Midwives bring new life into the world, and these midwifery students at London’s Middlesex University
The training helps prepare students for all the potential risks they might face during childbirth, including
Celebrating the Minor New Year(小年)
The 23rd of lunar calendar is celebrated as the Minor Festival, the festival mood of
3 . I’m interested in the Renaissance (文艺复兴), so I like visiting ancient Italian cities. Ferrara is called City of the Renaissance. When I learned about this city on the Internet, I decided to pay a visit to it.
The city has a certain charm, but I find it isn’t as great as other Italian cities like Verona, let alone Venice or Rome. The Michelin Green Guide gives it two stars, which is right.
I first visited the city centre. The Cathedral and Castello Estense are at the heart of the city. Both have striking appearances. I visited the Cathedral first. Castello Estense is also worth visiting, which owes its name to the powerful Este family. It was built with bricks and surrounded by a moat (护城河). At the lower levels, the history of the city and the Este family are told through displays, and in another part the ceilings are shown through mirrors on the ground.
In the north, we can appreciate the Renaissance extension of the town, with straight streets and monumental houses. The famous Palazzo dei Diamanti lies here. When I was visiting it, it started to rain, so after taking a few photos quickly, I cut my visit there short. It had been raining for a few days. When the rain ceased, I went to visit the historical centre and the Renaissance buildings.
After leaving there, I visited several other interesting places such as palaces and the narrow streets of the downtown. After four hours in Ferrara I left by train to Mantua. There I had a much better time.
1. Why did the author pay a visit to Ferrara?| A．Because it is related to the Renaissance. | B．Because it is full of charm. |
| C．Because it is a very famous city in Europe. | D．Because it is strongly recommended by a website. |
| A．Subjective. | B．Reasonable. | C．Unacceptable. | D．Unbelievable. |
| A．It came from the historical buildings. | B．It originated from the straight streets. |
| C．It was named after the powerful Este family. | D．It was connected to the surrounding moat. |
| A．The writer thought Ferrara was as great as Venice. |
| B．The writer visited Palazzo dei Diamanti for a long time. |
| C．The writer was much more satisfied with the tour in Mantua than in Ferrara. |
| D．The writer was disappointed with the visit to the Cathedral and Castello Estense. |
4 . Time and time again, I hear someone ask why anyone would want to keep an “ugly” building or a building that is dirty and clearly in need of work. I think you could say we preservationists look at buildings through a different angle — an angle that can see the swan (天鹅) in the ugly duck, the story in the simple lines, the book behind the cover.
Take the Queen Emma Building for example. While people may remember that building being named as one of the ugliest buildings in town, the angle from which a preservationist will view the building is that it is uniquely constructed with an artistical brise-soleil to block the sun. The designer used standard concrete bricks to form a decorative wall. Unfortunately, the brise-soleil was removed in 2011, making the building look like many of the contemporary buildings in town.
Sometimes people remember a beautiful site that was replaced by a “horrid” piece of architecture and can’t get over their anger, even when that building becomes an important part of our story. This is particularly true in San Francisco where many preservationists themselves dislike anything newer than the Victorian era. Yes, it was a tragedy that many failed to appreciate the Victorian buildings and let many get torn down several decades ago, but those losses also tell another important story. It tells the story of the 1950s and 1960s when there was hope for a more equal society with inexpensive housing for the working class. Should that history be wiped from our memories?
Preservation is not just about keeping pretty, well-kept buildings, but about conveying parts of our history-not just the history of huge events, but the story of how everyone used to go to a certain corner market. Our history cannot be told only in buildings that meet someone’s criteria of beauty; sometimes our history is painful, but no less important.
1. How do preservationists see buildings?| A．They are devoted to repairing famous buildings. |
| B．They focus on their value rather than appearance. |
| C．They prefer ugly buildings to beautiful ones. |
| D．They pay great attention to ancient buildings. |
| A．It’s regrettable. | B．It’s confusing. |
| C．It’s pleasing. | D．It’s unbelievable. |
| A．To wipe the history of the Victorian era. |
| B．To restore the architecture before the Victorian era. |
| C．To work off the deep anger of the working class. |
| D．To make land available for cheap housing. |
| A．What kind of buildings are of historical value? |
| B．Why do architects make ugly buildings? |
| C．Are ugly buildings worth preserving? |
| D．Are preservationists’ work meaningless? |
5 . Students who are better able to understand and manage their emotions effectively, a skill known as emotional intelligence (EI), do better at school than their less-skilled classmates, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
“It’s not enough to be smart and hardworking. Students must also be able to understand and manage their emotions to succeed at school,” said Carolyn MacCann, lead author of the study. MacCann and her colleagues analyzed data from more than 160 studies, representing more than 42,000 students from 27 countries, published between 1998 and 2019. The students ranged in age from primary school to college. The researchers found that students with higher EI tended to get higher grades and better achievement test scores than those with lower EI scores. This finding held true even when controlling for intelligence and personality factors. What was most surprising to the researchers was the association held despite different ages.
As for why EI can affect academic performance, MacCann believes a number of factors may come into play. “Students with higher EI may be better able to manage negative emotions, such as anxiety, boredom and disappointment, which can negatively affect academic performance,” she said. “Also, these students may be better able to manage the social world around them, forming better relationships with teachers, classmates and family, all of which are important to academic success.” Finally, the skills required for EI, such as understanding human motivation and emotion, may overlap with (与……重叠) the skills required to master certain subjects, such as history and language, giving students an advantage in those subject areas, according to MacCann.
