Dictionaries are not closed books. There is still plenty of room for more words in these great vocabulary authorities.
Dictionaries are not closed books. There is still plenty of room for more words in these great vocabulary authorities. New words are continually being created and added to our language. And many of today's word experts can credit a famous mathematician with the creation of the method by which they develop many new words. The mathematician was an Englishman named Charles L. Dodgson. In addition to working with figures, Dodgson wrote books. His imaginative stories and poems have made Dodgson beloved to generations of readers. We know him, however, not by the name of Dodgson but by his pen name, Lewis Carroll.
Lewis Carroll has delighted countless readers, young and old, with Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass, and numerous poems. In these works, Carroll developed dozens of nonsensical words such as "chortle" and "galumph". Many of these words are combined naturally with more common words in the English language. Carroll referred to his made-up words as "portmanteau" words, named after a kind of leather suitcase that opens into two compartments. The name was well suited, because most of Carroll's words had two compartments. Rather than being entirely fabricated（虚构）, they were usually made from the combined parts of two different words. A "snark", for example, clearly came from a snake and a shark.
Although Carroll died long ago, his technique continues to be used today. We clearly see his influence in such words as smog, brunch, and guesstimate.
1. What does the underlined sentence probably mean according to the passage?| A．Dictionaries are open to the public. |
| B．Dictionaries are helpful to the public. |
| C．Dictionaries are ready to welcome new words. |
| D．The vocabularies in dictionaries are limited. |
| A．are based on different words |
| B．are borrowed from other languages |
| C．all come from his poems |
| D．are still widely used |
| A．how Dodgson wrote his works |
| B．how English words are created |
| C．how a dictionary is written |
| D．how Dodgson created new words |
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【推荐1】We all know that unpleasant feeling when we’re talking about something interesting and halfway through our sentence we’re interrupted. But was that really an interruption? The answer depends on whom you ask, according to new research led by Katherine Hilton from Stanford University.
Using a set of controlled audio clips (录音片段), Hilton surveyed 5, 000 American English speakers to better understand what affects people’s perceptions of interruptions. She had participants listen to audio clips and then answer questions about whether the speakers seemed to be friendly and engaged, listening to one another, or trying to interrupt.
Hilton found that American English speakers have different conversational styles. She identified two distinct groups: high and low intensity speakers. High intensity speakers are generally uncomfortable with moments of silence in conversation and consider talking at the same time a sign of engagement. Low intensity speakers find it rude to talk at the same time and prefer people speak one after another in conversation.
The differences in conversational styles became evident when participants listened to audio clips in which two people spoke at the same time but were agreeing with each other and stayed on topic, Hilton said. The high intensity group reported that conversations where people spoke at the same time when expressing agreement were not interruptive but engaged and friendlier than the conversations with moments of silence in between speaking turns. In contrast, the low intensity group perceived any amount of simultaneous (同时) chat as a rude interruption, regardless of what the speakers were saying.
“People care about being interrupted, and those small interruptions can have a massive effect on the overall communication,” Hilton said. “Breaking apart what an interruption means is essential if we want to understand how humans interact with each other.”
1. What does Hilton’s research focus on?| A．What interruptions mean to people. |
| B．Whether interruption is good or not. |
| C．How to avoid getting interrupted. |
| D．Why speakers interrupt each other. |
| A．Record an audio clip. | B．Answer some questions. |
| C．Listen to one another. | D．Have a chat with a friend. |
| A．It’s important. | B．It’s interesting. |
| C．It’s inefficient. | D．It’s impolite. |
| A．Human interaction is complex. |
| B．Communication is the basis of life. |
| C．Interruptions promote thinking. |
| D．Language barriers will always exist. |
【推荐2】People often have the impression that Chinese characters are extremely difficult to learn. In fact, if you were to try to learn how to write Chinese characters, you would find that they are not nearly as difficult as you may have imagined. And they certainly qualify as forming one of the most attractive, beautiful, logical, and scientifically constructed writing systems in the world. Each stroke (笔画) has its own special significance. If you are familiar with the rules of Chinese characters, you will find it very easy to remember even the most complicated looking character, and never miss a stroke.
The earliest known examples of Chinese written characters in their developed form are carved into tortoise shells and ox bones. Most of these characters are pictographs. Archaeologists of various countries have learned that most early writing systems went through a pictographic stage, as did the Egyptian hieroglyphics. Most writing systems, however, eventually developed a phonetic (语音的) alphabet to represent the sounds of spoken language rather than visual images observed in the physical world.
