Erin Alexander was having a hard day. A waitress working at Starbucks was too. Erin ordered an iced green tea and told the waitress to cheer up. After picking up the order, she noticed a message on the cup: “Erin, your soul is golden.” Erin Alexander recalled the incident, “Of course, I was still really sad, but that little thing made the rest of my day.”
New findings, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology in August, prove just how powerful experiences like Erin’s can be. Researchers found that people who perform a random act of kindness tend to underestimate how much the recipient will appreciate it. And they believe that miscalculation could hold many of us back from doing nice things for others more often.
A recent experiment recruited 84 participants at an ice skating rink in Chicago, where they were given a hot chocolate and asked to keep it or give it to a stranger as an act of kindness. The 75participants who gave away their hot chocolate were asked to predict how the recipient would feel on a scale from 0(very small) to 10(very large), and the recipients were then asked to report their actual feelings on the same scales.
In that experiment, the people doing the kind thing consistently underestimated the appreciation they receive, according to Amit Kumar, a psychology professor at the University of Texas. “People tend to think that what they are giving is kind of little, maybe it’s relatively inconsequential,” Dr. Kumar said. “But recipients are less likely to think along those lines. They consider the gesture to be significantly more meaningful because they are also thinking about the fact that someone did something nice for them.” Dr. Kumar continued, “With an experiment like this, I hope it will inspire more people to actually commit random acts of kindness.”
1. What’s the function of paragraph 1?| A．To present a fact. | B．To introduce the topic. |
| C．To describe a scene. | D．To explain an opinion. |
| A．All participants give away their hot chocolate. |
| B．Recipients received kind gestures from their friends. |
| C．Recipients showed more appreciation than givers think. |
| D．Participants reported their feelings on a scale from 0 to 10. |
| A．Insignificant. | B．Substantial. |
| C．Beneficial. | D．Unbelievable. |
| A．The Power of Small Acts of Kindness. | B．The Magic of Receivers’ Appreciation |
| C．The Importance of Appreciating Kindness. | D．The Impact of a Simple Message on a Cup. |
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【推荐1】Before movies had voices, they had music. From silent films to today’s computer-generated ones, film composers use the score to help tell the story.
Music Manipulates (影响) Emotions
The most obvious role music plays in movies is in manipulating the audience’s emotions and bringing them the desired feelings.
Music Gets Us in the Mood
The first bars of music in a movie usually establish its style. The low sound of an organ communicates a different atmosphere than light electronica playing a quick tune.
Music Introduces People, Places and Things
Music helps viewers understand the story, a trick filmmakers picked up from operas, etc.
Movies rely on music to help establish time period, location, cultural heritage or social standing. Using Baroque-style music sets a scene in the 18th century. Back to the Future used Huey Lewis’ The Power of Love for its “present day” scenes and such songs as Earth Angel and Johnny B. Goode for its scenes in the past.
| A．Music places us in time and space. |
| B．Music doesn’t have to be real for this to be effective. |
| C．Music enables people to forget about time and space. |
| D．Composers use music to predict and connect the story. |
| E．Film composers create theme music for characters, situations or places. |
| F．The selection of certain sounds creates feelings of happiness, fear or even panic. |
| G．Film composers carefully choose instruments and sounds to set a mood for each scene. |
【推荐2】The sun is setting at the end of a day at the beach — the light is just right. You reach for your phone because you want to remember this perfect moment. But before you do, here’s a bit of surprising science that photo-takers need to know:
Taking too many pictures could actually harm the brain’s ability to keep memories, says Elizabeth Loftus, a psychological science professor.
The other explanation for memory loss when you take that picture is attentional disengagement.
| A．So you get the photo, but kind of lose the memory |
| B．You shouldn’t take photos when travelling with friends |
| C．People know their camera is catching that moment for them |
| D．Taking photos is not the perfect memory-keeping tool you think it is |
| E．It’s what happens when we’re distracted by the process of taking a photo |
| F．Attentional disengagement is especially likely to occur during milestone moments |
| G．People had a harder time remembering art objects when they took pictures of them |
【推荐3】In the far north, well above the Arctic Circle in Alaska, ground squirrels (地松鼠) are like little balls within a deep hole in the ground. If you look at one, you might think it is dead. The squirrel is as cold as ice. Its body temperature is –2℃. Its heart beats only once every 15 seconds. Its breathing stops for minutes at a time.
