1 . Soccer legend: They told me girls couldn't play this game
Note: Michelle Akers was a player on the US Women's National Teams who won World Cup titles in 1991 (where she won the Golden Hoot as top scorer) and 1999.
(CNN) — In third grade, I shared my dream along with my favorite football with the class, and as I proudly finished my speech, my teacher responded, "Michelle, girls cannot play football" to which I answered, "Yes, I can." I wouldn’t let it go, landing myself in the principal's office, trying not to cry. Soon, my mom arrived. “God help me now,” I thought ... until I heard her say to both my teacher and the principal, “How dare you tell my daughter what she can or cannot do.”
On Wednesday, all the world (myself included) will watch the 2019 US Women's National Team — Women's World Cup champions. I'm also thinking about how they — like I — got to the place where they lifted that trophy. To me, the 2019 World Cup and above all, this team, has taken the stories and dreams of the USWNT full circle.
It goes like this: First, you dream. Next, you play. Then, you inspire a legacy.
So many years ago, I dreamed of being a Pittsburgh Steeler. But many of the players on this 2019 World Champion USA Team sat in stadiums or watched games on TV in 1999 and dreamed of playing for the USWNT. No one could tell them they couldn't — they could see for themselves that it was possible.
They have now not only won a World Cup, but have turned their dreams into action. Dreams of being the best in the world. Dreams of equality and equal opportunity. And the actions to back them up and make them real for the people who come after them. They are demanding respect and equality from the powers that be because they know what it is to achieve more than just a trophy.
That, for me, is so very powerful. What this 2019 World Champion team demands for themselves — and put first in their lives — will be their biggest message of change: Respect. Equal opportunity. Team and family. Individual choice. Excellence. Into a new era.
And I am grateful to be celebrating them in their much deserved ticker-tape parade in the Canyon of Heroes in NYC.
1. What's the attitude of Michelle's mom towards her dream?| A．Funny. | B．Supportive. | C．Ambiguous. | D．Carefree. |
| A．Michelle is coaching and encouraging the team. | B．Michelle together with her team won the trophy. |
| C．The team carries the same dreams as Michelle's | D．The team didn't fail Michelle's great expectation. |
| A．She set an example to women football players. |
| B．She won the Golden Boot in 1999. |
| C．She retired from her team in 2019. |
| D．She recognized inequality to women in football. |
| A．Dream, Play and Inspire | B．Woman Football Develops |
| C．Football Counts More than Ever | D．Equal Playing Field Is More than Men's |
2 . After graduating as a graphic design major in 2018, Chen Minlin didn't hunt for a job that fits it, but became a trekker(远足者).
“Completing different trekking routes is like collecting cards in childhood-a lot of fun,” the 24-year-old told China Daily.
Like Chen, more young people are going on journeys to rediscover the simple and beneficial joys of walking. According to Youxiake,a Hangzhou-based tour operator, more than 140,000 travelers signed up for trekking trips from May 1 to Oct 31. This represents a 9. 3 percent increase over the same period last year.
For most trekkers, exploring nature by foot can help them keep fit. Hiking or trekking in nature enables them to breathe fresh air, gives the whole body a workout and keeps them away from the crowds in urban public places, making for a tranquil experience.
“I felt that exposure to nature and physical exhaustion helped me counteract the negative effects of my distress(痛苦）at that time,” Zhang Peng,33, co-founder of Beijing Hiking Club,said. Trekking “is a liberating experience to enjoy the tranquility in the wilderness. And the exhausting climb makes me feel the vigor(活力） of life.”
Trekking has, indeed, been integrated into his lifestyle. With great passion, Zhang has gone on many classic routes across the country. The longest trail he's ever finished was 240 kilometers.
With poor internet access in the wild, it encourages people to chat and interact with one another on the long walks along the trails. Zhang enjoys the social interaction, and the friendships it brings about.
For Liu Yanli, also a trekker, what she cherishes most is that the activity brings her mental strength.
Until this year, her life had always run smoothly and lacked hardship. She craved the sense of achievement that can be felt after overcoming the difficulties offered by trekking.
