Changing our lives
COVID-19 has made people think harder about their relationship with nature. It has also raised questions about urban (城市的) lifestyles. The sharing economy (共享经济), working in open offices, living in crowded apartments and the food industry’s use of reusable products have made the perfect storm for a pandemic (大流行).
Although the sharing economy might be good – it’s cheaper to rent than to own – sharing spaces and objects are great ways to spread the virus. How does one do “social distancing (和他人保持安全距离)” when they are expected to share cars, bikes, apartments and even the same offices?
The trend (趋势) of using open offices, which can save space, is working against us. In this type of office, workers don’t have their own desk – everything is shared. Sometimes, computers and chairs are also shared, which is not hygienic (卫生的). Fortunately, more workers are working from home during the pandemic, but that won’t last forever.
Reusability (循环利用) is a common practice in the restaurant industry. Reusable cups and chopsticks are often used. Unfortunately, reusable products increase the chance of spreading disease. For example, Starbucks recently stopped refilling (重新装满) customers’ reusable cups in order to stop the spread of the virus.
People like to be social. But the virus has made this more dangerous. We have to be careful about how we interact (交往) with others for now. Perhaps we need to rethink about our lifestyles to reduce the spread of future pandemics.
1. The paragraph (段) 3 is mainly about ________.| A．how working at home won’t last long | B．how shared offices can save space |
| C．the hygienic problems of open offices | D．the sharing economy trend |
| A．everything is shared in many restaurants |
| B．they use too much disposable tableware (一次性餐具) |
| C．many restaurants have poor hygiene |
| D．cups and chopsticks are often reused |
| A．we need to change some of our lifestyles |
| B．the sharing economy won’t last forever |
| C．no one can stay out of the sharing economy |
| D．we shouldn’t stay away from shared products |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Think about how much time you spent outside last week. I mean “really outside”. Walking from the car into the mall doesn't count. Now think about how much time you spent inside: on the Internet or playing video games or watching TV.
“I play inside more than outside,” said Casey M. of South Bend, Indiana. “I like to play games on the computer because I think it's very exciting.”
If you're like Casey, it's likely that you spend more time inside than outside. Kids spent two fewer hours per week on sports and outdoor activities in the early 2010s than kids did in the early 1990s.
Are you staying inside because you need a place to go to? People fill open places with buildings. Rhonada Clements said, “Students still need some special places. There they are free to go and meet friends. And they can make them relax there. What's more, parents should spend more time staying with their kids.”
Even when there is a place to go to, personal safety is a problem. “I wish I could play outside more.” said Angela P. of New Haven, Connecticut. “There is a park down the street, but my mom worries about my safety when I go there by myself.” Many kids are home alone in the afternoons because their parents tell them not to leave the house. Most parents always think it's dangerous for their children to stay outside.
1. What can we know from the first three paragraphs?| A．A lot of people like playing outside. |
| B．A lot of people like playing computer games. |
| C．More and more people like watching TV with their family. |
| D．More and more people like spending time inside. |
| A．special places | B．people | C．students | D． friends |
| A．Because they want their children to spend more time with them. |
| B．Because they think it's dangerous for their children to go outside alone. |
| C．Because they are afraid their children won't finish their homework. |
| D．Because they need their children to do some housework at home. |
| A．From writing about himself to writing about other people. |
| B．Firstly tell us a fact and then tell us the fact is wrong. |
| C．Firstly talk to the parents and then talk to the teachers. |
| D．Firstly give a question and then answer the question. |
Last week we did a survey among 100 kids of different ages in America. We asked them two questions. One question is “Do you often surf the internet?” The other one is “What do you often do online?” Here are the results.
Age Groups
Activity | Percentage of kids online |
send an e-mail | 89% |
play games | 87% |
go online to get new8 or information | 76% |
send or receive messages | 25% |
Buy things including books and clothes | 43% |
watch short videos on TikTok | 38% |
2. The chart on the right mainly tells us about the children’s online activities in America.
3. According to the survey, most children in America surf the Internet for shopping.
4. In America, the older the children are, the more active they are on the Internet.
5. The bar chart on the left shows us the percentages of different aged kids surfing the Internet in America.
【推荐3】Getting enough shut-eye really matters for children, and those who are poor need it the most. We all know kids need a good night’s sleep in order to grow. After studying thousands of children, psychologist Mona El-Sheikh, a professor of child development, says children who don’t get enough sleep suffer from serious consequences.
