1 . We know it can be hard to put your phone to bed before you sleep. However, if you’re trying to improve your sleep, you really should ditch your phone at least an hour before bedtime. Luckily, our experts can help.
Scientific evidence suggests that the blue light emitted from your phone, tablet, computer, and TV suppresses (抑制) your body’s production of melatonin, a hormone (荷尔蒙) that plays an important role in your sleep cycle. Melatonin release in the evening helps you relax before bedtime. A 2013 study that analyzed technology use and sleep patterns with data from a National Sleep Foundation poll found that using devices like phones was tied to more sleep disruption than electronics that aren’t interactive.
Many of us use the excuse that our mobile devices serve as our wake-up calls, or keep them nearby to use meditation apps. If you want to use your phone as an alarm, consider setting it a couple of hours before you turn in for the night, and then setting the phone itself to bedtime mode for the rest of the evening.
Here’s another groundbreaking idea: You could get a real alarm clock. After reviewing them at Reviewed, we recommend the Sharp Dream Caster. Not only is it easy to set a wake-up time, the clock includes white noises and rain noises to help you sleep, plus a number of volume settings to pick what works best for you.
But an alarm clock won’t help you avoid doom-scrolling through social media. Take things a step further by avoiding using electronic devices. You can try reading a book (one made of paper), taking a bath or drinking a cup of chamomile tea.
Finally, if you want to keep up your meditation practice screen-free, consider the Morphée. It looks like a little music box and comes with a variety of breathing exercises and soundscapes to help you get to sleep.
1. What does the underlined word “ditch” in paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Set aside. | B．Pick up. | C．Show off. | D．Turn to. |
| A．Relaxing yourself before bedtime. |
| B．Sleeping less than you normally would. |
| C．Adapting to your sleep cycle more easily. |
| D．Reducing the pressure from screen use. |
| A．It is sold at a lower price. | B．It can predict a heavy rain. |
| C．It is controlled by cellphone. | D．It helps put your eyes together. |
| A．Making the best of the eco-friendly products. |
| B．Making a change according to circumstances. |
| C．Establishing a bedtime routine without electronics. |
| D．Keeping a consistent bedtime and wake-up time. |
2 . May 29 — June 2
Summer Camp for the Whole Family!
Family Camp, an event at Holiday Lake 4-H Educational Center in Virginia, offers the chance for family members to socialize with each other. Participants take three classes a day, one of which is specifically appointed as a family activity. Classes offered include swimming, theatre arts, nature, canoeing, and more. Afternoons and evenings are filled with special activities such as hikes, canoe trips, and campfires.
Family camp offers a variety of activities for all ages. Space is limited to 25 families. Each family has a separate room. To receive registration (登记) information, please call your local Extension Office or Heather Benninghove at Holiday Lake 4-H Center at (434) 248-5444.
If you’re a person with a disability (残疾) and need special services, please call at (434) 248-5444 during business hours of 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM five days before the camp.
Prices
●Family of 4: $500
●Each additional member: $75
●Children aged 2—4 years old: $35
●Children under 2: Free
Payment
●$200 deposit (定金) with registration
●Final payment and all signed forms due May 5
●An information packet and all relevant forms will be mailed to you upon receipt of registration and deposit.
Refunds (退款)
●Full by May 7
●Non-refundable after May 7
1. When should people with special needs call the center?| A．Before May 5. | B．Before May 7. | C．Before May 24. | D．Before May 29. |
| A．$200. | B．$500. | C．$535. | D．$575. |
| A．It’s not really suitable for kids under 2. | B．It requires a deposit when registering. |
| C．Its application fee is non-refundable. | D．It offers classes the whole day. |
3 .