One notable feature of Chinese characters is the “radical”. “Radical” in English means “root”. For example, the characters yu “language”, shuo “talk”, and lun “discuss” all share the yan radical, which means “language,” and gives the reader a clue to the meaning of the character as a whole. The characters xiu “rotten”, shan “cedar”, tao “peach” and lin “forest” , all contain the mu “wood” or “tree” radical, indicating one of their shared key characteristics. If you know the radical of a character, you can usually get a general idea of the meaning of the character. Although there is a theoretical total of almost 50,000 written Chinese characters, only about 5,000 of these are frequently used; and the total number of radicals is only 214. So learning to read and write Chinese is not nearly so difficult a task as it may at first seem.
1. According to the author, Chinese characters are ________.| A．extremely difficult to learn |
| B．as difficult as you may have imagined |
| C．difficult to remember |
| D．scientifically constructed |
| A．All the Chinese characters are pictographs |
| B．Some strokes are more important than others. |
| C．There are rules in forming the Chinese characters. |
| D．Some writing systems eventually developed a phonetic alphabet. |
| A．The kou “mouth” radical. |
| B．The mu “wood” or “tree” radical. |
| C．The zu “foot” radical. |
| D．The yan “language” radical |
| A．the Chinese writing system | B．the strokes of the Chinese characters |
| C．pictographs | D．the radical of the Chinese characters |
【推荐3】A Fluent Advantage
When schools go through budget cuts, foreign language classes are often placed on the cutting block. School administrators often do not understand how important foreign language study is for their students’ success in the real world. Far from cutting language classes, schools should be demanding them for all students. Studying a foreign language should be required in middle schools.
Language study strengthens students’ minds. Many studies have indicated that multilingual people—people who speak more than one language—are better at certain tasks. Specifically, multilingual people have better executive function than people who speak only one language. Executive function is the way the brain manages all the information it’s given, such as performing different tasks and deciding what to focus on. In brain scans, multilingual people show increased activity in the areas of the brain that control executive function. Researchers have guessed that this advantage exists because multilingual people must constantly decide which words from which language to use. As a result, multilingual people get lots of practice with executive function. Their brains can then apply those skills to other tasks, like paying attention or multitasking. This effect is especially strong for people who grow up speaking more than one language. The earlier students start language classes, the more benefits they may get from language study.
Moreover, language study helps prepare students for their future careers. Today, language skills are in high demand on the job market and more and more businesses work in many countries across the world. As businesses become global, they need people who can communicate easily across national borders. To prepare for their careers, more students should be learning foreign languages. From 2010 to 2015, the demand in the United States for workers who speak a second language doubled. This trend included workers of all skill levels and backgrounds.
Of course, in order to make better use of the advantages of foreign language study, middle school foreign language classes should not just make students memorize new words and sounds.
They must also teach students about new cultures. Foreign language classes should be required to include lessons about history, literature, customs, and government along with the languages themselves. These subjects will help students become better global citizens and support their studies in other subjects.
Requiring middle schoolers to study a foreign language offers them opportunities to sharpen their brains. It also gives them tools that will help them become productive members of today’s global society.
1. How does the author feel about foreign language study in middle schools?| A．More foreign language classes should be offered in middle schools. |
| B．Taking a foreign language class in middle schools should be a choice. |
| C．Foreign language classes should be cut because of the limited funds. |
| D．Studying a foreign language should be a middle school requirement. |
| A．people who speak more than one language have better executive function |
| B．being able to work in another country doubles people’s job opportunities |
| C．people learn languages better as young people than when they are older |
| D．people’s executive function improves after foreign language classes |
| A．To sum up his argument. | B．To put forward a solution. |
| C．To emphasize his point of view. | D．To introduce an additional suggestion. |
I: Introduction P: Point Sp: Sub-point (次要点) C: Conclusion
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
【推荐1】Zero-emission cars are soaring in popularity, but running an electric vehicle is next to impossible in places with limited charging infrastructure. Stella Terra could change that. The khaki-green SUV uses solar panels on its sloping roof to charge its electric battery, meaning it can drive long distances powered entirely by the sun.
