Some people get more averse to risk as the years go by. Not so Gail MacCallum, who at age 40 quit a secure job and left the city to explore more possibilities of life.
MacCallum moved quite a bit in childhood and spent her formative years outside Canberra in a farmhouse without electricity, where she enjoyed the freedom of the natural world. In her teens, she and her family moved into the heart of inner-city Sydney, and she found she adored that too.
In 2015, MacCallum and her then partner had a daughter, Amelia. They wanted to make sure that despite being a city kid, Amelia had plenty of natural encounters so they sought out places to climb trees, watch lizards and spot turtles. But one day MacCallum realised her little girl was more at ease with busy streets than bushland. “When she was about seven, we were visiting a friend whose place had a beautiful lawn. Amelia called out to me and said, ‘I can’t go into the wild!’ We decided we had to let her experience a wider world and two months later we were in a camper van heading off around Australia.”
MacCallum admits she felt worried. “I thought we’d need to know some basic things but the trip was like a leap in the dark. ” As it happened, the van they’d bought broke down just 90 minutes into the trip. But after repairs they set off again and travelled the country for six months, during which Amelia became an enthusiastic adventurer. “That trip helped me understand that success doesn’t have to be assured,” MacCallum says. “I realised that you can start something and just work it out as you go along.”
1. What does the underlined word in paragraph 1 mean ?| A．Motivated. | B．Confident. | C．Unwilling. | D．Regretful. |
| A．She is a person in favor of stability. |
| B．She preferred the inner city to the rural area. |
| C．Her love for nature was rooted in her childhood. |
| D．She knew much about long-distance travelling. |
| A．Amelia was raised in a casual way. |
| B．Amelia was a nature enthusiast just like her parents. |
| C．MacCallum and her partner planned the trip separately. |
| D．MacCallum expected her daughter to be close to nature. |
| A．Costly but satisfying. | B．Eventful but educational. |
| C．Boring but meaningful. | D．Difficult but romantic. |
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【推荐1】Swimming alongside wild dolphins has long been on the Hawaii vacation list. However, scientists are concerned that increased human activities may do bad to the animals by disturbing a very important period of their rest. “We have seen changes in their action,” Ann Garrett of NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service said. “They will be more active with people around.”
After feeding in deep water at night, dolphins return to sheltered, shallow (浅的) water to rest during the day. The problem appears when swimmers draw them out of their resting state, a change in behavior that NOAA points out “may cause disturbance”.
“Disturbing their resting behaviors can actually affect their long-term health and the health of the population,” Garrett said. This summer, NOAA is set to put forward its new rules. “NOAA is considering a lot of measures. These measures may make some people angry, but they will undoubtedly do good to those dolphins,” Garrett said.
Today, a small number of Hawaii tour companies willingly join in a NOAA program called Dolphin SMART. Designed to lower the disturbance that dolphins suffer because of human activities to the minimum (最低限度), the program encourages tourists to stay 50 yards away from dolphins and to move away carefully if they feel the animals are disturbed.
NOAA’s new rules, however, would not be allowed to be chosen to follow or not, and could affect over 200 dolphin-related businesses as well as swimmers and other ocean users. Garrett said that new rules would keep tour companies from disturbing dolphins. “The final goal of the changes,” she said, “will be to provide more protections for dolphins while still offering a chance for tourists to have a pleasant wildlife experience”.
1. What can we learn about dolphins’ living habits from the text?| A．They sleep in deep water. |
| B．They hunt in shallow water. |
| C．They rest during the nighttime. |
| D．They are inactive in the daytime. |
| A．Perfect. | B．Meaningless. | C．Useful. | D．Confusing. |
| A．make the most use of dolphins. |
| B．help reduce human disturbance to dolphins. |
| C．let people know how smart dolphins are. |
| D．show how to get close to dolphins in a smart way. |
| A．new rules will be carried out immediately. |
| B．dolphin-related businesses will close down. |
| C．swimmers will choose to stay away from wildlife. |
| D．the changes will protect dolphins without disappointing tourists. |
【推荐2】Libraries are romantic places. The romance is that of reading, and the wealth of human imagining and learning that is contained in them. Access to the knowledge and literary art poetry, fiction, drama)in a library is precious -and particularly valuable to young minds and people of any age with an interest in education.
It would be hard to find anyone who actively disapproves of libraries. But when it comes to reality, Britain’s libraries are on less solid ground. The number of books borrowed in the year ending in March.2021 was 72.9m,down 56%on the previous year. Physical visits also collapsed, from 214.6m to 59.7m.
Of course, this is the behaviour that one would expect during a pandemic. Many libraries were closed during this period, while people were discouraged from unnecessary mixing. Book sales climbed to their highest in a decade in 2021, which suggests that some former users of libraries may have bought books instead.
Private libraries at home, whether large collections or single bookshelves, appear to be developing well. But the hope must be that visits and loans at public libraries will soon return to their former level too. Like any other service, libraries need users. And while booksellers might in one sense be regarded as competitors, in fact the vast majority of those involved in the trade, from publishers to poets, are library lovers.