Ever since 2013, she's trekked in many countries, including Nepal, Japan, Greece, New Zealand, Italy and Jordan. In one situation, she felt she was at the point of collapsing, but she carried on. “I was impressed and moved by my willpower. I'd never experienced that feeling in my daily life,” Liu said.
It's perhaps this unusual feeling that appeals to more youths. “Each time when I came back from a trip,the contrast between the harsh conditions in the wild and my cozy home helps to strengthen my happiness in everyday life,” Liu added.
1. Why is Chen Minlin's experience mentioned in the beginning of the text?| A．To suggest a different graduation celebration. |
| B．To recommend some popular trekking routes. |
| C．To show the popularity and appeal of trekking. |
| D．To inform the readers of the features of trekking. |
| A．Get rid of. | B．Think of. | C．Become aware of. | D．Take advantage of. |
| A．Opposite views toward trekking. |
| B．The importance of exploring nature. |
| C．The benefits of trekking to different people. |
| D．A comparison of some people's trekking trips. |
| A．It allows her to meet different people. | B．It gives her a strong sense of achievement. |
| C．It enables her to stay in shape. | D．It is a good way for her to release stress. |
3 . A robot with a sense of touch may one day feel “pain”, both its own physical pain and sympathy for the pain of its human companions. Such touchy-feely robots are still far off, but advances in robotic touch-sensing are bringing that possibility closer to reality.
Sensors set in soft, artificial skin that can detect both a gentle touch and a painful strike have been hooked up to a robot that can then signal emotions, Asada reported February 15 at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. This artificial “pain nervous system,” as Asada calls it, may be a small building block for a machine that could ultimately experience pain. Such a feeling might also allow a robot to “sympathize” with a human companion’s suffering.
Asada, an engineer at Osaka University, and his colleagues have designed touch sensors that reliably pick up a range of touches. In a robot system named Affetto, a realistic looking child’s head, these touch and pain signals can be converted to emotional facial expressions.
A touch-sensitive, soft material, as opposed to a rigid metal surface, allows richer interactions between a machine and the world, says neuroscientist Kingson Man of the University of Southern California. Artificial skin “allows the possibility of engagement in truly intelligent ways”.
Such a system, Asada says, might ultimately lead to robots that can recognize the pain of others, a valuable skill for robots designed to help care for people in need, the elderly, for instance.
But there is an important distinction between a robot that responds in a predictable way to a painful strike and a robot that’s able to compute an internal feeling accurately, says Damasio, a neuroscientist also at the University of Southern California. A robot with sensors that can detect touch and pain is “along the lines of having a robot, for example, that smiles when you talk to it,” Damasio says. ‘It’s a device for communication of the machine to a human.” While that’s an interesting development, “it’s not the same thing” as a robot designed to compute some sort of internal experience, he says.
1. What do we know about the “pain nervous system”?| A．It is named Affetto by scientists. | B．It is a set of complicated sensors. |
| C．It is able to signal different emotions. | D．It combines sensors and artificial skin. |
| A．Delivered. | B．Translated. | C．Attached. | D．Adapted. |
| A．Robots can smile when talked to. |
| B．Robots can talk to human beings. |
| C．Robots can compute internal feelings |
| D．Robots can detect pains and respond accordingly. |
| A．Machines Become Emotional | B．Robots Inch to Feeling Pain |
| C．Human Feelings Can Be Felt | D．New Devices Touch Your Heart |
4 . When I was a kid, my sister and I would fight all the time over nearly everything. But as we grew older, our bond strengthened by sharing secrets, offering advice and trading clothes. Having a sister by my side while growing up taught me many lessons about the unique bond.
And now, thanks to an 8-year long study that’s making the rounds on the Internet again, science is confirming what I know is true. In the study, researchers discovered that having an older or younger sister can help ease the anxiety for kids between the ages of 10 and 14 years. They also found that people with sisters can “learn how to make up and to have control over their emotions again, which are skills that undoubtedly serve children well.
