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 Classmates,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Thank you for your listening!
It was still light outside and Dad wasn’t home yet. Mom told us we needed to wait for dinner so all of us could eat together. I didn’t mind. Dad worked all day cleaning pools and if he was late, it meant I could spend more time outside playing basketball with my brother.
Dad played basketball in an old-fashioned way. He always used two hands to hold the ball and he was always careful to line up his body with the basket. Each of his shots is perfectly measured so that the ball drops cleanly through the hoop (篮框). A few years before, when there had been more money to spend, Dad had bought us a backboard and a hoop and had set up a tall metal pole on the side of the driveway. It was primitive, but still, we could imagine it as a basketball court.
We would play basketball all day if Mom let us. We practiced all sorts of shots and tried to sharpen our skills by cutting around each other, sending the ball through each other’s legs and passing it behind our backs. It felt like magic holding a ball, aiming at the basket, sending it into the air and waiting for it to drop into the basket—all the problems of the world seemed to fade away.
Lately Dad didn’t see magic anywhere. He’d lost more customers to job losses. Many of Dad’s customers who had lost their jobs told him they couldn’t afford to pay Dad to clean their pools anymore. I could tell Dad was worried each night.
I squeezed past my brother to put in another layup (带球上篮). That was when I heard Dad arriving home. “Hey, guys!” Dad said as he got out of the car. His shoulders slumped forward with tiredness. It was early and there was still a lot of light left in the sky. In the fading rays of the sun, the light revealed a lot more wrinkles on my Dad’s face than I remembered.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
I thought maybe I can cheer him up.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was almost too dark to see the ball and the dinner was ready.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1. 设计简介；
2. 参赛感悟。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80个左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dear Tom,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
4 . Do you have a brain for math? New research indicates that levels of two key neurotransmitters (脑神经传递素) — glutamate (谷氨酸) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)can predict mathematical abilities, suggesting brain chemistry may be playing a role in those who find math easy.
The new study, published in the journal PLOS Biology, recruited 255 subjects extending a range of six-year olds in primary school to university students. The research focused on glutamate and GABA, known to play a role in brain plasticity (可塑性) and learning. Based on prior research, the focus was on two brain regions linked with mathematical abilities — the left intraparietal sulcus (IPS 顶叶内沟) and the left middle frontal gyrus (MFG 脑额中回).
The results were interestingly different. In the youngest subjects high GABA levels and low glutamate levels in the left IPS were consistently associated with high math skills. But in the older university group the exact opposite was seen: low GABA and high glutamate were linked with strong mathematical abilities. Levels of both neurotransmitters in the MFG did not associate with math skills.
The group was tested twice over 18 months, allowing the researchers to see if these neurotransmitter levels could predict mathematical ability into the future. And it worked, with neurotransmitter levels effectively predicting one’s success on math tests completed a year and a half later.
Another recent study from the same research team looked specifically at GABA levels in MFG of 14 to 18 year olds. That research indicated MFG GABA levels could effectively predict whether a student was still studying maths or had ceased that subject years prior.
Cohen Kadosh, one of the researchers working on the study, says this may indicate math education can help stimulate the development of key brain regions. Further research will work on whether certain learning interventions can help those children less interested in math so these brain regions still get the developmental workout they need.
“Not every adolescent enjoys maths so we need to investigate possible alternatives, such as training in logic and reasoning that engage the same brain area as maths,” says Cohen Kadosh.
