The handshake has existed in some form or another for thousands of years, but there are different ideas about its source. One popular theory is that the gesture began as a way of expressing peaceful purposes. By holding out their empty right hands, strangers could show that they were not holding knives and bore no ill-will toward one another. Yet another explanation iso that the handshake was a symbol of good faith when making a promise. When they held others’ hands, people showed that their word was a close relationship.
“An agreement could be expressed quickly and clearly in words,” the historian Walter Burkert once explained, “but was only made effective by a ritual gesture: open, empty hands reached out toward one another, catching each other in a handshake.”
One of the earliest descriptions of a handshake is found in the ninth century B.C. The Assyrian King Shalmaneser III pressed the flesh with a Babylonian ruler to form a union. Poet Homer described handshakes several times in his “Iliad” and “Odyssey,” most often in relation to expressions of trust. The gesture was also common in the fourth and fifth century B.C. Greek, funeral. Gravestones would often show the dead person shaking hands with a member of their family, meaning either a final goodbye or the lasting connection between the living and the dead. In ancient Rome, meanwhile, the handshake was often used as a symbol of friendship. Pairs of shaking hands even appeared on Roman coins.
1. What did people want to show with their empty right hands?| A．They were very poor. | B．They were healthy. |
| C．They meant no threat. | D．They had special customs. |
| A．An agreement must be accepted by empty hands. |
| B．An agreement came into effect after a handshake. |
| C．Spoken words were enough to confirm an agreement. |
| D．Shaking hands was polite while making an agreement. |
| A．Started an attack. | B．Shook hands. |
| C．Had a discussion. | D．Compared strength. |
| A．Ways of Greetings | B．Importance of Gestures |
| C．Benefits of Handshake | D．History of Handshake |
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【推荐1】The first typewriters were big heavy metal machines that worked a bit like a piano. Have you ever seen the inside of a real piano? You press a key and some levers( 杠杆) make a small tool inside hit just the right piano string to make a note. Early typewriters were similar.They had all these levers with a metal letter at the end of each of them.You had to press a letter key quite hard to make the metal lever fly across and hit the paper.
The first machine did have the letter keys in the order of the letters we learn. But the trouble was that if you hit two keys quickly the levers would jam(卡住). Jams were most likely when the two keys were close together on the keyboard.
Christopher Sholes, an American inventor, succeeded in dealing with the problem.He tried many ways to avoid the need to type two keys that were close together. The best way he could find was similar to the QWERTY keyboard we all use today.
Sholes also made the name of his machine easy to type. He placed on the same line all the letters of the words"type"and "writer".He sold his invention to the Remington Company which built and sold the first successful typewriters.Later, many other kinds of the letter keys have been tried. Some are said to be easier to learn or faster to use. But none has proved good enough to beat QWERTY.
QWERTY was developed for the English language. The keyboard slightly differs around the world. For example AZERTY is commonly used for French, QWERTZ for German,and QZERTY for Italian. Perhaps you can find someone from India, Japan or Korea. Ask them to show you the keyboard they use in their language.
1. What is the author’s purpose in writing the first paragraph?| A．To explain the difference between the typewriter and the piano. |
| B．To show how the piano influenced the typewriter. |
| C．To tell why the typewriter was invented. |
| D．To explain how the early typewriter worked. |
| A．To make people type quickly. |
| B．To solve the jam problem. |
| C．To help people remember it easily. |
| D．To put frequently used letters together. |
| A．It was doubted at first. |
| B．It still needs to be improved. |
| C．It's better than other keyboards. |
| D．It made the Remington Company successful. |
| A．The keyboard is changing over time. |
| B．The word "QWERTY"is out of date. |
| C．The QWERTY keyboard is very popular. |
| D．The keyboard changes with some languages. |
【推荐2】About a quarter of the world drives on the left, and the countries that do so are mostly old British colonies (殖民地) like Australia, and Ireland. But Thailand, Indonesia and Japan have also developed this habit.
This strange phenomenon puzzles the rest of the world; however, there is a perfectly good reason. Up to the late 1700s, everybody travelled on the left side of the road because it was the sensible option for violent, feudal societies of mostly right-handed people. Soldiers with their swords under their right arms naturally passed on each other’s right, and if you passed a stranger on the road, you walked on the left to ensure that your protective sword arm was between you and him.
Revolutionary France, however, got rid of this practice as part of its sweeping social rethink, and thanks to Napoleon, this change was carried out all over continental Europe. Since he was left-handed, his armies had to march on the right so he could keep his sword arm between him and any opponent. From then on, any country colonized by the French took to driving on the right.
After the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), the US became independent and decided to make traffic drive on the right in order to cut all remaining links to its British colonial past. Once America became the center of the car industry, if you wanted a good reliable vehicle, you bought an American car with right-hand drive. From then on, many countries changed out of necessity.
