1 . Diwali（Deepavali）is a festival of lights observed in October or November each year in Canada. During the festival, various community groups, businesses, schools and associations celebrate it in different ways. Some companies have Diwali dinners and some communities organize gatherings that feature firework displays, dances, street lighting, and plays.
Many women wear fine jewelry and silk outfits to celebrate Diwali. Some women and girls use Mehendi, a dye decoration which can last a limited time, on their palms, and then they will finally get colorful hand paintings. Many homes that celebrate Diwali have various types of sweets, salty and spiced food as well as Diwali herbs （香料）. Various lights, candles and sparklers are lit inside and outside homes, particularly in courtyards, on Diwali. Diwali is not a nationwide public holiday in Canada but it is a prevalent festival celebrated in many towns and cities. There may be traffic jams and parking places may be full in areas where events are held to celebrate Diwali. Some Indian businesses may close early on Diwali.
Diwali is called the "Festival of Lights" and is celebrated to honor Rama, a hero who once fought and won a battle against the demons（恶魔）. In the past, people lit their houses to celebrate his victory over demons（light over darkness）. At the same time, every household did careful and complete cleaning at home in advance. It is believed that the goddess of happiness and good fortune, Lakshmi travels around the Earth on this day and enters the house that is pure, clean, and bright.
Diwali celebrations may vary in different communities but its spiritual meaning is generally "the awareness of the inner light". As the word “Deepavali” means “a row or cluster of light”, the festival symbolizes the victory of righteousness and the lifting of spiritual darkness.
1. What can we learn about Diwali from the first two paragraphs?| A．It is celebrated on a fixed day. |
| B．It centers on various local food. |
| C．People stay up late to prepare for It. |
| D．People from all walks of life enjoy celebrating it. |
| A．Popular. | B．Free. |
| C．Serious. | D．Funny. |
| A．To pray for good journey. |
| B．To expect joy and good luck. |
| C．To create a romantic atmosphere. |
| D．To welcome their friends to visit. |
| A．Showing respect for others. |
| B．Staying straight and positive. |
| C．Valuing your family members. |
| D．Improving your living environment. |
| A．To stress the importance of a public holiday. |
| B．To tell an interesting story about a Canadian festival. |
| C．To briefly introduce a traditional festival in Canada. |
| D．To show different holiday celebrations in Western cultures. |
2 . These days, it's not unusual to see middle-aged men collecting Star Wars action figures, office workers wearing Hello Kitty accessories, or celebrities like David Beckham playing with Lego bricks. It's becoming more and more common to see adults taking an interest in toys, comic books and the activities that are traditionally associated with children. This phenomenon has given rise to a new word: kidult.
What lies behind the phenomenon? One is about adults' nostalgia （怀旧之情）for the carefree days of childhood, and this is especially true with today's fast-paced, stressful lifestyles. Another is about a societal change in recent decades where people are starting families later. As a result, they have more time and money to spend on themselves. Some adults could only window-shop for their dream toys when they were kids, but now they can afford that radio controlled car or high-priced doll they have always wanted.
Businesses have been quick to exploit the kidult trend, and the number of toy stores that target adults has risen. Companies are repackaging products from past decades and also bringing out new ones for adults. Lego, for example, has brought out an architectural series featuring landmarks from around the world.
Society traditionally disapproves of adults who refuse to put aside childhood interests, viewing the refusal as a sign of social immaturity and irresponsibility. Those who agree with this view sometimes claim that kidults are suffering from the pop-psychology concept known as Peter Pan Syndrome, an anomaly （异常）that people remain emotionally at the level of teenagers. On a grander scale, these kidult opponents （对手）argue that such delayed adulthood causes couples to marry later and have fewer children. This in turn can lead to shrinking national economies, for there needs to be a generational replenishment （补充）
of the workforce.