It’s not exanimate, of course — just hibernating (冬眠). But spring is on its way to Alaska. As the days are becoming longer and the ground becomes warm, the Arctic ground squirrels will be warm, too. At first, the increase will be almost too small to notice. “You see them begin to breathe a little more quickly — see their heart rate speed up,” says Brian Barnes, a zoologist of the University of Alaska. “As they get up to 10 to 20℃, you see them shivering (颤抖) quite clearly,” he notes, “just as we shiver.” This shivering is a type of way to create heat. “Once their body temperatures rise above 30℃,” he says, “they wake up, clean themselves, and move.” A squirrel that looked dead a few hours before is now very much alive.
Arctic ground squirrels are among the world’s coolest hibernators. Chilling out (放松) for months at a time lets them grow in this extremely cold place, where food is short. By studying how ground squirrels hibernate, scientists hope to answer some big questions. Among them: How do these animals go from warm to cold and back again? And might people ever do the same? The ability to chill out could help humans who suffer from brain injuries and heart problems survive.
1. What does the underlined word “exanimate” in the second paragraph mean?| A．Cold. | B．Weak. | C．Dead. | D．Tired. |
| A．To increase its body temperature. |
| B．To speed up its heart rate. |
| C．To restore its breathing. |
| D．To clean its body. |
| A．To show the results of the study. |
| B．To show the purpose of the study. |
| C．To show how the study was carried out. |
| D．To show people’s interest in ground squirrels. |
【推荐1】The China Opera Festival 2017 is set to open in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, on Dec 16. Since 2011, the Ministry of Culture, supported by local governments, has hosted two opera festivals in Fujian and Hubei provinces. Works such as Tulou, Red River Valley, and Suwu of the Han Dynasty were spoken highly of by both journalists and viewers.
During this year’s festival, 23 opera works — the highest number to date — from all around the country will be performed not only in Nanjing, but also in other cities in Jiangsu such as Xuzhou and Yixing. Free lectures about the opera works will also be given.
Among the 23 operas, there are works based on real-life events, the Chinese development, historical heroes and events, and also Western operas.
Modern Chinese opera works will be one of the highlights of this year’s festival. Eight such works will be performed during the festival.
In addition, to allow more people have chance to admire to the operas, the prices of tickets have been set from the lowest 20 yuan up to a maximum of 120 yuan. More than 60 percent of the tickets will be priced under 60 yuan.
1. What is the opera watchers’ attitude towards the festival?| A．Fond. | B．Grateful. | C．Frightened. | D．Concerned. |
| A．Historical heroes and events. | B．Twenty-three real-life events. |
| C．Free lectures about the opera. | D．Modern Chinese opera works. |
| A．20 yuan. | B．60 yuan. | C．72 yuan. | D．120 yuan. |
But now 400 organizations in the UK, from playgroups to the National Health Service, are encouraging children to have some “wild time”. They want kids to swap at least 30 minutes of watching TV or playing computer games for time playing outside. Activities such as building dens, climbing trees, rummaging for conkers and playing hide and seek are just some of the things kids can do. Even if they live in a city, they can go on adventures in the garden or the park.
Children often need a helping hand from mom and dad. They need to be shown what to do and where to go. Andy Simpson from National Health Service says, “We want parents to see what this magical wonder product does for their kids’ development, independence and creativity, by giving wild time a go”.
So despite the complicated world that young people grow up in now, it seems that going back to basics and experiencing “nature’s playground” is what modern children need. David Bond from Project Wild Thing says, “We need to make more space for wild time in children’s daily routine, freeing this generation of kids to have the sort of experiences that many of us took for granted”.
This might sound a bit old fashioned to you or maybe, like me, it’s made you think about sticking on your boots, getting outdoors and reliving your childhood. There is no age limit on enjoying yourself!
