1 . Optimism (乐观) doesn’t mean paying no attention to things that cause stress. But when bad things happen, optimistic people are less likely to be unhappy about themselves and more likely to see the bad things as something that lasts a short time.
A new research has found a direct connection between optimism and healthier diet and exercise behaviors, as well as better heart health, a stronger immune system (免疫系统), better lung function, and lower death risk. “Optimistic people, regardless of sex, often have goals and the confidence to reach them,” Lee said. “Those goals could include healthy habits that contribute to a longer life.”
Studies find only about 25% of our optimism is controlled by our genes (基因), and the rest is up to us. It turns out we can actually train our brain to be more positive. Researchers studied the brains of monks (僧侣) and found surprising results: Tens of thousands of hours of meditation(冥思) had changed the function (机能) of their brains, which support positive qualities. And that may be key in producing the effect on the body.
There are simple mental exercises to develop an optimistic attitude. One of the most effective ways to increase optimism is called the “Best Possible Self” method. That is to imagine ourselves in a future in which we have achieved all our life goals. And keeping a diary in which we list the positive experiences we had can also help shape our attitude. Taking a few minutes each day to write down what makes us thankful can improve our view on life, too.
1. What is the meaning of Lee’s words?| A．Goals can lead to confidence. |
| B．Better lung function lowers death risk. |
| C．Optimism is connected with length of life. |
| D．Sex should be taken into consideration when studying optimism. |
| A．To lengthen their life. |
| B．To improve their brains’ function. |
| C．To prove optimism can be learned. |
| D．To show genes’ connection with optimism. |
| A．How to be a positive person. | B．How to make people thankful. |
| C．What to write about in a diary. | D．What to do to achieve the goals. |
| A．A science magazine. | B．A guidebook. |
| C．A novel. | D．A diary. |
2 . How to survive in the jungle
When you’re in the jungle (丛林), you need to leave all your mobile phone, your favorite coffee and your chocolate bars at home. When you’re in the jungle, you need only four things—water, food, shelter, and fire. You can find all of these easily, but you must know what to look for.
Let’s start with water. Even though there’s a lot of water in the jungle, you may not find it Insects can also be a good sign, because they usually build their nests near water. However, don’t only look for rivers. You can also find water in some plants such as roots and palm trees.
You can usually find a lot of food in the jungle, but you must be happy to eat things you wouldn’t normally want to, for example, insects. However, you need to know the difference between those you can eat and those that are poisonous, so start reading about them now!
For cooking and for warmth, collect dry firewood, leaves, and grass. Then make fire using dry sticks-take a box of matches or a lighter with you!
The type of shelter you need depends on the weather and the kind of animals in the jungle. Some insects can be very dangerous, so protect yourself against bites .If you don’t have any insect repellent (驱虫剂), try putting mud on your skin.
Of course, if you’re lost in the jungle and want to get home again, the sun and stars can help you find your way.
1. If you adventure in the jungle, you should bring ________.| A．chocolate bars | B．coffee |
| C．a mobile phone | D．a box of matches |
| A．food | B．fire |
| C．water | D．shelter |
| A．Learning about what food is safe. |
| B．Protecting the skin from sunlight. |
| C．Predicting the weather by the sun and stars. |
| D．Collecting leaves to build a place to live in. |
| A．A business newspaper. | B．A health guide. |
| C．A travel magazine. | D．A science journal. |
3 . Tail Spin
Two dolphins race around in a big pool in the Ocean Park. The smaller dolphin, Grace, shows off a few of her tricks, turning around and waving hello to the crowd. The most amazing thing about her, however, is that she’s even swimming at all. She doesn’t have a tail.
Grace lost her tail as a baby when she got caught up in a fish trap. When the dolphin arrived at the Ocean Park in December 2005, she was fighting for her life. “Is she going to make it?” Her trainer, Abbey Stone, feared the worst. Grace did make it — but her tail didn’t. She ended up losing her flukes and the lower part of her peduncle.
Over the past six years, she has learned to swim without her tail. Dolphins swim by moving their flukes and peduncle up and down. Grace taught herself to move another way-like a fish! She pushed herself forward through the water by moving her peduncle from side to side.
The movements put harmful pressure on Grace’s backbone. So a company offered to create a manmade tail for her. The tail had to be strong enough to stay on Grace as she swam but soft enough that it wouldn’t hurt her.
The first time Grace wore the artificial tail, she soon shook it off and let it sink to the bottom of the pool. Now, she is still learning to use the tail. Some days she wears it for an hour at a time, others not at all. “The new tail isn’t necessary for her to feel comfortable,” says Stone, “but it helps to keep that range of motion (动作) and build muscles.”
Now, the dolphin is about to get an even happier ending. This month, Grace will star in Dolphin Tale, a film that focuses on her rescue and recovery. Her progress has inspired more than just a new movie. Many people travel from near and far to meet her. Seeing Grace swim with her manmade tail gives people so much courage.