Built by a team of students at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, “the world’s first off-road (越野的) solar-powered vehicle” could help connect remote areas “where roads are less developed and energy grids are not as reliable,” and assist with emergency aid and deliveries, says Thieme Bosman, events manager for the team.
The road-legal car has a top speed of 145 kilometers per hour. On a sunny day, its battery range is around 710 kilometers on roads, and around 550 kilometers off-road, depending on the surface. In cloudy conditions, the team estimates the range could be 50 kilometers less.
Electric SUVs are heavier than standard electric vehicles, and require bigger, heavier batteries to power them. Minimizing the vehicle’s weight is essential, and the team of 22 students focused on making every element ultra-efficient. At just 1,200 kilograms, Stella Terra weighs around 25% less than the average mid-sized SUV.
Able to travel off-road, and with no need for charging points, drivers of a solar-powered SUV are liberated to go wherever they please, says Bob van Ginkel, technical manager for Stella Terra. The designers made elements of the SUV livabie for long-distance, multiday journeys: for example, the car’s scats fully recline to create a bed. When the car is still, the solar panels can be extended to maximize charging, while doubling as an awning (遮阳篷) for shade.
The team tested the vehicle in Morocco earlier this month, driving more than 1,000 kilometers between the country’s northern coast and the Sahara Desert in the south. “Morocco has a huge variety of landscapes and different surfaces in quite a short distance,” says Bosman, adding that the car was tested “on every type of surface that a car like this could encounter”.
Bosman noted that the vehicle had proved to be one-third more efficient than expected on the trip, and that its lightweight design made it less likely to get stuck on rugged terrain (地形), and put less stress on its suspension.
The team hopes their concept SUV could be mass-produced in the near future. “We aim to inspire not only everyday people, but also the automotive industry, the Ford and Chryslers of the world, to think again about their designs and to innovate faster than they currently do,” says Bosman.
1. What is the main advantage of Stella Terra?| A．It is much lighter than other electric SUVs. | B．It has a top speed of 145 kilometers per hour. |
| C．It can drive long distances powered by the sun. | D．It can be used for emergency aid and deliveries. |
| A．Personal use in urban areas. | B．Taxi services in crowded cities. |
| C．Off-road adventures in remote areas. | D．Delivery services in well-developed regions. |
| A．It underperformed on rough ground. | B．It reached top speed over a short distance. |
| C．It never got trapped in challenging landscapes. | D．It was beyond expectations in terms of efficiency. |
| A．It can inspire the automotive industry. | B．It will be well received by consumers. |
| C．It can replace Ford and Chrysler designs. | D．It can be innovated faster than other SUVs. |
According to an investigation by The Wall Street Journal, all it takes is a tiny file in a computer－a single code consisting of a long series of numbers and letters－to record the computer user's age, gender, location, favorite movies and hobbies.
The newspaper reports that Lotame Solutions Inc., a New York company, uses an advanced software called “beacon” to capture what people are typing on a website.
Lotame packages that data into profiles (个人资料) about individuals, only without their names, and sells the profiles to companies seeking customers. Batches of such data may be sold for a few dollars.
The Wall Street Journal survey discovered that spying on Internet users is one of the fastestgrowing businesses on the World Wide Web.
The “cookie”－a tiny text file put on your PC by websites or marketing firms which might be used to remember your preferences for one site, or to track you across many sites is already old news. There are new and more complex tools such as “beacon” which scan in real time what people are doing on a webpage. These beacons instantly assess the Internet user's location, income, shopping interests and even medical conditions.
Millions of Internet users around the world also face unprecedented (空前的) threats. Private, sensitive, personal and business information is being gathered and sold without their knowledge.
Companies insist the information they gather is anonymous(匿名的) and the data is used harmlessly. But the technology has grown so powerful that even some of the biggest websites in the US don't know that they were installing intrusive files on visitors' computers. These include MSN.com and Yahoo.com.
Next time you visit a webpage and find an ad banner advertising something you've been planning to buy, don't be amazed that your computer can read your mind.
