【推荐1】Most of us marry creativity to our concept of self either we're "creative" or we aren't much of a middle ground. "I'm just not a creative person!” a frustrated student might say in art class, while another might blame her talent at painting for her difficulties in math, giving a comment such as, “I’m very right-brained."

Dr. Pillay, a tech entrepreneur and an assistant professor at Harvard University, has been challenging these ideas. He believes that the key to unlocking your creative potential is to ignore the traditional advice that urges you to “believe in yourself.” In fact, you should do the opposite: Believe you are someone else.

Dr. Pillay points to a 2016 study demonstrating the impact of stereotypes on one's behavior. The authors, educational psychologists Denis Dumas and Kevin Dunbar, divided their college student subjects into three groups, instructing the members of one to think of themselves as "romantic poets" and the members of another to imagine they were "serious librarians" (the third group was the control). The researchers then presented all the participants with ten ordinary objects, including a fork, a carrot, and a pair of pants, and asked them to come up with as many different uses as possible for each one. Those who were asked to imagine themselves as romantic poets came up with the widest range of ideas, whereas those in the serious-librarian group had the fewest. Meanwhile, the researchers found only small differences in students' creativity levels across academic majors.

These results suggest that creativity is not a fixed individual characteristic but a malleable product of context and perspective, as long as he or she feels like a creative person. Dr. Pillay argues that, besides identifying yourself as creative, taking the bold, creative step of imagining you are somebody else is even more powerful. So, wish you were more creative? Just pretend!

1. Who is more likely to unlock his creative potential?

A．A physics major who imagines himself a writer.

B．A math major who always believes in himself.

C．An art major who has trouble in math.

D．A history major who always dismisses conventional advice.

2. What is the purpose of the study mentioned in pagragrph3?

A．To test the creativity of the college students.

B．To show the stereotypes of the college students.

C．To prove the influence of stereotypes on one's behavior

D．To prove difference of creativity between students.

3. What does the underlined word in the last paragraph probably means?

A．Stable

B．Changeable

C．Predicable

D．Sustainable

4. What does Dr. Pillay may agree with?

A．If we think of ourself as creative, then we might be really creative

B．A student who doesn’t do well in art class is not creative.

C．Right brain determines whether a person is creative or not.

D．There is no doubt that we are either creative or not.

【推荐2】Rock Climbing as Sport and Art

An estimated(估计)nine million people rock climb in the United States. Millions more take part in the activity around the world.     1     Others compete. Rock climbing can be dangerous. But there are many methods and protective devices(装置)that can increase a climber’s safety.

    2     Climbers have to pull themselves straight up the face of very high rocks or walls. So they have to be strong enough to carry their own weight. And climbers sometimes have to hold on to rocks with only their fingers or toes.

There are several kinds of rock climbing. Traditional rock climbing is done outside. Climbers wear ropes and attach devices to the rocks as they climb many hundreds of meters up. They also connect their ropes to the devices.     3     Sport climbing is similar. However, in those cases the protective devices are permanently(永久地) placed in the rock. There is also indoor climbing. Rock walls made of wood or concrete have places for the climber’s hands and feet.

    4     People climb glaciers or frozen waterfalls instead of rocks. They use special equipment for the ice.

And then there is bouldering(巨石攀岩)——climbing rocks between three and seven meters high.     5     Many climbers like bouldering because they can use less equipment. Climbers often need only special shoes and chalk. All climbers use chalk to keep their hands dry.

A．Ice climbing is exactly as it sounds.

B．Some do it just for personal interest.

C．Some go climbing at weekends or in holidays.

D．It is a quicker and more intense(剧烈的) kind of climbing.

E．If a climber slips, a rope can stop him from falling.

F．Climbing takes strength, control and good balance.

G．It is more challenging and dangerous, but also more fun.

【推荐3】Yawning (哈欠) sends out certain messages—either “Oh, this movie is boring” or I probably need to get some sleep”. But did you know that a yawn can also help your brain to cool down when it is so overheated?

