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 . 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. |
From October 4 to October 6, the National English Speaking Competition
During the three-day event, young
When
4 . 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. |
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
6 . As people become more aware of the importance of eco-friendly power sources, we have devoted much time to inventing creative devices. A newly developed paper battery promises to make a big difference to single-use electronics.
The battery is crafted from sustainable materials, which not only strengthens its eco-friendliness but also makes it cost-effective to produce. This combination of biodegradability (可生物降解) and affordability makes it attractive for a wide range of applications. Another standout feature of this paper battery is its flexibility in terms of shape and size. Unlike traditional batteries that are available in fixed sizes, this paper battery can be tailored to meet diverse requirements.
In reality, the paper battery is enough to power an LCD alarm clock. “While it won’t be charging up your computer anytime soon, there’s lots of potential for low-powered sensors. We present a printed paper battery developed to power single-use disposable electronics and to reduce their environmental impact to the lowest level,” write the researchers in their published paper.
The battery is based on a metal-air electrochemical cell. Made from sodium chloride salt-diffused (氯化钠盐扩散的) paper, it can measure as little as one square centimeter, and is based on printed inks. All that’s needed, then, is a small amount of water, as little as two drops. This dissolves the salts within the paper, and then activates the battery as they travel. The battery starts producing power around 20 seconds after water is added, according to the experiments carried out by the team.
Although the performance decreases over time as the paper dries out, it can be topped up to some extent with more water. The researchers say they want to improve the efficiency of the battery in the future, and get it working for longer. “With a rising awareness of the e-waste problem and the emergence of single-use electronics for applications, there is a growing need for low environmental impact batteries,” write the researchers.
1. Which is a feature of the paper battery?A.It is made from single-use materials. | B.It is costly to put together. |
C.It can be used to charge up your computer. | D.It can be produced in diverse shapes. |
A.It can be applied to any electronics. |
B.It is able to supply energy to our cell-phones. |
C.Its power can be refilled by adding some water. |
D.It has reduced the environmental impact to the lowest. |
A.What the paper battery consists of. | B.How the paper battery works. |
C.Where the paper battery can be applied. | D.Why the paper battery is popular. |
A.How to get rid of impacts of single-use electronics. |
B.How to improve the efficiency of the paper battery. |
C.How to reduce the demand for single-use electronics. |
D.How to raise people’s awareness of e-waste problems. |
7 . On a recent trip to Quebec, I slept over at the only ice hotel in North America.
Upon check-in, I was directed to a sweet woman nestling warmly next to the fireplace, who kindly reminded us that there would be no lockers or Internet access and that we’d better eat a heavy meal.
Following her advice, we ate everything on our plates at dinner even if we were full. But we couldn’t free us from our anxiety at that point. When dessert came, we started calling other hotels to see if they had any openings. When the eighth hotel we called wanted to charge us about $80 more than the online price, we just decided to go back to sleep on a bed of ice.
Once in the room, we began trying to figure out how to get comfortable in a room full of ice. Have you tried taking off your shoes in a room in which the floor is ice and not get your socks wet? It took me three yoga (瑜伽) positions to get this accomplished.
Rolling around to get all the way into the bag. I zipped myself up and said my good nights. And then I felt this sharp pain in my head. My hat had metal bands on it. The metal was getting cold in the...well...cold. I took my hat off and my head started to get cold. I sunk down further into my sleeping bag and thought to myself, “Well, at least if I die in here, it will be in my sleep.”
The next thing I knew, the hotel staff was giving us a real wake up call (they stand outside your room and tell you to get up! ).
The reward of having slept in a hotel made of ice? Now, no matter who is complaining and what the problem is, my response can be, “Did you sleep in an ice hotel? On a genuine bed of ice? No ? I did!”
1. Why did the author start calling other hotels when dessert arrived?A.He was not satisfied with the dessert. | B.He wanted to compare the prices. |
C.He was worried about sleeping on ice. | D.He meant to figure out his lucky number. |
A.taking off the shoes | B.practicing yoga |
C.rolling around the room | D.keeping socks dry |
A.It made him suffer when worn. | B.It was likely to cause death. |
C.It didn’t fit in the sleeping bag. | D.It was too cold for him to wear. |
A.He regretted sleeping over at the ice hotel. | B.He showed genuine preference for ice beds. |
C.He would never reply to others’ complaints. | D.He took pride in this unique experience. |
8 . Over the last century, engineers all over the world have spared no effort to achieve the unachievable in bridge design.
Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge
No bridge is as long as the Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge in the world. The 164.8-kilometre-long bridge built in 2011 in China serves as part of the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway. The trip from Ningbo to Jiaxing that previously took 4.5 hours has been reduced to two, thanks to this bridge.
Rio-Niterói Bridge
Completed in 1974, the Rio-Niterói Bridge in Brazil is the second-longest bridge in all of Latin America connecting the cities of Rio and Niterói across the Guanabara Bay. The Rio-Niterói Bridge is technically known as a “box-girder (箱形梁)” bridge, made of special concrete. It receives an astonishing 140,000 (or more) vehicles per day.
Hartland Covered Bridge
The Hartland Covered Bridge is the world’s longest covered bridge. The 1,282-foot-long bridge was opened in 1901 and has been on Canada’s list of National Historic Sites since 1980. Although it was originally built without a roof, the bridge was capped with wooden materials during the repairs in 1921.
Jiaozhou Bay Bridge
The newly-built Jiaozhou Bay Bridge in China was named “world’s longest bridge over water” by Guinness Book of World Records in 2011, a title previously held by the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. The dispute was settled when the title of “longest continuous bridge over water” was given to the causeway, with the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge receiving the title of “longest bridge over water”.
1. On which of the following can trains pass?A.Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge. |
B.Rio-Niterói Bridge. |
C.Hartland Covered Bridge. |
D.Jiaozhou Bay Bridge. |
A.It is a busy bridge. | B.It was built in 1980. |
C.It has a roof. | D.It is a wooden bridge. |
A.In America. | B.In Brazil. | C.In Canada. | D.In China. |
9 . Some Winter Activities
Winter activities are underestimated (低估). The days may be shorter, but the list of fun activities isn’t. Don’t let the winter blues take over.
Finding your favourite.
Walking on snow.
Skiing. Those that love it really love it. Hitting the ski hills is an old wintertime tradition. It gets you outside, boosts your mood, and serves as a core workout. You don’t need the latest gear (设备) to be able to have fun.
A.Go to the gym. |
B.Learning something. |
C.Most ski fields rent gear too. |
D.Be active and try these winter activities. |
E.The following are things you can do at home. |
F.You needn’t be an athlete to enjoy this seasonal activity. |
G.The key to keeping healthy is finding what you enjoy doing. |
10 . At first, Michael Surrell didn’t see the black smoke or flames shooting from the windows of his neighbor’s home. He had just parked around the corner from his own house when he got a call from his daughter: “The house next door is on fire!” He went to look. That’s when he saw an old woman crying outside.
“The baby’s in there!” she cried. Though the fire department had been called, Surrell, then 64, ran inside without hesitation (犹豫). Entering the burning house was like “running into a bucket of black paint,” Surrell says. The thick smoke burned his eyes and made it impossible to breathe. The conditions would have been dangerous for anyone, but for Surrell, who had lung disease, they were life—threatening (威胁生命的).
After a few minutes in the smoke—filled house, he retreated (后退) outside to catch his breath. “Where is Tiara?” he asked desperately.
“The second floor,” the old woman shouted back.
Taking a deep breath, Surrell went in a second time. Because the house had a similar layout to his, he found the stairs and made it to the second floor.
“Baby girl, where are you?”
His throat and lungs burned as if he’d breathed fire instead of the smoke in the air. He couldn’t open his eyes. All he could hear was the crackling (破裂声) of burning wood. Then a soft sound came out. Still unable to see, Surrell fell to his knees on the hot wood floor and climbed toward the sound, feeling around for any sign of the girl.
Finally, he touched something. A shoe, then an ankle. He pulled the baby toward him. Her body was weak and she wasn’t breathing. He carried her into his arms and ran blindly into the blackness. The next thing he knew, he was at the front door, then outside.
1. Why was the old woman crying outside?A.She lost the baby in the fire. | B.The baby was hurt in the fire. |
C.The baby was in the burning house. | D.She couldn’t call the fire department. |
A.Surrell’s daughter worked in a fire department. |
B.Surrell would probably have been killed by the fire. |
C.The smoke blanketed (笼罩) Surrell’s house from next door. |
D.A bucket of black paint blocked Surrell’s way to the house. |
A.By searching on his knees. | B.By opening the back door. |
C.By shouting repeatedly. | D.By turning on the light. |
A.Determined and patient. | B.Independent and devoted. |
C.Generous and reliable. | D.Brave and caring. |