If you cannot afford to travel in any class above economy, flying generally sucks, either a little or a lot, depending on your tolerance level. But it especially sucks if you are too wide for the airline’s design.
Just getting to your seat can be a challenge, as your hips(臀部,髋) bounce from seat to seat on each side of the aisle(过道). If someone is standing up to put things in the overhead locker, there is a decision to be made about whether it’s worth trying to squeeze past. Everything is just slightly too small: the seats, the overhead lockers, even the bathrooms – and those, it seems, are getting even smaller.
The Washington Post recently reported that, on some newer planes flown by American, Delta and United airlines, the bathrooms in economy class are just 61cm wide: about 25cm narrower than the average portable toilet, and roughly the width of the average dishwasher. Your face might be the only thing you can poke in there comfortably – which makes it a poor design, considering what a passenger is likely to need the bathroom for.
According to the manufacturer, these “Advanced Spacewell” bathrooms make space for six additional passengers, which is great for the airlines’ financial bottom line. But what about the other bottom line? Concerning, well, bottoms that can’t fit into their planes’ bathrooms?
As bodies get bigger and aeroplane spaces get smaller, the wide among us have come up with solutions. Armrests that turn us into sausages(香肠) can be pulled up, or slowly encased(围住,包起) into the soft flesh of our sides until we go numb(麻木). We can ask the flight attendant to get us a seat-belt extender, if security has confiscated the one we brought with us, as can sometimes happen. But squeezing into a tiny toilet and closing the door behind us? Not workable.
Unlike the impossible task of squeezing down the aisle to your seat, or the side-to-side dance necessary to get big hips past the armrests, fitting into a space just 61cm wide is not just a challenge – it is almost impossible. It is not like missing out on an option for the in-flight meal – a bathroom is as essential as a safety-compliant seat belt, or the air that is pumped in to the cabin(飞机舱). If airlines are not willing to make space for us, bigger passengers may have no option but to reconsider booking a flight at all.
1. What is the advantage of the new toilets?| A．More passengers can use them. | B．The airlines can increase their profits. |
| C．They are more comfortable. | D．They are practical and convenient. |
| A．provided | B．questioned | C．checked | D．taken |
| A．Fat people can deal with many problems they face on planes. |
| B．Flight attendants are likely to be helpful when asked for assistance. |
| C．Flying is pleasant for overweight people at present. |
| D．People’s bodies are getting bigger year by year. |
| A．will have to find more creative solutions in the future |
| B．should grasp the chance to lose weight before flying |
| C．should miss out on the option for the in-flight meal |
| D．might be unable to travel by air in the future |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Humans were designed to stand upright (直立). And yet in this modern world, too many of us spend our days with our heads lowered for a simple reason: we're staring at the tiny screen of a smart phone.
People spend an average of 2 to 4 hours each day with their neck bent while shooting off emails or texts. That's 700 to 1,400 hours a year. The success of social media has led to a rapid development of bad smart phone posture.
The average adult head weighs 10 to 12 pounds when it's in the upright position. However, because of the gravity, bending your head at a mere 15 degree puts 27 pounds of pressure on your spine (脊椎); a 30 degree neck bend could equal (等于) 40 pounds of pressure; a 45 degree bend adds the force of 49 pounds, according to the research from Dr. Kenneth Hansraj from New York. These stresses may lead to many problems.
It's no secret that correct posture is better for your back. According to the researchers, good posture is described as ears aligned (成一条直线) with the shoulders. In proper alignment, spinal stress disappeared. It is the best position for the spine. Standing tall doesn't just make you look better; it improves your health, too. Other studies have found good posture has even been connected to ways of behaving. People who have poorer posture often have poorer physical and emotional health.
The researchers describe bad posture (姿势) as “the head in a forward position and the shoulders dropping forward in a rounded position”. Bad posture has been connected to many medical problems, including headaches and other problems, depression and heart disease. This is why Hansraj said it's important to be mindful of your smart phone posture. While it is nearly impossible to avoid the technologies that cause these problems, people should make an effort to look at their phones with a correct posture.
