Waking up at 7 am in the morning, 25-year-old Fan Yupei cleans up,
Life in her hometown of Shenhou is much slower and
Shenhou is where Jun porcelain originated. In recent years, a series of measures has been carried out in Shenhou
Shenhou is not the only town in Henan that benefits
2 . If you have no difficulty in understanding what native English speakers say in daily life, there is a whole new world of brilliant podcast (播客) series to explore. If you aren’t sure where to start, have a look at these:
| The Joc Rogan Experience ★★★★★ The Joc Rogan Experience is a great learning device because of its interesting English conversations between Rogan and his guests. At the time of writing there have been over 1,660 episodes with subjects ranging from comedy and science to politics and sports. Rogan is also a famous stand-up comedian, so the show is full of cultural references and idioms. |
| This American Life ★★★★★ This American Life is a great choice for English learners who want an insight into the culture of the USA. It is a mixture of journalism and storytelling, focusing on real-life tales from citizens of all regions of the country. The stories are new and varied. One episode was taped for 24 hours in an all-night restaurant; another interviewed workers on strike. |
| The Writer's Voice ★★★★☆ The New Yorker is a famous American magazine, and every week it prints a new short story. In this podcast, the week's story is read aloud by its writer. The published work covers a wide range of life experiences across the United States and beyond. It's a great way to enjoy some of the best new fiction in the country. |
| Overheard at National Geographic ★★★★★ National Geographic is a much-loved American magazine (and TV channel) famous for incredible stories and photography related to science and the environment. Overheard is about the discussions Nat Geo employees have had while taking breaks. Expect crazy stories from explorers, photographers, and scientists from around the world. |
| A．have interaction with hosts |
| B．have good English competence |
| C．be interested in being a podcaster |
| D．be familiar with American social life |
| A．The Writer's Voice. |
| B．This American Life. |
| C．The Joe Rogan Experience. |
| D．Overheard at National Geographic. |
| A．They enjoy great popularity. |
| B．Their stories are set in America. |
| C．They are attached to magazines. |
| D．Their works are updated weekly. |
3 . When romantic partners argue over things like finances, jealousy, or other interpersonal issues, they tend to employ their current feelings as fuel for a heated argument. But thinking about the future helps overcome relationship conflicts, according to a University of Waterloo study just published online in Social Psychological and Personality Science. Alex Huynh, a doctoral candidate in psychology is the lead author of the study, which he published with Igor Grossmann from the University of Waterloo, and Daniel Yang from Yale University.
Previous research has shown that third-perspective reasoning can be a positive strategy for reconciliation (调解) of interpersonal struggles. Huynh and his collaborators investigated whether similar benefit can be induced by simply thinking about the future. Study participants were instructed to reflect on a recent conflict with a romantic partner or a close friend. One group of participants were then asked to describe how they would feel about the conflict one year in the future, while another group was asked to describe how they feel in the present.
The team examined participants’ written responses through a text-analysis program for their use of pronouns — such as I, me, she, he. These choices of pronouns were used to capture participants’ focus on the feelings and behaviour of those involved in the conflict. Written responses were also examined for forgiveness and reinterpreting the conflict more positively, both of which implied the participants’ use of reasoning strategies.
The researchers found that envisioning future relationship affected both participants’ focus on their feelings, and their reasoning strategies. As a result, participants reported more positivity about their relationship altogether, especially when study participants extended their thinking about the relationship a year into the future.
“Our study demonstrates that adopting a future-oriented perspective in the context of a relationship conflict — reflecting on how one might feel a year from now — may be a valuable coping tool for one’s psychological happiness and relationship well-being,” said Huynh.
1. What do romantic partners do in face of most disagreements?| A．They lose faith in their future. | B．They focus on their present feelings. |
| C．They look forward to a fierce conflict. | D．They care more about financial problems. |
| A．Caused. | B．Explained. |
| C．Reduced. | D．Improved. |
| A．All the study participants described how they felt both in the present and in the future. |
| B．Study participants described their recent relationship with their romantic partners or friends. |
| C．A text-analysis program was employed to examine participants’ use of negative words. |
| D．The reasoning strategies in participants’ written responses were well worthy of note. |
| A．You have a year to solve your interpersonal problems! |
| B．Thinking about future is essential for relationship maintenance! |
| C．Your current feelings are the real cause of your heated arguments! |
| D．Beneficial reasoning is a positive strategy for reconciliation! |
4 . Four Qualities That Make You Attractive to Others
There is something many people gets wrong about attraction.
