’s fairs which began in 1851. The Crystal Palace in London, England was a landmark and celebrated the industrial achievements of the world. These were seen as symbols of economic and industrial success. In the last decade of the 19th century, the electric trolley lines became extremely popular. Mechanical amusements, dance hall, sports fields, and restaurants were included as regular entertainments, as the history of amusement parks reflects.
The golden age in the brief history of amusement parks didn’t appear until people especially Americans spent less time on work and got a steady rise in their personal income. A number of amusement parks including the Kiddie Park were set up outside major cities and in the countryside, to make full use of this new economic opportunity. The original Kiddie Park is located in San Antonio, Texas and is still in operation today.
1. What was the purpose of the early Munich beer festival?| A．To show local attractions. | B．To celebrate harvest together. |
| C．To found a center of amusement. | D．To create a stable agricultural market. |
| A．Avoid. | B．Tolerate. |
| C．Experience. | D．Complain. |
| A．The Industrial Revolution. | B．More time and money for fun. |
| C．Advances in technology. | D．Development of the world’s fairs. |
| A．Bakken was originally opened in 1583 in London. |
| B．The Crystal Palace is the oldest amusement park in the world. |
| C．The Kiddie Park located in San Antonio is still open at present. |
| D．The Bartholomew Fair was seen as economic and industrial success. |
【推荐3】Do you have frightening dreams while sleeping? According to an email interview by clinical psychologist and sleep expert Dr. Michael Breus, roughly 5 percent of the general population has at least one bad dream per week. Nightmares typically happen during REM sleep, during the middle and later parts of the night.
There is no exact explanation for nightmares, but Breus says it’s possible that they help the brain practise, prepare for and even predict difficult or dangerous experiences in waking life. Of course, it’s possible that nightmares, like dreams in general, don’t have a primary function — that they’re a by-product of other activities in the body. But most sleep scientists think that dreams and nightmares exist for some purposes.
One study found the most common nightmare was falling, followed by dreams of being chased, feeling lost, and feeling trapped. Then why do nightmares happen?
“Certain circumstances and characteristics make some people more likely to have nightmares than others,” says sleep medicine specialist Dr. Barry Krakow. He thinks people who’ve been traumatized (使受精神创伤) are certainly at a higher risk of nightmares Examples are offered of those who have suffered criminal attacks, or who have been in life-threatening accidents. People with some degree of sensitivity in their biological make-up are also more likely to have bad dreams, so they’re more common in people who suffer from anxiety or depression, or who use excess drugs or alcohol. The traditional belief often has it that nightmares are the result of eating too much rich food before bedtime, but it is still uncertain whether this is true. One study from 2015 did find a link between eating dairy or hot foods before bedtime and having disturbing dreams, but the study authors noted that this couldn’t be proven definitely because the data was self-reported and there were a lot of other factors to consider.
However, research in recent decades has shown that people who suffer from sleep disorders are also more likely to have nightmares.
1. What may Dr. Breus agree with about nightmares?| A．They happen for certain purposes. | B．They are similar to daydreams. |
| C．They possibly help predict future events. | D．They come true once in a while. |
| A．John who often stays up late. | B．Peter who has had terrible experiences. |
| C．Jack who is sensitive to alcohol. | D．Paul who sleeps soundly at night. |
| A．They are often caused by irregular bedtimes. |
| B．They are based on disturbing life experiences. |
| C．They are the consequence of negative feelings. |
| D．They are related to what is taken before bedtime. |
| A．Mental health. | B．Life experiences. | C．Eating habits. | D．Popular culture. |