1. Through the underlined sentence in paragraph 2, the author wants to show that _______.| A．the social media have its bad side |
| B．the social media have made a great success |
| C．people have to use social media unavoidably |
| D．more and more people are using smart phones |
| A．It's healthy to bend your back regularly. |
| B．Your back is getting exercise as you bend it. |
| C．The average weight of an ad ult head always changes. |
| D．The more you bend your neck, the heavier the head becomes. |
| A．Bend your head within 15 degrees. |
| B．Raise and lower your head in turn. |
| C．Drop your head forward in a rounded position. |
| D．Keep the positions of the neck and shoulders in a line. |
| A．cure many diseases | B．make one behave differently |
| C．cause no stress to the spine | D．prevent one from gaining weight |
【推荐2】Is art boring? It’s not, really. I don’t think so, at least. But there’s a problem with how we look at art, how we approach it.
Museums are formal and strangely dry. There’s no embrace. Barriers prevent us from leaving the path set by the curator (馆长). Glass traps the paintings permanently in their frames – an invisible barrier that prevents us from ever getting close to the art, from touching it, feeling it. Guides and guards are constantly observing us, stopping us from taking photos, or using selfie sticks, or talking too loud. Museums have too many rules. And they’ve made our art boring.
We should be able to see art, to sometimes touch it. How can we feel any connection to the world? Art is a way to connect to the world, and yet so much of our art (and it is our art, not theirs, not yours — but ours) is unreachable.
Why can’t we laugh in museums? Why can’t we take silly selfies in front of art, our tongues sticking out, our hands in the air? Art is not boring and yet, we as a society, have made it so. We’ve trapped incredible artists behind glass boxes, with random rules governing noise levels, lights, flashes, sounds, photos, selfies, pens & pencils.
I love art. I think it has this incredible power to change our world. It can move us — as individuals, or as a collective society. Art is so often a window to something else. And yet we’ve allowed museums and galleries and collectors to prevent us from ever opening those windows.
Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy art museums. There are many fantastic ones around the world. And without so many wonderful curators and collectors, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy much of the art that is created -the masterpieces and the newer, more contemporary (and sometimes crazy) art. But at the same time, we’ ve allowed museums too much control.
They’ve taken our art. They’ve controlled our world. And our world, our art — it’s not meant to be controlled. It’s meant to be experienced — however that may be. It’s an individual, personal choice. Let’s take back our art, our museums. And take some selfies.
1. According to the writer, how may visitors to museums feel?| A．Interested. | B．Unwelcome. | C．Excited. | D．Ashamed. |
| A．The writer believes that art should never be kept in museums. |
| B．The writer is losing his love of art due to museums’ policies. |
| C．The writer believes museums are taking away the power of art. |
| D．The writer believes that art should be replaced by something else. |
| A．Help me. | B．Control me. | C．Misunderstand me. | D．Frighten me. |
| A．All of us can create art. | B．Museums are of little use. |
| C．Admission to museums should be free. | D．Museums should give visitors more freedom. |
【推荐3】American high school students who slept less than seven hours each night during the pandemic were more likely to struggle in school. That finding comes from a recent study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC.
For the study, the CDC questioned 7,705 students about their sleep schedules and success in school. More than two-thirds of the students said they experienced more difficulty in their schoolwork during the pandemic than before the pandemic. About 75 percent of the students did not sleep enough during the pandemic, the study found students who reported poor mental health during the pandemic were also more likely to get less sleep. Overall, 37 percent of the students said they struggled with their mental health during the pandemic. But about 50 percent of the students who slept five hours or less each night said they had poor mental health.
As students recover from learning loss due to the pandemic, “schools can consider including policies and practices known to improve sleep duration (持续时间)” the CDC said. Teenagers experience many physical changes when they go through puberty (青春期). A good sleep schedule can improve test performance. As children get older, there is a change in their body’s natural clock. Before puberty, children may feel sleepy around 8 or 9 at night. But when they become teenagers, the body’s clock changes to make them tied much later around 10 or 11 at night. Because of this, many teenagers may experience an inability to sleep.
Some school systems around the U.S. are pushing back start times for high schools so students can get more sleep. Usually, high schools start the earliest compared to middle and primary schools. The National Center for Education Statistics says the average start time for U.S. high schools is 8 a.m. But the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a start time of 8:30. The organization Start School Later supports pushing back school start times. It says at least 13, 000 school systems in the United States have pushed back start times.