This has something to do with the romantic idea of the reader as explorer, with every book a door to a new store of feeling or understanding. But it also involves the recognition that if books are to form part of our life, there must be space in public for them. Books can be treasured possessions, but there is also something special about a copy that arrives in your hands having passed through those of others -and that will go on being passed between strangers who share your curiosity.
1. What has happened to British libraries?| A．They have been in a bad state. | B．They have become romantic places. |
| C．They have got great appeal for artists. | D．They have suffered great loss of users. |
| A．People avoid close contact in public. | B．Many libraries have been pulled down. |
| C．People have access to affordable books. | D．More people disapprove of public libraries. |
| A．Books are personal belongings. | B．Libraries are a paradise for adventurers. |
| C．Books should be attached importance to. | D．Libraries contribute to human connection. |
| A．Libraries will fade out of stage. | B．Libraries will hold a promising future. |
| C．Booksellers benefit from libraries’ collapse. | D．The pandemic has boosted British book sales. |
【推荐3】Interested in learning simple moves which can lead to a less stressed-out you? Join our eight-week course of training Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction. Below is a brief introduction of our four strategies to build the ability to recover from stress.
 For many of us, work can be so mentally exhausting that it’s possible to forget that we have an entire body attached to our head. The body-scan meditation is a chance to help you tune in to the tiny pains that we often don’t even notice. It can last anywhere from one to 20 minutes, and it’s easy to do while lying in bed. Here’s how to do it: lie down or sit still in a chair with your eyes closed, and begin to sense every part of the body in turn, starting at your toes and traveling up from there. It’s a good way for us to release tension we don’t even realize we’re experiencing. |
 Mindfulness isn’t all closed eyes and a statue-still position. Stretching, too, can be meditation. Mindful movement is also a way to pay attention. The point isn’t to twist into a complex body position, but to better understand the body’s limits and potential. Cycle through slow, gentle poses, like placing a knee to your chest while lying on your back, or a simple cat-cow (pictured) on all fours. Before you start, set aside a few minutes to calm down and focus on your breath. And once you’re done, spend a few moments lying flat on your back with your muscles relaxed. |
 Simply breathing while paying attention to the breath is the heart of any mindfulness practice. The goal isn’t to clear the mind but to let thoughts pass like clouds without getting sucked into what they might mean. Rather than identifying with a thought or getting caught up in it, the participant notices the thought and then says goodbye to it. That way, people can have a little bit more freedom in how to respond to internal stimuli like their thoughts. To cultivate awareness of the breath, find a relaxed seat and notice—without thinking about it or trying to change it—how you breathe in and out. Build up to a 15-to-20-minute practice. |
 Walking is a good framework for practicing mindfulness. (Ideally, this should be done without the pressure of having to get anywhere on a particular schedule.) Find a quiet place inside or outdoors to take your stroll. While you walk, focus on each small, slow step: the lifting of one foot, the heel-first transfer of weight, the shift to the other. Every time your foot hits the ground, bring your attention to your breath and the feelings in your body. Walking meditation is more manageable than, say, sitting still in the dark, and it can also alleviate pain in the process. Try to practice mindful walking, at any pace, for 10 to 30 minutes. |
1. Gentle Yoga and Breathing Exercise are similar in that both of them ______.
| A．involve stretching bodies considerably | B．call for controlling people’s breath |
| C．empty pressure from mind temporarily | D．help people reduce body movement |
| A．People can do their walking meditation at their own pace. |
| B．Doing body scan can let go of the unnoticed tension. |
| C．Before doing gentle yoga, people need to lie down and relax muscles. |
| D．Breathing exercise requires people to breathe in a usual way. |
| A．Warming up activity is required before doing these exercises. |
| B．These exercises are better functioned when done indoors. |
| C．The more time you spend on the exercises, the better result you get. |
| D．Your body keeps in a motionless state when doing body scan. |
【推荐1】There are people for whom the motivation lies in their family’s or companions’ duties. For some people, the purpose lies in a soul’s spiritual awakening. Brent Clayton, a firefighter by profession, is such an individual who found his purpose early in life and kept working to fulfill it.
Born on March 3, 1984, Clayton hugely felt the need to serve others. He followed his mission in life and acquired his diploma in Public Safety. He gradually realized the importance of securing people’s lives, which strengthened his faith in his mission. Clayton further pursued his bachelor’s degree from the University of Melbourne and master’s degree from Federation University. Then, Clayton worked in the military for a period before moving into a role with the prison service as a prison guard, the youngest person to ever be employed by the service at the time.
After spending a decade in the fire service including training and recruitment, he gained enough experience to become Australian most prominent fire service recruitment expert. Clayton devoted many years of his life to the firefighter recruitment process and fire service industry. He wanted people to realize the true value of this profession by establishing its significance. To communicate his perspective, Clayton established Fire Recruitment Australia in 2009. He aimed to train the next generation and prepare them for the future. Clayton used his experience and years-long training to prepare candidates who were as enthusiastic about the well-being of the world as him.
