A famous doctor Lord Robert Winston took a train from London to Manchester, and he found himself becoming angry. A woman picked up her phone and began a loud conversation, which lasted an unbelievable hour. Furious, Winston took pictures of the woman and post them on the social media.
As the train arrived at its destination, Winston had had enough of the woman’s rudeness. Meanwhile the press were waiting for her on the platform. And when they deliberately showed her the message, she used just one word to describe Winston’s actions: rude.
The story of Winston is something of a microcosm (缩影) of our age of increasing rudeness fueled by the social media. What can we do to fix this?
Studies have shown that rudeness spreads quickly and virally, almost like the common cold. Once infected, we are more aggressive, less creative and worse at our jobs. The only way to end this is to make a conscious decision to deal with it. We must have the courage to point it out, face to face. We must say, “Just stop.” For Winston, that would have meant approaching the woman, telling her that her conversation was disturbing other passengers and politely asking her to speak more quietly or make the call at another time.
The anger and injustice we feel at the rude behaviour of a stranger can drive us to do odd things. In my own research, I surveyed 2,000 adults, and discovered that the acts of revenge people had taken ranged from the ridiculous to the disturbing. Winston put the spotlight on the woman’s behaviour — but in a way that shamed her.
We must fight with rudeness directly. When we see it occur in a store, we must step up and say something. We must defend strangers in the same way we’d defend our best friends. But we can do it with grace, by handling it without any trace of aggression and without being rude ourselves. Because once rude people can see their actions through the eyes of others, they are far more likely to end that rude behaviour themselves.
1. Why did the woman use the word “rude” to describe Winston’s actions?| A．He said rude words to the woman. |
| B．He lost his temper due to other people’s rudeness. |
| C．He behaved improperly and spoke loudly on the train. |
| D．He pointed out the woman’s rude behaviour in a wrong way. |
| A．To draw a conclusion from the above story. |
| B．To form a connecting link between the previous and the following. |
| C．To tell us the ways to deal with rudeness. |
| D．To show us the positive and negative effects of the social media. |
| A．We can deal with rudeness in an indirect way. |
| B．Rudeness and manners can hardly coexist in a civilized society. |
| C．Both strangers and acquaintances deserve our friendly warning. |
| D．Rude people can’t see their rudeness through others’ eyes. |
| A．Don’t Ignore Online Rudeness | B．Civilization Calls for Civility |
| C．How to Handle Rudeness Spread Online | D．Rude Behaviour Makes a Rude Society |
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【推荐1】That woman carried a new blanket (毛毯) over her arm. Wordlessly, she gave it to me.
“Is it finished?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No. It is ready,” she replied. I handed her the money and took the blanket.
“It is beautiful, so skillfully woven (编织),” I said to my mother. “But what did she mean when she said it was not finished? How can it be ready if it is not finished?”
“I will tell you later,” my mother said, “but first I will take you to the Navajo (纳瓦霍) village.”
We went down to the village. A group of young men were making sand pictures. We walked through the whole village, watching the different things the people were doing.
It was not until that evening that my mother finally explained the Navajo woman’s words.
“Did you notice anything about the things the people were making?” my mother asked.
“What should I have noticed?” I looked at her and asked.
“Each thing the Navajo make has one small part that is not complete. The designs in their sand pictures are often not perfectly done, for example — the line of a circle may not quite close. If you look carefully at your blanket, you will probably find a stitch (一针) missing.”
I took the blanket off, but it looked as perfect as any design could be. Then suddenly, I noticed that sure enough a stitch was missing!
“But why do the Navajo intentionally leave some tiny part unfinished?” I asked.
“They believe that when anything is completed or finished, it means the end has come — it will not be perfect until then. Then too, with a circle, they believe that they must leave a pathway for the bad spirits to run away and the good spirits to come in. So, often, they do not make the line close.”