1. The purpose of the passage is to ______.
| A．introduce a tiny file in a computer－a single code |
| B．show how your individual information was let out when you surf the Internet |
| C．show how to protect your privacy |
| D．introduce a sophisticated software called “beacon” |
| A．Lotame sells the profiles about individuals to companies seeking customers with their age, gender, location, hobbies and names |
| B．spying on Internet users is the fastestgrowing business on the World Wide Web |
| C．some of the biggest websites in the US know they were installing intrusive files on visitors' computers |
| D．a tiny file in a computer－a single code consisting of a long series of numbers and letters can record the user's information |
| A．neutral | B．optimistic | C．worried | D．indifferent |
【推荐3】When you were at school, were you ever told to stop daydreaming and concentrate? It was easy for your mind to wander if you weren’t interested in what you were learning or if you had better things to think about. Staying focused can still be a challenge in adult life, but understanding how to do it, and knowing what is distracting you, can help.
Scientists have looked at what makes us delay and found a number of ways to help us stay in the zone. One of the most obvious things is eliminating noise. Research by Science Focus magazine found silence is the best for concentration, or a gentle background hum and coffee shop noise is great! It also found turning off notifications on your phone, or switching it off altogether, removes a major distraction and helps us focus on the task at hand.
Another possible cure for a short attention span is brain training. Psychologists and neuroscientists are increasingly interested in our ability to settle down and have looked at what we can change inside our head to make us concentrate. An article for BBC Future by Caroline Williams says that “Attention Researcher Nilli Lavie of University College London has found that making a task more visually demanding takes up more processing power and leaves the brain nothing left to process distractions.” So, keeping your mind busy might be the answer.
There are more practical tips to keeping your mind focused. These include making a list or timetable of the tasks you have to do, finding a workspace where you’re not tempted to do other things, or chewing some gum! It’s possible the movement in your mouth occupies parts of the brain that might otherwise get distracted.
But according to Science Focus magazine, distraction isn’t all bad. “If we were always so focused that we never go distracted, we’d miss potential changes, such as threats, in our environment. Distraction is vital for survival.”
1. Which of the following is similar to the underlined phrase in paragrapb 2?| A．Concerned. | B．Enthusiastic. | C．Calm. | D．Absorbed. |
| A．To introduce a mental recovery. |
| B．To explain the cause of distraction. |
| C．To recommend a kind of intelligence training. |
| D．To suggest a way to train the brain to concentrate. |
| A．Contradictory. | B．All-sided. | C．Doubtful. | D．Puzzling. |
| A．How to Stay Focused | B．The Harm of Distraction |
| C．The Research about Distraction | D．The Benefits of Keeping Focused |
【推荐1】Despite extreme cold, cruel ice and being brushed off as mad, Slovenian Davo Kamicar became the first person to ski non-stop down Mount Everest. After a dramatic fall over almost sheer cliffs of snow, stones and ice, 38-yeur-old Kamicar returned to his base camp after five hours of skiing. “I feel only absolute happiness and absolute tiredness,” he said.
Due to the severe weather conditions, Kamicar flung himself back down the mountain as soon as he reached the top rather thin have a rest as planned. At one point, he had to speed over stretches of ice that collapsed and broke underneath him and could have sent him falling into the deep crevasses (裂缝) that dot the mountain.
The descent (下落) had been widely regarded as extremely dangerous. The Darwin Awards website, known for documenting foolhardy deaths, urged people to log on to their website and “keep your eyes peeled for a live Darwin Award”. However, the only body to make the news was the corpse (尸体) of an unknown mountaineer which Kamicar zipped past as he descended, one of an estimated 120 corpses, thought to litter the slopes. “This mountain is always full of surprises. Seeing a dead man out there was still a shocking experience,” he said.
Thanks to strategically placed cameras on the mountain and one attached, to his safety helmet, hundreds of thousands of people witnessed the process online, which was one of the record highs ever of more than 650,000 hits: The website was once jammed as people tried to access the site.
A previous failed attempt had already cost Kamicar two fingers when he got frostbite as a fierce storm hit the peak, Coming from a skiing family and had his first Himalayan skiing expedition in 1989, he has been ever since tireless in raising funds and sponsorship for more expeditions, with Everest as the permanent goal.