Today, the EU would like Britain to fall into line with the rest of Europe, but this would cost billions of pounds to change everything round. The last European country to convert to driving on the right was Sweden in 1967. This ironically caused a reduction in car accidents because everyone drove carefully while getting used to the new system.
1. Why did people travel on the left before the late 18th century?| A．They were required to do so. |
| B．They were mostly left-landed. |
| C．It was easier to cross the street. |
| D．They could feel safer from attacks. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Indifferent. | C．Doubtful. | D．Disapproving. |
| A．the connection with France was broken |
| B．the US was no longer ruled by the UK |
| C．the American Revolution War had ended |
| D．America was the center of the car industry |
| A．It would cost too much to change. |
| B．Its increasing traffic accidents. |
| C．Its influence on the colonies |
| D．Its fast-developing car industry. |
【推荐3】Soccer, known as football in most of the world, is one of the most popular sports today. Let’s explore its history and how it developed and spread over the years.
It is said that the history of soccer dates back as far as 2500 B. C. in London. In China, the most relevant (相关的) is the Chinese game of Tsu’ Chu (Cuju) . Records of the game began during the Han Dynasty (206B. C. — 220A. D.) and it may have been a training exercise for soldiers. Players kicked a small ball into a net between two bamboo poles. The use of hands was not allowed, but a player could use his feet and other parts of his body.
The modern shape of soccer was formed at the beginning of the 19th century. In 1848, the “Cambridge Rules” were founded at Cambridge University. After they graduated, adult football clubs became more common, players could continue to play the ball.
The Football Association (FA) was created on October 26, 1863. Over the years, more clubs joined the FA until the number reached 128 by 1887. In 1872, the first Football Association Cup was played in London. Other associations were formed, including the Football League in1888 in the north and midlands of the country, and the first championship league games were played.
It did not take long for other European countries to accept the British love for soccer. Leagues began popping up throughout the world: the Netherlands and Denmark in 1889, Argentina in 1893, Chile in 1895, Switzerland and Belgium in 1895, Italy in 1898, Germany and Uruguay in 1900, Hungary in 1901, and Finland in 1907. It was not until 1903 that France formed their league.
In 1930, the first-ever FIFA World Cup was held in Uruguay. There were 41 members of FIFA at that time. Today it has over 200 members and the World Cup is one of the biggest events of the year.
1. What do we know about Chinese game of Tsu’ Chu?| A．It began as far as 2500 B. C. |
| B．English soccer developed from it. |
| C．It was probably a training exercise for soldiers. |
| D．Players couldn’t use other parts of their bodies. |
| A．In 1930. | B．In 1907. | C．In 1895. | D．In 1863. |
| A．Soccer spread worldwide. |
| B．Football clubs formed in America. |
| C．The whole world refused the British soccer. |
| D．200 members joined in the first-ever FIFA World Cup. |
| A．The Popularity of Football. | B．The Development of Football |
| C．An Ancient Sport in China. | D．Some Football Competitions. |
【推荐1】Contrary to popular belief, people who sleep six to seven hours a night live longer, and those who sleep eight hours or more die younger, according to the latest study ever conducted on the subject. The study, which has tracked the sleeping habits of 1.1 million Americans for six years, weakens the advice of many sleep doctors who have long recommended that people get eight or nine hours of sleep every night.
“There’s an old idea that people should sleep eight hours a night, which has no more scientific basis than the gold at the end of the rainbow,” said Daniel Kripke, professor of psychiatry (精神病学) at the University of California at San Diego who led the study published in a recent copy of JAMA Psychiatry.
The study was not designed to answer why sleeping longer may be harmful or whether people could extend their lifespan by sleeping less.
But Kripke said it was possible that people who slept longer tended to suffer from short-term absence of sleeping, a condition where weak breathing puts stress on the heart and brain. He also stressed that the need for sleep was similar to that for food, where getting less than people want may be better for them.
The study quickly caused warnings and criticism (批评), with some sleep experts saying that the main problem of America’s sleep habits was deprivation (剥夺), not sleeping too much.
“None of this says sleep kills people,” said Daniel Buysse, a psychiatrist at the university of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
“You should sleep as much as you need to feel awake, alert and attentive the next day,” Buysse added. “I’m much more concerned about people short-changing themselves on sleep than people sleeping too long.”
“Sleeplessness produces a variety of health consequences that were not measured in the study,” critics said.
1. The traditional idea about sleeping is that ________.| A．people who sleep longer die younger |
| B．people who sleep less than six or seven hours live longer |
| C．people need to sleep less to keep healthy |
| D．people need to sleep eight or nine hours a night |
| A．People can extend their lifespan by sleeping less. |
| B．Sleeping longer may be harmful to people’s health. |
| C．People should sleep as much as they need to keep awake, alert and attentive. |
| D．It is possible that people who sleep longer tend to suffer from short-term absence of sleeping. |
| A．sleeping is quite valuable in our lives |
| B．the traditional idea that people should sleep eight hours a night has no scientific basis at all. |
| C．sleeping longer is as valuable as the gold at the end of the rainbow. |
| D．the idea of long sleeping hours comes from the gold at he end of the rainbow. |
| A．A new idea challenges the scientists |
| B．Sleep less, live longer |
| C．Sleep more, die younger |
| D．A new idea about sleeping causes criticism |
【推荐2】Heart disease is one of the major killers in the world today. Many who suffer from it must have heart transplants. However, it’s difficult to get a suitable heart donation, and even if a patient survives the wait, his or her body often rejects the heart.