1. What can we know from Paragraph 2?| A．The sleep duration can affect mental health. |
| B．Students worked harder during the pandemic. |
| C．Half of the students have mental health problems. |
| D．Two-thirds of the students did not sleep enough in 2020. |
| A．The academic stress changes their sleep patterns. |
| B．The bioclock keeps them fresh until late at night. |
| C．They can’t arrange a good sleep schedule on their own. |
| D．They go through many physical changes during puberty. |
| A．When is the best time for students to go to school. |
| B．Why high schools start classes at the earliest time. |
| C．How pushing back school start ties affects school. |
| D．What school systems did to improve students’ sleep. |
| A．In a school report. | B．In a children’s book. |
| C．In a health magazine. | D．In a pandemic guide. |
【推荐1】I totally relate to the need many parents have in wanting their children to be special, unique, talented, and amazing. I think my child is all of those things too. Of course I do. But do we really need to be measuring and comparing the academic achievements of kids as young as 3, 4, and 5 years old?
These days, I often find it difficult to have a casual conservation with other parents of children who are only in preschool without being told. about how their kid is phenomenally (显著地)"advanced” in writing or that they're already reading at a 2nd-grade level.
I mean, obviously that's great news if you've been led to believe your child possesses a remarkable talent because they're catching on well in preschool. However. I can't help but notice that the height of parental bragging (夸耀)has reached too high both in real life and on social media.
I realize I'm probably pessimistic, but I'm afraid that we're placing our children on a ridiculously steep pedestal (基座)at too young of an age and we're really just giving our children a higher place to eventually fall from.
The ever increasing loads of homework being sent home in preschool and kindergarten seem like overkill as well. The most important skill young kids in preschool and kindergarten should be learning are social skills, in my opinion.
So, while I think it's great that your child may be very "advanced” for their age, I sincerely hope your child is happy, well-adjusted, surrounded by kind friends, and praised for so much more than how quickly they can read or write.
1. What does the author realize when she's talking with other parents of children in preschool?| A．They're very proud of their parenting. |
| B．They like showing off their children's academic achievements. |
| C．They spend a lot of time teaching their children to write. |
| D．They like comparing their children with themselves. |
| A．ambiguous | B．jealous | C．optimistic | D．concerned |
| A．Parents shouldn't want their children to be unique. |
| B．It’s very important that kids in preschool learn writing. |
| C．Kids in preschool should be mainly taught social skills. |
| D．Preschool education will hardly affect kids in the long run. |
| A．Stop wasting your kid's talents |
| B．Stop teaching your kid to read and write |
| C．Stop telling others your kid is "advanced” |
| D．Stop scolding your kid for poor academic performance |
【推荐2】A study found that of young Danes who played video games in English, those who did so regularly outside school scored higher on English vocabulary tests than their peers who did not.
With video games, “all of sudden English becomes an instrument, something that's very useful for them in order to progress in the game, "says the author of the study, Signe Hannibal Jensen, professor at the University of Southern Denmark. This changes kids' focus from "learning to learn", as in a classical school setting, to "learning to play".
It makes sense that “the very things that we can't drag out of students in school are the kinds of things that they're doing for fun on their own outside school,” says Steven Thorne, a professor of second language acquisition at Portland State University. “You're sharing an activity. You're sharing a passion,” he says.
The language learning isn't only effective in learning English. From Internet-spotty central Pennsylvania, Fiona Girotti explained how her love of K-pop led her to turn to an online gaming platform she used to learn Korean. She says learning grammar online is tough, and gaming isn't a direct replacement for in-person- instruction. “But you get good at conversations, sentences, and things you can say to anyone,” says Fiona.
And her online language practice is working. When Ms. Girotti listens to pop now, she can understand many words. It's not really the same as being in class, though. “Of course, classes are structured. When you're just me, earning independently, you don't really understand the grammar,” she says. She uses a grammar app on her phone to understand tricky sentences.
Dr. Thorne notes that video games are not a perfect solution. "Some gaming environments are very language heavy and language rich. Others don't really require much language at all,"he says. He warns that gaming isn't always good, and players can become dependent on games. But combine a quality, communication-dependent game with the 15 hours a week kids spend gaming, and learning will come out of that, he says.