1. What is the new study aimed at?| A．Exploring mental development of the subjects. |
| B．Finding the tie between brain chemistry and math. |
| C．Testing the link between brain regions. |
| D．Revealing the structure of brain. |
| A．The levels of GABA decide one’s math skills. |
| B．Low MFG glutamate means poor math ability. |
| C．Neurotransmitters in the MFG affect math skills. |
| D．Math education may help with brain development. |
| A．Studying more possible options. |
| B．Tracing slow learners’ early learning. |
| C．Training math learners respectively. |
| D．Developing key relevant brain areas. |
| A．Factors Affecting Math Skills |
| B．Ways to Promote Math Education |
| C．Brain Activities Involved in Math Study |
| D．Math Ability Predicted by Neurotransmitters |
1. What do the words “this trap” in the first paragraph refer to?
| A．Having a racial bias. | B．Responding to wrong texts. | C．Criticizing political figures. |
| A．Creative. | B．Promising. | C．Controversial. |
| A．Its employees are irresponsible. |
| B．It needs further improvement. |
| C．Its security is doubted. |
6 . Robert was born on August 9, 1910 in the Netherlands. His mother came from a family of musicians and piano manufacturers, a fact that greatly influenced Robert’s life. His father was a physician in army, a position which required frequent foreign postings. The family stayed in various areas of East Asia for most of Robert’s youth. This experience contributed to his appreciation for cultures and mastery of several languages.
Robert was a hardworking academic, collector of art and manuscripts, and translator of ancient writings. He studied and trained to become a master musician on the Chinese guqin, and eventually wrote two books on the instrument. Similarly, his skills as an artist in the traditional Chinese style and knowledge of calligraphy were unparalleled. He wrote and published a number of non-fiction, scholarly articles and books on Chinese music, art, and literature, as well as Chinese culture and folk legends.
In 1940, Robert came across a little-known and anonymous (匿名的)18th-century Chinese novel that would take his career down an unplanned pathway and result in the public fame he never anticipated. The novel, titled Four Great Strange Cases of Empress Wu’s Reign, was a fictional account of the deeds of Judge Dee, one of the heroes of traditional Chinese detective fiction, and was set in the 7th-century Tang Dynasty. Fascinated, Robert not only translated the novel into English, he also did some research on the history of Chinese Penal Code and other legal literature of the period. It was not until 1949 that Robert was able to publish his translation —Dee Goong An: Three Murder Cases Solved by Judge Dee. Robert’s Chinese mysteries comprise over 10 novels and short-story volumes, recording the career of Chinese detective called Di Renjie. Interestingly, the tales first found fame in oriental (东方的)editions, before being translated into English in 1957.
Through all the novels by Robert, he impressively brings to life the sights and sounds of daily Chinese life in the past. His passionate devotion and respect for the Chinese culture was never discounted, yet he also appreciated the purpose of fiction.
1. What inspired Robert’s love for oriental culture?| A．His language competence. |
| B．His previous stay in East Asia. |
| C．His mother’s good family background. |
| D．His father’s professional medical knowledge. |
| A．Robert’s passion for China. | B．Robert’s music proficiency. |
| C．Robert’s early achievements. | D．Robert’s learning experiences. |
| A．He introduced western civilization to China. |
| B．He polished an existing Chinese fiction style. |
| C．He spread Chinese literature to a wider audience. |
| D．He conducted research on famous Chinese detectives. |
| A．Vivid and faithful. | B．Dramatic and realistic. |
| C．Accurate and humorous. | D．Imaginary and accessible. |
Meles Mauro fled from his village near Addis Ababa to the Nigeria capital because he had nowhere else to go. He was five years old and both his parents were dead. He’d headed to his aunt’s, but she had seven children and couldn’t take him in permanently. Soon Mauro was participating in the street economy, along with roughly 10,000 other orphaned kids in Addis. To survive, he shined shoes, sold peanuts and begged.
Then, when he was about nine, Mauro met Kelsey Golden. A year earlier, in 1996, Golden had flown from Germany to her hometown of Addis to visit her mother for the first time in well over a decade. Accompanying Golden were her husband, Scott Smillie (a social worker), and their two children. The family had come with the intention of helping street-involved children, but without a set target.
When they were walking on the street of Addis, their children found something confusing. “Why aren’t they wearing any shoes?” “Why do they just sit there aimlessly on the street without going to school?” Golden was constantly asked about the kids in the street, bringing her back into the memories of her childhood. Golden had left Nigeria in 1981 on a scholarship to Germany, where she finished her bachelor of science degree at the University of Alberta, began teaching, met Smillie and started a family.
Deep in her heart was the words by her father, a general who had passed away. Her father’s final wish was for his children to someday return to help their country and get orphaned street-involved children to class.
“Mom, do you see that boy, who seemingly looks hungry and wants my hamburger?”
