1 . We’ve all been there: in a lift, in line at the bank or on an airplane, surrounded by people who are, like us, deeply focused on their smartphones or, worse, struggling with the uncomfortable silence.
What’s the problem? It’s possible that we all don’t have enough conversational ability. It’s more likely that none of us start a conversation because it’s embarrassing and challenging, or we think it’s annoying and unnecessary. But the next time you find yourself among strangers, consider that small talk is worth the trouble. Experts say it’s a valuable social practice that leads to big benefits.
It is easy to consider small talk as unimportant, but we can’t forget that deep relationships wouldn’t even exist (存在) if there weren’t casual conversations. Small talk is the grease (润滑剂) for social communication, says Bernardo Carducci, director of the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast. “Almost every great love story and each big business deal begins with small talk,” he explains. “The secret to successful small talk is learning how to connect with others, not just communicate with them.”
In a 2014 study, Elizabeth Dunn, professor of psychology at UBC, invited people to a coffee shop. One group was asked to interact with its waiter, the other, to speak only when necessary. The results showed that those who chatted with their server reported obviously higher positive feelings and a better coffee shop experience. “It’s not that talking to the waiter is better than talking to your husband,” says Dunn. “But interactions with peripheral (边缘的) members of our social network is important for our happiness and health.”
Dunn believes that people who reach out to strangers feel a greater sense of belonging, a link with others. Carducci believes developing such a sense of belonging starts with small talk. “Small talk is the basis of good manners,” he says.
1. What does the underline word “casual” in paragraph 3mean?| A．Addictive | B．Public | C．Personal | D．Informal |
| A．Showing good manners. | B．Making business deals. |
| C．Focusing on a topic. | D．Keeping in contact with other people. |
| A．It raises people’s confidence. | B．It makes people feel good. |
| C．It improves family relationships. | D．It matters as much as a formal talk. |
| A．Conversation Counts | B．Ways of Making Small Talk |
| C．Importance of Small Talk | D．Uncomfortable Silence |
2 . While scientists have many ideas, they are not certain why humans yawn(打哈欠). Still, there is one thing experts know—yawns seem to be contagious(传染)!
Have you ever caught a yawn from someone else? Most people have. In fact, a person is six times more likely to yawn after seeing someone else do so. Experts have done many studies into why yawns seem to pass from person to person. As a result, they have a few theories(理论) for the reason behind it.
One possible explanation has something to do with social mirroring, which is caused by mirror neurons(镜像神经元) in the brain. These mirror neurons help the brain notice useful behavior of others and then copy it. When one person sees another yawn, his mirror neurons observe the action and consider it to be beneficial. That may cause him to yawn, too.
Another popular theory is that yawns are contagious because of social relationships. Being social creatures, humans form friendships, families and live together in groups. That’s why many people mirror others, such as smiling when another person smiles. Yawning may be just another example of this. In fact, research has shown that one is most likely to catch yawns from another person if the two share a social relationship.
The answer could even be that yawns aren’t truly contagious at all. Instead, people yawn together simply because they’re in the same environment. Experts say many things may cause yawning, including temperature and time of day. Whatever the explanation is, experts do know that contagious yawns aren’t limited to humans. One study found that lions in South Africa also caught each other’s yawns.
1. What kind of behavior may be copied by mirror neurons?| A．Important and attractive. | B．Useful and beneficial. |
| C．Hard to understand. | D．Easy to copy. |
| A．Those who yawn a lot. | B．Those who like smiling. |
| C．Those closely connected with them. | D．Those sharing the same interest with them. |
| A．Tips on how to avoid yawning in public. |
| B．A real explanation for contagious yawning. |
| C．Other examples of animals yawning together. |
| D．Things that may cause yawning among humans. |
| A．Why yawns are contagious | B．What causes people to yawn |
| C．Who yawns more than others | D．Why humans yawn now and then |
3 . Keeping animals safe on the road
Roadkill is not a rare sight when driving down most highways and sometimes also on roadways in cities.
They chose Nanjing as the study subject, where there are more than 9,700 kilometers of paved roads. A total of nine roads were chosen for the research, including three national highways.
| A．You may not feel good about seeing roadkill |
| B．The object is to educate people about road safety |
| C．The length of the roads combined was over 224.27 kilometers |
| D．It refers to animals being hit by cars or other vehicles by accident. |
| E．Cats, dogs and blackbirds were the three commonly killed animals |
| F．In the past, research in China focused on roadkill in nature reserves |
| G．Roadkill incidents are more likely to happen in November and January |
4 . For those of us who grew up watching Star Trek, exploring space has been about discovering strange new worlds. And there are plenty of worlds to explore in time, but we still need major technological advancements to reach planets that are light years away.
