Way back in Victorian times, around 1872,Christina Rossetti wrote a collection of nursery rhymes entitled Sing-Song: A Nursery Rhyme Book, and in it she composed (创作) all sorts of neat little poems that were favorably received. British author Lewis Carroll, a friend of the Rossetti family, lauded the poems, and the public was particularly pleased by the illustrations.
Some of the poems improve children’s mind and character;some are memory aids for learning about numbers, time and colors; others deal with nature, including wind, rain, growth, and death. Rossetti’s delightful poems have a kind of simplicity and effortlessness that audiences today still appreciate. They refresh our memories of being a kid.
Why is the sky blue? Will my head explode if I think too much? You used to ask such fun questions when you were a little one, right? Hey, we all did. And that’s kind of what makes being a kid so cool. In fact, kids often try their hardest to come up with the silliest questions that will inspire a little laughter from others. It’s kind of their duty as kids.
“Who has seen the wind?” It is a silly question, isn’t it? But Rossetti can break nature down for us in a way that not only makes sense but sounds nice, too. The poem reopens our days of innocent imagination.
Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you.
But when the leaves hang trembling,
The wind is passing through.
Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I.
But when the trees bow down their heads,
The wind is passing by.
The poem opens with the title that asks, “Who has seen the wind?” The speaker informs us that neither she nor anyone else has ever seen it. But we do see the leaves “trembling,” which informs us that the wind is passing through. The speaker then repeats the same question. The answer remains the same, but when the trees “bow down their heads,” we again realize that the wind is passing by.
1. What does the underlined word “lauded” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Discovered. | B．Praised. |
| C．Wrote. | D．Hid. |
| A．In Paragraph 1. | B．In Paragraph 2. |
| C．In Paragraph 3. | D．In Paragraph 4. |
| A．It is natural for kids to ask them. |
| B．There is no need to answer them. |
| C．They are harmful to kids’ growth. |
| D．They often annoy others. |
| A．By learning from adults. |
| B．By feeling the moving air. |
| C．By watching the movements of trees. |
| D．By listening to the sounds of the wind. |
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【推荐1】There’s an enormous amount of personal health information people now feed or tap into digital monitors, health apps, search engines and other online tools. If the same information were provided in your doctor’s office, your privacy would be safeguarded. But that’s not how the digitized health world works.
Instead, we have an ecosystem of abuse in which health technology companies operate largely outside the law that requires doctors and other medical personnel, hospitals and insurers to protect an individual’s health information.
That means technology companies can — and do — dig your digital data for clues about your health status, accessing information like prescriptions you have purchased and other health services you might have sought, and potentially link this information to your name, address, email address and other personally identifying information. The data can then be used by platforms including Facebook and Google to help advertisers target promotions or other communications to you.
It’s a gaping hole in health privacy protections that comes from the privacy law, which protects interactions between patients, medical professionals and insurers but does not, in most cases, protect patient health data that is recorded on new technologies.
Closing the patient privacy gap can- and should -be a priority for lawmakers. The consequences of digital exposure for those seeking reproductive services have drawn significant concern and attention. These worries are reasonable. But reproductive care is only one area of health services where private patient information is digitally disclosed.
Therefore, lawmakers must take action to protect the privacy of people who are now online for all manners of personal, professional and other reasons. Until then, a narrowly targeted approach that protects health privacy may be politically easier to come into effect. The explosion of digital health technology and the dramatic increase in its use in the past few years require it greatly.
1. What can we learn about the present situation of the digitized health world?| A．Personal health data is used for other purposes. |
| B．Personal health information is difficult to identify. |
| C．Targeted promotions are used to improve people’s health. |
| D．Medical personnel protect the personal health information well. |
| A．Approving. | B．Critical. | C．Cautious. | D．Ambiguous. |
| A．The spread of health service. |
| B．People’s privacy. |
| C．A narrowly targeted approach. |
| D．The explosion of digital technology. |
| A．To advocate improvement in the privacy law. |
| B．To report cases of illegal information exposure. |
| C．To explain how the digitized health world works. |
| D．To introduce a debate on the effect of technology. |
【推荐2】If planning offers so many benefits, why do many professionals resist it? Some are more comfortable with acting, and therefore don’t want to devote so much time to it, or they think their circumstances are so likely to change that planning is useless. Other people complain that things are going so well or so badly that there’s no point in planning. Finally, some people don’t make strategic plans because they can’t recognize the difference between strategic and short term, operational planning—how to get where you’ve already decided to go.
