1 . Both Roberto and Keith have a 45-minute commute (通勤) time from their homes to their workplace. When Roberto drives, he has realistic expectations of how others drive and how long the trip should take. Overall, he is able to adapt to any unexpected challenges he may face on the road. He rarely becomes angry. By contrast, Keith drives with a tendency for becoming angry easily, partly due to unrealistic expectations of other drivers, his quickness to personalize and feel threatened by the actions of others, and his inability to calm his anger.
The difference between how Roberto and Keith experience their drive to work, especially with regard to getting angry, is influenced very much by their emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is crucial for helping individuals choose constructive over destructive anger. A key aspect of healthy anger is being able to pause and reflect on, rather than react to, our thoughts, feelings, and senses associated with getting angry.
Self-regulation and empathy (同理心) are two important components of emotional intelligence, which can be a buffer (缓冲) against destructive anger. Self-regulation helps us to control our moods. Empathy helps us to recognize the humanity in others and ourselves.
Studies suggest that training in emotional intelligence can powerfully impact how anger is managed. This was supported by a three-year study of 476 young adults who showed reduced tendency of becoming angry after training. Children and adults can learn skills to boost their emotional intelligence and, by doing so, develop adaptability for dealing with various negative affect, including anger. Many workbooks offer skills in emotional intelligence to promote empathy and self-awareness regarding emotions and how they impact our beliefs and behavior.
Clearly, through training, Keith would experience greater emotional flexibility that could support a more peaceful commute to work. I firmly believe that learning skills in emotional intelligence should be the focus in helping individuals more constructively manage this highly challenging and complex emotion.
1. What is the function of the first paragraph?A.To tell a true story. | B.To make a comparison. |
C.To introduce the main topic. | D.To present an important finding. |
A.Thinking over the annoying situation. |
B.Taking action to deal with the awful situation. |
C.Turning a blind eye to the unwelcome situation. |
D.Expressing feelings about the disturbing situation. |
A.Indifferent. | B.Doubtful. | C.Negative. | D.Supportive. |
A.Friends Should Enjoy Peaceful Commute |
B.Drivers Need to Boost Their Emotional Intelligence |
C.Emotional Intelligence Is a Buffer Against Destructive Anger |
D.Emotional Intelligence Has a Powerful Impact on People’s Life |
2 . Enjoy the Beauty of Yunnan
Spring: March to May
Yunnan’s spring is warm with few rains, and the temperature changes quickly.
Average temperature: 6-20℃ (43-68℉)
Clothes: jackets, hoodies (连帽衫), long sleeves, jeans
Recommended tour destinations: The spring in Yunnan is the best time to visit blooming flowers and newly sprouted (发芽的) plants. Luoping, Dali and Lijiang are the most beautiful places in Yunnan during this time. You may go to Luoping for the seas of yellow rape flowers, and enjoy the cherry blossoms around Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake in Dali.
Summer: June to August
It’s not as hot as other places in China, and it’s often rainy. You may take an umbrella and raincoat with you.
Average temperature: 15-26℃ (59-79℉)
Clothes: T-shirts, short sleeves, thin pants...
Recommended tour destinations: In summer, you may appreciate lotus flowers in Puzhehei Scenic Area, stroll around Lijiang Ancient Town, visit Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Shuhe Ancient Town and Lugu Lake in Lijiang.
Autumn: September to November-BEST Months to Visit Yunnan
Both the temperature and the rainfall decrease in autumn. It’s cool and clear to go for pleasant trips.
Average temperature: 17-25℃ (63-77℉)
Clothes: T-shirts, jeans, basketball coat...
Recommended tour destinations: To see the most beautiful autumn leaves and flowers in Yunnan, you can go to Gudong Gingko Village in Tengchong, Stone Forest in Kunming and Potatso National Park in Shangri-La.
Winter: December to February
It’s sunny and dry usually with a lower temperature, even so it’s still warmer than the northern China. Lots of visitors go there to escape from bitter cold and consider it the best time to visit Yunnan China.
Average temperature: 8-19℃ (46-66℉)
Clothes: sweaters, overcoats, jackets, thick pants...
