【推荐1】If you’ve been missing travel recently, you’ve probably found yourself looking through your vacation photos at least a few times. Indeed, these photos can call up memories of your favourite trip.     1     It makes your memories come alive on the page. Here are some tips.

Give your photo book a theme. You want your photo book to tell a story, so it’s helpful to think about your general theme. Whether you’re going for a book full of family photos or one that focuses on scenic landscapes, use your book’s theme to inspire your photo book’s design and select the best photos.     2    

Classify your photos.     3     Select all of your pictures first. Then narrow them down and decide how to sort them. You can put photos in chronological order. That’s to say, organize photos by date and time when they were taken. It’s also a good way to group them by different categories or topics.

    4     Be consistent with any colour you add throughout the photo book, especially page backgrounds. Using two or three colours will help to provide a more professional look. Choose at least one light and one dark colour so that you will be able to create contrast between pictures taken in different light.

Create thoughtful captions.     5     You need consider how to include text in your book. Whether you write an introduction at the beginning and let the photos speak for themselves or add captions (字幕) to each picture, your choice of text will influence the story your book tells.

A．Get the colours to match.

B．Arrange your photos by location.

C．Photo books can be more than just pictures.

D．But there’s no better way to design a personalized photo book.

E．More importantly, keep the same theme going from one page to the next.

F．Maybe you want to document your favourite photos from your last vacation.

G．Logical order helps your story to flow and make sense to someone who wasn’t there.

【推荐3】Do the endless stream of messages and the thought of replying to unopened texts give you anxiety? Can the group chat feel so overwhelming that you want to throw your phone out of the window? Texting anxiety is a real thing, and more common than you’d think.

In the last 25 years, texting has changed the way we communicate greatly. And many would argue, not for the better. The average person in 2022 checks their phone 262 times a day, up from a daily average of 80 in 2016. Overwhelmed, many end up consciously or unconsciously opting out, stopping responding to loved ones and friends. Unfortunately, not everyone will be understanding.

Leah Aguirre, a psychotherapist explains that text conversations are usually a source of anxiety as they come with a lot of uncertainty. “We can’t predict how someone will respond, if they will respond, or how quickly they will respond. We can’t control other people’s actions or behavior or how they think and interpret (解读) things, and for people that are already prone to anxiety this can be hard to cope with.”

Aguirre says this is reflected in a physical reaction, tightness in the chest, tensions, or increased heart rate. You also may feel a little more on edge or short with others, compulsively check your phone or have obsessive and intrusive thoughts about the text conversation. Simply hearing a notification (通知), if our phone is out of reach, causes the brain chemicals associated with stress to spike.

As well as the personal effects, text anxiety can put a strain on your relationships with friends and loved ones. A 2018 study found that romantic partnerships and friendships are far more successful when you and the other person have a similar texting style. If both parties are quick responders, the relationship is less likely to hit the rocks. Similarly, if all parties are happy to go hours, days, even weeks between responses, then everyone is happy.

Establishing a texting schedule with people you interact with frequently is one way of reducing some of the stress if you have different texting styles. Aguirre suggests limiting the amount of time you are on your phone also helps with the anxiety. “By cancelling or reducing how much contact you have with the source of anxiety, you’ll feel some relief,” she says.

“You can give yourself a pep talk, tell yourself that you are okay and that you have no control over another person’s response or behavior. Remind yourself that this is just a phone or a text message and that, big picture, you are okay and will be okay.”

1. The purpose of Paragraph 2 is to       .

A．demonstrate the level of texting anxiety

B．stress the importance of communication

C．analyze the cause of troubled relationships

D．introduce the increasing use of cell phones

2. What does the underlined phrase “on edge” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Frightened.

B．Interested.

C．Excited.

D．Nervous.

3. What can we infer from the passage?

A．Putting phones on “silence” mode increases anxiety.

B．We should ask our partners to change their texting styles.

C．Creating a texting plan with others helps reduce text anxiety.

D．Texting anxiety is often caused by the time taken to answer the texts.