Have control over your emotions(情绪). It’s not easy to always have control over your emotions. And people who do are extremely attractive. Have control over your emotions so that your emotions don’t control you. Allow yourself to think about what you’re going to say.
Laugh at yourself. It’s not what happens to us that makes us feel stressed.
Give plenty of space. The secret to long-lasting relationships is space, because time apart helps each partner recharge and bring positive energy into the relationship.
| A．Be warm. |
| B．Controlling people are unattractive. |
| C．Don’t be too quick to show warmth. |
| D．It’s how we react to it that affects us. |
| E．They should develop a sense of humor. |
| F．Take your time to cool down and reorganize your thoughts. |
| G．They think they have to look beautiful to be accepted by others. |
5 . A Wonderful Time Management App: Trello
Using a time management app is one of the easiest ways to get more of something we wish we all had: Productivity. Here is a time management app continually rated among the top time management apps on the market, all with the goal of making you spend less time planning and more time doing.
WHY WE CHOOSE
Developed over ten years ago, Trello is used by more than 25 million people. No matter how you prefer to track projects and time, Trello always allows you to easily see who is doing what at a quick look, so you’ ll never drop the ball on an important project.
WHAT WE LIKE
● Videos to instruct you to use the app.
● Easy to connect with other tools you already use.
WHAT WE DO NOT LIKE
● It’s for general project management only and big projects are difficult to deal with on it.
● Limited free offerings.
Every group member is on the same page, so it’s easy for you to keep track of the process of the project you are working on. Trello has a lot to offer, including unlimited storage. Users can choose to pay $13 a month (you can get a l5% discount if you buy the yearly plan) to fully take advantage of the app.
With companies such as eBay and Fender on its user list, Trello is able to work for a wide variety of teams and projects, syncing (同步) between different web servers, mobiles ( iOS and Android ), and desktop apps ( macOS and Windows ).
1. Who is most likely to use the app?| A．A college student with a paper to finish. |
| B．A general manager operating a big company. |
| C．A mom managing the schedule for the family. |
| D．A manager doing a project with his team members. |
| A．About 180 dollars. | B．About 150 dollars. |
| C．About 130 dollars. | D．About 110 dollars. |
| A．It is very popular. | B．It has limited storage. |
| C．It is designed beautifully. | D．It can be bought on eBay. |
6 . One minute, Peggy Lewis and her husband were watching the trees blow in the wind outside their home. The next minute, they were surrounded by pieces of glass from the house’s broken windows. The roof tore off and the walls caved in. After the 152-mph tornado had passed, it took a team of neighbors to pull the couple from the rubble (瓦砾) and take them to the hospital. “I thought we were going to die,” says Lewis, 58. It was an unbelievable natural disaster in the United States.
When the pair returned to their home three days after that awful night last June, it was clear that the house would need to be cleared out. But before that, she wanted one thing-her family Bible (圣经). Lewis bought the Bible 35 years ago at the start of her marriage. Like many folks, she’d used it to hold and keep her family’s history.
The Bible was the first thing Lewis looked for when she returned to the house. It was on top of an antique dresser in her bedroom when she’d last seen it. In fact, the dresser wasn’t there at all. When two volunteers showed up to help the couple dig out, Lewis had one request for them: “If you can find anything, please find my Bible”.
After an hour of searching, a volunteer ran up to her. She cried loudly looking at the book in her hands. The young woman had found the Bible while searching through the rubble. Stunningly, while many books inside the home had been destroyed beyond recognition, the Bible was still perfect, even though it had sat in the rain for days. “I completely broke down,” says Lewis. “I thought it was gone forever. It was a miracle.”
Even slowly, the treasures reappeared in her life. The Bible and her treasures in it actually lived through the terrible disaster.