1. The blanket the author received _____.| A．was poorly woven | B．made her think a lot |
| C．cost her a lot of money | D．was finished, but not ready |
| A．To buy more things made by the Navajo. |
| B．To make friends with some of the Navajo. |
| C．To have a deeper understanding of the Navajo. |
| D．To look for the woman who sold her the blanket. |
| A．A stitch in time is very important. | B．Life only becomes perfect when you die. |
| C．He who makes no mistake is a perfect man. | D．You must always try to make your life complete. |
| A．The Navajo are good at making things. |
| B．The Navajo are brave and hard-working. |
| C．A blanket tells a lot about the Navajo culture. |
| D．Skills are needed to do business with the Navajo. |
【推荐2】To learn to think is to learn to question. Those who don't question never truly think for themselves. These are simple rules that have governed the advancement of science and human thought since the beginning of time. Advancements are made when thinkers question theories(理论) and introduce new ones. Unfortunately, it is often the great and respected thinkers who end up slowing the progress of human thought. Aristotle was a brilliant philosopher whose theories explained much of the natural world, often incorrectly. He was so respected by the scientific community that even 1,200 years after his death, scientists were still trying to build upon his mistakes rather than correct them!
Brilliant minds can intimidate upandcoming thinkers who are not confident of their abilities. They often believe they are not as good as the minds of giants such as Aristotle, leading many to accept current ideas instead of questioning them.
I, like many thinkers of the past, once believed in my mental weakness. I was certain that my parents, my teachers—adults in general—were always right. They were like a textbook to me; I didn't question what was written on those pages. I respected them, and accepted whatever they told me. But that attitude soon changed. My mind's independence was first developed in the classroom.
A stern, 65yearold elementaryschool science teacher once told me that light is a type of wave. I confidently went through years of school believing that light is a wave. One day，however, I heard the German exchange student mention that light could be made up of particles(粒子). As the others laughed at his statement, I started to question my beliefs.
Maybe the teachers and textbooks hadn't given me the whole story. I went to the library, did some research and learned of the lightasawave versus lightasaparticle debate. I read about Einstein's discovery of the dual nature of light and learned the facts of a paradox(悖论) that puzzles the world's greatest thinkers to this day. Light behaves as both a particle and a wave, it is both at once. I realized I had gone through life accepting only half of the story as the whole truth.
Each new year brought more new facts, and I formulated even more questions. I found myself in the library after school, trying to find my own answers to gain a more complete understanding of what I thought I already knew. I discovered that my parents and teachers are good tools in my quest for knowledge, but they are never the final word. Even textbooks can be challenged. I learned to question my sources, I learned to be a thinker. I once believed that everything I learned at home and at school was certain, but I have now discovered to reexamine when necessary.
Questions are said to be the path to knowledge and truth, and I plan to continue questioning. How many things do we know for sure today that we will question in the future? At this moment, I know that our sun will burn for another five billion years, and I know nothing can escape the gravity of a black hole. This knowledge, however, may change in the next 20 years—maybe even in the next two. The one thing we can control now is our openness to discovery. Questions are the tools of open minds, and open minds are the key to intellectual advancement.
1. In the first paragraph, Aristotle is taken as an example to show that ______.| A．he is the greatest and respected philosopher of all time |
| B．huge influence of great thinkers may stop human thought from developing |
| C．advancements are made when thinkers question theories |
| D．great thinkers often make mistakes and then correct them |
| A．Frighten. | B．Encourage. | C．Strengthen. | D．Persuade. |
| A．what he learned from textbooks before turned out to be wrong |
| B．he was inspired by the different ideas from an exchange student |
| C．he was laughed at by other students for his unacceptable statement |
| D．he was not satisfied with his life and desperate to achieve success |
| A．looks down upon great thinkers all the time |
| B．never doubts what he has learned in the textbook |
| C．always throws himself into the laboratory |
| D．is determined to be a thinker and questioner |
| A．the author is not quite sure about his future |
| B．we human beings don't dare to predict future |
| C．the theory of black holes will change in two years |
| D．questioning is necessary to promote advancement |
【推荐3】Ten years ago, the professors Brian Lucas and Loran Nordgren encountered a contradiction. On the one hand, we recognize that other people are more likely to make creative breakthroughs when they persevere. On the other hand. when we feel stuck on a problem, most of us fail to sec how successful we’ll be if we just keep trying. We tend to believe that our creativity drops over time — that if our best ideas don’t come to us immediately, they won’t come at all.
Lucas and Nordgren call this misunderstanding the “creative cliff illusion”, which refers to the false belief that our creativity sharply declines after an initial period of effort, leading us to underestimate our ability to generate new and innovative ideas with continued perseverance. In one experiment, they asked participants to spend 10 minutes generating “as many original ideas for things to eat and drink at a Thanksgiving dinner as you can. ” Afterward, participants were asked to guess how many ideas they would come up with during a second 10-minute period. Most expected to generate far fewer ideas the second time around, but in fact they produced just as many during that second period — 66 percent more than they had guessed. And those were rated by other people as more creative than the initial ideas.
