1 . Blind Olympic Athletes Show the Universal Nature
Tune into any sports coverage on TV, and you will see many athletes proudly raise their arms and heads in victory, while a much larger number hang their shoulders and necks in defeat. Studies have revealed why—they are universal behaviours, performed by humans in response to success and failure.
The discovery came from Jessica Tracy from the University of British Columbia and David Matsumoto from San Francisco State University, who wanted to see how people showed feelings of pride and shame.
The answer was Athens, during the 2004 Olympic Games. Its sister competition—the Paralympics—included many athletes who were born blind.
These actions were also remarkably consistent between contestants from every part of the world. Tracy and Matsumoto argue that pride and shame deserve a place alongside other primary emotions like happiness, fear and surprise.
| A．Analyzing the data, they found that the sighted and sightless athletes behaved in almost exactly the same ways. |
| B．In fact, the culture was found to have only a very small effect on their body language. |
| C．In particular, they wanted to know whether these expressions were culturally determined and learned through observation. |
| D．The athletes’ behaviours give strong evidence that they have had the actions naturally since birth. |
| E．The result suggested that the athletes were showing their pride based on careful observation. |
| F．Therefore, they could not have witnessed how other people reacted to winning and losing. |
| G．They are inborn behaviours and are accompanied by their own distinct sets of actions. |
If you see humor as an optional form of entertainment (娱乐), you’re missing some of its biggest benefits: Humor makes average-looking people look cute. Humor helps uninteresting people seem entertaining too. Studies show that a good sense of humor even makes you seem smarter.
Humor also transports your mind away from your daily troubles. Humor lets you better understand life and sometimes helps you laugh at even the worst of your problems.
In my experience, most people think they have a sense of humor, and to some degree that’s true. But not all senses of humor are created equal. So I thought it would be useful to include some humor tips for everyday life.
You don’t have to be the joke teller in the group in order to show your sense of humor. You can be the one who directs the conversation to fun topics that are ripe for others to add humor.
When it comes to in-person humor, effort counts a lot. When people see you trying to be funny, it frees them to try it themselves. For in-person humor, quality isn’t as important as you might think. Your attitude and effort count a lot.
Some people believe that humorous complaints (抱怨) about the little problems of life make humor, and sometimes that is the case. The problem comes when you start doing too much complaint-based humor. One funny observation about problem in your life can be funny, but five is just complaining, no matter how smart you think you are.
Self-deprecating humor (自嘲式) is usually the safest type, but here again you don’t want to overshoot the target. One self-deprecating comment is a generous and even confident form of humor. But if you do it too often, you can transform in the eyes of others from a confident joker to a Chihuahua dog.
1. How does humor make average-looking people look? (不多于六个单词)2. What is important for in-person humor? (不多于三个单词)
3. How many humor tips are mentioned in the passage? (一个单词)
4. What’s the passage mainly about? (不多于七个单词)
Rowan Atkinson is an English actor, comedian and screenwriter. Rowan was born
4 . It was a cold evening, and my daughter and I were walking up Broadway. I didn’t notice a guy sitting inside a cardboard box, but Nora did. She wasn’t even four, but she
I don’t remember my reply. But I do remember a sudden heavy feeling inside me. I had always been delighted at how much my daughter noticed in her
A few days later, I saw an article in the newspaper about volunteers who picked up a food package from a nearby school on a Sunday morning and
The building was in a bad state. Facing us was a silver-haired woman in an old dress. She took the package and asked us to come in. Nora ran inside. I unwillingly followed. Once inside, I saw that the department belonged to someone poor. Our hostess showed us some photos. Nora played and when the time came to say goodbye, we three hugged, I walked home in tears.
Professionals call such a(n)
| A．pulled | B．glanced | C．waved | D．aimed |
| A．area | B．part | C．eyesight | D．world |
| A．coldness | B．illness | C．suffering | D．ignorance |
| A．delivered | B．returned | C．devoted | D．posted |
| A．creative | B．valuable | C．shocking | D．simple |
| A．warn | B．stop | C．allow | D．push |
| A．back | B．away | C．up | D．out |
| A．stay | B．visit | C．adventure | D．opinion |
| A．fair | B．famous | C．difficult | D．enjoyable |
| A．improved | B．benefited | C．tried | D．seized |
5 . Several years ago, Jeremy Clarkson, presenter of the famous BBC television programme ‘Top Gear’, discovered that one of his guests was half German and half Irish. Immediately, he said, “That’s quite a strange combination. It’s like, ‘this must be done absolutely perfectly… tomorrow’ ”.
This joke played on stereotypes of the Germans as efficient and the Irish as lazy. Many people could understandably be offended by these kinds of assertions(断言). We do not know every Irish person, so how can we then conclude that every Irish person is lazy?