“They do not concentrate as well or perform well on tasks that are difficult to understand,” she explains. “Even worse, they may be more likely to be unhappy, sick or obese. Sleep is very important for brain development and also for emotional control.”
As it turns out, what sleep gives, and what the lack of it takes away, may be much worse by poverty. “Poverty is a very major stress or for our children,” says El-Sheikh.
On average, El-Sheikh says the children studied get about seven and a half hours of sleep. Experts say children aged 5 to 10 need about 10 to 11 hours of sleep a night.
With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), El-Sheikh and her team at Auburn University are studying sleep shortage and how it has an impact on kids, including those who are otherwise deprived. El-Sheikh says the findings are clear. Sleep matters more for kids, and those who are poor need it most.
“Children, especially those who live in poor neighborhoods and come from more economically disadvantaged homes are likely to benefit more when they sleep better and tend to suffer more when their sleep is poor,” she says.
El-Sheikh is not sure why. She thinks it may be combination of all the stress factors in the children’s lives. The good news is, if poor kids get enough rest, that seems to level the playing field.
“They don’t get sick as frequently, they are less violent, they don’t show as much depression and worry in the home, and they do much better at school.” So, even parents who are struggling can give their kids encouragement by sending them to bed early. It’s an idea worth sleeping on.
1. El-Sheikh thinks sleep shortage may be worse because of ________.| A．study | B．poor life | C．homework | D．stress |
| A．difficulties | B．similarities | C．results | D．differences |
| A．Children aged 8 need about 10 hours of sleep a night. |
| B．Kids who don’t get enough sleep can focus well. |
| C．Children in poor areas need more sleep. |
| D．Poor kids, if they get enough sleep, will benefit more. |
| A．Why sleep shortage is a problem for kids | B．How does sleep shortage happen |
| C．Sleep is a problem | D．How to sleep well |
Can you understand the following sentence?
"My smmr hols wr CWOT. B4, we used 2 go 2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & 3 kds FTF. "
The Scottish teacher who received it in class had no idea what the girt who wrote it meant. The essay was written in a form of English used in cell phone text messages. Text messages（also called SMS）through cell phones became very popular in the late 1990s. At first, mobile phone companies thought that text messaging would be a good way to send messages to customers, but customers quickly began to use the text messaging service to send messages to each other. Teenagers in particular enjoyed using text messaging, and they began to create a new language for messages called "texting".
A text message is limited to 160 characters, including letters, spaces, and numbers, so messages must be kept short. In addition, typing on the small key pad of a cell phone is difficult, so it's common to make words shorter. In texting, a single letter or number can represent a word, like "r" for "are", "u" for "you", and "2" for "two". Several letters can also represent a phrase, like "lol" for "laughing out loud". Another characteristic of texting is the leaving out of letters in a word, like spelling "please" as "pls".
Some parents and teachers worry that texting will make children bad spellers and bad writers. The student who wrote the essay at the top of this page said writing in that way was more comfortable for her.（The essay said, "My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend, and their three kids face to face."）
Not everyone agreed that texting is a bad thing. Some experts say languages always develop, and this is just another way in which English is changing. Other people believe texting will disappear soon. New technology for voice messages may soon make text messages a thing of the past.
1. What is the writer's opinion of text messaging?| A．The writer does not give his opinions. | B．It is not bad for children. |
| C．It will make children bad writers. | D．It is fun and easy to do. |
| A．Using letters to represent words. | B．Using phrases to represent essays. |
| C．Using letters to represent phrases. | D．Using numbers to represent words. |
| A．It costs too much. | B．It's too difficult to type. |
| C．Teenagers won't learn to write correctly. | D．It's not comfortable. |
| A．Not many people use texting. | B．Spelling in English is too difficult. |
| C．Teenagers quickly become bored with texting. | D．Texting will disappear because of new technology. |
| A．Texting. | B．A text message. |
| C．A bad thing. | D．The text messaging service. |
| A．bad thing | B．good thing | C．badly thing | D．worst thing |
【推荐2】Many people believe that, by the year 2100, we will live on the planet Mars(火星). Here is what life could be like.
