1 . Social media (社交媒体) is a great place to share articles, pictures or videos. But sometimes you might share too much information without even realizing it. That’s called oversharing.
The term (术语) has become connected with social media, but it isn’t exclusive (独有的) to this platform.
So how can you know if you are oversharing? Why not ask your friends in real life?
There’s nothing wrong with sharing a picture, a video, thoughts, or opinions every few hours. However, it may cause trouble for you in the long run.
| A．People may overshare in person. |
| B．They would be happy to tell you if you’re posting too much. |
| C．There are several reasons why people overshare. |
| D．For your own safety, you’d better stop oversharing. |
| E．Everything you share online stays there forever. |
Habits of a Happy Brain provides a detailed introduction to the four chemicals responsible for our happiness: dopamine (多巴胺), serotonin (血清素), endorphin (内啡肽) and oxytocin (催产素). The book explores the mechanics of what makes us happy and why, as well as why some bad things make us feel so good.
| A．By constantly making decisions, you are responsible for your own happy chemicals. |
| B．Different chemicals have different function. |
| C．We feel happy when our brain release some chemicals. |
| D．Unhappy chemicals are as equally important as happy chemicals. |
| E．We can reconnect our brains in order to enjoy things that are good for us. |
How can travelling make you feel better?
In modern life, stress has become a problem for many people. According to a survey made in 2023, 91% of adults experienced high levels of stress. Wellness tourism is becoming more and more popular. People hope to seek peace and rejuvenation (活力) in our holiday experiences.
Dr Gee says, “The influence on feeling good from a holiday is the strongest on the eighth day.”
The change of scenery and adventurous nature of a holiday can lead to the whole change in our brain, causing the releases of dopamine (多巴胺), as well as serotonin (血清素) and adrenaline (肾上腺素). This effect of holidays has created a new travel trend—dopamine (多巴胺) travel. We often see that going for a holiday increases feelings of well-being, as well as increases in general activity level.
Just as the “dopamine dressing” trend encourages clothing in bright colors, our surroundings can also play an important role. Oliver Brendon, CEO of AttractionTickets. com adds, “The dopamine travel trend focuses on enjoying bright and colorful places.” And the brightly-coloured theme parks have become popular destinations (目的地).
| A．Therefore, planning your holidays well in advance is very important. |
| B．You can choose experiences like swimming with sea life. |
| C．Among theme parks, Walt Disney World is the most popular. |
| D．She thinks holidays should last eight days so that we can get the most benefits. |
| E．These positive benefits can last up to eight weeks after holiday. |
4 . Science has proved hugs are good for you. Hugs and other forms of physical touch can help with physical and mental health in people of all ages, according to a new review of 212 previous studies.
“We realized the importance of touch as a health intervention (干预), but despite many studies, it was not clear how to use it the best way, what effects can be expected specifically (具体地), and what the influencing factors (因素) are,” says Julian Packheiser from Ruhr University Bochum.
This new research, covering 12,966 participants across all of the various studies, provided some clear answers. Touch was shown to help reduce feelings of pain, depression and anxiety (焦虑). And the positive effect was observed in both children and adults.
While the type of touch doesn’t seem to matter too much, touching on the head or face appears to work best. The study shows that shorter and more often touches result in more positive reactions.
Interestingly, touches from inanimate objects—blankets, pillows, or even robots—can help in terms of physical health, but they’re not so good for mental health. Touches from humans and animals are likely to be beneficial both physically and mentally.
Newborns benefit from touch too, but the positive influence is greater when the touch comes from a parent, the research found. As we get older, whether or not the touch is from someone we know well becomes less important.
For many of us though, spending more time in physical contact with others can improve many aspects of our health. “If you feel like hugging family or friends—don’t hold back,” says Packheiser.
1. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a benefit of touch according to the review of 212 studies?| A．Improved social skills. | B．Improved mental health. |
| C．Reduced feelings of pain. | D．Reduced anxiety levels. |
| A．Only human touch shows positive effects. |
| B．Touching on any body part is equally effective. |
| C．Touch on the head or face works best. |
| D．The study did not mention a specific type of touch as most effective. |
| A．Moving. | B．Smart. | C．Living. | D．Lifeless. |
| A．The importance of physical touch for newborns. |
| B．The positive influences of touch on health across all ages. |
| C．The various factors influencing the benefits of touch. |
| D．The value of human touch compared to inanimate objects. |
5 . When we talk about numbers, have you noticed how we naturally think of the number three?
But what is it about the number three that makes it so magical?
And three is the smallest number needed to form a pattern. As the old saying goes, “Once is luck, twice is coincidence (巧合) and three times is a pattern.”
If we properly use the rule of three in our daily lives, we can make many things easier. For example, many people like to add lots of tasks to their to-do lists. Experts, however, suggest they should give themselves to just three tasks that is hard and challenging. And remember the next time you make resolutions, list only three things.
| A．The longer your list is, the less likely you are to keep it! |
| B．In some ways, “three” is a number that has magical powers. |
| C．Well, we know that the human brain is very hard to be understood. |
| D．Our brains can only remember a little information at any given moment. |
| E．Things can always become more satisfying to readers if they come in threes. |
If you live in Europe or America, you likely pick up a fork every day and give no thought to it. Using it probably seems as natural as breathing. Yet compared with the knife and the spoon, which appeared very early, the forkis a latecomer (后来者) to the table.