In the future, video games might become a more practical option among the instruments language learners already use, including phone apps, podcasts. YouTube videos, and in-person instruction Jonathon Reinhardt, an associate professor at the University of Arizona and president of the Computer Assisted Language Instruction Consortium(CALICO), says it makes sense that gaming would increasingly enter into more formal classroom settings. “What we're going to see is generation who grows up with games and recognizes their potential as learning objects,” he says. “They have the skills and the abilities to build these sorts of things.”
1. How do video games help learn English according to Signe Hannibal Jensen?| A．They can encourage players to learn English | B．They can help players learn English grammar. |
| C．They can provide an easy way to learn English. | D．They can improve players' focus while learning. |
| A．Students should take online language courses. | B．Students should do activities independently. |
| C．Students can hardly have fun at school | D．Students are willing to learn for fun. |
| A．It is not necessary to learn grammar in class |
| B．K-pop contributes to foreign language learning. |
| C．Online gaming can help improve spoken language |
| D．Video games can be as efficient as in-person instruction |
| A．Worried. | B．Confident. | C．Negative. | D．Careful. |
【推荐3】Tourism can be both good and bad. Yes, it brings in money for the local economy and creates jobs for locals, but it may also bring some problems.
One growing problem is tourists who want to prove that they have visited a destination. Tourists have used paint, rocks, or even keys to write on the Luxor Temple in Egypt, the Colosseum in Rome, Stonehenge in the UK, memorial stones at the bottom of Qomolangma, and many, many other places. Thousands of tourist site s are being destroyed by tourists who “love them to death”. I have three words for people like this: please stop it. If you want to leave a mark on the world, do it by changing someone’s life with kindness and love. Pass kindness along to future generations, not destruction.
Another big problem in some places has been tourists disturbing the local people and life. Some tourists wander around and take pictures of local people without asking for their permission. For example, Chiang Mai University in Thailand and Yonsei University in South Korea have great numbers of tourists visiting their campuses and walking through their libraries and other public areas, taking pictures of students, and disturbing their studies. Another example is Sanlitun, a neighbourhood in Beijing, China. Some tourists love to party there late into the night, making it difficult for locals to sleep. I have three words for tourists like this please be considerate. Have fun in a way that does not disturb others.
The number of problems from tourists is endless: walking in large groups without considering others who need to walk by, crossing roads without thinking of local traffic laws, and many more. The only way to solve the problem of the terrible tourist is to make sure that you are not one! Be the best, kindest, most polite tourist possible, Remember, whenever you step outside your country’s borders, you are representing your country to the rest of the world.
1. What does the underlined word “destruction” mean in the second paragraph?| A．Breaking. | B．Creation. | C．Construction. | D．Writing. |
| A．People travel to different places of the world. |
| B．Tourists love to party there late into the night. |
| C．Tourists take pictures of local people without asking for their permission. |
| D．Tourists disturb the local people and life. |
| A．To explain the problem. | B．To suggest a proper solution to the problem. |
| C．To introduce the importance of traveling. | D．To call on readers to love their countries. |
| A．Tourism Can Be Both Good and Bad. | B．Pass Kindness Along to Future Generations. |
| C．Tourists Are Troublemakers. | D．Be a Good Tourist. |
【推荐1】A tiny clue found in ancient deposits has unlocked big secrets about Greenland’s past and future climate. Just beyond the northwest edge of the vast Greenland Ice Sheet, researchers have discovered lake mud that have survived the last ice age. The mud, and remains of common flies in it, record two interglacial periods（间冰期）in northwest Greenland.
Although researchers have long known these two periods—the early Holocene and Last Interglacial—experienced warming in the Arctic, the mix of fly species shows that Greenland was even warmer than previously thought. “As far as we know, it has never been found in Greenland. We think this is the first time anyone has reported it in ancient deposits or modern lakes there,” Axford said. “We were really surprised to see how far north it migrated (迁徙).”
This new information could help researchers better measure Greenland’s sensitivity to warming, by testing and improving models of climate and ice sheet behaviour. Those models could then improve predictions of how Greenland’s ice sheet might respond to man-made global warming. After all, Greenland covers 80 per cent of the Arctic country and holds enough ice to equal 20 feet of global sea level. “Northwest Greenland might feel really remote, but what happens to that ice sheet is going to matter to everyone in every coastal city around the world,” said Yarrow Axford, an associate professor in the team. “One of the big uncertainties in climate science is how fast the Earth changes when it gets warmer. Geology gives us an opportunity to see what happened when the Earth was warmer than today,” said Axford.