From the standpoint of kidults, though, this phenomenon is seen as nothing but harmless fun. Kidults insist that having youthful interests keeps them young, happy and creative, and their refusal to conform to society's acceptable tastes shows independent thinking. Besides, they argue that being part of the social trend of delayed adulthood is not purely a personal choice. The real causes include expensive housing, increased educational requirements for employment and poor work opportunities.
Whether the kidult phenomenon will continue to grow or prove to be a passing trend is anyone's guess. As the debate about it continues, remember that there is nothing wrong with being young at heart.
1. What does the kidult phenomenon refer to?| A．Adults act like children. |
| B．Adults have child-like tastes. |
| C．Adults go in for collecting toys. |
| D．Adults like playing with children. |
| A．Different living conditions. |
| B．More choices about toys. |
| C．High pressure of modern life. |
| D．Good memories of childhood. |
| A．Get used to. |
| B．Look forward to. |
| C．Take advantage of. |
| D．Make way for. |
| A．By strongly opposing kidult opponents. |
| B．By convincing readers to accept kidults. |
| C．By refusing to take a stand on the issue. |
| D．By presenting both sides of the argument. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Positive. |
| C．Disapproving. | D．Uncaring. |
3 . Can you imagine being able to remember every single experience of your life, every conversation you have ever had, every meal you’ve eaten, every word in your favorite book and even the feel of the clothes you wore on your very first birthday? That’s what Rebecca Sharrock’s life is like, and as amazing as that ability sounds, she says it can also be quite terrifying at times.
Three years ago, Rebecca Sharrock was reading a newspaper article which mentioned that it was impossible for people to remember details of their lives that had occurred during the first four years of their existence. “What absolute nonsense,” she thought to herself, because she could clearly remember her life all the way back to when she was just 12 days old. She was just one of the only 80 known people suffering from a mysterious condition called Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM) (超忆症).
Like Jill Price, the woman who cannot forget, 27-year-old Rebecca Sharrock, from Brisbane, Australia, remembers all the details of her life but what really makes her special is how far back her memories go: Jill and other HSAM sufferers only remember details of their daily lives from when they were 10-14, but Sharrock remembers specific moments of her infancy. She remembers the dress she wore on her first birthday and how uninterested she was in her baby sister at first.
Rebecca Sharrock’s unusual case was recently featured on “60 Minutes”, where the reporter Allison Langdon put her ability to the test, by asking her questions about her favorite book series, “Harry Potter”. “I tested her on the books because she says she can remember every single word from every single book,” Langdon said. “So I would pick up a book and open a page and read her a line and immediately she would name the book, chapter number, chapter name and could recite every word until I told her to stop.”
Being able to remember every little detail about most of your life is a surprising ability, but as every HSAM sufferer will tell you, it can be very difficult to deal with. Forgetting is one of the mechanisms (机制) we use to get over sad experiences in our lives, but it’s something that people like Rebecca Sharrock or Jill Price are unable to do.
1. We can infer from the passage that _____.| A．HSAM sufferers aren’t bothered by their ability |
| B．having HSAM isn’t always a good thing |
| C．HSAM happens to people commonly these days |
| D．people with HSAM are the dangerous group |
| A．She can remember how uninterested she was in her baby sister. |
| B．She can remember earlier things than Rebecca Sharrock. |
| C．She can remember the dress she wore on her first birthday. |
| D．She can remember something detailed in her teenage time. |
| A．Youth. | B．Success. | C．Babyhood. | D．Hardship. |
| A．Because she was curious about her preference. |
| B．Because she wanted to improve her vocabulary. |
| C．Because she wanted to test Rebecca's ability of remembering. |
| D．Because “Harry Potter” was her favorite book. |
| A．An Introduction to HSAM. |
| B．An Interview about Surprising Woman. |
| C．How to Have an Amazing Memory? |
| D．A Woman Can Remember Everything She Has Experienced. |
4 . Our restaurant guide editor, Flora Garaway, spent a great deal of time finding all these new and exciting restaurants for you to enjoy. She also put on 25 pounds. The restaurants are all located around the lake and are very easy to find. If you would like to read what people say, or leave your own comment, please visit our website (www.eatout.com). Also, online you can see the full-length of reviews for the following restaurants.