The revival of this study actually comes on the heels of another newer study, which shows that it’s not just the older kids and parents who influence and shape children as they grow. It turns out that younger siblings(兄弟姐妹) do too, and what’s more, they may also give their older siblings a greater chance of developing empathy (同情).
The Canadian study followed 452 pairs of siblings, all between a year-and-a-half and 4 years old. The researchers found that having a younger sibling increased the older sibling's level of empathy.
This research confirms that sisters are pretty amazing in making the world a much lovely place. As the mom of two boys, I often wonder what kinds of lessons they will learn from their younger sister. Perhaps they will be the same lessons I learned from mine that cooler heads always win. This study gives me hope that all those endless arguments between my kids may actually be laying the groundwork for conflict-settlement skills.
1. What can we learn from the study?| A．Children under four develop empathy fastest. |
| B．It is normal for siblings to quarrel. |
| C．Having siblings is not always a headache. |
| D．Having sisters is helpful to mental health. |
| A．Result | B．Beginning. |
| C．Reappearance. | D．Significance. |
| A．They love their mom very much. |
| B．They have a higher level of empathy. |
| C．They often quarrel with one another. |
| D．They have learned the same lessons as the the author. |
| A．Siblings have a unique bond. |
| B．Siblings have something in common. |
| C．Having siblings is good to children. |
| D．Children having siblings are considerate. |
5 . John Lubbock, a British member of the Parliament (议会), led to the first law to safeguard Britain's heritage-the Ancient Monuments Bill. How did it happen?
By the late 1800s more and more people were visiting Stonehenge for a day out. But the visitors left behind rubbish and leftover food. It encouraged rats that made holes at the stones' foundations, weakening them They also cut pieces off the stones for souvenirs and carved pictures into them, says architectural critic Jonathan Glancey. It was the same for other pre-historic remains, which were disappearing fast Threats also included farmers and landowners as the ancient stones got in the way of working on the fields and were a free source of building materials.
Shocked and angry, Lubbock took up the fight. When he heard Britain's largest ancient stone circle at Avebury in Wiltshire was up for sale in 1871, he persuaded its owners to sell it to him and the stone circle was saved.
"Lubbock aroused national attention for ancient monuments "says Glancey." he did for heritage what Darwin did for natural history."
But Lubbock couldn't buy every threatened site. He knew laws were needed and tabled the Ancient Monuments Bill. It proposed government powers to take any pre-historic site under threat away from uncaring owners.
For eight years he tried and failed to get the bill through parliament finally in 1882, it was voted into law. It had however been watered down; people had to willingly give their ancient monuments to the government. But what it did do was plant the idea that the state could preserve Britain s heritage better than private owners.
1. What's the second paragraph mainly about?| A．The threats caused to the ancient remains. |
| B．The facts that people explored the heritages. |
| C．The history of the UK's ancient remains. |
| D．The anger Lubbock expressed about the relics. |
| A．He couldn't afford a site any more. |
| B．He wanted to stir up more attention. |
| C．He wanted to make contributions as Darwin. |
| D．He couldn't save every site with his own effort. |
| A．It failed to be voted into the law. |
| B．It was got through as expected in the end. |
| C．It allowed people to sell their monuments. |
| D．It made people trust the government's protection. |
6 . Lessons in the Lost Art of Listening
When was the last time you listened to someone? And when was the last time someone really listened to you? I once asked people what it meant to be a good listener. The typical response was a blank stare.
Of course, technology plays a role. People find phone calls interrupting them, preferring text or wordless emoji. Besides, schools and colleges rarely offer classes or activities that teach careful listening. You can join clubs to perfect your public speaking, but who attempts to achieve excellence in listening? The loud unpleasant mixture of sounds of modern life also stops us from listening.
Generally, listening goes beyond simply hearing what people say. It also involves paying attention to how they say it and what they do while they are saying it, in what context, and how what they say is related to you. It’s not about merely holding your peace while someone else holds forth. Quite the opposite. A lot of listening has to do with how you respond—the degree to which you facilitate the clear expression of another person’s thoughts and, in the process, have a clear mind of your own.