People might be surprised to see how today’s Greenland looked during the last two interglacial periods. During the Last Interglacial, global sea levels increased by 15 to 30 feet, largely due to thinning of Greenland and Antarctica’s ice sheets. However, now researchers believe northern Greenland’s ice sheet experienced stronger warming than previously thought, which could mean that Greenland is more responsible for that sea-level rise.
Finding lake deposits older than about 10,000 years, however, has been historically very difficult in Greenland. To measure these ancient temperatures, researchers look to ice cores (冰核) and lake deposits. Since ice and lake deposits form by a gradual buildup on annual layers of snow or mud, these cores contain history of the past. By looking through the layers, researchers can obtain climate clues from centuries ago.
1. Why are the remains of flies mentioned in the first two paragraphs?| A．They serve as evidence that there is still life in the Northwest Greenland. |
| B．They were one of the many ancient lives that were left in the Greenland mud. |
| C．They are indicators that Greenland was much warmer than previously thought. |
| D．They help the researchers realize that there was once a warm period in the Arctic. |
| A．researchers have no idea how to measure Greenland’s warming speed |
| B．it can help researchers better predict Greenland’s response to warming |
| C．people should be more sensitive to the changes in the ice in Greenland |
| D．it is uncertain how fast the Earth changes with man-made global warming |
| A．It is easier for today’s scientists to find ancient lake deposits. |
| B．People are surprised at the landscape feature of Greenland today. |
| C．Researchers measure the changing temperatures by directly examining mud. |
| D．Greenland holds enough ice that might one day threaten life in coastal cities. |
| A．Greenland Used to Be Much Greener |
| B．Earth Once Experienced Warm Periods |
| C．Coastal Cities Warned of Coming Disasters |
| D．Northwest Greenland, A Perfect Destination |
【推荐2】People diet to look more attractive. Fish diet to avoid being beaten up, thrown out of their social group, and getting eaten as a result. That is the fascinating conclusion of the latest research into fish behavior by a team of Australian scientists.
The research team have discovered that subordinate (下级的) fish voluntarily diet to avoid challenging their larger competitors. "In studying gobies（鰕虎鱼） we noticed that only the largest two individuals, a male and female, had breeding (繁殖) rights within the group," explains Marian Wong. "All other group members are nonbreeding females, each being 5-10% smaller than its next largest competitor. We wanted to find out how they maintain this precise size separation. "
The reason for the size difference was easy to see. Once a subordinate fish grows to within 5-10% of the size of its larger competitor, it causes a fight which usually ends in the smaller goby being driven away from the group. More often than not, the evicted fish is then eaten up.
It appeared that the smaller fish were keeping themselves small in order to avoid challenging the boss fish. Whether they did so voluntarily, by restraining how much they ate, was not clear. The research team decided to do an experiment. They tried to fatten up some of the subordinate gobies to see what happened. To their surprise, the gobies simply refused the extra food they were offered, clearly preferring to remain small and avoid fights, over having a feast.
The discovery challenges the traditional scientific view of how boss individuals keep their position in a group. Previously it was thought that large individuals simply used their weight and size to threaten their subordinates and take more of the food for themselves, so keeping their competitors small.
While the habits of gobies may seem a little mysterious, Dr. Wong explains that understanding the relationships between boss and subordinate animals is important to understanding how hierarchical（等级的） societies remain stable.
The research has proved the fact that voluntary dieting is a habit far from exclusive(专有的) to humans. "As yet, we lack a complete understanding of how widespread the voluntary reduction of food intake is in nature," the researchers comment. "Data on human dieting suggests that, while humans generally diet to improve health or increase attractiveness, rarely does it improve long-term health and males regularly prefer females that are fatter, than the females' own ideal."