Keeping the point in mind, Clayton wrote the book Fire Service Recruitment-The Process to Success. His idea was to join his learning into an accessible medium so others didn’t have to waste years wondering what to do when applying to become a firefighter. After the success of the book, Clayton introduced candidates to a comprehensive test preparation and learning suite to facilitate success throughout each stage of the selection process. This platform helped him as well as his candidates to work together for the betterment of themselves and society at large.
1. What made Clayton’s belief stronger?| A．The need of serving other people. |
| B．The significance of securing people’s safety. |
| C．The diploma he received from Public Safety. |
| D．The knowledge he learned from college. |
| A．Stubborn. | B．Fearless. | C．Distinguished. | D．Elegant. |
| A．Because he was enthusiastic about the well-being of the world. |
| B．Because he wanted to carry out academic research. |
| C．Because he wanted to realize his dream of being a leader. |
| D．Because he hoped to get young people ready for future career. |
| A．A book for career success | B．A man with great purpose |
| C．An organization for well-being | D．A standard for firefighters |
【推荐2】After too long on the Net, even a phone call can be a shock. My boyfriend's Liverpudlian accent suddenly becomes too difficult to understand after his clear words on screen; a secretary's tone seems more rejecting than I'd imagined it would be. Time itself becomes fluid-hours become minutes, and alternately seconds stretch into days. Weekends, once a highlight of my week, are now just two ordinary days.
For the last three years, since I stopped working as a producer for Charlie Rose, I have done much of my work as a telecommuter. I submit(提交) articles and edit them by E-mail and communicate with colleagues on Internet mailing lists. My boyfriend lives in England, so much of our relationship is computer-mediated. If I desired, I could stay inside for weeks without wanting anything. I can order food, and manage my money, love and work. In fact, at times I have spent as long as three weeks alone at home, going out only to get mail and buy newspapers and groceries. I watched most of the blizzard of 96 on TV.
But after a while, life itself begins to feel unreal. I start to feel as though I’ve merged(融合) with my machines, taking data in, spitting them back out, just another node(波节) on the Net. Others on line report the same symptoms(症状). We start to strongly dislike the outside forms of socializing. It’s like attending an A. A. meeting in a bar with everyone holding a half-sipped drink. We have become the Net opponents’ worst nightmare.
What first seemed like a luxury, crawling from bed to computer, not worrying about hair, and clothes and face, has becomes avoidance(逃避), a lack of discipline. And once you start replacing real human contact with cyber interaction, coming back out of the cave can be quite difficult.
At times, I turn on the television and just leave it to chatter in the background, something that I’d never done previously. The voices of the programs relax me, but then I’m jarred by the commercials. I find myself sucked in by soap operas, or needing to keep up with the latest news and the weather. “Dateline”, “Frontline”, “Nightline”, CNN, New York 1, every possible angle of every story over and over, and over, even when they are of no possible use to me. Work moves from foreground to background.
1. Compared to the clear words of her boyfriend on screen, his accent becomes _______.| A．unreal | B．unbearable |
| C．misleading | D．not understandable |
| A．Having worked on the computer for too long, she became a bit strange. |
| B．She is so interested in TV programs that she often forgets her work. |
| C．She watches TV a lot in order to keep up with the latest news and the weather. |
| D．She turns on TV now and then in order to get some comfort from TV program. |
| A．At first she likes it but later becomes tired of it. |
| B．She likes it because it is very convenient. |
| C．She dislikes it because TV is more attractive. |
| D．She dislikes it because it cuts off her relation with the outside world. |
| A．going back to the dreaming world |
| B．coming back home from the outside world |
| C．bringing back direct human |
| D．getting away from living a strange life. |
【推荐3】It is not easy to become a doctor in the United States. The first step is getting into a medical college. More than one hundred and twenty American schools offer study programs for people wanting to be doctors.
People can get advice about medical schools from many resources. One of these is the Princeton Review. The publication provides information about colleges, study programs and jobs.
The Princeton Review says the competition to enter medical schools is strong. American medical schools have only about sixteen thousand of openings. But more than thirty-two thousand students may try it. Many of those are women.
Most applicants contact more than one medical school. Some contact many. An important part of the application usually is the Medical College Admission Test which is called MCAT. The Association of American Medical Colleges provides the test by computer. It is offered in the United States and other countries.
The people who want to enter medical schools are rated（评定）on reasoning, physical and biological sciences and an example of writing. Applicants for medical schools need to do well on the MCAT. They also need a good record in their college studies.
Some students work for a year or two in a medical or research job before they attempt to enter a medical school.
1. To enter medical schools is ______.| A．effortless | B．not competitive |
| C．fiercely competitive | D．easy |
| A．It can give us advice about medical schools. |
| B．It is a great resource for people who want to become doctors. |
| C．It can provide us information about study programs. |
| D．It provides the MCAT test. |
| A．people who want to be doctors |
| B．people who want to enter a medical school |
| C．people who are tested by MCAT |
| D．doctors in the United States |
| A．How to be a good doctor in the United States. |
| B．The importance of the Princeton Review. |
| C．How to prepare for the MCAT. |
| D．How to get into a medical school. |
