| A.stuck B. perhaps C.hits D. devoted E. refer F. tendency G. routine H. distinctive I. presented J. likely K. backed |
There must be some songs that just become rooted in your brain--- "Call Me Maybe," "Poker Face" and "Let It Go," to name a few. But do you know why these sticky songs --- ear worms, as our brains? they're known --are so hard to get rid of? And what kinds of songs are
A few studies hold at least some answers. First of all, common ear worms seem to share some exhausted features. They're songs| you've heard a lot (which may be why current radio
Scientists sometimes
People are more likely to pick up an ear worm when they are doing something
2 . The first four years of human life are critical for language development, and yet the speed at which children learn to talk is highly variable. Most kids are saying single words by 18 months and progressing to phrases and sentences around two or three, but others are chatting away far earlier.
For years now, psychologist Elika Bergelson from Harvard University has wondered what lead to the individual differences. Her recent observational study on the subject has now turned up surprising results. Enrolling 1,001 children under the age of four, she and an international team of psychologists were surprised to find no link between how much a kid vocalized during the day and their gender, socioeconomic status, or level of exposure to multiple languages. Instead, they found that the chattiest children in the global study were those that tended to hear more adult talk in turn, along with age and clinical factors.
“Slower language development has often been blamed on lower-socioeconomic backgrounds providing less input to their children, leading to calls for behavioral interventions aiming to increase it,” write Bergelson. “Supporters of such interventions might highlight our correlation between adult talk and child speech; critics might instead underline our finding that socioeconomic status was not significant in our main analyses nor in every other reanalysis we attempted.”
The results of the study cannot uncover why child speech and adult talk are so correlated, but there are a few possible explanations. Children who produce more speech may draw out more talk from adults, or it may be that more talkative environments promote more speech among children. The latter cause would suggest that getting adults to talk more around their children may prove beneficial.
Bergelson’s research spans 12 countries and 43 languages, and covers both regional and urban areas. The audio for the study was collected via wearable recorders, which were placed on children of various stages of development and abilities aged two months to four years. Using machine learning to survey through more than 40,000 hours of recordings, Bergelson tested a variety of factors that might influence how often and how early a child says words or sentences.
1. Who may be the chattiest according to the study?| A．A 3-year girl with a talkative mother. | B．An 18-month girl living with a clinical factor. |
| C．A 2-year boy in a multi-language environment. | D．A 30-month boy in a high-socioeconomic status. |
| A．To alter the family background. | B．To sharpen their language skills. |
| C．To acquire new parenting techniques | D．To increase language input on parenting. |
| A．Limit | B．Approach. | C．Application. | D．Prospect. |
| A．Talk More to Your Kids | B．Forget about the Socioeconomic Status |
| C．Three Factors for Language Development | D．Significance of Behavioral Intervention |
Once celebrated as “the sport of kings”, polo, a unique sport with ancient roots,
Polo’s noble characteristics have won it many passionate players, among
As a combination of historical
During the first week of high school, one of the major headaches for Eva was finding her way in the huge school building. It was a six-story building. On each floor, hallways stretched in four also a library, a cafeteria, and a gym. directions, leading to classrooms, labs, and teachers' offices. Somewhere in the building, there was also a library, a cafeteria,and a gym.
Having a poor sense of direction, Eva found it impossible to get around in such a huge building. All the different hallways and rooms were too much to think about. She decided that she would memorize where her classes were and then pretend that the rest of the place didn't exist.
In her first P. E. class, Eva was shocked when Coach Pitt announced that everyone had to run one mile around the track outside. There was nothing she feared more than having to run a whole mile.To Eva, “a mile” was used to describe long distances. It was ten miles from her home to her grandfather's, and that always seemed like a long way, even in a car!
When Coach Pitt blew his whistle, Eva figured she would be left in the dust. However, while some of her classmates edged ahead, others actually fell behind. “It's just the beginning," she thought. “I'll come in last for sure."
Soon Eva began to breathe hard, with her heart pounding and legs shaking. Feeling desperate, Eva started using a mind trick on herself. She stopped thinking about the word “mile." Instead, she focused on reaching the shadow east on the track by a tree up ahead. Then she concentrated on jogging to the spot where the track curved (拐弯). After that, she tried to see if she could complete her first lap (一圈). One lap turned into two, then three, then four.
注意:1.续写词数应为150个左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1:When Coach Pitt said “Nice work!” to her at the finish line, Eva was surprised.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2: Eva decided to use the same trick to deal with the school building.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________5 . There’re plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables available in local markets. But while those red juicy strawberries look fresh, consumers have no way of knowing how long the fruit can be stored at home. The same goes for distribution centers and supermarkets.
Now, the food technology startup OneThird. located in the Netherlands, is looking to change that with an infrared (红外线) scanner that can accurately predict how long fresh fruits and vegetables will last. The startup is named OneThird because one-third of food is wasted due to spoilage (变质) every year.