| For children Museum: Children’s Museum, Sundays, 89 North Street, 67641235 Story time: Children’s library, 106 Green Street, Wednesdays during 9:30 a.m—5:00 p.m. 66599624 Sports: Soccer Club, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 16 Yangtze Road, 96725643 Basketball club, Wednesdays and Fridays, 79071632 Cinema: New films for children, 99 Brick Road, 69001354 |
| Useful Phone Numbers Fast Food Restaurant: 66387901 Hospital: 68787451 Visitor Information Center: 800-120-9847 Taxi: 79210583 Visitor Hotel Information: 800-739-7302 |
| A．16 Yangtze Road | B．89 North Street |
| C．106 Green Street | D．99 Brick Road |
| A．ask for some hotel information | B．do some shopping |
| C．have a good time | D．order fast food in a restaurant |
| A．looking for a hotel | B．doing eye exercises |
| C．eating fast food | D．taking a taxi |
4 . More people than ever are interested in learning to speak Chinese. The challenge that many face is finding the best resources to learn this new language. Fortunately, there are 4 amazing tools that can make learning Chinese much easier.
HelloTalk
This is an app that connects anyone interested in learning a foreign language to a native speaker who is willing to engage in conversation with learners, and help them practice and master their new language. It includes a voice-to-text feature that is perfect if you cannot understand your conversation partner. The text- to-voice feature that is included helps you to learn the proper pronunciations.
iTalki
No tool is going to take the place of one-on-one interaction(互动) with a real person. This is why iTalki is one of the most popular online language learning systems. If you join the iTalki community, you will be connected with an instructor who is a native speaker. They will work with you one on one to improve your vocabulary and conversational language skills.
FluentU
FluentU has made a wide variety of videos for your viewing pleasure. Each one is in Chinese and is a real-world movie or video. With FluentU, you can interact with the videos, pause and get pronunciation and definition information. In addition to this, there are quizzes(小测验) added to the videos to help you evaluate your own progress.
Pleco
This mobile app was designed specifically to help users learn Chinese. It includes an OCR reader that can be used to scan(扫描) Chinese language characters for translation, the ability to translate Chinese words from other apps and web pages, a document reader and an audio translator. It also comes with several dictionaries and the ability to create flashcards.
1. What’s the advantage of iTalki over other tools?| A．Providing one-on-one instruction. | B．Providing various learning videos. |
| C．Providing the text-to-voice feature. | D．Providing interesting playing games. |
| A．They offer the most famous learning tools. | B．They record your learning process directly. |
| C．They help you improve your pronunciation. | D．They provide you with various funny videos. |
| A．HelloTalk. | B．iTalki. | C．FluentU. | D．Pleco. |
5 . Little New Year usually falls a week before the lunar New Year. It is also known as the Festival of the Kitchen God, the deity(神) who oversees the moral character of each household. Here are five things you should know about the Little New Year, another sign of the start of spring.
1.Offer sacrifices to Kitchen God
One of the most distinctive traditions of the Little New Year is the burning of a paper image of the Kitchen God, who will report on the family’s conduct over the past year. The offerings to the Kitchen God include pig’s head, fish, sweet bean paste, melons, fruit, boiled dumplings, barley sugar, and Guandong candy. Most of the offerings are sweets of various varieties. It is thought that this will seal the Kitchen God’s mouth and encourage him to only say good things about the family when he ascends to heaven to make his report.
2.House cleaning
According to Chinese folk beliefs, during the last month of the year ghosts and deities must choose either to return to Heaven or to stay on Earth. It is believed that in order to ensure the ghosts and deities’ timely departure people must thoroughly clean both their persons and their houses, down to every last drawer and cupboard.
3.Paste paper-cuts to windows
In the Little New Year, old couplets and paper-cuts from the previous Spring Festival are taken down, and new window decorations, New Year’s posters, and auspicious(吉利的) decorations are pasted up.
4.Bath and hair-cut
As the old Chinese saying goes, whether they’re rich or poor, people often have a haircut before the Spring Festival. The activity of taking bath and haircut is often taken on the Little New Year.
5.Preparations for the Spring Festival
People start to stock up necessary provisions for the Spring Festival since the Little New Year. Everything needed to make offerings to the ancestors, entertain guests, and feed the family over the long holiday must be purchased in advance.