1. What is the best title of the text?
| A．Wild time for children |
| B．Benefits of wild time |
| C．More space for children |
| D．Adventures of children |
| A．building dens |
| B．climbing trees |
| C．playing hide and seek |
| D．watching TV |
| A．wild time is hard to design |
| B．wild time is beneficial to children |
| C．parents know the importance of wild time |
| D．parents like keeping their children indoors. |
【推荐3】Close your eyes for a minute and imagine what life would be like if you couldn’t see. Imagine having to read this page, not with your eyes but with your fingers. How do you feel, then?
With medical knowledge and skills today, two-thirds of the world's 42 million blind people should not have to suffer. Unluckily, rich countries have this knowledge, but developing countries do not.
ORBIS is an international charitable （慈善的）organization. Its goal is to help fight blindness all over the world. Inside a Dc-8 airplane, there is a teaching hospital with a television room and a classroom. Doctors are taught the latest technology of helping the blind get sight again here. ORBIS is always trying to keep a closer relation among countries.
ORBIS helps those developing countries by providing sight-saving training. It has taught over 35, 000 doctors and nurses. They continue to treat thousands of blind people every year. They have traveled around the earth 3 times, visited 76 countries and treated over 20, 000 blind people. They need your help to continue their work and free people from blindness.
For just $ 38, you can help one person see; for $ 380, 10 people can see; $ 1, 300 helps train a doctor new skills; and for $ 13, 000 you can provide a training program for a group of doctors who can make thousands of blind people see again. Your love can help them open their eyes to the world.
1. How many blind people should not have to suffer with medical knowledge and skills today?| A．14 million. |
| B．42 million. |
| C．200 million. |
| D．28 million. |
| A．ORBIS didn't do its best to offer help |
| B．some countries can’t afford medical knowledge and skills |
| C．there is no good medical knowledge and skills |
| D．developing countries don’t play much attention to the blind |
| A．tell people how they feel if they lose their eyes |
| B．explain why ORBIS helps fight blindness |
| C．call on people to give the blind a hand |
| D．introduce a charitable organization ORBIS to people |
【推荐1】Polish Olympian Maria has generously auctioned（拍卖）off her Tokyo Games silver medal to raise funds for a baby's lifesaving operation.
When Maria heard about 8-month-old Miloszek's battle for survival, she felt it a must to do something to help. The baby had a serious and rare heart disease. His condition was badly worsening, and he was in need of immediate surgery. His parents sought funds to cover the cost of his transportation and medical care for the complicated surgery at Stanford University Medical Center in the United States.
As a cancer survivor, Maria knows what it is like to fight the disease. She overcame bone cancer and a shoulder injury to make her comeback and compete at this summer's Tokyo Olympic Games. Her hard work paid off, earning her first medal.
Athletes make enormous sacrifices to have an opportunity to compete at the Olympic Games, and winning an Olympic medal is every athlete's dream. Maria treasured what the medal represents. However, she decided her medal was more valuable at auction if the raised funds could help save a child's life.
Maria stated in her social media auction announcement that Miloszek's fundraising already had a good head start. It was at the halfway point of reaching its goal of $390,000. That was thanks to the family of a recently deceased young boy who generously donated the funds originally meant for their son. Maria hoped her Olympic silver medal would take the fundraising across the finish line.
Zabka, a popular Polish supermarket chain, won Maria's silver medal auction with a bid of $125,000. Zabka's owners gracefully declined to accept the silver medal and returned it to Maria. They stated they were grateful for the opportunity to contribute to such a good cause.
1. Which of the following best describes Miloszek's disease?| A．Common. | B．Urgent. |
| C．Incurable. | D．Infectious. |
| A．She was a gold medalist in Tokyo Olympics. |
| B．She survived lung cancer in the past. |
| C．She didn't think much about her medal. |
| D．She had great sympathy for Miloszek. |
| A．Dead. | B．Missing. |
| C．Generous. | D．Friendly. |
| A．Maria. | B．Miloszek. |
| C．Zabka's owners. | D．A young boy. |
【推荐2】My name is Jaimic Eckert and I’ve been into volunteer work since childhood. As a girl, I volunteered at animal shelters, played music at nursing homes, and helped with community cleanup after disasters. In college, I volunteered heavily at a large yearly conference for young adults, which is where I fell in love with my husband-to-be, who was on my team of co-volunteers. Since getting married in 2013, we’ve been living in Beirut, Lebanon. I actually have an online coaching business but I’ve had many opportunities to volunteer with projects for Syrian refugees(难民) and youth education.