I recently read on a website that Irish business people were described as being “generally rather casual” and “more outwardly friendly than many European countries”. German business people, on the other hand, are considered to be very direct and according to the website, they “do not need a personal relationship in order to do business”. Once you hear advice like this, it becomes easier to understand where jokes like the one in the first paragraph come from.
So why do some people disapprove of the kind of stereotypes as seen in Clarkson’s joke, but not batting an eyelid(眨眼) when it comes to generalizations. What is the difference between the two?
By definition, a stereotype is a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. A cultural characteristic, on the other hand, is a pattern of behaviour that is typical of a certain group.
So what does this really mean? Stereotypes are simply overstated assumptions about groups of people. Imagine if a tourist visited a small town in Switzerland and saw a number of locals playing the alphorn instrument, and then claimed that Swiss people can play the alphorn. This would be a stereotype! This is an overstated image of the Swiss which is based on one tourist’s experience.
If, however, this tourist were to say that the Swiss are very punctual, this could be seen as a cultural characteristic. This is because it is a pattern of behaviour which is very typical in Switzerland: from their transport system to their business meetings. In this way, some people argue that generalizing another culture is not just useful, but important. Politicians always have to be mindful of the cultural characteristics of different countries. By becoming aware of different cultural characteristics, they can avoid causing offence in those cultures. However, others argue that generalizing cultures will always lead to offensive stereotypes. They argue that the best thing we can do is to stop generalizing cultures and start treating people as individuals.
All this raises important questions: can making generalizations about groups of people be a positive thing? Or should we always avoid making broad assumptions about different groups?
1. When he said, “It’s like, ‘this must be done absolutely perfectly…tomorrow’”, Jeremy Clarkson really meant ________.| A．the stereotypes of the Germans and the Irish are not so good |
| B．the combination of half German and half Irish is interesting |
| C．the characteristics of the Germans and the Irish are opposite |
| D．the Germans will do it perfectly tomorrow while the Irish won’t |
| A．The Swiss can play the alphorn quite well. |
| B．The Irish people are considered as lazy, direct and casual. |
| C．The Germans are thought to be efficient, friendly and direct. |
| D．The Swiss tend to arrive on time on various occasions. |
| A．they don’t want to offend other people |
| B．generalizing will lead to offensive stereotypes |
| C．cultural characteristics are better than stereotypes |
| D．they think different cultural characteristics are useful |
| A．illustrate the importance of making generalizations |
| B．show it is wrong to play jokes on stereotypes of different people |
| C．tell us the differences between stereotypes and cultural characteristics |
| D．discuss whether it is good to make generalizations about groups of people |
6 . Amsterdam is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world, famous for its beautiful canals, top art museums, cycling culture and so on. It is the capital city of the Netherlands and often referred to as the “Venice of the North” because of its expansive system of bridges and canals. Here are some of the key points to remember as you plan your trip to Amsterdam.
Must-See Attractions
Most visitors begin their Amsterdam adventure in the Old Centre, which is full of traditional architecture, shopping centers, and coffee shops. You’ll also want to check out Amsterdam’s Museum Quarter in the South District, which is great for shopping at the Albert Cuyp Market and having a picnic in the Vondelpark. The top museums to visit there are the Rijksmusuem, the Ann Frank House, and the Van Gogh Museum.
If You Have Time
There are several other unique districts in Amsterdam, and you should try to explore as many of them as time allows. The Canal Ring is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was originally built to attract wealthy home owners and is a center for celebrity spotting and nightlife today. The Plantage area has most of the city’s museums and the botanical gardens.
Money Saving Tips
●Unless you really want to see the tulips(郁金香) blooming, avoid booking between mid-March and mid-May. This is when hotel and flight prices rise.
●Look for accommodations in Amsterdam’s South District, where rates are generally cheaper than in the city center.
●Buy train tickets at the machine instead of the counter to save a bit of money.
●Instead of hiring a tour guide, hop on a canal boat. They’re inexpensive and will give you a unique point of view of the city.
Check out our homepage to view price comparisons for flights, hotels, and rental cars before you book.
1. What can be learned about Amsterdam from this passage?| A．The Van Gogh Museum lies in the South District. |
| B．The Canal Ring is a place to attract garden lovers. |
| C．The Old Centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. |
| D．Amsterdam is called the “Venice of the North” because of its location. |
| A．arrange a guided tour | B．buy train tickets at the counter |
| C．reserve a hotel in the South District | D．book flights between mid-March and mid-May |
| A．A magazine. | B．An essay. | C．A report. | D．A website. |
Once upon a time, there was a tiger. His name was Kamau which means the quiet soldier. Kamau wondered, “Will I ever live up to my name?” Kamau is young and makes friends with everyone, but thinks low of himself. His leg disability makes it hard to walk. It makes him feel useless. But what he doesn’t know is that today will change it all.