The startup’s founders were inspired by a UK company that uses this type of technology in the medical field and decided to see if it was applicable for food. “I looked at the challenges in the food-supply chain and found out that 40 percent of food waste is fresh produce. One of the biggest causes is that nobody knows shelf life.” Marco Snikkers, founder and CEO of OneThird, said.
Quality inspections at farms and distribution centers are done manually (手动地). An inspector checks the fruits and vegetables and makes notes about the size and quality. Then the food is sent to consumers without considering travel time or how long the produce will remain usable. Using the infrared scanner at the distribution center means that inspectors can use the information to approve shipments that will ensure the produce can be distributed on a timely basis. This means that a shipment of ripe tomatoes will not be sent long distances away. OneThird’s scanner combines the technology of optical scanners, image modeling, and Artificial Intelligence to provide accurate shelf-life predictions.
The startup found that the technology can reduce up to 25 percent produce waste that was caused by spoilage. “Global food waste has an enormous environmental impact; reducing global food waste cuts global greenhouse gas emissions and promotes global food security,” said Jacob Smith, a climate expert from the University of Maine.
1. What problem regarding food does OneThird aim to solve?| A．Inefficient quality inspections. | B．Consumers’ difficulty judging its freshness. |
| C．The high cost of storing fresh food. | D．Food waste owing to uncertain shelf life. |
| A．Observation of the food-supply chain. | B．The use of the device in another field. |
| C．Consumer demands for fresher produce. | D．Experts’ advice on food waste reduction. |
| A．They are costly and inconvenient. | B．The shipping time is ignored. |
| C．They are not performed regularly. | D．The inspectors make misjudgment. |
| A．Tolerant. | B．Doubtful. | C．Approving. | D．Dismissive. |
6 . Family: Poems — by Mr. Keith Keenan
Kindle $0.00; Hardcover $12.50; Paperback $7.00.
The poet describes personal thoughts and feelings in a lyrical journey to understand and celebrate his family. “Family” looks at living honestly in places, not illusions. Figurative (形象的) language, a love of metaphor and sharp images all make the poems work.
Time to Heal — by Aleandra Vasiliu
Kindle $9.99; Hardcover $21.94; Paperback $12.64.
From the bestselling author comes an inspirational poetry book about love, healing, and growth. It is a reminder to strive to change for the better. Featuring more than 130 uplifting poems and black-and-white illustrations, it’s a great companion when you need to embrace self-love and personal transformation.
Seeds from a Birch Tree — by Clark Strand
Kindle $9.99; Hardcover $26.80; Paperback $16.95.
Seeds from a Birch Tree makes nature into a spiritual path. Its message was simple: Haiku teaches us to return to nature by following the seasons — seventeen syllables at a time. With its mix of poetry and memoir (回忆录), the book guides us to the joy hidden in plain sight, leading us to get into a good state of body and mind.
A Poem for Every Day — by Allie Esiri
Kindle $9.99; Hardcover $28.05; Audio CD $18.05.
This audio book is a collection of 366 poems which link to events on key dates—funny for April Fools’ Day, festive for Christmas. This is the perfect gift for poetry lovers of all ages. These poems are informative, peaceful, and energetic!
There are a large number of poetry collections on Amazon. More information, please click here.
1. How much will you pay if you are to buy a hardcover edition of a book on haiku?| A．$12.50. | B．$21.94. | C．$26.80. | D．$28.05. |
| A．Family: Poems features plain language. |
| B．Time to Heal features colorful illustrations. |
| C．Seeds from a Birch Tree focuses on human nature. |
| D．A Poem for Every Day focuses on festive celebrations. |
| A．A marketing website. | B．A literature magazine. |
| C．A book review. | D．A news report. |
7 . It was a sunny Sunday afternoon. My husband was taking care of our baby girl so that my six-year-old son and I could do some yard work, just the two of us. It was sure to be
However, my son went about things in his own way. He pulled the
“If you do as told, we’d be done earlier and
He went back to his work, shaking dirt from his handful of growing things and throwing
My fire soon faded, replaced by the
| A．relaxing | B．disturbing | C．urgent | D．tough |
| A．sensitive | B．resistant | C．harmful | D．addicted |
| A．removing | B．packing | C．covering | D．preserving |
| A．roots | B．fibres | C．tops | D．points |
| A．amazing | B．boring | C．annoying | D．confusing |
| A．recycle | B．redo | C．identify | D．ignore |
| A．clarified | B．launched | C．repeated | D．promised |
| A．nervous | B．mysterious | C．light | D．loud |
| A．long | B．broken | C．dry | D．useful |
| A．differently | B．separately | C．hurriedly | D．honestly |
| A．satisfying | B．corresponding | C．depressing | D．humbling |
| A．behavior | B．warning | C．reminder | D．review |
| A．raise | B．land | C．teach | D．balance |
| A．efficiency | B．concentration | C．discipline | D．quality |
| A．run out of | B．set limits to | C．made up for | D．kept pace with |
8 . Carol Buckley and Tarra, a 47-year-old Asian elephant who Buckley calls her best friend, were reunited at an elephant shelter last month.