Circumstances do change, and it’s reasonable to wonder about the value of planning when things are changing so rapidly. But the plans we are talking about are not set in concrete. They are adaptable frameworks, goals, that can conform to(顺应) changing circumstances. There’s nothing wrong with changing direction, if we know what we’re doing and understand our own reasoning.Why plan if things are going fine? Won’t they continue like this? Won’t the skills we now use always be in demand? Probably not—especially in science and technology. Being prepared for new situations is a leading reason for having a strategic plan in the first place. Even if we cannot predict everything that will affect our path, we have a better chance of dealing with it effectively if we’ve thought ahead.Things are going terribly, and I can’t bother planning because survival is the name of the game right now. Good reasoning. If it seems that it’s going to be a close call just to reach that contracted goal, don’t worry about starting a new overall strategy. But most of us often think things are worse than they truly are. If you are continually moving from one crisis(危机) to another, you may need to take some time off to understand why. Are you really heading where you want to go? What changes in direction could prevent some of these crises in the first place？
So, spend some time thinking about your future, outline your plans, and discuss them with people close to you. Strategic planning takes work, but it pays off. It’s an exciting way to create the future rather than just coast into it.
1. Many professionals refuse to make strategic plans since they believe that .| A．operational planning is more important |
| B．planning is harmful and unhealthy |
| C．their success depends on circumstances |
| D．planning is of no use at all to their work |
| A．is flexible and may change with changing situations |
| B．may lose its value when the circumstances change |
| C．guides us through each stage of life to our destiny |
| D．adapts us to the changing environment at all times |
| A．we can do much better with an overall working plan |
| B．it offers a framework from which to solve any difficulties |
| C．work skills today will go out of use sooner or later |
| D．it helps us to deal with unpredictable situations |
| A．Disapproval. | B．Supportive. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Neutral. |
【推荐3】If you contact Indy Cube (a provider of workspaces) after 5 p.m., you’ll receive an automatic message, “We will get back to you pretty quickly during working hours. If you are messaging us outside of these, we’re probably busy with things like horse-riding, dancing or a good sleep.”
The firm is one of a growing number of employers giving their workers an extra day off for the same pay as a five-day week. The four-day week schedule can raise productivity for bosses and happiness for workers. It’s not just small businesses that spot a chance to save money by turning the lights off one day a week. Perpetual Guardian, one of the biggest organizations to make the switch, enjoys huge global interest, with 406 organizations from around the world asking it for advice. “This week we have had people contact us from Japan, Canada, the UK, France, Switzerland,” said its founder Andrew Barnes. “The day off that each worker takes varies, perhaps making it a bit hard to manage. But there’s a change in the firm’s culture—less time surfing on social media and fewer unnecessary meetings,” said Barnes.
However, Kate Cooper argues that the reasons behind increases in productivity are not yet clear. Cooper said that “the Hawthorne effect” may be in play. That is, people change their behavior simply because they feel they are being observed. In this case, they feel that by being granted a four-day week, they believe their bosses are interested in their work. “But how long could that last?” Cooper doubts.
Comment 1: I don’t exactly disagree with a 4-day week as long as I still have the option to work five days and get more money for it.
Comment 2: It’s an interesting idea, but so much needs to happen before this becomes an option for the majority.
Comment 3: I feel there is a great reason: the environment. We need to be producing less stuff to reduce the stress on our planet.
Comment 4: I thought this was supposed to be here 20 years ago with the advances in technology.
Comment 5: 3 days off a week? Preparing for 7 days off a week. People will get lazy.
1. What can we learn about Indy Cube?| A．It is one of the biggest providers of workspaces. |
| B．It is the first company to start the four-day week. |
| C．Its boss should be pleased with a higher productivity. |
| D．Its employees are worried about their income. |
| A．It will be adopted by other companies in the world for sure. |
| B．It has made a positive influence on the company’s culture. |
| C．It benefits big companies more than smaller ones. |
| D．It has helped the firm sign contracts with other countries. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Indifferent. |
| C．Disappointed. | D．Positive. |
| A．Comment 1. | B．Comment 2. |
| C．Comment 3. | D．Comment 5. |
| A．Comment 1. | B．Comment 2. |
| C．Comment 4. | D．Comment 5. |
【推荐1】Perhaps you have been writing poems for a while now.
●Find the market.
Another way to get your poems into print is by entering contests. Contests can encourage you to write about new subjects and try different poetic forms. This does help a lot for more chances.