First of all, transport should be much better. By 2100, spaceship can travel at half the speed of light.
Secondly, humans need food, water and air to live. Scientists should be able to find plants that can grow on Mars. These plants will provide us with food and air.
Life on Mars will be better in many ways.
However, in some ways, life on Mars may not be better than that on the earth today.
| A．There will probably be no school on Mars. |
| B．It might take us two or three days to get to Mars. |
| C．There is a problem for us to live on Mars. |
| D．Food will not be the same. |
| E．First, people will have more space. |
As computers become more popular in China, Chinese people are increasingly relying on computer keyboards to input Chinese characters. But if they use the computer too much, they may end up forgetting the exact strokes (笔画) of each Chinese character when writing on paper. Experts suggest people, especially students, write by hand more.
Do you write by hand more or type more? In Beijing, students start using a computer as early as primary school. And computer dependence is more wide-spread among university students. Almost all their assignments and essays are typed on a computer.
All the students interviewed say they usually use a computer. It’s faster and easier to correct if using a computer. And that’s why computers are being applied more and more often to modern education.
“When I’m writing with a pen, I find I often can’t remember how to write a character, though I feel I’m familiar with it.”
“I’m not in the mood(情绪，心情) to write when faced with a pen and paper.” Many students don’t feel this is something to worry about. Now that it’s more convenient and efficient to write on a computer, why bother to handwrite?
Many educators think differently. Shi Liwei, the headmaster of a famous primary school in the capital, said, “Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic value. But those characters typed with computer keyboards only maintain their practical value. All the artistic beauty of the characters is lost. And handwriting contains the writer’s emotion. Through one’s handwriting, people can get to know one’s thinking and personality. Beautiful writing will give people a better first impression of them.”
To encourage students to handwrite more, many primary schools in Beijing have made writing classes compulsory and in universities, some professors are asking students to turn in their homework and essays written by hand.
1. The students interviewed prefer to write using a computer mainly because ________.| A．they are usually asked to e-mail their homework and essays |
| B．they find it not easy to remember how to write a character |
| C．they can correct the mistakes they make quickly and conveniently |
| D．computers have become a trend (趋势)and fashion in China |
| A．artistic | B．useful | C．ugly | D．displeasing |
| A．more and more students will give up writing on a computer |
| B．writing by hand will give way to typing by computer one day |
| C．the typing article better expresses one’s feelings and quality |
| D．more and more students will pay attention to handwriting |
| A．To Type or to Handwrite |
| B．The Value of Chinese Characters |
| C．Writing by Computer will Replace Writing by Hand |
| D．The Importance of Handwriting and Typing |
| Time | Every session(阶段) is four weeks, from Monday to Thursday. You can go to the club one, two, three or four days a week. The Homework Club is in the Bay Library. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday: 3:00 pm — 4:00 pm Wednesday: 1:30 pm — 2:30 pm |
| Fee | 4 days a week: $150 / session 3 days a week: $125 / session 2 days a week: $100 / session 1 day a week: $75 / session |
1. The students go to the Homework Club because __________.
| A．they want to help their teachers | B．they need a quiet place to study |
| C．they can play with their friends there | |
| A．零钱 | B．小吃 | C．奖状 |
| A．the Homework Club is in the students’ classroom |
| B．the price for a session of two days a week is $150 |
| C．the Homework Club finishes at 2:30 pm on Wednesday |
【推荐2】A Dream Chaser in a Wheelchair
Since the age of three, Chelsie Hill had dreamed of becoming a dancer. That dream nearly ended in 2010 when Hill was in a car accident, which put the 17-year-old girl in hospital for 51 days and left her paralyzed (瘫痪的) from the waist down. For most people, that would have destroyed any hope of a dancing career. But for Hill, it was the beginning. “I want to prove to everyone including myself that I’m still normal,” she said, “whatever normal means.”
Normal for her meant dancing, so Hill did it in her wheelchair alongside her nondisabled high school dance team. Half of her body was taken away from her, so she had to move it with her hands. It took much learning and patience.
