“Internet addiction (瘾)” was once used to describe young people who spent too much time watching videos or playing games online. But today, an increasing number of the old are becoming victims (受害者).
According to a report on the Internet use of China’s elderly people last year, 38.6% of people aged 60 or over were Internet users. And some surveyed elderly people spent at least 10 hours on the Internet every day.
Phone overuse could lead to the higher risk of many diseases like cervical spondylosis (颈推病). Besides health problems, elderly people’s phone addiction also brings family problems. For example, their adult children often get upset when they stay up late playing with the phone or shop online blindly.
Why do old people depend heavily on mobile phones? It’s because they have lots of spare time and they wish to communicate with others.
Though it’s natural for the elderly to meet their spiritual needs through the smart phone, they should limit their time on the Internet and get regular rest at night. Adult children should go home more often to talk with their parents and reduce their sense of loneliness and encourage them to do healthy activities.
1. What’s the main idea of this text?2. How long did elderly people spend on the Internet every day according to the report?
3. What problems could phone overuse lead to ?
4. Why do old people depend heavily on mobile phones?
5. What can we do to help the elderly in our families to have a healthier life?
In China, writing brushes, ink sticks, paper and ink stones are called the Four Treasures of Study. The writing brush in Huzhou, the ink (墨水) stick in Huizhou, the xuan paper in Xuancheng and the ink stone in Duanxi are the most famous.
The writing brushes are used to draw the pictures on painted potteries (陶器). They are mostly made of the fur of animals. Tools made of wool are called yanghao and those made of the weasel’s (鼬) tail hair are called langhao.
The ink stick produced in Huizhou is of high quality. Two famous skilled men Xi Chao and his son produced a kind of high-quality ink stick. As a result, the Emperor Li Yu in the Southern Tang Dynasty announced to give them the family name “Li”. From then on, the fame (声誉) of the Li Ink Sticks spread widely. In the Song Dynasty, its producing area was changed into Huizhou, and it was then called the Hui ink Stick.
Paper is among the four great inventions in ancient China. The famous xuan paper appeared in the Sui and Tang dynasties. In Nuanzhou, it’s said that Cai Lun’s pupil Kong Dan happened to see the ebony (檀木) in the rivers. It was turned white in water. Then he used the bark (树皮) to produce the world-famous xuan paper.
The ink stone was already very popular in the Han Dynasty. In Ming and Qing dynasties, Duan Ink Stone, She Ink Stone, Tao Ink Stone and Chengni Ink Stone can not only be used in writing and painting but also for admiration.
| The | |
| The writing brushes | They are used to draw the pictures and mostly |
| The ink stick | Two famous skilled men were In the Song Dynasty, its producing area was changed into Huizhou. |
| Paper | The famous xuan paper appeared in the Sui and Tang dynasties. Kong Dan used the |
| The ink stone | In Ming and Qing dynasties, ink Stone can not only |
The Internet has greatly changed Chinese people’s lives in different ways over the past twenty years. In order to show the rapid development of China’s Internet, the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) gives their reports twice a year. The following is part of The 45th China Report on Internet Development.
Kinds of Mobile Apps. 19...... Internet Users....
These charts alone cannot cover all sides of the present development of China’s Internet, but it is still enough to show a surprising progress on the way. In fact, the Internet economy itself now takes nearly one third of China’s GDP: China’s total amount of Internet payment is the most in the world for seven years in a row.
According to the report, students take up the largest part of Internet users. The use of Internet can be found everywhere in a student’s life. They check out weather, discuss with classmates; and search on the Internet. As is specially mentioned in the report, almost all the students of all grades have taken classes on Dingtalk or other apps during their stay at home. The Internet has made these (become) possible. Not only is the Internet bringing more convenience to the Chinese people, but it is also helping to make the world a better place to live in.
1. What is the purpose of the report made by CNNIC?2. According to Chart I, what percent of mobile apps are game and life service apps in total?