Good listeners ask good questions. They engage in exploring the topic, not to divert attention. There are curious questions like “Wouldn’t you agree…?” or “Don’t you think…?” These questions have strong tendencies. They will greatly influence the other person to change his or her view. And you’d better stay away from some personal questions like “What do you do for a living?” or “What part of town do you live in?” Just try to find out what excites people. Ask about the last movie they saw or for the story behind a piece of jewelry they’re wearing. Also good are expansive questions, such as, “If you could spend a month, where would you go?” Research indicates that when people who don’t know each other well ask each other this type of question, they feel more connected than if they spend time together achieving a task.
Because our brain can think a lot faster than people can talk, be careful with the tendency to take mental side trips when you are listening. Smart people’s attention is easily taken away by their own runaway thoughts. They may also assume they already know what the other person is going to say.
The reward of good listening will certainly be more interesting conversations. Researchers have found that attentive listeners receive more information from speakers, even when they don’t ask any questions. We are, each of us, the sum of what we attend to in life. The gentle voice of a mother and the criticism of a boss both ultimately form and shape us. And to listen poorly, selectively or not at all limits your understanding of the world and prevents you from becoming the best you can be.
1. One of the factors that influence listening is that ________.| A．our confidence in listening is decreasing | B．our speech creates a lot of noise around us |
| C．listening skills are seldom taught in school | D．texting causes a better effect than phone calls |
| A．Why the art of listening gets lost by itself. | B．Why effective methods are used in listening. |
| C．How people make themselves well understood. | D．How people can reclaim the lost art of listening. |
| A．Avoid being absent-minded. | B．Come up with curious questions. |
| C．Focus on the speaker’s personal information. | D．Try to find common interests with the speaker. |
| A．Listening and speaking deserve equal attention. |
| B．Good listeners maximize the benefits for themselves. |
| C．Bad listening ultimately contributes to people’s failure. |
| D．Listeners’ clear mind facilitates speakers’ expression of thoughts. |
7 . There are many therapies (疗法) for depression, including medical treatment, psychotherapy and talk therapy. Having a range of treatment choices is a good idea because no single treatment works equally well for each of millions of sufferers. Choosing the most suitable treatment is important to them. Now researchers say a new therapy proven to relieve depression should be added to the established treatments. It's called nature therapy. "Interacting with nature can have positive effects on those with depression," says Ethan Kross, PhD, an expert who has studied the nature depression link.
A little exposure to nature helps all of us get our energy back, and it may have special benefit for those who are depressed.“It seems that, from our work, the restorative effect of nature seems to be stronger for individuals with depression," says Marc Berman, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Chicago. That might be because they feel mentally exhausted, and being in nature re energizes them. However, Dr Berman has a strong warning. “We're not arguing that interacting with nature should replace clinically proven treatments for depression," he says, “Nor should those with clinical depression try to treat themselves.”
However, Berman and others say, interactions with nature could serve as a very effective supplementary treatment. Compared to adults with depression walking for 50 minutes in an urban setting, those who took a 50 minute walk in a natural setting were less depressed and had better memory skills.
Why does nature hold this special effect? Berman says, “In a natural environment, we can choose to think or not, and this choice is believed to help us rest our brains. You can then pay attention later, when you need to.”He adds, “It gives people more ability to concentrate, which is a big problem for those with depression. ”Nature provides an effective setting for resting our brains, unlike urban setting. Even in the most peaceful urban environment, you have to pay attention to such things as traffic and stoplights.
1. What can we learn about depression therapies from paragraph 1?| A．They focus on physical activity. |
| B．They pay no attention to interactions. |
| C．They mainly depend on natural environment. |
| D．They need to be tailored to different patients. |
| A．By making them feel energetic. | B．By reminding them to rest in time. |
| C．By taking the place of clinic treatment. | D．By covering up their mental problems. |
| A．Additional. | B．Traditional. | C．Controversial. | D．Essential. |
| A．An urban setting of restoring energy. |
| B．The positive role of nature in treating depression. |
| C．The popularity of using multiple ways to treat diseases. |
| D．An effective replacement of clinical therapy for depression. |
8 . Facebook's recent acknowledgment that social media may be making its users feel bad in some cases is a significant milestone. So far, the technology industry hardly has talked about the downsides of their products.