A new study, led by a research team of Princeton University, has indicated (表明) that yawning could be the brain’s natural way of regulating temperature. People yawn more often when the temperature outdoors is lower than their body temperature but are less likely to yawn when it is hotter outdoors, according to Sciencedaily.com.

The research team did an experiment on 160 people, 80 in summer and 80 in winter, to examine how often they yawned at different air temperatures. The study found that people yawned more often in winter than in summer. Scientists say that when the air temperature is lower outside the body, there is heat exchange between the overheated brain and the cool air. But when the air temperature is higher than or equal to the body, people are less likely to yawn because the hot air they breathe in will make the brain even hotter.

When people yawn, their jaw is also stretched, which increases blood flow and may also help cool the brain.

The study showed that the amount someone yawned could be related to the amount of time they spent outside. The longer they spent outside in summer, the less they yawn. Nearly 40 percent of participants yawned within their first five minutes outside, but after that the percentage was reduced to less than 10 percent.

However, the result was the opposite in winter. The number of people who yawned increased when they spent more than five minutes outdoors. But the change was only slight compared to summertime.

According to Gallup, this is the first report to show that yawning frequencies (频率) change depending on season. This could help us to understand better the way our brains work. It may also help us understand the reason why frequent yawning can sometimes be a sign of brain disease.

1. The purpose of the experiment is ________.

A．to prove people yawn in winter and in summer equally

B．to indicate brain can regulate temperature naturally

C．to find the frequency of people’s yawning

D．to show the real reason why people yawn

2. According to the text, people yawn more often________.

A．when the air temperature is lower outside the body

B．when the hot air breathed in makes the brain hotter

C．when the air temperature is higher than the body

D．when the air temperature is equal to the body

3. What could be the best title for the text?

A．Yawning is a Sign of Brain Disease	B．Yawning Carries Some Information
C．Yawning Benefits Your Body	D．Yawning Cools Your Brain

【推荐1】Art Literacy Makes the Beauty of Life

Located in the western part of Jiangxi, Yichun is well-known for its art atmosphere. In a way, art, in different forms, gradually opens local students’ eyes to a wider range of beauty, which fosters (培养) their art literacy.    1     .

The art museum plays an important role in developing students’ art literacy.    2    . The events are different, such as New Year’s Day special and National Day special. During these activities, students can learn many kinds of simple art skills, making many new friends and having a nice time. Besides, students can have wonderful opportunities to admire meaningful and colorful art works.

Establishing a closer cooperation relationship between museums and schools is the main concern of the art museum. The staff go to the local schools on a regular basis to help promote art education.    3    , improving the students’ fulfillment ability as well as their culture art manners.

    4    . Many excellent volunteers are enthusiastic about the spread of art in the free time, such as guiding for art exhibitions and finding smart ways to spread art effectively.

Thoughts lead to action and art communication is an important branch of art studies. The popularity of art makes culture much easier to enter people’s life. Thanks to Yichun Art Museum, we can get close to great works of art and it brings pretty enjoyment of art for us. What’s more, the art literacy helps us explore and discover the beauty of nature and enjoy the beauty of life.    5    , welcome to join us.