What we are doing in space today is providing unbelievable benefits right now, right here on Earth. From space, we can monitor, manage and care for our planet. Satellite-based sensors show us the short- and long-term effects of human activity on our environment. Many companies are using their interest in space to help solve problems here, from using hyperspectral imaging(高光谱成像), which enable us to map vegetation(植被) and rain forests, to microsatellites that provide global connectivity for the network of things.
My company, OneWeb, is focusing on what I believe is one of the world’s most important issues: the need for equal access to the Internet. The Internet has become our economic lifeblood. And yet, nearly half of the world’s population doesn’t have Internet access. Space is playing a key role in bridging this digital divide. OneWeb is launching 1,980 satellites to help bring Internet access to people everywhere, and our first production satellites are already flying in space and have shown very high download speeds.
Fiber and cable Internet access technologies already cover most financially viable(可行的) major cities. Similarly, these regions will also be the first to be served with 5G. Poor communities are the last to get connected, and without connectivity, those communities have no chance to lift themselves from poverty. OneWeb’s satellites will reach every community in the world and enable equal access to the Internet for the world’s less developed places.
Fifty years from the day when man first walked on the moon, we are still only approaching the possible. There will be tens of thousands of new satellites, space stations and factories in the coming years to bring advancements in communications, scientific research, monitoring the earth, exploring space and more. This is exciting, but we must take action carefully.
1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?| A．Benefits space exploration can bring to us. |
| B．Problems space exploration leads to. |
| C．Steps of space exploration requires. |
| D．Equipment space exploration needs. |
| A．Increase download speeds. |
| B．Narrow the gap in Internet learning. |
| C．Help people set up and maintain a website. |
| D．Enable people to make use of the Internet equally. |
| A．More than six decades ago, man first walked on the moon. |
| B．More than half of the world’s people have no access to the Internet. |
| C．OneWeb’s satellites will make it possible for most people to be served with 5G. |
| D．Without the Internet, poor communities can hardly help themselves out of poverty. |
| A．The risks of furthering space exploration. |
| B．The value of setting up space stations. |
| C．The way we could monitor our earth. |
| D．The features of microsatellites. |
5 . BBC Young Reporter Competition
If you are 11-18 years old, tell us about a story you think the BBC should be reporting.
What is the BBC Young Reporter Competition?
It is a yearly opportunity for 11-to 18-year-olds across the UK to submit (提交) an original story idea to the BBC. BBC Young Reporter Competition winners will have the chance to tell their story on TV, radio, online or on social media with the help of BBC journalists, producers and program makers. We are not looking for finished reports but entries should just be an outline (概述) of a story idea. This can be submitted as a written description or videos.
Entries will be judged in two age categories: 11 -15 and 16- 18. There is one entry category: Me and My World, Entries should be an original and true story about your life, or the world you live in. It could be about your own identity or experience that influences you or your community. You need to show how your report on this story can reflect the wider situation. Entries will only be considered when submitted via the online mechanism (机制). No other method of entry is permitted (this includes email or post).
Judging process
Stories will be judged on editorial merit (优点)—that means the strength of the story, originality, and the personal story or background related to it. Judges will be looking for 40 winning stories from across the UK. Judges include editors from across the BBC as well as presenters and reporters. Stories will not be broadcast until all the judging is completed and the winners are announced in June.
Contact us
If you have any questions about the BBC Young Reporter Competition, please contact a member of the team by emailing youngreportercompetition@bbc.co.uk.
1. What can be learned about the competition?| A．It is hosted once a year. |
| B．It is for professional journalists. |
| C．Stories can be submitted by email. |
| D．Participants should present their complete stories. |
| A．The story should be about a history hero. |
| B．The story may be adapted from another one. |
| C．The story can be an imaginary one in the future. |
| D．The story ought to be about their real experience. |
| A．Stories can be broadcast in June. |
| B．Judges are all editors from across the BBC. |
| C．Stories must be recommended by a teacher or a professor. |
| D．Judges will be looking for 40 winning stories from across Europe. |
6 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Recently, many netizens posted videos on social media claiming that Harbin has launched a “photo shoot with a white fox” project to entertain tourists. The white fox in the video
For this project, some people believe it is
Mr. He, the person in charge of Harbin Songhua River Ice and Snow Carnival, said that the scenic area has introduced this project to
Mr. He said that due to the continuous
7 . Location
St Helena is one of the remotest islands on Earth. The subtropical (亚热带的) British Overseas Territory sits in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean, 1,200 miles from the west coast of Africa and 1,800 miles from the east coast of South America.