1. What is the Kitchen God’s duty in the man’s world?| A．Collecting the information of the man’s world. |
| B．Protecting the character of each home. |
| C．Gathering sacrifices for other Gods in heaven. |
| D．Watching out for the moral people in the world. |
| A．Because the Kitchen God loves sweet foods. |
| B．As it is the traditional customs. |
| C．As people hope the God says good for them. |
| D．Because sweets are the best sacrifices. |
| A．Little New Year always falls in February. |
| B．House cleaning is to welcome the New Year. |
| C．In the Little New Year only paper-cuts are pasted up. |
| D．People will make full preparations for the coming New Year. |
| A．Offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God. |
| B．Burning paper image of the Kitchen God. |
| C．Preparing the necessity for the New Year. |
| D．Cleaning house and people themselves. |
6 . Peru is a country on the Pacific coast of South America. It has three main geographical areas: a narrow coastal belt; the Andes Mountains running parallel to the coast; and high, flat plains in the southeast. In the high plains area is Lake Titicaca, the highest lake in the world, on which boats can travel. Peru has abundant plants from desert grasses to vast areas of jungle.
Once the centre of the powerful and extremely wealthy Inca Empire, much of South America was governed by Spain from the sixteenth century. Peru gained its independence from Spain in 1821. The capital of Peru is Lima, which is in the north on the coast. The ancient Inca capital, Cuzco, is found high in the Andes. It is a popular tourist destination as it is close to the famous Inca ruins of the city of Machu Picchu. Cuzco is a lively city where both Indian and Spanish culture and art can be seen.
1. How many geographical parts is Peru made up of?| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．It is the highest lake in the world. | B．It is the lowest lake in the world. |
| C．It is the biggest lake in the world. | D．It is the narrowest lake in the world. |
| A．In 1800. | B．In 1821. | C．In 1835. | D．In 1879. |
7 . Here are some pet-friendly universities in the UK and US.
University of Illinois
Students are allowed up to two pets in each apartment, as well as a fish tank of no more than 50 gallons.
To keep a pet, you will need to get approval from the Family & Graduate housing department at the University of Illinois. You will have to provide proof that your pet is up to date with its vaccinations(疫苗), and pay a monthly US$30 pet fee, which is non-refundable(不可退款的).
Your pet can’t be left for extended periods of time, and if there’s evidence that you’ve left it alone due to vacation or illness, the university may remove it.
Harvard University
With as many as 12 pet-friendly apartments, Harvard is a very pet-friendly university. It allows students to have fish in a tank of no more than 50 gallons, except for Harvard’s Cronkhite Graduate Center.
In Harvard’s pet-friendly apartments, you’re allowed: one cat or one dog, which can’t be over 40 pounds when fully grown. At most, two pet birds.
University of British Columbia Students can take advantage of the university’s B. A. R. K program, which uses the calming power of therapy dogs to help them.
B. A. R. K started at the University of British Columbia, after an assistant professor called Dr. John-Tyler Binfet noticed that he couldn’t walk across campus without students running over to play with his dog, Frances. The students told him they were homesick and missed their pets, which encouraged Binfet to establish B. A. R. K as a way of fighting their loneliness.
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is famous for its resident pets, who happily wander around college grounds. Many Oxford colleges have their own tortoise and take part in the annual Corpus Christi tortoise race.
Although you are not allowed to keep your own pet as a student, several Oxford colleges hold dog petting and walking therapy sessions.
1. What is one of the rules for keeping pets at the University of Illinois?| A．Pet keepers should pay a monthly US$ 30 pet fee which will be returned. |
| B．Pets can’t be left alone in the apartments due to vacation or illness. |
| C．Students have to keep fish in a fish tank of no more than 20 gallons. |
| D．The cat or dog can’t be over 40 pounds when fully grown. |
| A．To help students to fight against homesickness. |
| B．To do research on dogs and train them to be pets. |
| C．To help more professors to do exercise on campus. |
| D．To give assistance to the pet dogs by offering them foods. |
| A．Harvard University. |
| B．University of Oxford. |
| C．University of Illinois. |
| D．University of British Columbia. |
8 . There’s no doubt that football is the global sport. Though basketball, tennis, and other sports are popular too, nothing comes close to football. Being played in every country in the world, football provides dozens of superstars. The numbers are greater when compared to any other sport, and this drives the popularity of football up. Have you ever wondered when the sport started and became popular?