Dave's on-the- Lake(Italian)
A stone's throw from the lake, this newly opened Italian restaurant has all any restaurants could offer, from delicious meatballs to tempting garlic bread and prize-winning wine.
Espudo Cornello’s(Mexican)
This redecorated and well designed Mexican restaurant is my personal favorite. The fresh fish are caught daily from the lake and the pancakes are made with the finest ingredients. The chef has lived and worked for restaurants in the Eldora region in Mexico for 20 years before opening his -own restaurant here. Seating is outdoor, where you can contemplate the night views and breathe the fresh air coming from the lake as you dine. This is something that is not to be found anywhere else close to the lake. The best of salsa music plays while you eat.
Bull Dog's (English Fish and Chips)
This restaurant is one of the successful chains now operating in the country. Several types of fish are available for you as well as a good selection of salads for healthier choice. Hand cut chips made from local potatoes make it even more 'appealing. A main course comes with 2 free drinks. It's definitely good value for money and very tasty too.
1. What can we learn about the restaurant guide editor?| A．She saw a lot of Mexican people. |
| B．She tasted a lot of food for work. |
| C．She did not really enjoy eating out.' |
| D．She was late in publishing her article. |
| A．is far away from the lake |
| B．has been the most successful chain |
| C．is a well furnished Mexican restaurant |
| D．can offer prize-winning wine to customers |
| A．It has outdoor seating. | B．Its food is delicious. |
| C．The fish are caught weekly. | D．It Is close to the big buildings. |
| A．It provides fish mainly for customers on a diet. | B．It offers free drinks for dinner. |
| C．It has a wide selection of meat. | D．It is not good value for money. |
| A．remember | B．recognize | C．enjoy | D．draw |
5 . Many parents worry that showing negative emotions in front of their children will cause them to suffer. For example, children may end up thinking it's their fault or simply "catch" the emotion. Indeed, this worry has a sound basis — the phenomenon of “emotional contagion"（情绪感染）is real, and one recent study found that parents can transfer their fear of going to the dentist, for example, to their children.
On the other hand, there is the natural idea that we should “be real" with our children, and that they will benefit from watching a parent who struggles and eventually deals with their negative emotions like any other human being.
There are three concepts to consider when it comes to emotional display in front of children: suppression （压抑），"uncontained" expression, and talking about emotions. Suppression of emotion is when you hide the outward signs of an emotion. Unfortunately, it doesn't work very well — the act of suppressing your emotion actually increases your blood pressure. Observers can pick up on your distress despite your efforts to hide it, making them feel stressed. The recent research has also found that when parents feel negative emotions and keep them from their children, they experience lower relationship quality and decreased responsiveness to their child's needs.
On the other hand, “uncontained" expression of anger and sadness by the parent is also not salutary for the child. Uncontained means high intensity emotion, with no attempts to regulate or take ownership of it. Shouting, smashing （摔）things and blaming someone else for "making you angry" are all example of this .
So, what is the middle ground? That would be talking about emotion taking ownership of them and showing your child that you are trying to deal with them. Classic research found that six-year-old kids had better emotional understanding and perspective-taking skills if their mothers had talked to them about their emotions at the age of three. In fact, the more the mothers had talked, the better the outcome would be.
So next time you feel sad, angry or frustrated and your child is watching you expressing emotion, do explain what's going on in terms they can understand.
1. The author uses the example of going to the dentist mainly to _______.| A．explain parents' common fear |
| B．introduce the topic of negative emotions |
| C．show children may catch parents' emotions |
| D．present the consequences of transferring negative emotions |
| A．she will not make her kids feel stressed |
| B．she can hide her emotions from her kids |
| C．she will often shout at her kids for no reasons |
| D．she can't respond effectively to her kids' needs |
| A．Enough. | B．Beneficial. |
| C．Necessary. | D．Reliable. |
| A．To encourage parents to "be real" with our children. |
| B．To call on parents to develop a positive attitude to life. |
| C．To inform parents of the consequences of negative emotions. |
| D．To recommend parents to talk about negative emotions with children. |
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
6 . You can choose happiness regardless of your circumstances. You can choose to be happy no matter what challenges life brings you. Let the following simple strategies guide you back to your natural happy state.