Golden’s mind was drawn back to the present. Following the direction of her son’s finger, she noticed a boy, barefoot, in rags, sitting on the ground, eyes fixed on the hamburger.
Instantly she walked over to the boy, bent down and asked gently, “what’s your name?”
“Mauro, Meles Mauro.” the boy answered, eyes still on the burger.
“Would you like to have a lunch with us together?
“Can I?” Mauro’s eyes fell on Golden, wide open in disbelief.
With the firm nodding from the woman, the boy’s face cracked a radiant smile and had the most delicious meal ever in his life.
注意： 1.续写词数应为150 左右；2.请按如下格式在答题卡得相应位置做答。
With the help of the couple, Mauro enjoyed a wonderful life.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Aged 29, Mauro had a job as a professor in a college and he still stayed in touch with Golden.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________8 . The Surprising Strength of “Weak” Social Ties
It’s long been known that a community of supportive relationships improves our quality of life and can even help us recover from illness.
Claire gets cheered up by going to the library and chatting with her favorite librarian every week. Sherry gets great joy from her Sunday breakfasts at a local diner because the manager and her favorite waitress are nice to her.
When we feel blue or lonely, we tend to turn down social engagements, either to avoid the imagined embarrassment of being the only sad person in a group or because socializing with people we don’t know well can be awkward at first.
| A．All of those connections matter — and so do you |
| B．Harvard researcher Hanne Collins discovered something new |
| C．Even those we meet only once can leave a lasting impression |
| D．Our shared kindness and familiarity offer me a sense of community |
| E．Interacting with the weak ties encourages us to behave more professionally |
| F．But saying yes, despite the hesitation, offers an opportunity to feel less lonely |
| G．So notice, pay attention to, and be grateful for your big, wide world of loose social ties |
9 . The psychological term, valence weighting bias, describes people’s tendency to adapt in new circumstances by drawing more strongly from either their positive or negative attitudes, or rather, whether negative or positive internal “signals” carry the most weight in guiding people’s final behavior.
Studies led by Russell Fazio and Javier Granados from Ohio State University found links between a negative-leaning attitude and procrastination (拖延) and that it’s possible to shift the weighting bias and reverse the tendency to delay a task.
In the study, 147 college students participated in a program allowing them to accumulate course credits for engaging in a research. Those who thought it was an awful thing to do procrastinated starting. The study also explored whether students’ measures of self-control influenced task-related behaviors: How students characterized their level of motivation about the research program, and if that affected whether students got an early start. Results showed the combination of negative weighting bias and self-reported low motivation for self-control was linked to students putting off research program participation by getting started later in the semester.
Then the students in the program who were self-reported procrastinators and who scored high for negative weighting bias were asked to join in another study. Researchers then inspired one group in a way that led participants to weigh positive and negative signals in a more balanced way. This shift caused the students to accumulate credit hours more quickly than the group whose negative weighting bias and low self-control reliably predicted their delay. “If somebody is more motivated and able to think more about it, that might bring other considerations that weaken the influence of the valence weighting bias,” researchers said.
Negative weighting bias can have a positive effect on behavior, though. These researchers have also found evidence that a negative weighting bias may help people be more realistic when they’re asking themselves, “Have I studied enough for this test?” “It’s better to be more objectively balanced than to be at either extreme,” Fazio said. “But the situation where a particular valence weighting bias is likely to be problematic is going to vary.”
1. What can we know about valence weighting bias?| A．It is used in modern technology. | B．It influences people’s mental health. |
| C．It directs what people do variously. | D．It leads to delays in carrying out tasks. |
| A．suffered from valence weighting bias | B．drew more strongly from positivity |
| C．thought poorly of their self-discipline | D．considered themselves lack of motivation |
| A．High scores lead to more consideration. |
| B．Negative weighting bias can be reversed. |
| C．Participants need professional knowledge. |
| D．Measuring properly is of vital importance. |
| A．Negative weighting bias can be beneficial. |
| B．People need to strive to be positive at any time. |
| C．Positive people tend to make random decisions. |
| D．Valence weighting bias applies to different situations. |
内容包括：1. 时间地点；2. 展览内容。
注意：写作词数应为80个左右。
Dear Jack,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