3. Which Chart tell us that China’s Internet is developing rapidly?
4. Please translate the underlined sentence into Chinese.
5. Is the Internet important in your life? Why or why not?
Critical thinking is about thinking better. Training your critical thinking skills can open up a door to the better world. But the journey of being a person with critical thinking is difficult.
Train your questioning skills.
Asking questions is perhaps the key act of critical thinking. If you don’t know what questions to ask, you may as well not get the answer. Finding the answer is what critical thinking is all about.
Think several steps ahead.
Think several steps ahead. Once the problem you are working on may begin, use your imagination to guess what the possible futures will be.
Spare at least 30 minutes a day to improve your brain function.
Spend 30 minutes in your busy day making your brain more powerful. There are a few ways that you can do:
●Try to be active in finding the solution to be a problem a day.
●Find the time to exercise regularly.
●Eating the right kinds of foods is to keep your brain in good health.
Critical Thinking It is not | |
| Ways to Improve Your Critical Thinking | Think critically by asking questions and finding |
| Spend-30 minutes a day training your brain function. ●Try to ● Do regular exercise every day. ●Eat right kinds of foods to keep your brain | |
| As long as you keep practicing, you can improve your critical thinking a lot. | |
I have a problem and I need your help. My parents are really strict and they never let me do anything. For example, when I go out with my friends, my mom always asks, “Where are you going? Who are you going with?” Two months ago, I got an earring (耳环) and my father was really angry. He told me to take it out. My parents want to control everything I do. But I’m 18 years old! I try to talk to them, but they don’t listen. They say “This is our house and these are our rules.” Then we have a fight. Why is it so hard for them to understand me?
Josh
Dear Josh,You asked, “Why is it so hard for them to understand you?” That’s a good question. You’re growing up, but often, you’re still a child and they want to protect you.
Sometimes, it’s hard to talk to your parents. Here is an idea: Write a letter to them. Tell them your feelings. In the letter, talk about your friends. Tell them about yourself and your life. After they read the letter, try to talk to them. I hope this helps!
Emma
根据短文内容，回答下列问题。1. What is Josh’s problem in his letter?
2. Why does Josh’s father ask him to take the earring out?
3. What is Emma’s idea for Josh?
4. What does Emma advise Josh to do after the letter?
5. What kind of people do you think Emma is?
Have you heard of the air taxi? An air taxi can carry people from place to place by air. It looks like a helicopter (直升机). It doesn’t need a long runway to take off or land. It can go straight up. and down.
On February 27, an air taxi finished its first test flight (飞行) in Guangdong. The flight started from the Shekou Cruise Homeport in Shenzhen to Jiuzhou Port in Zhuhai. The 60-kilometer trip took about 20 minutes. By car, the same trip takes two or three hours.
The air taxi is powered (驱动) by electricity (电). It has a top speed of 200 kilometers per hour and can carry up to five people. On one charge (充电), it can travel 250 kilometers. If everything goes well, it hopes to start carrying passengers in 2026.
1. What does an air taxi look like?2. How long did the air taxi fly for its first test flight?
3. What's the top speed of an air taxi?
4. How many people can an air taxi carry up to?
5. How far can an air taxi travel on one charge?
Linda is excited. Today she will go hiking in Mount Washington. Her teachers, Mrs. Green and Mrs. Chang, love to hike, who know a lot about hiking and mountain safety.
Mount Washington is the tallest mountain in New England. It is almost 6,300 feet high. Mount Washington can get twenty-six feet of snow in a year! So much snow can take a long time to melt.
Mrs. Green leads the way. There are seven girls and two adults. Mrs. Chang makes sure everyone hikes safely.
Everyone has a full bag. The hikers need lots of water, snacks, and lunch. They have more clothes too. Everyone needs a jacket, a raincoat, a hat, and gloves. Even in summer, mountain weather can be cold.