Volunteering has been a way of life for me for a very long time, and I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t enjoy it. Most of the time, you do feel that you’re making a difference. Once I was leading out a project that provided food boxes to Syrian refugee families. When it was nearing Ramadan, the biggest holiday season in Islam, I literally stuffed the food package with extra treats... dates, nuts, olive oil and sweets. We took the package unannounced and ended up arriving just as the Syrian family was sitting down on their floor for breakfast.They had nothing more than a few pieces of bread and a pot of tea. The mother was in tears as she received us. I’ll never forget their gratitude.
Another time, back when I was in college in the US, a group of friends and I volunteered to drive to a distant church that was way out in the suburb and had only a few elderly members. The building was in disrepair and the church yard needed attention. We stayed the weekend in the home of one of these old ladies so we could clean and repair the church. I’ll never forget how new life sparkled in her eyes. She couldn’t repair broken doors or pull weeds. but her love for us was unmatched. It breaks my heart to remember this old lady beaming with joy for such small efforts that we made. Sometimes, volunteer work is fulfilling not because of the actual job you get done, but because of how your presence impacts the people around you.
Volunteering makes me a better person because it gets me outside of myself. It puts my focus on others. It makes me grateful for what I have.
1. In writing Paragraph 1, the author aims to____.| A．provide an explanation | B．introduce a topic |
| C．reach a conclusion | D．propose a definition |
| A．We brought food to Syrian families. |
| B．Ramadan is the most important holiday season in Islam. |
| C．Volunteering affects people in some way. |
| D．Volunteering is a way of Eckert’s life. |
| A．Because finally someone came to comfort them in the church. |
| B．Because she could clean and repair the church with us. |
| C．Because of our presence and help. |
| D．Because we made efforts to entertain her. |
| A．Eckert’s volunteer dream. |
| B．What volunteering means to Eckert. |
| C．How volunteering has changed Eckert’s life. |
| D．Eckert volunteers for Syrian refugees. |
David Carter stands outside of the University of Texas’ Austin campus every day, offering the same warm greeting to students who pass by. “Hello, my friend!”
Carter, now 68, is a beggar who once attended the school from 1972 to L975. Then, he was involved in a crash and got serious injuries. He then had trouble with substance abuse and faced mental health challenges, leading him to drop out before completing his degree.
“If I could change one thing about my past life, I would have stayed in school,” Carter says. He says he knows an education can change someone’s quality of life.
Carter had to beg in the last few years fora simple reason. “I’m always flat broke,” he said. While most people would walk right by a beggar, Ryan Chandler, a junior at the university, decided to stop and chat with Carter-and he learned a valuable lesson: You can’t judge a book by its cover.
“A lot of UT students see them as criminal vagrants (无业游民,乞丐) or think that they are dangerous or unfriendly, and that idea just isn’t true,” says Chandler.
Chandler got to know Carter and saw his potential. “He completed 87 hours of course credits, which is enough for a degree for most people, but he just never finished,” Chandler says.
The student wrote a blog post about his new friend, and luckily, the right people heard about Carter and stepped in to help. The University of Texas readmitted Carter as a student, and a kind person who used to be a student UT offered to pay for Carter’s tuition.
“I want to be a student and I want to learn,” Carter said. Since the course requirements have changed, Carter is far from having the amount of credits needed to graduate. But his friend knows he’s willing to take up the challenge. “He is capable, he is ready, and he is dedicated to this,” Chandler says.
1. Why didn’t Carter finish his study at UT more than 40 years ago? (no more than 10 words)2. How does Carter feel as a dropout? (no more than 5 words)
3. What does the underlined part in the fourth paragraph probably mean? (no more than 5 words)
4. What can be inferred about Carter in his study at UT? (no more than 15 words)
5. What do you think is the right way to know someone? Please explain. (no more than 25 words)