At first, Tarra seemed
The pair first met in 1974, when Buckley, then a freshman studying animal management in California, first saw Tarra being used for advertising,
Driven by
This heartwarming re union not only reminds us of the deep
| A．excited | B．amused | C．regretful | D．hesitant |
| A．sharp | B．clear | C．familiar | D．powerful |
| A．down | B．straight | C．close | D．back |
| A．looked into | B．gone through | C．sped up | D．given up |
| A．burdened | B．decorated | C．rewarded | D．crowded |
| A．promise | B．advice | C．assumption | D．belief |
| A．curiosity | B．sympathy | C．pride | D．interest |
| A．purchase | B．prepare | C．exchange | D．forgive |
| A．reserved | B．founded | C．consulted | D．occupied |
| A．independently | B．consciously | C．secretly | D．freely |
| A．noise | B．hunger | C．labor | D．shame |
| A．separated | B．transformed | C．assisted | D．educated |
| A．membership | B．guardianship | C．championship | D．leadership |
| A．adaptation | B．communication | C．concentration | D．connection |
| A．purpose | B．direction | C．extent | D．end |
9 . Pick up any packaged processed food, and there’s a decent chance that one of its listed ingredients will be “natural flavour”. The ingredient sounds good, particularly in contrast to “artificial flavours” since there is a common belief that ingredients from nature are necessarily safer than something artificially made. But it’s not true. Then what exactly does the natural flavour mean? It refers to extracts (提取物) got from natural sources like plants, meat or seafood. When consumers see the “natural flavour” on a label, they are unlikely to assume that someone is squeezing the juice from oranges into their bottles. They know even though natural flavour must come from natural sources, it needn’t all come from the plant or meat. For example, orange flavours might contain not only orange extracts, but also extracts from bark and grass.
So if flavours like orange are needed, why not just use oranges? The answer comes down to “availability, cost, and sustainability”, according to flavour chemist Gary Reineccius of the University of Minnesota. “If you’re going to use all your grapes on grape soda,” Reineccius says, “you don’t have any grapes for wine making; the products are going to be exorbitant; besides, what do you do with the by-products you create after you’ve squeezed all the juice out of the grapes?”
Actually, while chemists make natural flavours by extracting chemicals from natural ingredients, artificial flavours are made by creating the same chemicals artificially. The reason why companies bother to use natural flavours rather than artificial flavours is simple: marketing. “Many of these products have health titles,” says Platkin, professor from Hunter College. “Consumers may be talked to believe products with natural flavours are healthier, though they are nutritionally no different from those with artificial flavours. Natural flavours may involve more forest clear-cutting and carbon emissions from transport than flavours created in the lab.”
Platkin suggests getting more transparent (易懂的) labeling on packaging that describes exactly what the natural or artificial flavours are, so consumers are-not misled into buying one product over another because of “natural flavours”. Reineccius also offers simple guidance: “Don’t buy anything because it says ‘natural flavours’. Buy it because you like it.”
1. Which is misunderstanding about the “natural flavour” juice according to Paragraph 1？| A．It comes from 100% original fruit. |
| B．It is nothing but advertising tricks. |
| C．It certainly contains extracts made in the lab. |
| D．It is absolutely safer than juice with artificial flavours. |
| A．Popular. | B．Expensive. | C．Favorable. | D．Innovative. |
| A．To cut the costs. | B．To promote the sales. |
| C．To advocate a healthy diet. | D．To avoid food safety issues. |
| A．Gary and Platkin hold opposite perspectives. |
| B．Natural flavours are more environmentally friendly. |
| C．Customers are misled for ignoring labels on packaging. |
| D．Natural and artificial flavours are more alike than you think. |
10 . Achenyo soon arrived at the water’s edge with her pot, and she found a huge surprise. The river was
“Oh no!” Achenyo heard the adults crying, “They’ve
Last year, the rainy season had brought a(n)
What a shame to
“Mama, will you teach me to weave?” asked Achenyo. Mama laughed. It was her wish to pass on the
One afternoon, Achenyo held up her finished work to Mama. It was neatly woven and well decorated. “What a nice mat!” They showed it to their neighbours, who were
| A．gone | B．shallow | C．ruined | D．dirty |
| A．risen | B．struck | C．crashed | D．recovered |
| A．fashion | B．area | C．invasion | D．line |
| A．chance | B．excuse | C．need | D．room |
| A．waste | B．forget | C．miss | D．grow |
| A．looked over | B．stopped by | C．walked through | D．pulled up |
| A．carefully | B．absent-mindedly | C．eagerly | D．warm-heartedly |
| A．mats | B．trade | C．tools | D．tradition |
| A．doubtful | B．hopeless | C．disappointed | D．stressed |
| A．since | B．if | C．though | D．until |
| A．useful | B．tricky | C．painful | D．risky |
| A．exhausted | B．optimistic | C．determined | D．intelligent |
| A．challenged | B．envious | C．inspired | D．curious |
| A．weavers | B．community | C．parents | D．school |
| A．symbol | B．consumer | C．means | D．provider |