1. When a goby grows to within 5-10% of the size of its larger competitor, it _________.| A．faces danger | B．has breeding rights |
| C．eats its competitor | D．leaves the group itself |
| A．the fish beaten up | B．the fish found out |
| C．the fish fattened up | D．the fish driven away |
| A．fought over a feast | B．went on diet willingly |
| C．preferred some extra food | D．challenged the boss fish |
【推荐3】When my daughter Sara was in the fifth grade, she came to me with a problem. "Marcy hates me!" she cried. “Because Kathy is my friend. too. She wants me to be her friend and nobody else's. You talk to Marcy. You tell her that I want to be her friend, but I can have other friends, too!”
Oh! I looked at her for a few moments, wondering how I got into this mess(困境),when suddenly an idea came to me.
Picking up two baskets from the living room, I explained, "When everyone is born, he or she has a little basket. This little one here is yours. The big one is mine. As you grow, so does the basket. You can see your little basket is inside mine because when you were born, there were too many things you couldn't do for yourself. I did everything you couldn't do on your own."
She nodded.
"Well, as you grew older and began to do some things on your own, I began placing a few more things in your basket. When you learned to tie your shoes, that went in your basket."
She said softly, " I can tie my own shoes."
"Right. As you grow older, there will be more and more things you must do on your own." As I spoke, I gradually took her basket out of mine and handed it to her. "You will finally carry your own basket with things only you can do."
She looked up at me and said, "I understand. There are some things that I have to do for myself because they are in my basket."
1. What was Sara's problem?| A．She didn't have a basket. |
| B．She didn't want her own basket. |
| C．She couldn't deal with her friendship. |
| D．Her mother was too hard on her. |
| A．Angry. | B．Crazy. | C．Proud. | D．Helpless. |
| A．would talk to Marcy herself |
| B．wouldn't make friends with Kathy |
| C．was too young to deal with anything |
| D．managed to persuade her mother to help her |
| A．Growing Baskets as you grow up. |
| B．Friendship needs repairing. |
| C．Parents’ impact on children |
| D．Gifts are given by God |
【推荐1】Most of us have looked up at the stars that fill the night sky and wondered whether we’re alone in the universe. Indeed, the question of whether there’ s life out there has been something humankind ’s been asking itself for countless years. But thanks to China’s Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), the answer to this question may come a lot sooner than we expected.
The telescope has a huge round reflector, which measures 500 meters across and has a perimeter（周长）of 1.6 kilometers. Because of its great size, it would have been both difficult and inefficient to get FAST to move like a regular telescope. Instead, FAST’s designers came up with a great solution: its surface is made up of 4450 panels which can be individually adjusted. This clever design feature allows scientists to detect radio signals from any angle with a great degree of accuracy. “Panels can change their positions through connected wires and parallel （关联的） robots. We can control their position with an accuracy of 1 mm,” Zheng Yuanpeng, chief engineer of the telescope’s panel project, told Xinhua News Agency.
FAST’s engineers also had the task of finding a suitable location. As any interference would affect its ability to detect distant radio waves, it needed to be built in a remote area. Luckily, the perfect spot was found in the beautiful mountains of Guizhou Province. “There are three hills about 500 meters away from one another, creating a valley that is perfect to support the telescope," Sun Caihong, chief engineer of FAST’ s construction, told Xinhua.
And although it wasn’t yet fully operated, FAST had already made great discoveries by October 2017. Since 1967, only around 2000 pulsars （脉冲星） have been discovered, yet FAST had detected six more by October 2017. Once FAST is fully up and running, we may finally have the answer to one of the biggest questions in history.
1. What is the purpose of mentioning the question in Paragraph 1?| A．To introduce the new giant telescope. |
| B．To explain why there is life in universe. |
| C．To remind readers to think about the life in space. |
| D．To emphasize the question that should be answered. |
| A．The telescope is made up of many panels. |
| B．The area of FAST is about 800 square kilometers. |
| C．The engineer can handle FAST’s position accurately. |
| D．The individual panel helps scientists catch radio signals. |
| A．Because Guizhou is a remote province. |
| B．Because Guizhou has an ideal valley. |
| C．Because Guizhou has beautiful mountains. |
| D．Because Guizhou has the ability to build it. |
| A．FAST’s timeline. | B．FAST’s future. |
| C．FAST’s operation. | D．FAST’s discoveries. |
【推荐2】My name is Michelle. I'm 27 years old, and I've been writing letters to my pen pal in England for 14 years.