Recommended tour destinations: There are varied scenic spots and activities to do in winter. The world heritage Yuanyang Rice Terraces is fantastic with the glittering watering fields all over the mountains. Xishuangbanna houses the only tropical rainforest in China, which is also a popular winter destination.
1. What can we learn about Yunnan’s spring?A.You may appreciate blooming flowers and newly sprouted plants at this time. |
B.It rains quite a lot with changeable weather. |
C.It enjoys a significantly high temperature. |
D.You may pack jackets, short sleeves and thin pants in your luggage then. |
A.It is still hot and rains a lot in Autumn in Yunnan. |
B.Summer in Lijiang is much the same as other places. |
C.Stone Forest features beautiful autumn leaves and flowers. |
D.You may appreciate lotus flowers in Lijiang Ancient Town. |
A.Luoping | B.Xishuangbanna | C.Lijiang | D.Kunming |
3 . Qibao Ancient Village
Qibao, located in the center of Minhang District, Shanghai, is a village with a history of one thousand years. In the village, wine and tea are served on old-fashioned square tables together with long benches, long-mouth copper pots and flat-end chopstick used. The most famous snacks in old Shanghai are square pastry, rice wine and steamed salted pork in wine.
Entrance Ticket: 45 yuan per all-in-one ticket (preferable price of 30 yuan is available now), covering almost all tourist attractions inside the village.
Telephone: 021-21087225
Jinshan Village of Farmer Painting
Villagers skillfully make good use of folk arts such as printing and dyeing, embroidery (刺绣), wood carving. They take the various folk customs and the busy scenes of labor of villagers in the lower Changjiang valley as the theme of paintings and create farmer paintings in a simple style.
Entrance Ticket: 30 yuan/person
Telephone: 021-57355555
Merry Countryside Tour in Zhonghua Village
The village provides tourists with accommodations, tours, chess, cards, fitness and entertainment through renting out separate farmhouse and sells tourist products and agricultural by-products related to the merry countryside tour.
Entrance Ticket: Free Telephone: 021-57395433
Pudong Lingkong Agric Gardening
It is one of Shanghai countryside tour scenic spots, which features art of teapots, crop plantation and export. The Geological Science Popularization Hall stores up tens of thousands of rare stones collected all over the world.
Entrance Ticket: 50 yuan /person
Telephone: 021-33935557
1. What can you do when you are in Qibao?A.Enter the village for free. | B.See busy scenes of labor of villagers. |
C.Experience various folk customs. | D.Taste steamed salted pork in wine. |
A.Jinshan Village. | B.Qibao Ancient Village. |
C.Zhonghua Village. | D.Pudong Lingkong Agric Gardening. |
A.City developments. | B.Countryside life. |
C.Traditional customs. | D.Agricultural achievements. |
4 . Artificial intelligence (AI) has been increasingly good at fooling people. A series of photos showing former US president Donald Trump being aggressively arrested by police have caught people’s attention. They were fake but very convincing.
Created by the AI program Midjourney, the photos were highly realistic, from the characters’ movements to the surroundings. However, many details can give away the fact that they are made by AI. The Washington Post’s technology writer Shira Ovide shared her tips. The main idea is to spot the problems-anything that would look strange in a photo.
AI software has a history of generating human hands incorrectly. It sometimes can create hands with more than five fingers. This is because AI isn’t sure what a “hand” exactly is, according to Popular Science. The data AI uses to learn often show hands and fingers in various gestures, which can be very confusing for AI.
AI-generated images also usually contain details that are against reality. To spot this, focus on items like accessories. For example, people in an image may be missing earrings or one part of their sunglasses. If there’s text in an image, such as a newspaper or poster, it’s usually garbled (篡改), even though the text may look realistic from a distance.
Another thing AI is terrible at handling is the background. If there’s a crowd in the image, people’s faces in the background are usually blurry — or they don’t have faces at all!
The development of AI-generated art also raises alarm bells about how these fake images could be used to spread misinformation. “I think misinformation is going to hit an all-time high,” Jamie Cohen, a digital culture and AI expert in the US, told New York Post. Generating an AI artwork is to “create reality”, Cohen argued, adding that, being able to tell whether the work is real or not requires high media literacy (素养) skills. “The world may not be ready for how realistic the images have become,” Shane Kittelson, a US researcher, told The Washington Post.