After graduation from high school, Hill wanted to expand her dance network to include women like her. She met people online who were fighting for the dream of dancing against various spinal (脊柱的) injuries, and invited them to dance with her. To reach more people in a larger city, Hill moved to Los Angeles in 2014 and formed a team of dancers with disabilities she called the Rollettes.
Every year Hill holds a dance camp called the Rollettes Experience for wheelchair users to help them bring out their acting talent. In 2019, 173 participants from ten countries attended. For many, it was the first time they’d felt they belonged. Edna Serrano said, “I didn’t know I could do so many things that my fellow teammates had taught me. It’s so powerful to have my teammates in my life, because they’re my teachers. I have more confidence.”
Chelsie Hill got what many of us never will: her childhood dream. She has been chasing her dream in the wheelchair. She’s a dancer. The Rollettes have helped her find something else just as fulfilling.
1. What happened to Chelsie Hill in 2010?| A．She lost her hope of dancing. |
| B．She got backache and stayed in hospital. |
| C．She was seriously disabled in a car accident. |
| D．She realized her dream of becoming a dancer. |
| A．To expand her social network. |
| B．To enlarge her dance business. |
| C．To encourage more people like her. |
| D．To look for more opportunities to dance. |
| A．Modest and professional. | B．Cooperative and faithful. |
| C．Responsible and creative. | D．Strong willed and inspiring. |
Airships can fly because they are lighter than air, like balloons. But they also have engines, so they can fly long distances. In the 1920s and 1930s, airships flew with passengers in them. They could fly from Europe to the US in two days. That was much faster than traveling by ship. There were even restaurants and bedrooms in the biggest airships, which could carry up to 100 passengers.
However, the safety of airships during that time was surely a big problem. It was reported that many of airships crashed. In 1937, a famous airship called the Hindenburg crashed near New York and thirty-six people died. After that, passenger airships stopped flying. Planes became the most important kind of air transportation because they were faster and safer.
Now a number of companies around the world are making airships again. They are much safer than the airships of the 1920s and 1930s, but they are not for passengers. Instead, they carry cargo.
Why use airships instead of planes? There are four main reasons:
●They don’t need airports. They can land in places where planes can’t.
●They can carry much more cargo than planes can.
●They use much less fuel than planes, so they are better for the environment.
●They can stay in the air for a long time, so they are good for scientific work.
Today most cargo still travels on planes, ships, trains and trucks. But in the future, much more cargo could travel by airship because it’s cheaper and better for the environment. Maybe there will be airships for passengers again too.
1. During the 1920s and 1930s, airships ___________.| A．couldn’t carry people | B．could have restaurants |
| C．were safer than planes | D．were slower than ships |
| A．fall to pieces | B．fly into sky |
| C．take off safely | D．turn back fast |
| A．They can fly without fuel. |
| B．They can take more passengers. |
| C．They have to land in the airports. |
| D．They are more friendly to the environment. |
| A．Useful airships | B．Airships and planes |
| C．The history of airships | D．The story of a famous airship |
【推荐1】Many parents set rules for their children’s online activity, such as limiting (限制) the amount of time they can spend online. But some children in the US and UK are saying that they’d like to make rules for parents, too. They complain(抱怨) that their parents share too many photos of them online.
In a 2018 study, it was found that parents in the US share an average of 116 photos of their kids after they are born. Most were taken before the child turned 8 years old. Many of the photos showed kids in embarrassing situations(窘境), like having food all over their faces, Quartz reported.
Parents do like to share their child’s progress as he or she grows up. But their kids don’t like it as much. In a survey of UK children between the ages of 12 and 16, 70 percent said they felt their parents didn’t take their online privacy(隐私) too seriously according to Digital Parenting magazine.
In addition, many kids said that other students at school sometimes laughed at them after their parents posted photos online, CBS News noted, In one case, a girl was bullied (欺负) by boys at school after they found her mom’s blog, which had many family photos.
“Each time a photo or video is uploaded, it creates a digital footprint of a child, which can follow them into adult life,” a spokeswoman for a leading children’s charity in the UK said. “It’s always important to ask children for their permission (允许) before posting photos or videos of them.”