Though we tend to think our ability to come up with ideas is easily consumed, we actually get more creative the longer we focus on a problem or task. One major reason for this is known as the “serial-order effect”. Each next creative idea we have is likely to be better than the one that came before.
The serial-order effect isn’t always easy to see. Most of us have adopted the belief that creativity should feel easy, or “fluent”. And so we associate mental difficulty with pointlessness. But working through bad ideas is a necessary step in the creative process. The first solutions that come to mind tend to be either preexisting ideas or popular wisdom. These are the paths of least resistance. Though avoiding them requires some work, it’s the surest way to find original ideas that aren’t immediately manifest.
The serial-order effect applies to tasks that last minutes or days, but creativity also improves across years, decades, and even careers. The life’s work of most successful entrepreneurs proves it.
1. What does the contradiction mainly tell us about?| A．Two professors’ wonder. | B．The best ideas for failures. |
| C．People’s mental tendency. | D．Immediate solutions to creativity. |
| A．Humble. | B．Surprised. | C．Hopeful. | D．Unconcerned. |
| A．Obvious. | B．Effective. | C．Attractive. | D．Acceptable. |
| A．People can be more creative with age. |
| B．Creativity comes from creative approaches. |
| C．Creativity actually increases with continued effort. |
| D．People can avoid misunderstandings about creativity. |
【推荐1】I got my COVID-19 vaccination (接种疫苗) last Thursday at Strong Memorial Hospital. The University emailed six messages to me, telling me that I was able to schedule a vaccine appointment. To get rid of my needle fear, I turned to Johnson & Johnson’s to avoid a second appointment and a second injection(注射).
Getting the vaccine was probably the easiest medical appointment I’ve ever had. Once I was inside, it took me about five minutes to show someone my ID and wait in line. I was in and out of my appointment in less than 30 minutes.
That night, however, the vaccine absolutely kicked my ass. I’ve heard a variety of stories from different people about the strong reactions, but I was having a bad time. For the next 24 hours, I was achy, had a slight fever, and suffered a pounding headache.
I felt terrible. But I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
Here are some reasons, both selfish and selfless, why you should get vaccinated as soon as possible.
Like everyone else, you probably preferred normal college life over what it’s been like for the past year. You probably enjoyed hanging out with friends, without having to worry about masks.
Getting vaccinated saves lives. Even the WHO does not know what percentage of the population needs to be vaccinated in order to achieve herd immunity (群体免疫) against COVID-19. But in the case of other common viruses, we typically need around 93% to 95% of the population to be vaccinated, meaning that people who are able to get the vaccine have a duty to do so.
I have every reason to believe that I don’t need the vaccine. I’m a healthy young adult and I don’t have a job that puts me at a high risk, nor do I have any duties that require my in-person presence. Despite all that, I still got the vaccine.
There is no excuse. Get vaccinated.
1. Why did the author choose Johnson & Johnson’s?| A．Because the author was informed by the university. |
| B．Because the author was able to get the vaccine. |
| C．Because the author was so afraid of needles. |
| D．Because the author wanted to challenge himself. |
| A．The author’s ass ached because of the vaccine. |
| B．The author was dying from a serious reaction. |
| C．The author was safe and sound like many people. |
| D．The author suffered a lot from the vaccination. |
| A．It took the author quite a long time to get the vaccine. |
| B．It is unnecessary for healthy adults to get vaccinated. |
| C．Getting vaccination is an effective way to beat COVID-19. |
| D．The author’s job increases the possibility of catching the virus. |
| A．To point out the terrible situation of COVID-19 at present. |
| B．To call on people to get vaccinated without any excuse. |
| C．To express the author’s appreciation for getting vaccinated. |
| D．To share an unforgettable experience of getting vaccinated. |
【推荐2】Why do most of us live our life always caring what people might say or think? Some of the decisions we make are just to please the outside world around us. I have always lived life pleasing the ever over-demanding society. This had a great effect on my search for authenticity (真实性). I only felt good enough when people paid attention to me. So I would frequently do things to catch people’s eye instead of placing emphasis on what really matters to me.
A recent experience changed my view. I had been looking for a tailor to mend some of my clothes. With the help of a few friends, I found one, who just so happened to go to the same gym as me. As we chatted, he shared his story and his use of drugs for muscle development with me. In his words, he weighed over 240 pounds and was the envy of a lot of people. So many people wanted to be like him and have a body like his, which made him use more drugs.