But there is now new hope for sufferers of heart disease. According to a study published in the journal Advanced Science, researchers from Israel’s Tel Aviv University printed a 3D human heart on April 15.
“This is the first time anyone anywhere has successfully engineered and printed an entire heart,” professor Tal Dvir told CNN. Unlike the previous 3D-printed heart structure, the new heart is complete with cells, blood vessels, chambers and other structures a heart needs to function normally. But scientists still have more to figure out before the 3D-printed heart can be fitted into the body. For one thing, the experimental heart is only the size of a thumb. And, although it can contract like a muscle, it cannot pump out blood like a real one. At present, the heart prototype is like a tiny airplane that has all of the right parts, but can’t fly.
However, the development is still regarded as a major breakthrough in medicine.
In the experiment, the researchers turned human fat tissue into human heart tissue with stem cell technology. The tissue was then turned into “bio-ink” for a 3D printer to ensure that tissue in the heart came from the patients themselves. So ideally, if it were to be placed in the body of someone in need of a transplant, there would be less risk of organ rejection. “Patients will no longer have to wait for transplants or take medications to prevent their rejection,” researchers told USA Today. “Instead, the needed heart will be printed, fully personalized for every patient.”
But the scientists think that 3D printing can be used to create other human organs. They foresee a time when the 3D printing of organs will be an everyday medical practice. “Maybe, in 10 years, there will be organ printers in the finest hospitals around the world and these procedures will be conducted routinely,” Dvir said.
1. Why do scientists have to do further research before fitting the 3D-printed heart into the body?| A．Because the heart is incomplete. |
| B．Because the heart can’t pump out blood. |
| C．Because the heart is an airplane that can’t fly. |
| D．Because the heart can’t contract like a muscle. |
| A．The needed heart will be printed to meet every patient’s need. |
| B．The 3D printing of organs will be an unusual medical practice. |
| C．Dvir has a negative attitude towards the future of organ printers. |
| D．Patients will need medicines to stop their rejection for their heart transplant. |
| A．Organ printers in the hospitals. |
| B．How to get a suitable heart donation. |
| C．Heart disease: one of the major killers. |
| D．A 3D-printed heart: new hope for heart disease sufferers. |
【推荐3】Emerging economies struggled to grow through the 2010s and pessimism covers them now. People wonder how they will pay debts during the COVID-19 and how they can grow rapidly as they did in the past in an era of deglobalisation (去全球化).
The freshest of many answers to this issue is the fast-spreading digital revolution. The digital revolution is already as progressive in emerging economies as developed ones. Among the top 30 nations by income from digital services as a share of gross domestic product(GDP), 16 are in the emerging world. Indonesia, for example, is further advanced by this measure than France or Canada. And since 2017, digital income has been growing in emerging countries at an average annual pace of 26 percent, compared with 11 percent in the developed ones.
How can it be that poorer nations are adopting common digital technologies faster than the rich? One explanation is habit and its absence. In societies filled with physical stores and services, customers are often comfortable with them and slow to abandon the providers. In countries where people have difficulty even finding a bank or a doctor, they will jump at the first digital option that comes along. Outsiders have a hard time grasping the impact digital services can have on underserved (服务不足的)populations. Nations lacking in schools, hospitals and banks can quickly bridge these gaps by establishing online services. Though only 5 percent of Kenyans carry credit cards, more than 70 percent have access to digital banking.
It’s early days, too. As economist Carlota Perez has shown, tech revolutions last a long time. Innovations like the car and the steam engine were still transforming economies half a century later. Now, the fading era of globalisation will limit the number of emerging markets, but the era of rapid digitisation has only just begun. This offers many developing economies a revolutionary new path to catch up with the living standards of the developed world.
1. What can we know about the digital revolution?| A．It increases people’s debts in deglobalisation. |
| B．It prevents emerging economy from developing. |
| C．It advances in emerging and developed economies. |
| D．It develops most rapidly in Indonesia in terms of GDP. |
| A．In economies lacking in online services. |
| B．In countries short of basic physical facilities. |
| C．In nations with adequate stores and services. |
| D．In societies easy to access doctors and banks. |
| A．Stable. | B．Hopeful. | C．Depressing. | D．Challenging. |
| A．Digital technology saves emerging economies. |
| B．Deglobalisation limits technology revolutions. |
| C．Emerging economies struggle in the pandemic. |
| D．Digital revolution grows better in globalisation. |