1. According to the first paragraph, what do kids in the US and UK complain about?| A．Their parents setting rules for their online activity. |
| B．Their parents limiting the amount of time they spend online. |
| C．their parents posting too many photos of them online. |
| D．Their parents setting high expectations for their schoolwork. |
| A．share photos online after they get married (结婚) |
| B．post photos of their kids in embarrassing situations |
| C．take more photos of their children after they are 8 |
| D．laugh at their kids and make them feel embarrassing |
| A．care too much about their progress in school |
| B．forget to set good examples for them |
| C．don’t care enough about their online safety |
| D．don’t respect(尊重)their online privacy |
| A．Parents should ask kids for agreement before sharing their photos. |
| B．UK kids don’t mind that their photos are shared by their parents. |
| C．Sharing photos online helps kids live a better adult life. |
| D．Kids don’t get bulled at school when their photos are shared online. |
【推荐2】French doctors and American scientists have reported doing an operation in which the doctor was outside the operating room. This kind of operation is known as robotic operation.
Doctor Marescaux did the operation in an office in New York City last month, while a sixty-eight-year-old woman patient was in a hospital in Strasbourg, France.
A doctor in Strasbourg got the patient ready. He placed medical tools and a small video camera in her stomach area. Doctor Marescaux in New York watched the patient on a video screen. Then he used the computer to send messages to the robot machine. The robot moved the tools that cut the woman's gallbladder (胆囊) away. The woman got well soon after the operation and left the hospital two days later.
Experts say the main problem with such a robotic operation is based on high-speed telecommunications between the doctor and the robot. Technology must be able to send a doctor's order to a robot to move the tools quickly.
Experts also say a successful robotic operation will improve an operation. For example, the robot can make much smaller movements than a person can. A robot machine can turn tools in ways that a doctor's hand cannot.
Doctors say such a robotic operation will make safer and better operations possible in the future. They say it will improve doctor training. It will also mean that doctors could do an operation on people in dangerous places far away. And it could mean that people could have operations done by top doctors without having to travel to the city where doctors work.
1. "Robotic operation" means "___________".| A．an operation done with the help of a robot | B．an operation done far away |
| C．a special kind of robot invented by doctors | D．something done to mend a robot |
| A．even a top doctor can't do the operation himself | B．it can send messages at a high speed |
| C．operations can be done without any doctors | D．it can make the operation safer and better |
| A．high-speed telecommunications | B．top doctors |
| C．doctor training | D．smaller movements |
| A．telecommunications | B．a video camera | C．a robot machine | D．more tools |
| A．Experts speak highly of robotic operation. | B．The robot is used to watch the patient clearly. |
| C．Robotic operation is good for doctor training. | D．Robotic operation has been used in the USA. |
【推荐3】Exercise is the best way to stay healthy. But few people get enough exercise. Only 20% of Americans get 150 minutes of physical activity every week. More than 80 million Americans over 6 years old are not active (活跃的).
Many US schools cut (削减) PE classes. Only 15% of schools have this class at least three days a week.
This year, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) starts an important study. It will show the things happening inside a body after exercise. The NIH hopes to tell people that exercise is a kind of good medicine.
The study will run for six years. It studies a group of about 3,000 people. They are from the 11-year-olds to the old. The study has shown many nice changes in the body during and after exercise so far.
And the study has also shown that housework can be physical exercise. “Cutting the grass, cleaning rooms, washing the car — all of these are exercise,” says a scientist. “Exercise isn’t just throwing a ball into a basket.”
1. What do the first and second paragraphs mainly tell us?| A．How to stay healthy in our daily life. |
| B．Children under 6 years old are not active in their life. |
| C．Many US schools don’t have enough PE classes. |
| D．Most Americans don’t get enough exercise. |
| A．To tell people exercise is important. |
| B．To show people some useful exercise. |
| C．To call on students to do more exercise. |
| D．To ask people to start doing housework. |
| A．It will run for half a year. |
| B．It only studies the middle school students. |
| C．It has shown the body changes during and after exercise. |
| D．There are three hundred people taking part in the study. |
| A．Cutting the grass. |
| B．Doing some cleaning in the house. |
| C．Planting some trees in the garden. |
| D．Washing the car. |
| A．An important study on exercise. |
| B．Doing housework is helpful. |
| C．The school students and exercise. |
| D．A kind of medicine for the old and the young. |