Make lemonade when life gives you lemons.
Besides happiness, trouble will also be part of life. It’s how you choose to react to your situations that make the difference. If you look at something hard enough, you’ll see the positive side of it.
Do what you love doing.
Do you have a lifelong dream or desire? If so, start working towards it. Taking baby steps towards a goal will help you feel like you’re accomplishing something. You’ll find drive and determination to reach that goal when it’s something you love doing.
Use one of your talents.
One reason why so many people are unhappy is that they’re not doing what they’re called to do with their God-given talents. Each of us has a purpose in life. You have natural talents to help you achieve your purpose, so use your talents effectively.
Call a friend who you know is positive and cheerful.
Talk about your feelings and listen to their advice. Usually, people allow themselves to go deeper and deeper into self-depression. The truth is that you don’t have to be sad. You can decide to be happy. You just have to make up your mind to do so.
Gratitude is the quickest cure for sadness.
When you focus on what’s wrong with your life, you forget to look at what’s right and good. Take a step back and reflect on your life. Do you have children or family to be thankful for? Yes, they may not be the person we’d like them to be, but imagine life without them. Now, be thankful that you have them in your life.
Let your feelings out on paper.
Often you’ll find that just getting your feelings down on paper will allow you to work through them, helping you feel better about yourself and your beautiful life!
1. The first paragraph is used to _______.| A．expect readers to ignore themselves |
| B．start a discussion among readers |
| C．introduce the topic to readers |
| D．carry out a challenge among readers |
| A．trouble is part of life |
| B．lemonade is very delicious |
| C．life is full of sweetness and bitterness |
| D．lemons can only be used to make lemonade |
| A．diverse | B．natural |
| C．excellent | D．learned |
| A．Be grateful. | B．Do many activities. |
| C．Call a cheerful friend. | D．Use one of your talents. |
| A．excited | B．depressed |
| C．bad-tempered | D．kind-hearted |
7 . Jennifer Udler was in the middle of a 50-minute session with a patient when it started to rain. Walking and talking about anxiety and stress, she and her teenage patient got wet. But when they made it back indoors, Jennifer said, “ Hey, look at us! We’re wet, but we got through it! Now you can use that next time you have anxiety before and during an event. ” This kind of insight is key to her practice.
Jennifer, a social worker whose practice focuses on adolescents, has been a therapist （治疗师 ）for 20 years. For most of that time, she practiced in a traditional office, but she noticed how easy it was for her running partners to open up about their problems. After doing some research, in 2013, Jennifer founded Positive Strides Therapy, where she conducts sessions while walking outdoors. She conducts all of her sessions outdoors and in all kinds of weather.
“When somebody asks me if I specialize in walking therapy, I say, ‘No, that’s how I practice,’ ” Udler said. “I specialize in family systems theory. Walking in the park is just where I practice. ”
Despite the lack of formal research, Jennifer believes strongly in the benefits, saying that it can be helpful. “We’ll be talking about ‘moving forward’ as we are actually moving forward on the path, building muscle memory of how they can move forward and leave the anxiety behind. ”
And outdoor walking therapy doesn’t just benefit teens. Jennifer says the adults in her practice welcome the humanizing effect of taking therapy outdoors.