But within two years something happened. He began to have problems with his liver. The doctor advised him to stop using drugs and give up lifting heavy weights for a while. This was a hard decision because he had got so used to the attention from people. He didn’t want to give that up; who would? Right? That was it. He made me understand how he lived his life for people. He lost sight of what was best for him.
He told me not to live life thinking about too much what people think, feel, or say. Instead, live life with meaning. His story really has an effect on me. I have to look at my life to see what I do. I am not saying we shouldn’t take the advice of others into consideration, but we must work hard for continuous self-awareness (自我认识). If we can know what we’re doing and why we’re doing it, we can realize just how important that thing is to us.
1. What does the underlined phrase“placing emphasis on”mean?| A．Looking forward to. | B．Paying attention to. |
| C．Getting familiar with. | D．Taking pride in. |
| A．To lose weight. | B．To keep healthy. |
| C．To treat his liver disease. | D．To improve his muscle and weight. |
| A．He was afraid of losing others’admiration. |
| B．He didn’t have any trouble with his health. |
| C．He wanted to live a simple and easy life. |
| D．He wasn’t able to lose sight of himself. |
| A．We should live life to the fullest. |
| B．Being open to others’advice is important. |
| C．We should have a good understanding of ourselves. |
| D．Nothing is more important than good health in our life. |
【推荐3】We all know the saying, “Nobody is perfect.” It has been planted in our brains since we were children, and of course, it is the truth. So if nobody is perfect, why do we have such a hard time admitting when we are in trouble or need help?
Like many other young people trying to get through their first year of college, I felt anxiety, and it had its grips on me pretty tight. It began getting in the way of my life, and I had to sit down and tell myself that my behavior was not healthy and there was a solution. Finally, I decided to turn to therapy (精神疗法).
Therapy. It has such a negative stigma (污名), but why? Does going to therapy mean that you are failing as a person or that you cannot fix your problems on your own? No. Going to therapy means that you are strong enough to recognize that something inside your head is not working correctly, and you are brave enough to try to fix it.
After a couple of weeks, many parts of my life became so much clearer. I began to understand that I, myself, am my worst enemy, which was pretty frightening. But, although frightened, I knew that it was only I who could guide me towards feeling better, and that was extremely empowering.
I have been guided towards a healthier mindset, one that is positive and powerful. I have been able to understand that no matter what happens in my life. I will always be okay.
A lot of people do not understand that it is normal to have negative feelings and sometimes to feel like we have lost control over certain parts of our lives. Seeing a therapist can greatly change your way of thinking about something if you keep your mind open and I am so thankful that I decided to go and do something for myself.
If you are in need of help, you can go to therapy and then everything will be okay.
1. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Anxiety greatly influenced the author. | B．Anxiety encouraged the author to change. |
| C．The author couldn’t deal with the college life. | D．The author had no idea what to do. |
| A．means you are failing as a person | B．you’re brave enough to solve your problems |
| C．can make others think wrongly about you | D．can be quite unnecessary and helpful |
| A．To tell us how to think positively. | B．To show it is OK to be imperfect. |
| C．To help us know better about therapy. | D．To share her college life with us. |
【推荐1】Wonder was published in February of 2012 and was R.J. Palacio’s first novel. One day Palacio took her son to buy ice cream and saw him cry when a girl with facial birth deformities (畸形) sat next to him. Later, while listening to Natalie Merchant’s song “Wonder”, Palacio reflected on the situation and began writing the novel, hoping that a tense scene from her own life could turn into a valuable lesson.
The story centers around Auggie, a ten-year-old boy. Auggie doesn’t look like the rest of us. He was born with a facial deformity that has caused the first person who ever sees him to faint (晕倒). When Auggie’s parents sent him to a regular school, he must face the challenges of fitting in with his classmates and dealing with bullying (霸凌) and exclusion. Along the way. Auggie makes new friends, learns to cope with his condition, and teaches others about the power of acceptance and kindness.
The book is divided into several parts, each told by a different character, allowing the reader to see the events through the eyes of various characters. The themes of acceptance, kindness, and family relationships are central to the book’s messages. However, some readers may find the plot predictable, and others might want a more diverse and inclusive cast of characters.