Researches show that the fork was first used in Ancient Egypt (埃及), China and Greece (希腊). Since the 4th century BC, the fork managed to become common on the tables of upper society in Eastern Europe and by the 9th century, it travelled to the Middle East and started being used by the upper class under the name “barjyn”. This enabled the fork to slowly become popular in these areas.
In the 11th century, the fork came to Italy in the dowry of a princess (王妃的嫁妆) from the Middle East who married an Italian official. When the church saw the princess use the fork, they strongly criticized (批评) her, saying that the fork disrespected the practice of using the fingers. Then the fork disappeared from the table for nearly 300 years. It began to be accepted in Italy by the late 16th century. However, most European countries accepted the fork only by the 18th century and the United States didn’t welcome it until the early 19th century.
During its life, the fork has changed in terms of appearance. In its early use, the fork had only two tines (齿). As the centuries went on, its design slowly started taking on a modern look. The fork which has four tines was introduced in the 18th century in Germany. By the early 20th century, the invention of stainless steel (不锈钢) enabled the fork to be made more easily.
1. Which is a latecomer to the table, the knife, the spoon or the fork? (no more than 2 words)2. In what countries was the fork first used? (no more than 6 words)
3. When did most European countries accept the fork? (no more than 4 words)
4. 请把文中划线的句子翻译成汉语。
5. 请给短文拟一个适当的英文题目。
7 . There are many natural mysteries and wonders in the world. Here are some of them.
Fossil (化石) footprints
About 11, 000 years ago, some ancient humans went for a muddy walk in Africa. They left more than 400 footprints, which became fossils. It’s the largest collection of ancient African footprints ever found.
All of the footprints came from feet. Scientists found the footprints of 17 people who probably walked together. The footprints were all traveling in the same direction and at the same speed. From the size of the footprints, scientists think the group was mostly adult women.
Snakes stick together
Can snakes be friends? Some scientists recently found the answer by closely watching 40young garter snakes. These small, harmless snakes are common in North America. Scientists divided the snakes into 10 groups. Then they put each group into a small space together for eight days.
How koalas get water
All living things need water. But they get it in different ways. You drink water from a glass. Plants take it in with their roots.
People noticed the surprising behavior while watching wild koalas in Australia. During rainstorms or right after, rainwater dropped down from tree trunks. Some koalas got the running water while they sat in the trees. One koala was so thirsty that it kept licking a wet tree trunk for more than 30 minutes without stopping.
| A．Scientists have studied all the footprints. |
| B．They found that snakes do seem to have friends. |
| C．They may have been out gathering food together. |
| D．Koalas are animals that only live in Australia. |
| E．Koalas get water from eucalyptus (桉树) leaves they eat. |
Are you an “e” person or “i” person? Do you know the differences? In this essay, we will talk about the differences between “e” people and “i” people. Those two kinds of people are very different.
According to a survey, “e” people are more outgoing and active in social relations than “i” people.
Want to know what kind of person you are? Come to have an MBTI test now!
| A．Let’s check some of them. |
| B．However, people can gradually change over time. |
| C．They enjoy meeting new people and attending parties. |
| D．But “i” people would like to be with a smaller group of people. |
| E．Besides, “e” people and “i” people may have different ideas about the same behavior. |
Ludwick Marishane, a South African, was with his friend in Limpopo when they started talking about inventing something to put on your skin (皮肤) so you don’t have to take a bath. Ludwick thought that this was a great idea. He did some research on the Internet, and he found some surprising facts.
About 2, 000, 000 people around the world haven’t got clean water. This is a huge problem because dirty water can create illnesses. One of them is trachoma: 8, 000, 000 people all over the world get trachoma every year. They wash their faces with dirty water, get ill and even go blind. To stop trachoma, people don’t have to receive expensive medical care. They have to wash their faces with clean water. That’s it.
Ludwick started thinking. He wanted to make something to help people in parts of the world where it’s difficult to find clean water. He did more research on the Internet, and he did more thinking. Ludwick had a plan. He wanted to make a gel (凝胶) for people to put on their skin so they don’t have to take a bath. When he was at university, he never stopped thinking about his invention. He started to talk to other people about it, and three years later the dream came true. He made the gel and called it “DryBath”.
Ludwick is the winner of lots of prizes. People call him “one of the brightest young men in the world”. He is happy about his success. DryBath is helping people to be healthy. And DryBath also helps to save water. That’s important in many parts of the world, where it’s difficult to find clean water. Now he wants to invent other things and also wants to help other young people to become inventors.
1. Where is Ludwick from?2. For those people who get trachoma, what problems do they have?
3. If you get trachoma, what should you do to stop it?
4. How did Ludwick help people without enough water?
5. What do you think of Ludwick? And why?
Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world, located about 480 kilometers east of Southern Africa. In real life, Madagascar has no lions, giraffes, zebras, or hippos.
Lemurs (狐猴) are the most famous among Madagascar’s special animals.
Why does Madagascar have so many special animals and plants? Madagascar used to be connected to Africa.
Many of Madagascar’s special animals and plants have already disappeared. It’s necessary for us to protect what is left.
| A．The animals in Madagascar are the same as those in Africa. |
| B．However, it is famous for its special animals and plants. |
| C．Besides that, Madagascar has many strange and unusual plants. |
| D．But about 165 million years ago, it broke off from Africa and was driven away. |
| E．They are a kind of monkey, and more closely related to humans. |