Football has its origin (起源) in China and has a history of more than 2,000 years. However, modern football originally appeared in Britain in the 19th century. Folk football matches had been played before in many cities and towns, but never on a professional level.
Football became a winter sport game played in different schools. The rules were carried out by each school, and this made it difficult for players to play an official game with each other. It all changed in 1849 at the University of Cambridge that invented a set of standard rules known as the Cambridge rules of football. From that moment, a new star sport was born.
By the early 20th century, football had spread all across Europe. In 1904, FIFA was set up. There are seven original members, including France, Denmark and Spain, FIFA became the governing body for many associations in Europe.
England’s international success improved the popularity of the sport in the country. The league (联赛) in Britain was set up in 1992. From the 1990s, it became a truly impressive piece of football organization, becoming the world’s top football league in the process.
Football is obviously the most popular sport in the world. It is impossible for any other sport to take its place, especially with leagues spending billions of pounds every year to stay in the focus.
1. What is the author’s purpose of writing paragraph 1?| A．To describe the level of football. |
| B．To introduce the topic of the text. |
| C．To debate the main idea of the text. |
| D．To introduce famous football leagues. |
| A．In China. | B．In France. |
| C．In Britain. | D．In Spain. |
| A．The rules always changed. |
| B．There were no common rules. |
| C．The season made players hard to win. |
| D．Officials made players misunderstand the rules. |
| A．By time order. | B．By space order. |
| C．By listing numbers. | D．By giving examples. |
9 . As I walked onto the soccer field I had a knot(结) in my stomach. I was too shy to
When the coaches came, I felt as if I was going to pass out. With no
This
Like most high school students, my
| A．give up | B．pass by | C．try out | D．walk away |
| A．logic | B．sports | C．language | D．communication |
| A．just | B．even | C．never | D．always |
| A．warm up | B．make up | C．calm down | D．turn around |
| A．ask | B．pass | C．show | D．throw |
| A．nearly | B．really | C．hardly | D．partly |
| A．kept | B．expressed | C．proved | D．admitted |
| A．match | B．activity | C．experience | D．performance |
| A．checking | B．realizing | C．practicing | D．considering |
| A．When | B．After | C．Unless | D．Before |
| A．quick | B．clever | C．perfect | D．pleased |
| A．speed | B．record | C．position | D．standard |
| A．break | B．escape | C．change | D．holiday |
| A．life | B．team | C．friends | D．coaches |
| A．better | B．kinder | C．warmer | D．quieter |
| A．beg | B．feel | C．pretend | D．imagine |
| A．add | B．buy | C．deserve | D．promise |
| A．ideas | B．attitudes | C．creations | D．qualities |
| A．effort | B．money | C．brain | D．trust |
| A．happy | B．strict | C．careful | D．patient |
10 . PART-TIME EDITOR
KHOU has an immediate opening for an experienced, energetic part-time editor. If you enjoy working in a fast-paced team environment, we want to hear from you!
Duties
Edit videos for daily news coverage, special projects, and sweep period pieces. Provide video material to our website as needed. Gather professional videos and audio when necessary. Perform other duties in audio and video production as assigned.
Job Requirements
※ College degrees with previous newsroom experiences preferred.
※ Ability to determine good audio and picture quality; ability to edit with continuity and creativity on non-linear systems.
※ Must be tean-oriented, have a positive attitude, and posses good computer skills and strong communication skills.
※ Must be able to work a flexible shift and occasional overtime.
About US
KHOU has been one of the top-rated broadcasting companies in Texas for over two decades. For more than 60 years, KHOU has been a leader in local journalism, information and community involvement. KHOU continues to grow and connect with new audiences in our community by covering news stories and participating in community events that support our “KHOU Stands for Houston” brand.
1. What does the work in the advertisement include?| A．Make up feature stories. |
| B．Put on performances in live shows. |
| C．Prepare video material for the website. |
| D．Collect all videos and audio that can be got. |
| A．A student who is studying in a middle school. |
| B．A student who has never done relaled work. |
| C．A person who knows nothing about audio quality. |
| D．A person who has job-related experience and can work a flexible shift. |
| A．20 years ago. | B．40 years ago. |
| C．60 years ago. | D．80 years ago. |