1. Why are Donald Trump’s photos mentioned in the first paragraph?A.To draw more people’s attention. |
B.To make people convinced of the news. |
C.To show the AI-generated images were fake. |
D.To prove that it’s easy for AI to cheat people. |
A.It is unable to recognize human hands. |
B.The data it uses to learn contain errors. |
C.It doesn’t fully understand human hands. |
D.It has insufficient data about human hands. |
A.AI artworks may not be reflective of true creativity. |
B.It’s high time to address the risks posed by AI works. |
C.AI artworks will replace traditional art forms in the future. |
D.Detecting real art demands strong media literacy competence. |
A.AI is tricking people with highly realistic photos. |
B.AI-generated art make people worried about fake images. |
C.AI is terrible at handling the background. |
D.The world may not be ready for AI. |
5 . Now, a growing number of companies are offering subscriptions (订购) for something most people are used to owning: cars.
Car subscription plans are mainly aimed at drivers who do not want to have long-term agreements for one single car. Many people using the services say they like being able to use a number of different kinds of vehicles depending on their needs.
Steve Barnes uses a car subscription service in Atlanta, Georgia. He says that every time he orders a new car “it feels like New Year’s morning”. Barnes signed up for the service in 2018 to be able to use many kinds of vehicles for different purposes. He says for some activities with his children, he chooses a large SUV. But when he wants to have fun or go out at night, he chooses a Tesla or some other kinds of sports car. But the comfort of such services can come at a high cost. Barnes pays $1,400 a month for his subscription. This is much higher than the $ 900 a month he used to pay to hire an SUV with insurance. Sill, he has no desire to own or hire a car again. He says his subscription has allowed him to drive many different vehicles which would have cost more than $1 million to own.
Some of the world’s biggest automakers are currently offering subscription plans for vehicles. One of them is Ford Motor Company. The company signed a deal last year with the San Francisco-based Monthly subscription service-Canvas. Canvas offers several models, including used vehicles. Monthly subscriptions start at $379 for small cars and go up to $1,125 for large SUVs. But these plans limit drivers to 800 kilometers per month. For another $100, users can get unlimited travel.
Adela Spulber works at the U.S. -based Center for Automotive Research in Michigan. She said that the effects of vehicle subscription services remain unknown.
1. What is the main purpose of car subscription plans?A.To get people to buy cars more actively. |
B.To encourage people to own their own cars. |
C.To meet some people’s needs to drive different cars. |
D.To reach an agreement with people having a single car. |
A.He is satisfied with the car subscription service. |
B.He always likes to use different types of sports cars. |
C.He hopes to own another car some day. |
D.The cost of a month for his subscription is lower. |
A.Canvas doesn’t provide second-hand cars. |
B.There are different monthly subscriptions to choose from. |
C.A driver may drive Canvas cars without limitation. |
D.Now the subscription services are welcome in San Francisco. |
A.Hopeless. | B.Pessimistic. | C.Optimistic. | D.Uncertain. |
6 . Gently holding a baby hummingbird (蜂鸟) between her hands, Lattouf says, “Hello, cute little guy. Are you very hungry?” It’s the newest patient at Lattouf apartment in Mexico City where she has nursed hundreds of the tiny birds back to health over the past decade. Under Lattouf’s caress (爱抚), the bird relaxes little by little.
This is often how Lattouf’s days have gone since she turned her apartment into a clinic (诊所) for sick, injured or baby hummingbirds. Most of the hummingbirds are in the bedroom where Lattouf sleeps. They stay there until they are strong enough to fly and feed themselves. Then she moves them to a neighboring room to prepare them to finally be freed.
With dozens of the tiny birds buzzing overhead, Lattouf explained that she began caring for them a year after surviving colon (结肠) cancer in 2011. It started with one hummingbird that had an eye injured by another bird. A veterinarian (兽医) friend encouraged her to try to help it. The bird became her close partner, staying on her computer screen while she worked. “It wrote me a new life,” she said of the nine months when the bird lived with her. It helped pull Lattouf out of the sadness and loneliness she had experienced after her husband’s 2009 death followed by her cancer. Later, friends began bringing her more hummingbirds.