1. What lesson did Jennifer teach her teenage patient through the rain?| A．Rain and suffering are a part of life. |
| B．She is ready to help the young man. |
| C．We can beat our difficulty after all. |
| D．Rain can help us deal with our trouble. |
| A．qualification | B．foresight |
| C．awareness | D．prediction |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Confident. |
| C．Unconcerned. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．The lack of formal research about the therapy. |
| B．Building physical memory of past experience. |
| C．Treating her teen patients in a traditional office. |
| D．Conducting walk — and — talk therapy for teens. |
| A．Walking outdoors is similar to managing worries. |
| B．Moving in the rain is a bit too difficult to tolerate. |
| C．The rain can make one excited and face the trouble. |
| D．Running in the rain or storm will make one healthy. |
8 . The study of psychology is facing a crisis. The Research Excellence Framework (the Ref) has led to a research culture which is holding back attempts to stabilize psychology in particular, and science in general. The Ref encourages universities to push for groundbreaking innovative, and exciting research in the form of 4* papers, but it does not reward the efforts of those who replicate studies.
The point of replicating a study is to test whether a statistically significant result will appear again if the experiment is repeated. Of course, a similar result may not appear – casting into questions the validity of the results from the first experiment.
Last year, the Open Science Collaboration attempted to replicate 100 studies from highly ranked psychological journalists. While 97% of the original studies had a statistically significant result, just 36% of the replications had the same outcome. Equally worrying: when an effect did appear, it was often much smaller than previously thought.
Recent data calls into question some widely influential findings in psychological science. These problems are not confined to psychology however – many findings published in scientific literature may actually be false.
Science is supposed to be self-correcting and reproducible is a cornerstone of the scientific method. Yet, we simply aren't invested in replicating findings. We all want to be good researchers and understand more about how the world works. So why are we so reluctant to check our conclusions are valid?
Because no incentive is provided by the system we carry out our research in. In the UK, the Ref ranks the published works of researchers according to their originality (how innovative is the research?), significance (does it have practical or commercial importance?), and rigour (is the research technically right?). Outputs are then awarded one to four stars. 4* papers are considered world-leading. The cumulative total of 3* and 4* papers determines research funding allocation and has a knock-on effect on institutional position in league tables(排名表) and therefore attractiveness to students. Obviously, the more publications, the better.
Worrying, many academics admit to engaging in at least one questionable research practice in order to achieve publication. Examples of this include: coming up with a theory after data is collected, stopping collecting data when an effect appears in case it disappears later, or only reporting the significant effects from collected data. Others simply fabricate data-Dutch psychologist Diederik Stapel shockingly falsified data from more than 50 studies.
The Ref completely harms our efforts to produce a reliable body of knowledge. Why? The focus on originality – publications exploring new areas of research using new paradigms, and avoiding testing well-established theories – is the exact opposite of what science needs to be doing to solve the troubling replication crisis. According to Ref standards, replicating an already published piece of work is simply uninteresting.
With the next Ref submission just four years away, many researchers are effectively faced with a choice: be a good scientist, or be a successful academic who gets funding and a promotion.
1. What crisis is the study of psychology facing?| A．The Ref has led to a revolution in not only psychology but also science. |
| B．The universities are encouraged to generate more groundbreaking research. |
| C．The Ref’s indifference to replications of studies has led to worrying effects. |
| D．The Ref tends to set up a different standard for replications of studies. |
| A．Scientific studies may not prove scientific. |
| B．Science needs to be updated frequently. |
| C．Journals should be stricter with studies, |
| D．It is getting hard to count on scientists. |
| A．a reliable body of knowledge |
| B．publications exploring new areas |
| C．tests of well-established theories |
| D．uninteresting replications of studies |
| A．is a system for assessing the quality of research in UK universities |
| B．provides UK researchers with funding and job opportunities |
| C．recognizes researchers' work and adds to their attractiveness to students |
| D．is planning to change its standard before the next Ref submission |
| A．Reform the standards that have been set up by the Ref. |
| B．Avoid using false research practices to test old theories. |
| C．Give up possible funding and promotion given by universities. |
| D．Contribute to the solution to the replication crisis. |
9 . It happens from time to time that after a whole morning of studying, you are tired in the afternoon. It’s then that you might want to eat something sweet, perhaps a Coke or a chocolate bar, to lift your mood. After all it’s popularly believed that a “sugar rush” gives us energy.
But a study published in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews in April suggests that sugar can make us feel worse rather than boost our moods.