A．If you are interested in art

B．The museum housing masterpieces is well worth a visit

C．Yichun Art Museum here is a treasure we should pay attention to

D．The art museum attracts volunteers of all ages from all walks of life

E．The students benefit a lot from the delicate works of art on exhibition

F．It often holds public education events, especially on holidays and vacations

G．It is one of the great methods to foster art emotions

【推荐2】阅读理解
For anyone who is determined to be a fashion designer, it is not enough to have succeeded in college. The real test is whether they can survive, and become established during their early 20s, making a name for themselves in the real world where business skills can be as important as talent and creativity.
Fashion is a hard business. There is a continuous amount of stress because work is at a constant and extremely fast speed to prepare for the next season’s collections. It is extremely competitive and there is the constant need to make attractive advertisements of the latest fashion in newspapers and magazines. It also requires continual freshness because the appetite for new ideas is hard to satisfy. “We try to warn people before they come to us about how tough it is.” says Lydia Kemeny, Head of Fashion at St. Martin’s School of Art in London. “And we point out that drive and determination are absolutely necessary.”
This may seem far removed from the popular opinions of fashionable young people spending their time designing pretty dresses. That may well be what they do in their first year of study but a good college won’t be slow in introducing students to commercial realities, “We don’t walk our foot on the blossoming flower of creativity but in the second year we start introducing the restrictions of price, producing ability, marketing and so on.”
Almost all fashion design is done to a brief. It is not a form of self­expression as such, although there is certainly room for imagination and creativity. Most young designers are going to end up as employees of a producer or a fashion house and they still need to be able to work within the characteristic style of their employer. Even those students who are most modern in their own taste of clothes may need to adapt to produce designs which are right for the mainstream of the market. They also have to be able to work at both the expensive and the cheap end of the market and the challenge to produce good design inexpensively may well be demanding.
1. Which of the following is mainly discussed in the passage?

A．Talent in fashion.

B．Good marks at college.

C．Ability to create new designs.

D．Business skills in fashion industry.

2. What can we learn from the second paragraph?

A．Fashion designers are highly motivated and really detemined.

B．Good preparations for the next season can reduce stress.

C．Consumers’ appetite for new ideas keeps changing.

D．Advertisement business is very competitive.

3. What does the underlined word “This” in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Lydia Kemeny’s opinion.

B．The competitive business world.

C．The warning to the young designers.

D．The real situation in fashion industry.

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．St. Martin’s School of Art encourages the new students to design dresses they like.

B．St. Martin’s School of Art requires students to develop their creativity in their designing.

C．St. Martin’s School of Art demands students to make pretty dresses for companies.

D．St. Martin’s School of Art focuses on teaching students commercial realities.

【推荐3】No one doubts that students should study languages, maths and science in high school, but some may object to the idea that they should study art and music as well. To them, these subjects are useless for students’ future and are not worth the time and effort. In my opinion, however, it is necessary for middle school students to study art and music.
Art and music are a precious culture legacy(遗产), which bring us pleasure and enjoyment. Have you ever been deeply moved by Beethoven’s famous Fifth Symphony(第五交响曲)? Have you ever been fascinated by the colorful starry night produced by Vincent Van Gogh in his paint? Have you ever longed for the moving love between the Butterfly Lovers when you hear this well-known Chinese melody(曲调)? Art and music are not only images and sounds, but something beyond them. They are the products of passion and human wisdom(智慧).
Art and music help make students more creative. Artists and musicians are considered the most creative people in the world. It is because art and music sharpen their senses and provide a different perspective (视角) for them to see the world. Many great scientists benefited from art and music. Einstein, the greatest physicist in the 20th century, as well as an excellent violin player, is a good example.
Enjoying art and music is also a good way to relax. Middle school students, who typically carry heavy burdens of study, will definitely(明确地) benefit from it.
To sum up, art and music should absolutely be included in the middle school courses, for they can bring students pleasure and relaxation.
1. According to the author, people who think art and music are useless for middle school students __________.

A．don’t understand the value of art and music

B．don’t know the history of art and music at all

C．never benefit from artists and musicians

D．know little about the trend of future education

2. In paragraph 2, the author tries to argue that __________.

A．Beethoven is one of the greatest musicians

B．art and music help express people’s emotions

C．art and music are precious pictures and sounds

D．art and music bring people joy and quality life

3. The example of Einstein is used to __________.

A．show the importance of creativity

B．prove that scientists are creative

C．encourage students to study art and music

D．provide students with a new way to see the world

4. Which of the following is an effective way for middle school students to study?

A．Relaxing themselves regularly while studying.

B．Attending concerts during holidays or after school.

C．Avoiding too much homework by studying art and music.

D．Listening to music while studying language, maths or other subjects.

5. Which of the following is used to support the writer’s opinion?

A．Art and music help people become scientists.

B．Art and music provide people with more opportunities.

C．Art and music are beneficial to students in other subjects.

D．Art and music are helpful to make students creative learners.