Yes, a pen pal. Rachel and I have been writing letters to each other since the 8th grade. My reading teacher at the time helped our class find pen pals through a company called International Youth Service (unfortunately closed in 2008).
On February 28, 2006, I received a letter back from the girl from England. Our letters started to turn into novellas(中篇小说) pretty quickly. We began spilling our guts to each other about all sorts of teenage stuff—boys, namely.
We continued writing letters throughout college, but they started to slow down with the age of the Internet and Facebook. It was both a blessing and a curse, because if I needed to share something with her right away, I didn't have to wait two weeks for a response. But there was still no better feeling than opening up my mailbox and seeing past the advertisements and campus happenings and finding a letter with her handwriting on the envelope waiting for me.
One would think that we are more connected than ever in a world of text messaging and social media—but honestly, I don't think this could be further from the truth. We are losing the personal touch, the quality of the time it takes to put into a friendship. Think about letter writing—it's not expensive. An international stamp costs $1.15.
It's not the expense. It's the time. The time it takes to go to the store and pick out a card or stationary. The time it takes to actually hand-write a letter. The time it takes to address the envelope, go to the post office, pay, and mail the letter out. And I believe this is what makes letter writing so personal and special.
1. How did Michelle find a pen pal?| A．By reading a novel. |
| B．By travelling to England. |
| C．Through the Internet. |
| D．Through a company. |
| A．Because the Internet occupied more communication. |
| B．Because she didn’t want to wait too long for a reply. |
| C．Because opening up the mailbox is troublesome. |
| D．Because too many advertisements took up the mail box. |
| A．We become closer to each other. |
| B．We are losing the quality time of friendship. |
| C．Letter writing becomes more expensive. |
| D．Letter writing becomes cheaper. |
| A．Letter writing takes too much time. |
| B．Letter communication needs several steps. |
| C．Time spent in letter writing makes it valuable. |
| D．Time spent in letter writing makes it expensive. |
【推荐3】Men hunted. Women gathered. That has long been the common view of our prehistoric ancestors. But the discovery of a woman buried 9000 years ago in the Andes Mountains with weapons and hunting tools, and an analysis of other burial sites in the Americas challenges this widely accepted division of labor in hunter-gatherer society.
“Labor practices among recent hunter-gatherer societies are highly gendered, which might lead some to believe that sexist inequalities in things like pay or rank are somehow 'natural' , ”said lead study author Randy Haas, an assistant professor of anthropology (人类学) at University of California, Davis, in a news release. "But it's now clear that sexual division of labor was fundamentally different-likely more equal and reasonable-in our species deep hunter-gatherer past."
The burial site was discovered in 2018 during excavations (发掘) at a high-altitude site called Wilamaya Patjxa in what is now Peru. The woman, thought to be between 17 and 19 years old when she died, was buried with items that suggested she hunted big-game animals.
Although some scholars have suggested a role for women in ancient hunting, others have dismissed this idea even when hunting tools were uncovered in female burials. To examine whether this woman found at this site was an outlier, the researchers examined 429 skeletons (骷髅) at 107 burials sites in North and South America around 8000 to 14000 years ago. Of those, 27 individuals were buried with hunting tools—11 were female and 15 were male. The sample was sufficient to "support the conclusion that female participation in early big-game hunting was likely not unusual".
The findings add to doubts about man — the hunter assumption that informed much thinking about early humans since the mid-20th century. “They suggest hunting was very much a community-based activity, needing the participation of all able-bodied individuals to drive large animals”, the paper said. The weapon of choice at that time had low accuracy, encouraging broad participation, and using it was a skill learned from childhood.
1. What does the recent burial site at Andes Mountains show?| A．The origin of sexual inequality. |
| B．Hunting skills of ancient times. |
| C．The social system of prehistoric hunters. |
| D．Job division of hunter-gatherer society. |
| A．Gender plays no part in recent hunter-gatherer society. |
| B．Sexist inequality is a natural result of prehistoric society. |
| C．Ancient division of labor might be fairer than we'd thought. |
| D．Public ideas of women's role will be changed abruptly. |
| A．Exception. | B．Failure. |
| C．Role model. | D．Easy target. |
| A．Lack of able-bodied individuals. |
| B．Imperfection in hunting weapons. |
| C．Better accuracy of females in hunting. |
| D．Need for large animals as food source. |