1. When Grace first arrived at the Ocean Park, her trainer worried about her ________.| A．physical build | B．potential ability |
| C．chance of survival | D．adaptation to the surroundings. |
| A．let her recover faster | B．make her comfortable |
| C．adjust her way of swimming | D．help her perform better tricks |
| A．stick to their dreams | B．treat animals friendly |
| C．treasure what they have | D．face difficulties bravely |
| A．a pet advertisement | B．A news story |
| C．a novel | D．a travel guide |
| Student Activities Assistant Bluegrass Community and Technical College $10 an hour Duties: This position will support the Student Activities Coordinator. The Student Activities office serves as co-advisor and promotes student life at the college. Make Student Photo IDs and do general office work. Working Days: Monday—Thursday Working Hours: 9:30 AM—2:30 PM Qualifications: High school diploma and one year of related work experience. Fun, dependable, and excellent customer service. |
| Weekend English Teacher Mosher Tech $30 an hour Duties: Teach English to young learners between 5-12 years of age through our platform. Teachers will be teaching classrooms with up to 4 students. Each in-lesson time is 30 minutes. Training and support provided. Working Hours: 20 hours a week Qualifications: English teaching certificates. Prior teaching experience. A computer with stable internet connection and clear audio/video capacity. |
| Reading/Math Tutor Butler Community College $22.25 an hour Duties: The Reading/Math Tutor will be responsible for reading aloud and listening to students read in a group. They will tutor students by assisting with academic assignments for reading or math and perform simple duties assigned by the classroom teacher. Qualifications: Strong attention to details and problem solving skills. Ability to establish and maintain productive work relationships with staff and students. |
| Registrar Assistant The University of Chicago $15.25 an hour Duties: This individual will work from December to March at approximately 20 hours per week. In peak periods, more hours may be available, and the assistant may be asked to work evening hours if needed. The assistant will create various reports on examinations, assist in exam administration and print course evaluations to help assure the department runs smoothly and efficiently during this period. Qualifications: High level of accuracy with repeated tasks. Ability to work independently as needed. Minimum of 2 years of previous office experience required. |
1. As a Registrar Assistant, you need to _________.
| A．deal with general office work |
| B．write a variety of exam reports |
| C．give instructions on course evaluations |
| D．work 20 hours a week for a whole year |
| A．Student Activities Assistant | B．Weekend English Teacher |
| C．Reading/Math Tutor | D．Registrar Assistant |
| A．a textbook | B．a school website |
| C．a travel guide | D．a science magazine |
5 . The foldable smartphone was shown for the first time on Wednesday during a Samsung developer’s conference in San Francisco, California. The company first announced plans to build a fully foldable phone five years ago.
The phone is designed to fold open to make the device the size of a small tablet. It can also perform some operations of a tablet. When folded closed, the device looks and works like a normal smartphone. The device will permit users to keep up to three apps open at one time. With normal size smartphones, users have to keep changing between apps.
Justin Dension is Samsung’s senior vice president. He introduced the device to people at the conference. He said it marked a major breakthrough in future smartphone technology. Denison said the design of the foldable device was very complex. One of the biggest difficulties was finding a material that was not only flexible but also strong enough to support repeated folding and unfolding of the device. Denison said Samsung would be ready to start mass production in the coming months.
Technology experts see the new foldable design as a way to get users to buy a new device seen as revolutionary. More people are deciding to hold onto smartphones longer because newly launched models do not offer major improvements and can be very costly. This behavior is one reason for a steady decrease in worldwide smartphone sales over the past year.
It remains to be seen whether foldable phones will become popular quickly. The device is expected to cost more than $1,000. The company has not yet announced when its FlexPai device will be available in America. But it is planning to launch the product in China starting next month, at a price of about $1,300.
1. What did Samsung company do on Wednesday in San Francisco?| A．It announced plans to build a foldable phone. |
| B．It introduced its foldable phone to the public. |
| C．It started to sell its foldable phone in America. |
| D．It held a conference to deal with new challenges. |
| A．It can run only one app at a time. |
| B．The material for it was hard to find. |
| C．It is popular worldwide now. |
| D．It will take the place of the tablet. |
| A．Recycling their old smartphones. |
| B．Repairing their old smartphones. |
| C．Keeping their old smartphones. |
| D．Replacing their old smartphones. |
| A．A brochure. | B．A newspaper. |
| C．A research paper. | D．A shopping guidebook. |
6 . Food experts say washing could spread the germs on your turkey in the kitchen sink or nearby food. But it's been a challenge trying to convince cooks to stop rinsing （冲洗）off raw poultry. Germs that can make people sick are common in the guts of healthy poultry and are legally allowed to be on raw turkey and chicken. The assumption is that nobody eats their poultry raw, and that thorough cooking will kill the bacteria.
The do — not — wash raw poultry advice from the USDA is relatively new and perhaps hasn't caught on because it goes against the common belief that washing makes things clean, said Chapman. Benjamin Chapman, a study author and food safety expert at North Carolina State University, said the instinct to wash raw poultry goes back at least decades when people relied more on visual clues to spot problems with poultry. Meanwhile, washing hands and surfaces are also important.
But food preparation is a complicated act, and germs from poultry can be spread even if it's not washed, especially when birds are removed from packaging.