Lattouf says she never turns away a bird. “Most come to me as babies. Many come to me broken,” she said. Some have injuries to wings after running into things or falling from nests. Some get sick because of drinking polluted water from hummingbird feeders, which are popular in the city. Now the demand for her services has jumped because someone put a video about her work on the social platform TikTok that has been viewed more than 1.5 million times.
The city is filled with threats to hummingbirds like constant construction projects that replace flower gardens with concrete. But Lattouf remains optimistic. “We do everything possible,” she said.
1. What do we know about Lattouf?A.She tried to save hummingbirds. | B.She wanted to be a nurse. |
C.She liked to live in Mexico. | D.She used to be a doctor. |
A.Her love for hummingbirds. | B.Her needs for a partner. |
C.Her encounter with an injured one. | D.Her friend’s encouragement. |
A.She has worked hard. |
B.She has shared videos about the tiny bird. |
C.More people get to know her services by TikTok. |
D.She has accepted every injured hummingbird. |
A.Brave and realistic. | B.Outgoing and active. |
C.Generous and optimistic. | D.Humorous and energetic. |
7 . Peter, 60, loved his job as a bus driver. He had been one almost all his life, loving the little children who rode his bus daily. It made him feel much younger. His record was clean, without one accident, which made him a trustworthy driver.
However, Mr. Clark, Peter’s boss, was worried and thought that it was time for him to retire (退休). “You don’t have a choice here, Peter.” he said seriously. “We don’t want to invite any risk to the children.”
“But I have a perfect record,” reasoned Peter. “You know, for an elderly man like me, my job is the only thing that keeps me alive. I want to keep my job.”
“Would you take responsibility if something bad happened to those children?” Mr. Clark said.
Peter thought it over, and very reluctantly, he gave in to Mr. Clark’s request. Peter decided to retire a week later.
The day before his last day, Peter was dropping of the kids at his first stop when he looked out of the window and saw a lady who had passed out. He asked the kids not to leave the bus and got down to help the woman.
Just when he finished, he heard cries behind him. The children were looking out of the window and shouting. “Fire! Fire! Help!” “How could that have happened?” Peter was shaking in fear. With shaking hands, Peter dialed 911 and rushed to help the children. Covering himself with his jacket, Peter rushed into the burning car and took the children out one by one. Thankfully, the firefighters arrived soon and helped Peter, saving all students.
The next day, Peter found the whole school standing in front of his home. When Peter got close to them, Mr. Clark started clapping and everyone joined him. “You are a hero, Peter! You saved the lives of those young children.” he said. “You are the best driver. We hope you can keep the job!”
1. What made Mr. Clark worried?A.He couldn’t talk Peter into retiring. |
B.Taking school bus was unsafe for children. |
C.Peter was too old to be a school bus driver. |
D.The school bus driver must be changed actually. |
A.Angrily. | B.Unwillingly. | C.Doubtfully. | D.Cheerfully. |
A.They were caught in the burning bus. |
B.They couldn’t find Peter on the bus. |
C.They were frightened by the woman. |
D.They didn’t want a new school bus driver. |
A.Putting Out the Fire | B.A Dangerous Bus Journey |
C.Working After Retirement | D.An Old Hero Driver |
8 . Being a social butterfly just might change your brain: In people with a large network of friends and excellent social skills, certain brain regions are bigger and
The research suggests a
To investigate these brain
The researchers also tested whether the size of a person’s social network was connected with
The researchers couldn’t say whether social interaction
A.better | B.more directly | C.less closely | D.worse |
A.conflict | B.similarity | C.link | D.contrast |
A.tell | B.show | C.ask | D.find |
A.intentions | B.preferences | C.behaviors | D.habits |
A.structures | B.highlights | C.differences | D.origins |
A.academic difficulties | B.social interactions | C.personal problems | D.career advances |
A.removed | B.adapted | C.replaced | D.enlarged |
A.joyful | B.familiar | C.inspirational | D.distinct |
A.Networked | B.Remote | C.Respective | D.Functional |
A.positions | B.changes | C.roles | D.compositions |
A.However | B.Again | C.Therefore | D.Rather |
A.urban | B.smooth | C.twisty | D.country |
A.minimized | B.drove | C.eliminated | D.demonstrated |
A.assumed | B.rejected | C.concluded | D.announced |
A.causality | B.feasibility | C.productivity | D.effectiveness |
9 . As an actor, you’ve heard it before: Your body is your instrument. It’s a cliche for a reason—it’s true. Just as a guitar player or violinist needs to often fine-tune (微调) their instrument, you need to do the same. Here, let’s break down everything you should learn about body language exercises for actors, as well as why they’re necessary in the first place to enhance your acting skills.