“I’m tired,” Inez says. After a rest, Linda and Inez sing songs. Inez feels better. “Hiking is hard work,” Linda says, “but I love it!” The group hike higher up Mount Washington. Linda finds the snow first. “I can’t believe there is snow in July,” Linda shouts, “My brother won’t believe me!” The girls put on their jackets, gloves, and hats, and they play in the snow. They feel cold now. The wind blows. They are happy to have warm clothes.
After another rest, Mrs. Green calls the girls. “We have to hike back now,” she says. “Can we come again next summer?” Inez asks. “Please!” Linda says, “Next year I want to hike to the top!”
1. What do Mrs. Green and Mrs Chang know about?2. How many people go hiking in Linda’s group today?
3. What should be brought when hiking in Mount Washington?
4. Why do hikers have to wear more clothes?
5. Do you think hiking is good or bad ? Why?
The flu easily spreads from one person to another. If you are weak, you probably catch the flu easily. Do you know how you can avoid the flu? Here are four suggestions:
First, you can eat everything you want but make sure that your diet is healthy. The healthier you are, the better it is for you to avoid (避免) any type of illness around. Most doctors suggest drinking lots of fresh fruit juice and water is helpful to avoid the flu.
Second, if a member of a family or a friend has the flu, stay away from him or her until he or she is well. The flu is very communicable (可传染的). If you stay with the person with the flu, you can catch the flu easily. Wear a mask (口罩) and avoid using things that the person with the flu used.
Third, exercising will make you stronger, which means a stronger immune system (免疫系统), too. Exercise often so that your body will keep healthy. It doesn’t matter what kind of exercise it is.
Finally, happy people are healthy people. Their life isn't stressed out, so they may be safe from illness. If you are unhappy, you will easily get sick.
Follow the suggestions above and you can avoid the flu easily.
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| | Eat |
| Stay away from him or her when a person has the flu. Wear a mask and avoid using things that the person | |
| Exercise often to | |
| Be a happy person to be safe from illness. | |
When the new term came, I had a new classmate, a little old lady with a warm smile. She said, “Hi, handsome! I’m 87 years old. Can I give you a hug?”
I said heartily, “Of course!”
“Why are you in college at such an age?” I asked.
She joked, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, have children, and then travel around.”
“No, seriously,” I asked.
“I always dreamed of having a college education. Now I’m getting one!” she told me.
Over the year, Rose became an icon (偶像). She easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she enjoyed the attention from other students.
At the end of the term, we invited Rose to speak at our banquet (宴会). I’ll never forget what she taught us.
“We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. Here are the secrets of staying young: You have to laugh and find humor every day as well as have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die!” she said.
“There is a big difference between growing old and growing up. Anybody can grow old. That doesn’t take any talent or ability,” she added. “But to grow up, you have to find the chances in change. Have no regrets. We usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do.”
One week after graduation, Rose died peacefully in her sleep. She taught us by example that it’s never too late to be all you can possibly be.
1. What was the writer’s new classmate like?2. Why was she in college at such an age?
3. According to Rose, what’s the secret of staying young?
4. What does the underlined word “that” refer to (指的是)?
5. Would you like Rose to be your icon? Why?
I enjoy reading, which helps me improve my English a lot. How to enjoy reading like me? Here are some suggestions for you.
Firstly, it’s important to choose a book which is the right level for you. If you are just starting out with English, don’t try to read a 600-page classic novel!
Secondly, although having a dictionary at hand to look up words is useful, you should try not to translate word by word, or you will soon get bored. Look up the words that you think are difficult to understand the text and learn them in a sentence. This will make it more likely that you will remember them in the future.
Finally, interest is important but perseverance (毅力) is the key. Although at first it may seem that reading has become a chore, you will soon get into the story and you will end up not being able to put the book down! The feeling of finishing a book in a different language is very satisfying. If you finish one, don’t stop there! The more you read, the more vocabularies you will learn and the more you will become familiar (熟悉) with sentence structures and common phrases.
If you want to learn English well, I hope you will pick up more books in English from now on.
Firstly | It’s important to choose a book which is the |
Secondly | You should try not to |
Finally | Don’t stop reading! Pick up and read more books in |