One bright morning, Kamau spotted a bird in a tree, whose bright colors are so cheerful. She looked old. And he noticed one of her wings was cut. Kamau kept on walking towards the bird. “My name is Jelani,” she squawked as if she could read his mind. “I am Kamau,” he roared. “I know,” she said as if she had been watching over him his whole life. They spent a moment studying each other. At last, Kamau continued going past the tree.
“Do you know the meaning of your name?” she asked. Kamau stopped. The pain showed in his eyes. This is a question he has asked himself every day.
“My name means quiet soldier,” he said. Then he paused. “But I have been given the wrong name, for I am no warrior.”
“Do you know what my name means?” she asked. There was silence. “It means mighty. But as you can see, my body is not fit for it.” Then she looked up.
Kamau asked, “What are you looking at?”
“I am dreaming of flying free. Have you ever thought of running through the jungle, pride in your face?”
“We will never get that kind of life.” Kamau said angrily.
Jelani expected this. So, she explained why she didn’t care about it. “Sometimes, you have to let go of the things you don’t have and make do with what you have.”
“But even if I know this, I can’t be happy because I can’t do anything about my body. My mind knows it,” he said.
“I don’t know what you’ll be, but your mind tells you. It’s telling you that you’re useless, but if you ask your mind to stop, you will find your true self!” Jelani tells him.
Kamau realizes how lucky he was to have met Jelani. How fortunate he was to be able to change his mind.
Kamau finishes the story, making his sons think. It’s a year later and Kamau is a father. He hopes to teach his sons the same lesson that Jelani taught him. “Sons, we can’t always depend on physical abilities to show us who we are. First, think about what your mind can do to change your bad feelings into good ones.”
1. Why does Kamau think low of himself?2. Paraphrase the underlined sentence in paragraph 2.
Kamau spotted a bird in a tree, whose bright colors are so cheerful
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
Kamau finally realized that it is important to move on toward the things you desire and forget what you already have.
4. What ways do you have to change your bad feelings into good ones?（50词左右）
8 . Putting Pen to Paper: The History of Ballpoint Pens
Ballpoint pens may not seem like anything special, but they’ve made our lives more convenient than you might realize. The story behind their invention may also surprise you.
László Bíró, a Hungarian journalist, is said to have invented the ballpoint pen in 1938. Before the ballpoint pen, people used fountain pens. These old-fashioned pens had to be refilled often, and they leaked and easily made paper dirty.
Many inventors had tried to design similar types of pens before Bíró, but none had succeeded. Bíró’s ballpoint pen design used a small ball instead of a nib（钢笔尖）. When the ball is pressed onto paper, it rolls to pick up ink inside the pen and transfer it onto paper. The inspiration for this design came from an unexpected source. One day, Bíró happened to see children playing with marbles（弹珠游戏）. A boy rolled a marble through a puddle, creating a line of water on the street and giving Bíró the idea for the ballpoint design.
Bíró began selling his pen in Argentina, where he and his brother had fled to during World War Ⅱ. His biggest customer was UK’s Royal Air Force, which ordered 30,000 pens to allow its crews to write more easily while in the air.
Eventually, mass production made plastic ballpoint pens more affordable, and soon they were a household necessity.
| A．For this reason, ballpoint pens last for ages. |
| B．Ballpoint pens have become an essential tool in our everyday lives. |
| C．These pens are particularly popular because they are easy to write with. |
| D．Unfortunately, Bíró wasn’t able to spread his invention around the world. |
| E．Although ballpoint pens were convenient, they changed the way that people write. |
| F．However, the real breakthrough came when Bíró got help from his brother, who was a scientist. |
| G．Since Bíró spent much of his day writing, he was all too familiar with these inconveniences. |
9 . A Mission to Remove Space Junk
In video games and movies, we often imagine spaceships avoiding giant asteroids (小行星) in the solar system. However, a greater concern for our world is space debris. Space debris refers to the 8, 000 metric tons of junk that orbits around the Earth. These millions of pieces floating in space threaten to destroy satellites and machinery that are necessary for weather forecasting, GPS, and telecommunication.
Along with other efforts to minimize space debris, the company Astroscale has launched End-of-Life Service by Astroscale, or Elsa-D. It aims to model a space debris removal system and includes two spacecraft: a servicer and a client. Let’s look at the danger of space debris and how Astroscale’s technology would work.
What Really Is Space Debris?
Space debris forms when old satellite and spaceship parts gather in the low Earth orbit. This build-up of waste can range from large rocket parts all the way to small pieces of metal that form when the parts explode or hit.