1. What happened to Peggy Lewis?| A．She lost her family after a tornado. | B．A tornado destroyed her house. |
| C．Her house survived the tornado. | D．She benefited a lot from the disaster. |
| A．Repair their house. | B．Protect volunteers from rain. |
| C．Explore the value of the Bible. | D．Hunt for a family Bible. |
| A．Unluckily. | B．Worryingly. | C．Surprisingly. | D．Interestingly. |
| A．To inform. | B．To educate. | C．To persuade. | D．To instruct. |
7 . OHIP covers part or all of the following services:
Doctors
Whether you visit your doctor, or if you see one in a walk-in clinic, OHIP covers the full cost of your services-as long as they're medically necessary.
Hospital visits and stays
If you need to go to the hospital, OHIP covers:
● doctor and nursing services
● services to check what's wrong
● medicine for in-patients
● some medicine for out-patients
If you want a private or semi-private room, you or your private insurance will have to pay some or all of those hospital fees.
Dental surgery in hospital
Some dental surgeries need to be performed in a hospital because they are complex and/or you have another medical condition that needs monitoring during the procedure.
OHIP covers in-hospital dental surgeries such as:
● tumor removal
● rebuilding surgeries
● medically necessary tooth removal
Optometry (eye-health services)
OHIP covers the cost of one major eye exam every 12 months, plus any minor assessments you need, but only if you are:
● 19 years and younger
● 65 years and older
When you are 20 to 64 years old, OHIP may also cover a major eye exam if it has been requested for a specific reason by your doctor.
You may be qualified for additional eye care if you are on the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) or Ontario Works.
1. How can patients pay hospital fees in a private room?| A．By OHIP. | B．By medical donation. |
| C．By themselves. | D．By auto insurance. |
| A．Because they are too complex to accomplish. |
| B．Because they need lots of medical facilities. |
| C．Because doctors are afraid of medical accidents. |
| D．Because doctors need monitor patients' condition. |
| A．You're a member of OHIP. | B．You're a member of Ontario Works. |
| C．You're on the Ontario Dental House. | D．You're on the Ontario Support Program. |
8 . A new Northwestern University study reaffirms the importance of getting a good night’s sleep. By examining fruit flies’ brain activity and behavior, the researchers found that deep sleep has the power to clear waste from the brain. This waste potentially includes poisonous proteins that may lead to neurodegenerative (神经退化) diseases. “Waste clearance could be important, in general, for maintaining brain health or for preventing neurodegenerative diseases,” said Dr. Allada, senior author of the study. “Waste clearance may occur during wake and sleep but is greatly strengthened during deep sleep.”
Although fruit flies seem very different from humans, the neurons (神经元) that govern flies’ sleep-wake cycles are strikingly similar to our own. For this reason, fruit flies have become a well-studied model organism for sleep and neurodegenerative diseases.
In this current study, Allada and his team examined Proboscis (针状喙) Extension Sleep, a deep-sleep stage in fruit flies, which is similar to deep, slow-wave sleep in humans. The researchers discovered that, during this stage fruit flies repeatedly extend and move back their proboscises. “This kind of movement moves fluids possibly to the fly version of kidneys (肾),” Allada said. “Our study shows that this promotes waste clearance and aids in injury recovery.”
When Allada’s team disturbed flies’ deep sleep, the flies were less able to clear the waste from their systems and were more likely to be influenced by injuries.
Allada said this study brings us closer to understanding the mystery of why all organisms need sleep. All animals, especially those in the wild, are incredibly weak when they sleep, but research increasingly shows that the benefits of sleep, including crucial waste removal, are greater than this increased weakness.
1. How did the researchers draw the conclusion of their study?| A．By working out the result by chance. |
| B．By predicting the result from the old data. |
| C．By making observation and analysis. |
| D．By making a range of comparisons. |
| A．The disturbance of fruit flies’ deep sleep. |
| B．The governing of fruit flies’ sleep-wake cycles. |
| C．The moving of fluids to the fruit flies’ kidneys. |
| D．The extension and moving of fruit flies’ proboscises. |
| A．The fact that all organisms need sleep. |
| B．The application of the result of the study. |
| C．The disadvantages of the sleep of animals. |
| D．The great value of mankind’s and animals’ sleep. |
| A．Studies on Proboscis Extension Sleep |
| B．Deep Sleep Takes Out the Brain Trash |
| C．Different Functions of Waste Clearance |
| D．Similarities of Sleep-Wake Cycles Between Fruit Flies and Humans |
9 . Have you ever spent half an hour searching the Internet which, as you find out afterwards, lasted three hours, or opened a book shortly after breakfast and a little while later noticed that the room was getting darker?