However, MacCann cautions against widespread testing of students to identify and target those with low EI as it may stigmatize (给……打上烙印) those students. Instead, she recommends interventions that involve the whole school, including additional teacher training and a focus on teacher well-being and emotional skills. “Programs that integrate emotional skill development into the existing curriculum would be beneficial, as research suggests that training works better when run by teachers rather than external specialists,” she said. “Increasing skills for everyone — not just those with low EI—would benefit everyone.”
1. What surprised the researchers most during MacCann’s study?| A．Intelligence mattered more than EI for academic success. |
| B．EI had an effect on learning for students of all ages. |
| C．College students benefited more from EI than pupils. |
| D．Personality affected academic performance greatly. |
| A．High-EI students hardly experience negative emotions. |
| B．High-EI students seldom develop social relationships. |
| C．High-EI students tend to easily focus on their study. |
| D．High-EI students have helpful skills for certain subjects. |
| A．Equipping teachers with emotional skills. |
| B．Designing tests to identify students with low EI. |
| C．Developing special programs for students with low EI. |
| D．Employing emotional specialists to give training to students. |
| A．Should EI be taught in school? |
| B．How can students develop high EI? |
| C．Students with high EI do better in school |
| D．Good students do better in managing emotions |
6 . Technology seems to discourage slow, immersive reading. Reading on a screen tires your eyes and makes it harder for you to keep your place. Online writing tends to be more skimmable and list-like than print. The cognitive neuroscientist Mary Walt argued recently that this “new norm” of skim reading is producing “an invisible, game -changing transformation” in how readers process words. The neuronal circuit that sustains the brain’s capacity to read now favors the rapid absorption of information.
We shouldn’t overplay this danger. All readers skim. From about the age of nine, our eyes start to bounce around the page, reading only about a quarter of the words properly, and filling in the gaps by inference. Nor is there anything new in these fears about declining attention spans. So far, the anxieties have proved to be false alarms. “Quite a few critics have been worried about attention spans lately and see very short stories as signs of cultural decline,” the American author Selvin Brown wrote. “No one ever said that poems were evidence of short attention spans.”
And yet the Internet has certainly changed the way we read. For a start, it means that there is more to read, because more people than ever are writing. And digital writing is meant for rapid release and response. This mode of writing and reading can be interactive and fun. But often it treats other people’s words as something to be quickly harvested as fodder (素材) to say something else. Everyone talks over the top of everyone else, desperate to be heard.
Perhaps we should slow down. Reading is constantly promoted as a social good and source of personal achievement. But this advocacy often emphasizes “enthusiastic” “passionate” or “eager” reading, none of which adjectives suggest slow, quiet absorption. To a slow reader, a piece of writing can only be fully understood by immersing oneself in the words and their slow comprehension of a line of thought.
The human need for this kind of deep reading is too tenacious for any new technology to destroy. We often assume that technological change can’t be stopped and happens in one direction, so that older media like “dead-tree” books are kicked out by newer, more virtual forms. In practice, older technologies can coexist with new ones. The Kindle has not killed off the printed book any more than the car killed off the bicycle. We still want to enjoy slowly. formed ideas and carefully-chosen words. Even in a fast-moving age, there is time for slow reading.
1. Selvin Brown would probably agree that ________.| A．poetry reading is vital to attention spans |
| B．the gravity of cultural decline is urgent |
| C．fears of attention spans are unnecessary |
| D．online writing harms immersive reading |
| A．It demands writers to abandon traditional writing modes. |
| B．It leads to too much talking and not enough deep reflection. |
| C．It depends heavily on frequent interaction with the readers. |
| D．It paves the way for enthusiastic, passionate or eager reading. |
| A．Deep-rooted. |
| B．Fast-advanced. |
| C．Slowly-changed. |
| D．Rarely-noticed. |
| A．The Wonder of Deep Reading |
| B．Slow Reading is Here to Stay |
| C．The Internet is Changing the Way We Read |
| D．Digital vs Print: A Life-and-Death Struggle |
Acupuncture (针灸),
Looking beyond China, acupuncture has become a
As a traditional Chinese medical practice with a rich history
8 . It’s never easy to say “no”, especially when we’re asked by someone close to us, Maybe a friend is asking you for a favor, or a co-worker is asking you to cover their shift for the afternoon
Be kind but forthright. Though you can always just say “no” on your own terms, you might find more success by padding your refusal with positivity.
Offer a brief explanation. Providing a concise explanation as to why you’re refusing a request is one polite way to say “no”. For instance, if you already have other work this week that would prevent you from hitting a pew deadline, let the person know that. You’d better avoid adding too much fluff (无价值的东西) to your explanation.
Know yourself. Knowing yourself and your needs will help you decide if you should say“no”. Have a brainstorming session about areas where you have too much on your plate.
| A．Set healthy boundaries. |
| B．Be honest about your own needs. |
| C．When should you say “no” to them? |
| D．Set boundaries between work and your personal life. |
| E．That can very likely give the other person false hope. |
| F．You can try keeping your voice calm, welcoming and kind. |
| G．How can you stand your ground politely without feeling guilty? |
This Is Life, a documentary film, is set to grace the nation’s big screens on Jan. 13. The film features more than 800 short videos
By gathering the short video footage, the film engages ordinary people in its creation and presents their authentic life experience,
According to the film’s director Sun Hong, by gathering, selecting
In the film, the audience will see construction workers working out on the construction site during their spare time, fishermen talking to their cormorants and teasing their greediness for fish, or boatmen celebrating a rare day
“It is our creative effort, as documentary filmmakers,
1．运动会情况介绍;
2．发出邀请;
3．期待回复。
注意：
1．写作词数应为 80左右;
2．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dear Jason,
How are you doing?
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Yours,
Li Hua