Despite this, Wonder is a beautifully written and deeply affecting book that offers a powerful message of sympathy and acceptance. By exploring the experiences of Auggie and those around him, the book encourages readers to see beyond appearances and embrace our differences. Its themes and messages are both timely and timeless, and its impact on readers of all ages is undeniable.
1. Where did R.J. Palacio’s inspiration for Wonder come from?| A．Her son’s love for ice cream. | B．A song for kids with deformities. |
| C．A story she read in a newspaper. | D．Her encounter with a disabled girl. |
| A．He suffered a lot at school. | B．He used to be a school bully. |
| C．He is unsociable at school. | D．He dislikes the regular school. |
| A．The simple theme. | B．Wonder’s being beautifully written. |
| C．The predictable plot. | D．Readers’ having different opinions. |
| A．Objective and plain. | B．Touching and instructive. |
| C．Serious and hard to follow. | D．Humorous and straightforward. |
【推荐2】My mother looks just like many grandmothers. Short, plump with white hair and rosy cheeks. She comes from an old traditional Catholic (天主教) family. She was a career government official. In short, she didn’t do crazy things.
That all changed a few years ago. She began to surprise me with what she described as “independence”. At the time, I merely saw it as examples of irresponsibility and possibly age-related questionable judgement.
In early 2015, the year she turned 75, she announced she’d booked a seven-night trip to Turkey. Alone. Because she’d never been. There was no way I could allow that. An old lady wandering the streets of a tally foreign country on her own—it was out of the question! Yet, she paid no attention to me. Off she went.
At 77, she did a similar thing while on a Caribbean cruise (游轮) with her sister. Upon landing in Cuba, she wandered off on her own. And of course she forgot to tell anyone about her plan, causing my aunt to spend the entire afternoon searching for her. She returned just in time for the cruise, saying she’d had a wonderful time drinking at a Cuban bar.
On her 80th birthday, sitting with her family, Mom suddenly told us she had got herself a tattoo (纹身)! Her first. It would be her birthday present to herself.
I wondered if she’d become addlebrained (老糊涂), but Mom proved that she was thinking straighter than most of us. The independence she seeks seems to be thoughtfully based on a realization that life is to be lived, and when there’s little of it left, it needs to be lived now. Sure, she’ll continue her craziness, but maybe that’s what we need right now. Some pointless, wonderful craziness.
1. Which aspect of the author’s mother surprised him a few years ago?| A．Her examples. | B．Her judgement. |
| C．Her background. | D．Her acts. |
| A．She often argued with her son. |
| B．She worried her sister on purpose. |
| C．She traveled in Turkey with her family. |
| D．Her tattoo shocked her family. |
| A．Bold. | B．Changeable. |
| C．Irresponsible. | D．Efficient. |
| A．Never too old to learn. | B．Elders are treasures. |
| C．Live in the present. | D．Actions speak lourder than words |
【推荐3】This is a true story that happened in Japan. In order to repair the house, a Japanese tore open the walls. Japanese houses normally have an empty space between the wooden walls. When pulling down the walls, he found that there was a lizard (蜥蜴) staying there because a nail (钉子) from outside was hammered into one of its feet. He saw this, feeling pity and curious. When he checked the nail, he found it was nailed 10 years ago when the house was first built.
What happened? The lizard had survived in such a position for 10 years! It had been in a dark wall partition (夹层) for 10 years without moving! Then he wondered how this lizard survived for 10 years without moving a single step — since its foot was nailed! So he stopped his work and observed the lizard: What had it been doing? What and how had it been eating? Later, he didn’t know from where another lizard appeared, with food in its mouth. Ah! He was astonished and touched deeply. The free lizard had been feeding it for the past 10 years.
Such love, a beautiful love! Such love happened with this tiny creature … What can love do? It can do wonders! Just think about it: one lizard had been feeding the other for 10 long years, without giving up hope on its partner. If a small creature like a lizard can love like this, just imagine how we can love if we try.
1. How did the Japanese feel when seeing the lizard there?| A．Frightened. | B．Enjoyable. |
| C．Confused. | D．Usual. |
| A．To watch how long the lizard can still live here. |
| B．To take out the nail and set the lizard free. |
| C．To have a rest by watching the lizard. |
| D．To find out why the lizard had survived there for 10 years. |
| A．It teaches us never to give up our loved ones. |
| B．It teaches us to give more help to our loved ones. |
| C．It tells us to take pity on the stuck lizard. |
| D．It encourages us to live even longer. |