●
If you want your poetry to be considered seriously by editors and contest judges, take their rules seriously. Be clear about all the requirements.
●Keep good records.
Start a loose-leaf notebook containing all your poems. Every time. you submit a poem, note down the date, the market and the outcome of the submission. You can also make a document that tracks all the poems you have submitted on a laptop or smartphone.
●Don’t give up!
Every poet must get used to rejection. Your work is probably turned down. But it’s not a shame. Instead, it can be taken as a fun experience. It is a part of the publishing process, especially for beginning writers. Don’t stop writing or submitting!
| A．Play the game. |
| B．Take an active part in the game. |
| C．Keep what you write to the point. |
| D．You may expect your poems to win more readers. |
| E．You may be just one submission away from success. |
| F．The first thing is to find the right market for your poems. |
| G．Maybe your poems are already a hit with your family and friends. |
【推荐2】Orwell’s Impact on the World
Few writers have had such an impact on the thinking of the modern world as British writer George Orwell(1903—1950)．Orwell wrote many things on a variety of topics，for example，poverty in England in the 1930s during the Great Depression and his experience in the Spanish Civil War(1936—1939)．
But he is most famous for his works of fiction，Animal Farm(1945) and，especially，Nineteen Eighty-Four(1949)．These last books became especially influential in the West in the 1950s during the early Cold War years．
In Nineteen Eighty-Four，Orwell imagined a Britain of the future, modeled on the Soviet union. His chilling tale of Winston Smith，a regular man who comes into conflict with the government，was close to the fears of many people of the time．Ideas from the novel soon entered everyday culture，and are still in use today．“Big Brother”，for example，is a phrase from the book that refers to how authority is always looking over one’s shoulder.
Other phrases used in the novel, like “War is Peace” and “Freedom is slavery” are also still used now．Indeed，many people see Orwell’s book as warnings about what might happen if those in power become corrupted．
Even today，Orwell remains an influential voice. Often，writers achieve great fame and popularity，but they don’t affect how people live their everyday lives．For example, British author JK Rowling is a huge literary success, but people wouldn’t say that Harry Potter has affect the way people think about politics. For better or for worse, however, George Orwell has.
It’s because of Orwell’s influence on popular thinking that UNESCO’S Memory of the World Programme recently decided to include a collection of Orwell’s writings on its register．
The Memory of the World register is similar to UNESCO’s world heritage site program，which protects places and buildings and natural features in the world．According to its website，the idea behind the body is “that the world’s documentary evidence belongs to all” and should be “permanently accessible to all”．
University College London，which proposed the idea to UNESCO，said in its application that Orwell’s work “had a great influence on human thought in all parts of the world，an influence that remains potent today”．
1. What do we know about Orwell?| A．His most famous works were based on his own experience． |
| B．His books were well-received during the Cold-War． |
| C．He mainly wrote about imaginative, beautiful worlds． |
| D．His writings are often compared to those of JK Rowling． |
| A．The cruelty of war in the 20th century. |
| B．The serious effects of poverty in England. |
| C．People’s various conflicts with the government. |
| D．A corrupt UK government of the future. |
| A．share some of his classic ideas |
| B．show how he used language in a creative way |
| C．stress his ideas are still meaningful today |
| D．show how he described the dark side of society |
| A．They introduced a new way of writing． |
| B．They were a huge literary success． |
| C．They shaped political systems in Western countries． |
| D．They continue to have a great influence on human thought. |
【推荐3】Writing poetry is a way to express emotions without directly stating what you are describing. Writing poetry for the first time can be challenging, but there are so many ways to start and finish a poem.
Keep in line with your emotions.
Decide on a theme for your poem. A theme is your topic and your opinion on the topic.
Use rhyming (押韵的) words if you’d like your poem to have rhythm. Some poetry uses rhyming words at the end of each line or every other line to create a flow. If you’d like to use rhyming words in your poetry, try to insert them as you write, instead of thinking of them before you start writing. For example, a poem could use rhyming words, like seen, clean, mean and glean. Feel free to use rhymes in your poetry!
Don’t feel like your poem has to be a certain length. There is no limit as to how long a poem is. Some are a mere sentence long, while others are paragraphs long or even the length of a novel. It all depends on when you are satisfied with your work.
| A．Your first poem can be short |
| B．Revise your first draft of your poem |
| C．Remember that not all poems rhyme |
| D．A lot of poetry is flooded with feelings |
| E．Read famous poems as examples to follow |
| F．Something like “a sunflower” is just a topic |
| G．Use descriptive language to create a picture |