Size Population
St Helena is only 16 km long and 9 km wide and the population is 5,000. This is 1/3 the size of the Isle of Wight, and the same size as Disney World Orlando. This is also the same size as San Francisco-yet the island has just 0.5% of San Francisco’s population. With an extremely low-crime community, you can freely explore the island’s natural and built attractions in peace.
Climate
As a subtropical island, St Helena’s temperature is 15-28℃ all year round. While the four seasons are not recognized on St Helena, the “cooler months” are generally June to September and the “hotter months” are December to March. St Helena is free from extreme weather events, with even thunderstorms only occurring perhaps once a decade.
Accessibility
Until 2017, St Helena did not have an airport and was only accessible by sea. Reaching the island meant a five-day ship voyage from Cape Town, South Africa. However, since October 2017, the island’s first and only airport has enabled passengers to reach the island in just a six-hour flight.
1. In what aspect are St Helena and San Francisco alike?| A．Climate. | B．Population. | C．Crime rate. | D．Area. |
| A．Tropical. | B．Mild. | C．Dry. | D．Extreme. |
| A．By plane. | B．By car. | C．By ship. | D．By train. |
8 . I teach digital technology. Although this class is high-tech; we try to make it high-touch. In other words, we keep screen-time to a
One day, I helped my Grade 8 students build robotic arms. They’re
Educators and parents have done a lot of thinking lately about the future of
| A．balance | B．target | C．height | D．minimum |
| A．displaying | B．allowing | C．improving | D．inspiring |
| A．ordinary | B．urgent | C．significant | D．tough |
| A．work out | B．turn around | C．show off | D．catch up |
| A．mental | B．legal | C．mechanical | D．financial |
| A．disappearing | B．failing | C．freezing | D．boiling |
| A．applications | B．opportunities | C．possibilities | D．challenges |
| A．suggestions | B．mistakes | C．excuses | D．apologies |
| A．bring | B．call | C．lift | D．wake |
| A．thinking | B．training | C．learning | D．teasing |
| A．Crucially | B．Suddenly | C．Seriously | D．Occasionally |
| A．candidates | B．competitors | C．colleagues | D．audience |
| A．entertainment | B．education | C．society | D．technology |
| A．scene | B．stage | C．ground | D．screen |
| A．provide | B．replace | C．combine | D．assist |
From October 4 to October 6, the National English Speaking Competition
During the three-day event, young
When
10 . Marine life (海洋生物) in Florida Keys is negatively influenced by two forces: human activity and climate change. The former involves fishing, tourism and diving while the latter causes a large increase in intense hurricanes. Fortunately, when the researchers of Florida Museum of Natural History started looking for sea urchins (海胆) on the ocean floor off the coast of Florida Keys in the summer of 2020, they uncovered their population had relatively been stable since the 1960s.
The researchers visited 27 sites along a 20-mile stretch of coast near Florida Keys looking for tracks that reflected the presence of burrowing echinoids (穴居海胆类动物).“The findings that burrowing echinoids have been highly resilient (有适应力的) against climate change and environmental pollution over the last 60 years was a huge discovery for us.” said study co-author Tobias Grun.
Grun said, “However, we know little about their current distribution, population size, and health. The reason is not the lack of interest by the scientific community but lies in that fieldwork is very expensive.” As the climate crisis progresses, it’s important to understand why some marine creatures are more resilient in bearing the impacts of a worsening environment than others. Grun said, “Evolution may be at play. Some marine animals are very opportunistic. They can tolerate a wide range of abiotic factors like pH, temperature, and salinity, to name a few.”
Grun added, “At this point, our data show that burrowing echinoids are more resilient than many other marine species and are doing comparatively well. That does not mean that we can push our luck and keep going the way we are right now. Our study provides some hope that these creatures are resilient, but much more work is needed to translate our findings into a larger scale. The reasons for their resilience are also widely unknown.”
1. Which has a bad effect on the marine life in Florida Keys?| A．Wildfire. | B．Farming. | C．Fishing. | D．Flood. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Important. | C．Subjective. | D．Outdated |
| A．The aims. | B．The members | C．The cost | D．The usage |
| A．It’s necessary to do further research. |
| B．It’s right to keep going the present way. |
| C．The reasons for sea urchins’ resilience are well known. |
| D．Fish are more resilient than other marine species. |