4. What would be the best title for the passage?

A．A texting schedule: The final way out

B．Texting anxiety: Problems and solutions

C．Text conversations: Strengths and weaknesses

D．A new perspective: How much texting is too much

【推荐1】You’re primarily left-handed if you use your left hand for most activities — even if you tend to write with your right hand. Historically, there used to be a social prejudice against lefties (左撇子) .     1     But no evidence has suggested lefties are at any sort of physical or psychological disadvantage.

It’s estimated that 8 to 15 percent of the adult population is left-handed. Of course, we now know that handedness is determined by genetics and random chance. What we’re just learning, however, is far more interesting.     2    

Lefties may be quicker thinkers. According to an Australian study published in 2006, left-handed people tend to have faster connections between the right and left sides of the brain.     3     It accordingly leads to quicker and more efficient information processing.

    4     While less than 15 percent of the general population is left-handed, 25 percent of Major League Baseball players are lefties. Studies have found that lefties seem to have a real advantage in interactive sports, such as boxing, fencing, and baseball. It’s possibly because lefties are able to throw off right-handed opponents who are used to going up against other righties.

Emotions seem to be arranged differently depending on handedness.     5     That might help to explain why lefties seem to have higher rates of depression and certain other mood disorders.

A．Lefties have the upper hand in some sports.

B．Lefties experience the world in a different way.

C．In fact, there’s nothing special about the left-handed.

D．So they can use both sides of their brain more easily.

E．Lefties are more likely to have certain health problems.

F．Even schools once tried to break left-handed students of their “bad habit” .

G．For lefties, feelings is more likely to come from the right side of the brain.

【推荐2】The Four Worst Car-Buying Mistakes

Here’s your crash course on what to keep in mind so you don’t end up paying more than you should for a new or used vehicle.

Mistake 1: Skipping the mechanical check

All new cars generally have to pass an inspection before they leave the lot.     1    , it’s suggested finding a local mechanic to conduct a prepurchase inspection before you complete the deal of buying a second-hand one.

Mistake 2:    2    

Car dealerships have been known to throw a bunch of extras onto a purchase once you’re signing papers. You can decline any of these items if they aren’t yet installed. And remember,   don’t give money for a test drive, ever.

Mistake 3: Skipping the things that do make sense to buy

The one thing worth buying from the dealership is brake replacement, which ensures your brakes are working properly. Whether you want to buy common add-ons such as roof racks and winter tires is a matter of personal preference.     3    .

Mistake 4: Regretting after signing the contract immediately

    4    .We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you usually have few options if you change your mind post-purchase. The best course of action is to do your research, think carefully and be sure a car is the right fit for you before signing on the dotted line.

Green hands are likely to make these “big mistakes” when buying their first car.       5    . So, watch out for and avoid them!

A．It happens

B．Paying for things you don’t need

C．Giving money for a test drive

D．You are no exception

E．If you don’t have a lot of peace of mind about that when buying new

F．There is an extra payment added for getting them, but it might be worth it

G．If you are on a tight budget for the moment and consider purchasing a used car

【推荐3】Why I Always Travel With a Paper Map in Hand

The first thing I do when I arrive in a foreign city is find a paper map. To me, it's the single most important task I have to accomplish upon arrival.

    1     I learn where I am in relation to the rest of the city, the names of neighborhoods and the major street. I figure out where the subway stations are, how I can get to the best walking routes.

Then I use that paper map to figure out which sights are closest to each other and how I can use my time most efficiently.     2     I note the neighborhoods I want to visit along the way.

No doubt you may wonder why I don5t just pull out my phone. I do own a smartphone with GPS.     3     It shows a specific destination and a precise route to get there. But it doesn’t put the journey into context, which I dislike. I always want to know where I am in relation to everything else.

My trusty map, on the other hand, is all about context. Ask me the nearest bridge, major market or landmark, and I'll be able to tell you in an instant. Besides, a paper map does not run out of battery.     4     It is easily replaceable.

For a traveler like myself, that paper map is like an entrance into another world. Staring at it transports me into a dreamlike state. I imagine all the places I'll go and the things I will do.     5    

A．It never has a poor connection.

B．But I don't have the habit of using GPS.

C．And all these makes me become a responsible tourist.

D．That map, you see, is my key to getting around the city.

E．However, I think my phone's GPS robs me of something.

F．And it enables me to begin planning how I'll make it happen.

G．I put dots where the bookstores, restaurants and museums are.