Academic research in a Facebook blog post in December documented that when people spend a lot of time passively consuming information, they feel worse. For example, clicking or liking too many links and posts can have a negative effect on mental health. Some researchers also believe that reading rosy stones about others leads to negative comparisons about one's life and that being online too much reduces in-person socializing. Social media may well be making many of us unhappy, jealous and anti-social. Although Facebook said that, as a result of the assessments, it would make some changes to its platform. It also highlighted some of the benefits of using the social network. It explained that “sharing messages, posts and comments with close friends and recalling about past interactions” can make people feel better. “The research and other academic literature suggest that it’s how you use social media that matters when it comes to your well-being,” Facebook said.
But that approach doesn’t seem to be an effective solution for those who can’t pull themselves away from such platforms. The Pew Research Center estimates that 24 percent of teens go online “almost constantly”. It is becoming a matter of addiction.
We need to be aware of what we are up against. Remember when we would just pick up the phone and call someone rather than email them and create greater misunderstandings. This may be an old-fashioned choice, but the right one. And maybe we should just turn away from our screens sometimes and meet our friends and family in person.
1. Why is Facebook’s acknowledgement considered as a milestone?| A．The acknowledgement has drawn a wide public attention. |
| B．Facebook has come to admit their products' negative effects. |
| C．The technology industry has made progress in mass production. |
| D．The technology industry have never brought bad feelings to users. |
| A．Socializing in person. |
| B．Reading others’ rosy stories. |
| C．Liking your friends’ links and posts. |
| D．Sharing messages with close friends. |
| A．Subjective. |
| B．Approval. |
| C．Acceptable. |
| D．Unsatisfied. |
| A．How to Use Social Media |
| B．Acknowledgement from Facebook |
| C．Off Screens Whether Change Or Not |
| D．Gap Between Real Life and Network. Life |
9 . American billionaire Elon Musk has demonstrated a technology designed to use a computer chip inside the head to control the brain. During a video demonstration on Friday, Musk provided details about the system, called Neuralink.
Musk says he hopes the technology can be used to treat neural disorders and help spinal injury victims regain body movement. Musk also believes the system could be used in the future to improve intelligence to help humans keep up with supercomputers and artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
During the show, Musk showed off a model of the Neuralink device. It is about 23 millimeters wide. It is designed to be implanted into a person's skull. Small wires would connect the device directly to the brain.
The Neuralink system is currently being tested in pigs, with plans to seek government approval for human testing sometime in the future.
A pig named Gertrude was also shown during the show. Musk explained that Gertrude had a Neuralink chip inside its head. The device is meant to record nerve activity in the pig's nose and mouth.
Musk said the company had three pigs, each with two chips. He described the animals as "healthy, happy and indistinguishable from a normal pig." Musk said the company was able to predict with "high accuracy" a pig's leg movement on a running machine using data from the chip.
Musk noted that Neuralink first wants to use the device on people with severe spinal cord injuries to help them talk and move using their brain waves. He said he is hopeful that, in the long term, those people could regain "full-body motion."
Some neuroscientists not linked to the company said the presentation suggested Neuralink had made great progress with the technology. However, they warned that many more studies will be needed to test the long-term success of such devices.
1. What good can the Neuralink device do to the disabled?| A．Making them think clearly. |
| B．Treating their diseases successfully. |
| C．Having them keep up with supercomputers. |
| D．Helping them to move again. |
| A．Normal. | B．Active. | C．Nervous. | D．Intelligent. |
| A．it has been a great success. |
| B．it will succeed very soon. |
| C．it has a long way to go. |
| D．It needs support from new theories. |
| A．There Will Be Great Progress in Brain Science. |
| B．Musk Shows Technology Linking Computer to Brain. |
| C．Three Pigs Are being Tested Instead of Human Beings. |
| D．The Disabled Will Receive Better Treatment in the future. |