The German and UK researchers collected data from 31 studies involving nearly 1,300 adults. They studied the effect of sugar on various aspects of mood, including anger, alertness, depression and tiredness.
They found that people who have too much sugar become more tired and less alert within an hour and that these feelings become more intense over time.
According to the researchers, when people take in sugar their blood sugar levels rise rapidly, leading to a burst of energy and a short “feel good” period. However, as they begin to digest the sugar, their blood sugar levels decrease quickly leading to a bad feeling.
To remain on a “high” people are likely to eat more and more sugar until they become addicted to it. As with caffeine, this prevents the body from relaxing, leaving people feeling tired and less alert.
But the study findings needn’t make us think we must give up sweet food altogether. According to the World Health Organization, it is healthy to have the sugars found naturally in fruit, vegetables and milk so long as these make up less than 5 percent of daily total energy intake.
So the next time you feel tired and can’t concentrate, perhaps you should think twice before you bite into a chocolate bar. Maybe a spot of exercise at midday would be a better idea!
Tips for beating afternoon fatigue.
* Head outside and sit in the daylight for 10 minutes.
* Get into the routine of a mid-afternoon cup of tea.
* Plan group activities for midday.
* Add variety to your routine.
1. What does the underlined word “boost” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．harm | B．improve | C．control | D．change |
| A．They felt more tired. | B．They felt relaxed. |
| C．They were more alert. | D．They felt energetic. |
| A．Our mood is connected to our blood sugar levels. |
| B．Taking in more sugar benefits mental health. |
| C．Getting caffeine is another way to relax. |
| D．Sugar and caffeine are all the same. |
| A．Give up sweet food. | B．Have a bar of chocolate. |
| C．Do an hour of exercise. | D．Eat foods with natural sugars. |
10 . When author Nicholas Carr began researching his book on whether the Internet is ruining our minds, he restricted his online access and e-mail. His new book argues the latest technology renders us less capable of deep thinking. Carr found himself so distracted (分心的) that he couldn’t work on the book while staying as connected. After first feeling confused by his sudden lack of online connection, he was able to stay focused on one task for a long period within several weeks.
Reading on the Internet has changed how we use our brains. Facing much text, video, music, links to other web pages and blogs, our minds have become used to skimming and scanning information. As a result, we have developed sharper skills at making fast decision, particularly visual ones, Carr wrote.
But now most of us seldom read books, long articles that would help us focus. We are becoming more like librarians than scholars who digest and interpret information. That lack of focus hinders (妨碍)our long-term memory, leading many of us to feel distracted, he wrote.
“What we are losing is a whole other set of mental skills, the ones that require not the shifting of our focus but the maintaining of our focus,” Carr said, adding that for centuries books shielded (保护)our brains from distraction, focusing our minds on one topic at a time.
But with devices such as Apple’s iPad becoming common, Carr predicts books too will change. “New forms of reading always require new forms of writing,” he wrote. Carr has a suggestion for those who feel web surfing has left them incapable of concentration — slow down, turn off the Internet and practice the skills of contemplation (思考)and reflection. “It is pretty clear from the brain science that if you are constantly distracted, you are not going to think in the same way that you would think if you paid attention.”
1. The underline word “renders” can be replaced by ________.| A．causes |
| B．prevents |
| C．protects |
| D．sharpens |
| A．Whether there is no need for us to surf the Internet |
| B．How the Internet changes our method of writing |
| C．Whether our minds are being influenced by the Internet |
| D．What we should do when we are surfing the Internet |
| A．Anxious |
| B．Concentrated |
| C．Relaxed |
| D．Puzzled |
| A．we are able to find information online quickly |
| B．we often feel bored of the information online |
| C．we are good at using our mental skills online |
| D．we have to focus on so much information online |
| A．read more books besides surfing the Internet |
| B．spend less time in surfing the Internet at a deep night |
| C．often slow down their pace of modern living |
| D．often get away from the disturbing of the Internet |