Body language is the most emotive form of communication after verbal speech. You can learn so much about what’s going on inside based on what’s being externalized. Think about how some entertainment magazines often ask a “body language expert” to analyze a photo of a celebrity couple. However legit (合法的) that person’s expertise may be, there are many truths when it comes to body language.
By that same reasoning, think about how much an audience can learn about a character based on the actor’s body language. You can pass on subconscious (潜意识的) information about your role without saying a word. These exercises will put you in touch with your body and make you more aware of what you’re expressing to the outside world. They can help you get into the physicality of your character so that you can understand them inside and out.
Each performer is different and may have their preferable body language exercise. Take gait exercises as an example. How a character walks is especially telling; it’s literally how they move through the world. An individual’s way of walking can also change depending on how they’re feeling at the moment: excited, sad, scared, etc. Have a bash at different walking styles to show the person you’re playing. Besides, you can write the gestures. This one is actually a writing exercise, but it will still come in handy when we construct a performance. Write out a short scene between two characters who have an entire conversation using only their body language.
1. What does the author mean by citing “Your body is your instrument.”?A.Keeping healthy needs proper exercise. |
B.Learning some music is necessary for actors. |
C.Perfecting physical expression is important for actors. |
D.Improving performing skills needs professional guidance. |
A.It is presented in various ways. | B.It gives us lots of information. |
C.It hides deepest feelings. | D.It is likely to be ignored. |
A.Getting into the character you’re playing. |
B.Inspiring your greater passion for acting. |
C.Having realization of your inner body. |
D.Receiving more performing chances. |
A.Make out. | B.Adapt to. | C.Try out. | D.Bring up. |
10 . The following is the information of some excellent hotels at the famous resort (度假胜地) for skiers in Italy.
Hotel Ela
£550 per person
The hotel Ela lies in the center of the resort, only 100 m from the main ski lift and 300 m from the ski school meeting point. It is ideal for those who prefer a hotel which is very close to all the resort’s action.
Rooms (2-4 people): Twin rooms with cable TV, hairdryer, shower and WC. All rooms have recently been redecorated.
Hotel Sport
£540 per person
It is near shops, bars and restaurants. The hotel is a great choice for those looking for lively nightlife. The famous bar is just on the ground floor.
Rooms (2-4 people): All rooms are located on the 2nd and 3rd floors and have hairdryer, mini-safe, satellite TV, shower and WC.
Please note: This hotel doesn’t accept groups larger than 6 people.
Hotel Xalet Verdu
£559 per person
It is an attractive hotel decorated in the traditional style and offers comfortable accommodation. The atmosphere is welcoming. It is 300m from the main ski lift and the village center.
Garage: £10 a day
64 rooms: Twin or double bedrooms with shower, hairdryer, satellite TV, telephone and safe.
Villa Cary Hotel
£540 per person
The Villa Cary is a small but well located hotel with comfortable rooms for two people making it ideal for couples. You’re guaranteed a warm welcome from the English owner.
Rooms (2 people): Pleasantly furnished double bedrooms with cable TV, mini-safe and bathrooms with shower and WC.
1. What is the benefit of staying in Hotel Ela?A.It’s the cheapest of all the hotels. |
B.It’s the best among all the hotels. |
C.It’s convenient for the resort’s activities. |
D.It has rooms with cable TV and a hairdryer. |
A.Guests can enjoy the exciting nightlife there. |
B.All its rooms have just been redecorated. |
C.It sometimes offers free accommodation. |
D.It is the largest of all the hotels. |
A.£90. | B.£70. | C.£30. | D.£10. |
A.Hotel Ela. | B.Hotel Sport. |
C.Villa Cary Hotel. | D.Hotel Xalet Verdu. |
A.Hotel Ela. | B.Hotel Sport. |
C.Villa Cary Hotel. | D.Hotel Xalet Verdu. |