1. How did Davo Kamicar make history?| A．By skiing down Mount Everest without rest. |
| B．By attracting the largest number of online audience. |
| C．By descending Mount Everest within the shortest time ever. |
| D．By becoming the first to film his descent down Mount Everest. |
| A．Daring but thoughtless. | B．Natural but tragic. |
| C．Peaceful and lonely. | D．Slow and heartbreaking. |
| A．His heavy falling off a sheer cliff. |
| B．The sudden appearance of other climbers. |
| C．The unexpected collapse of an icy hillside. |
| D．The sight of 120 corpses littering the slopes. |
| A．Darwin Award for Survivors |
| B．Body of Mountaineer Found on Everest |
| C．Mad Man Skis down Everest |
| D．Extreme Sports Hero Slides to a Record |
【推荐2】Last Thursday, Time announced that 15-year-old scientist Gitanjali Rao was its Kid of the Year. Gitanjali was chosen from over 5,000 young leaders. When she was 11, she invented a system for testing drinking water for lead（铅）. Lead is a dangerous metal that is sometimes found in drinking water. And one of her recent creations is an app Kindly, which can prevent hurtful messages from being sent.
One thing that really impressed Time's judges was that Gitanjali has been inspiring others to also create change. She has worked with schools, clubs, museums, and other groups around the world to teach over 30,000 other young people how to come up with their own solutions to problems.
“I don't look like your typical scientist, " she says. That's one reason why she works so hard to encourage others to make their own changes in the world. “It's not easy when you don't see anyone else like you. So I really want to put out that message: If I can do it, you can do it, and anyone can do it.”
Four other young people were finalists for the award. The others are each leading in their own way. Ten-year-old Bellen Woodard, for example, has created a line of crayons called “More Than Peach", which come in a wide range of skin colors. Ian McKenna has worked for seven years to grow food for the hungry. His "McKenna's Giving Garden" project has produced enough food for 25,000 meals.
Jordan Reeves, who was born with a very short left arm, has worked with the toy company Mattel and others to help find ways to celebrate people with physical differences. She also works to encourage these people to create solutions to their own problems.
1. What can we learn about Gitanjali Rao?| A．She looks like a scientist. | B．She has helped find lead. |
| C．She is eleven years old now. | D．She has made several inventions. |
| A．Her abilities as a leader. | B．Her progress on the Internet. |
| C．Her world-known inventions. | D．Her efforts to influence others. |
| A．Bellen Woodard. | B．Jordan Reeves. | C．Gitanjali Rao. | D．Ian McKenna. |
| A．They were famous in the country. | B．They were of the same age. |
| C．They made a difference to others. | D．They made achievements in science. |
【推荐3】You saw the video, right? The 45-second recording of a kid dancing in the rain? There was something inspiring about it. In a moment when our social media channels have been flooded with unsettling news, here was a kid whose love for dance couldn’t be stopped by the rain. Or by the concrete (混凝土) ground he was dancing on. Or the fact that he was barefoot (赤脚的).
Since it was uploaded to Instagram in June, the video of Nigerian ballet dancer Anthony Mmesoma Madu gathered thousands of views, likes, and comments. People seem to be absolutely stunned by the boy’s dedication (献身), elegance (优雅), and talent.
Madu is one of a dozen students between the ages of 5 and 12 at Leap Academy of Dance in Badagry. Daniel Ajala Owoseni, Anthony’s teacher, founded this school in Lagos in 2017. Unfortunately, even after 5 years, the school still doesn’t have a dedicated space for its students. Because of that, most of the time, they practice in Owoseni’s tiny home as well as public spaces in the community.
“We are trying to change the traditional thought around ballet dance. Boys can actually do ballet,” the teacher told the BBC. “Male ballet dancing is here to stay and it is not only supposed to be for females.”
“Where I live, there are no male ballet dancers like me,” young Anthony told a BBC reporter. When he is dancing, he said, “the feeling that comes over me is as if I am dreaming.”
The video eventually caught the attention of Cynthia Harvey, the current artistic director of the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of Dance, one of America’s most famous ballet schools. Fortunately, she succeeded in tracking Anthony down. Moreover, she had arranged for full scholarships (奖学金) so Anthony could attend the ABT virtual Young Dancer Summer Workshop, a three-week intensive program.
“A child who shows this much dedication, you just have to help,” she said. “You are not only changing your world there in Africa but you’re changing the hearts and minds of so many people.”
1. Why did Anthony’s video become so popular? (no more than 10 words)2. What does the underlined word in Paragraph 2 mean? (no more than 2 words)
3. What’s Paragraph 3 mainly about? (no more than 5 words)
4. What made Anthony qualify for the unusual scholarship? Give two of the facts. (no more than 10 words)
5. Do you consider Anthony as your role model? Please explain. (no more than 25 words)