The USDA-funded study stresses that point. Researchers sprayed raw chicken with a harmless strain of E. coli （大肠杆菌）and watched volunteer cooks at test kitchens. Among those who washed their raw chicken, about a quarter ended up spreading the bacteria to their lettuce. But even some of those who did not rinse the chicken got germs on the lettuce. And there are other opportunities for germs to survive on turkeys: melting and cooking.
To ensure a bird is thoroughly cooked, they say to use a thermometer to check that the deepest and thickest parts of it have reached 165 degrees. Even after the meal is cooked, you aren't out of the danger zone. To keep turkeys and other leftovers safe, experts say they should be refrigerated after two hours.
1. People don't accept USDA's advice because____.| A．the advice is relatively new |
| B．cleaning seems more trustworthy |
| C．cooks clean the turkey before cooking it |
| D．heat can kill most germs and no one eats raw food |
| A．Food packages carry germs. |
| B．Hands and surfaces are easy to get E. coli. |
| C．Germs from a turkey can be spread whether it is washed or not. |
| D．Multiple methods should be applied to food to get rid of germs. |
| A．Rinse off the turkey before it is heated. |
| B．Keep the turkey away from the lettuce and refrigerator. |
| C．Wash hands and packages before taking out the turkey. |
| D．Use a thermometer to check the temperature of the turkey. |
| A．Culture. | B．Science. |
| C．Education. | D．Medicine. |
7 . Festivals in India are the special occasions when the country holds many celebrations. Socially, the whole nation becomes active in celebrations. This is the main reason why festivals in India are celebrated by the whole society. On such occasions, families will get together, exchange gifts and greetings, and take part in a lot of celebrations and even special fairs. All these are done to keep the festive spirit alive in modern times.
What is special about these celebrations in India is that people celebrate their common culture in their communities. There is a wide variety of festivals in India because of the presence(存在)of many different religions, beliefs, ideas and cultures. It is even said that some places in the country celebrate festivals 365 days a year. They are mainly religious festivals, cultural festivals and tourist festivals that are organized to keep the traditions, values and heritage of the region.
Religious festivals are celebrated as part of the Indian belief system. They are organized to honor spiritual personalities and events related to the journey of a religion. Cultural festivals in India are organized to provide a platform for different forms of music, dance and other art. To keep their artistic traditions alive and even make them become more popular in the future, many cities in India are active in cultural events. The rich cultural heritage of India attracts the Western world during the celebration of important festivals such as Onam, Holi and Durga Puja. Tourist festivals in the country are organized to celebrate the heritage of the land for tourism purposes. These celebrations every year bring good results and attract a large number of tourists, both within the country and abroad.
These festivals in India focus on enriching people’s "Indian" experience in the most real way. For this purpose, foreigners are very interested in attending the festivals, which are organized to show the rich and colorful side of the country.
1. In India，the whole nation often celebrates festivals actively to .| A．have much fun on special occasions | B．exchange special gifts and greetings |
| C．keep the traditions of their festivals | D．meet all their family members and relatives |
| A．Because the Indians like singing and dancing. |
| B．Because the Indians want to attract more tourists. |
| C．Because there are a great number of old attractions. |
| D．Because there are many different religions, ideas and cultures. |
| A．performing different art forms |
| B．visiting the famous old buildings |
| C．having a journey of honoring spiritual personalities |
| D．getting together and attending fairs |
| A．Travel. | B．Culture. |
| C．Economy. | D．Technology. |
8 . I sometimes feel left out with my friends at the party. What can I do?
— Susan
Alice: Speak to your best friend before you arrive and ask her to make sure you don’t get left out of the group. That way, she will know to include you in all the fun. Make the effort to speak to some other people at the party. You might even make a new friend or two.
Sometimes I think parties get boring and I want to go home!
— Jenny
Alice: Even a great party will drag if you’re not enjoying yourself. Making the effort to dance and have a chat with your friends will beat the boredom! You don’t have to stay to the very end of the party.
Our school is having a Christmas dance party but I’m really shy. Shall I go or not?
— Emma
Alice: Part of you would like to go to the party, so give it a try. Let good friends know how you feel and make sure you’ll have people to dance with when the evening comes. Practice some fun dances so you’ll feel comfortable on the dance floor.
Whenever I go to a party, my dad comes to pick me up at 8 pm. I always have to leave earlier than the rest of my friends and I get really angry with my dad.
— Anny
Alice: Talk with your dad and let him know how you feel. It feels hard to have different rules from your friends but don’t worry too much — your friends are probably picked up soon after you anyway.
1. Alice advises Susan to _____.| A．stay with her friends. | B．ask her friend for help. |
| C．leave the party at once. | D．make fun of her friends. |
| A．fail. | B．improve. |
| C．be boring. | D．be pleasant. |
| A．Her dad is strict with her. | B．She always argues with her dad. |
| C．Nobody picks her up after the party. | D．She can’t go to the party with her friends. |
| A．In a notice. | B．In a guidebook. | C．In a famous novel. | D．In a popular magazine. |