Most people can remember experiencing such a state. Your mind wasn't wandering; you were totally focused and concentrated on that activity, to such an extent that you were not even aware of yourself. Psychologists call these fully absorbing experiences flow states, which were discovered and named by a world-famous psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. His celebrated book Flow: The Psychology of Happiness became an instant best-seller, making its way to the top self-help classics.
The state of flow happens under very specific conditions-when we encounter a challenge that is testing for our skills, and yet our skills and capacities are such that it is just about possible to meet this challenge. So both the challenge and the skills are at high levels, stretching us almost to the limit. If challenges exceed skills, one can become anxious. If skills exceed challenges, we usually become bored. Neither of these two cases result in flow.
What is also interesting in flow is the almost total absence of emotions during the actual process. One seems to be almost beyond experiencing emotions, most likely because the awareness of self is not present. Mihaly himself is also very much aware of the potential negative impact of the flow. One philosopher once describes his own experience of flow: “When I get totally involved in the conversation, I am not aware of myself, the world around or the passage of time. Sometimes, I may become addictive to that existence, unwilling to cope with other daily routines of life, like forgetting dinner, and saying goodbye to my children.”
1. What is the purpose of Paragraph 1?| A．To offer a general background of the topic. | B．To make an overall outline for the passage. |
| C．To introduce the topic of the passage. | D．To clarify the definition of the topic. |
| A．Adopting a dog. | B．Watching TV. |
| C．Playing the chess. | D．Arguing with others. |
| A．The state of flow is little conditional. | B．Genius at normal schools often gets bored. |
| C．Challenges at high levels push us to the limit. | D．Skills play the most important part in flow. |
| A．To show the drawbacks of the flow. | B．To stress the value of self-awareness. |
| C．To underline the absence of emotions. | D．To indicate the difficulty of enjoying the flow. |
10 . Team China’s teenage freeski superstar Gu Ailing had halfpipe gold wrapped up by her second run at Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou. “I’ve never taken a victory lap before in my entire life, but this time I felt like I finally deserve it,” Gu told reporters after becoming the first athlete to win Olympic medals in all three freeski events. Her big victory at the 2021 X Games in Aspen, Colorado, where she won Big Air, halfpipe and slopestyle golds, increased the expectation level for her Olympic performance in Beijing.
Born in California to a Chinese mother, Gu began competing for China when she was 15 in 2019, stating her aim to inspire millions of young people during the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and promote the sport she loves. Since then, the outstanding part-time model and grade-A student has been busy gaining records, titles and firsts. All the while her superstar status has snowballed, as evidenced by her millions of followers on social media.
The 18-year-old also clearly feels she has achieved much away from the sporting arena at Beijing 2022 and she has become the inspiration for many. “After reading hundreds of messages that I get every day from young girls saying that they go sking because of me and they want to keep going or they, you know, broke their boundaries in some other way and felt inspired by something that I said, I feel all those little things are immensely rewarding.”
When asked about her future plan, she had no idea whether she would continue to compete in freestyle skiing. “I’m going to do whatever feels right, and hopefully I’ll be able to create some kind of positive change out of any position that I'm in,” said Gu.
1. Gu was the first athlete to________.| A．take a victory lap in the Olympics | B．gain three golds at the 2021 X Games |
| C．win three golds in the Olympic events | D．get Olympic medals in three freeski events |
| A．She was born in China. | B．She did well in different fields. |
| C．Her superstar status badly affected her life. | D．Her aim was to promote the Winter Olympics. |
| A．Gu has broken her boundaries. | B．Gu has achieved a lot in sking. |
| C．Gu has inspired many young girls. | D．Gu has become famous worldwide. |
| A．Do Whatever You Feel Right | B．Skiing Changes People’s Lives |
| C．Gu, an Inspiring Olympic History Maker | D．Skiing, the Highlight of the Winter Olympics |