Because all the pieces travel at high speeds of 28, 000 km/h in orbit, they pose a threat to active satellites. It is reported that at least 26, 000 pieces of space junk are as small as a softball, yet they could “destroy a satellite on impact.”
Over 500, 000 pieces of debris could damage protective systems, fuel tanks, and spacecraft cabins. More commonly, over 100 million pieces of space debris are as small as a grain of salt. These pieces are dangerous as they could break spacesuits and threaten the safety of the crew.
Scientists are able to track debris particles (微粒) larger than 10cm, but pieces near 1cm in size are vey difficult to monitor. As a result, the removal of space debris is essential to ensure that new satellites will not hit old ones. The European Space Agency reports that 3, 600 satellites are currently operating with 28, 000 pieces of debris being tracked. In the next decade, 10, 000 new satellites will orbit Earth. The need for an effective space debris removal system is growing.
Astroscale hopes to develop a system where the spacecraft attaches to dead satellites and direct them towards Earth to burn up in the atmosphere. The technology would be used on future satellites, not dead satellites that are already in orbit. The purpose of this specific mission is to show how the capture system will work. The client spacecraft will play a piece of space debris.
The servicer spacecraft will use GPS sensors and magnetic (磁对接) docking technology to capture the client spacecraft. Like a cat and mouse, the servicer will capture and release the client several times over 6 months and the tasks will become more difficult.
Astroscale hopes that all satellites being developed in the future will include the magnetic docking plate which allows the servicer to capture the debris. As companies and governments take on more space projects, a system to remove waste in space is going to be increasingly important.
1. What do we know about space waste?| A．Rocket bodies are the main source of space debris. |
| B．Space waste removal was fruitful in the past decades. |
| C．The pieces near 1cm in size can be watched and checked. |
| D．A piece of softball-sized space debris can destroy a satellite. |
| A．It aims to recycle the dead satellites. |
| B．It launched a spaceship carrying cats and mice. |
| C．It hopes to reduce the space projects. |
| D．It tries to get rid of the future dead satellites. |
| A．The New Technology | B．The Future Space Satellites |
| C．Where Does Space Junk Come? | D．Why Do We Remove Waste in Space? |
| A．It may cause troubles in space. | B．It has cleared some space waste. |
| C．It is challenging but worthwhile. | D．It will be put into use soon. |
10 . Do Trees Talk to Each Other?
Did you know that trees can communicate with each other? Suramme Simard, a professor of forest ecology at the University of British Columbia, has conducted research into the cooperative and social behavior of trees.
Growing up in the forests of Canada, Simard observed how logging (伐木) companies would cut down diverse forests and replace them with a single tree species. Loggers believed that by removing competition, the newly planted trees would thrive, as they would receive more space, water, and sunlight. However, Simard noticed these trees were actually more likely to suffer disease and environmental stress. As she investigated this question, Simard realized that tree communication was the answer to this.
Trees communicate through underground networks of helper fungi (真菌). The fungi connect with tree roots, forming links, which can connect trees of different kinds across a forest. The fungi transport water and nutrients to the trees. In return, trees provide fungi carbon-based sugars. The fungi not only allow for tree-fungi cooperation but also for communication. Trees can transport carbon, water, nutrients (营养), chemical warning signs, and hormones. This system allows them to balance resources and warn neighboring trees of danger. Trees are also connected through the “mother” trees, which are the oldest and largest trees. Through this connection, young trees can get the resource and information network.
These findings have many effects, including the way we structure our own societies and ecological practices. Mother trees are key for providing the information, medicinal, and resource capacity to future generations of trees. Also Simard believes that with climate change stressing out plants and threatening the survival of species, humans may need to step in to help — perhaps even by moving some species to cooler climates as the world warms.
While Simard wholeheartedly believes in the cooperative nature of trees, other scientists argue that competition is still the main reason why these trees end up sharing resources. The fungi that transport resources might actually be sending nutrients to resource-poor trees because they can demand more carbon-based sugars in return from plants on the edge of survival.
Regardless of whether cooperation or competition drives tree behavior, stronger evidence of forest communication and networks is an exciting discovery with much to learn!
1. What does the underlined word “thrive” in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Become removable. | B．Communicate freely. |
| C．Grow stronger | D．Share more resources. |
| A．The function of fungi. | B．The wide network of wood. |
| C．The transportation of nutrients. | D．The strong effect of “mother” trees. |
| A．Efforts should be made to protect mother trees. |
| B．The fungi stop mother trees from sharing resources. |
| C．Simard proves competition and cooperation work together. |
| D．Some endangered plants have been moved to cooler places. |
| A．Surprised. | B．Confused. | C．Inspired. | D．Uninterested. |
