1 . More than 400 athletes across a variety of sports, ages and levels of experience were questioned for the study by sports psychology experts from Staffordshire University and Manchester Metropolitan University. The findings reveal that athletes’ belief systems — specifically irrational (非理性) beliefs — are related to poorer self-confidence, and in turn, greater competitive anxiety and depressive symptoms.
“Phrases that reflect self-depreciating (贬低) beliefs such as ‘If I lose, I’m a failure’ or ‘If I face setbacks, it shows how stupid I am’ are warning signs,” said the authors. Paul Mansell, Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Staffordshire University, said, “Despite the psychological benefits of physical activity, studies frequently report poor mental health in athletes, which may be exacerbated by adversities, such as injury, de-selection, and performance pressure. We investigated athletes’ beliefs, how they view stress, their levels of self-confidence and put all this data together to work out what might predict psychological well-being. We found irrational beliefs to be a core reason for symptoms of poor mental health in athletes.”
This is the first known study that has examined irrational beliefs, self-confidence, and the psychological well-being of athletes all together. Irrational beliefs are extreme, rigid, and illogical ideas that people hold. For example, a person might believe that they “must” get what they want, or that just because they have failed, they are a “complete failure”.
“We can all work to help athletes develop mindsets that help them deal with the challenges of sport and life. By encouraging rational and logical beliefs about performance, we can help athletes to stay healthy amidst the high demands of competitive sport,” said Paul Mansell.
The author s propose Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) as an effective tool for protecting self-confidence. REBT helps athletes to challenge these self-depreciating beliefs and develop beliefs that are more helpful and healthy. For example, rather than believe “I am a failure if I fail”, this might be countered with “Failing is not ideal, but it does not mean that I am a failure”.
1. What did the study centre on?| A．Physical health of athletes. |
| B．The competition state of athletes. |
| C．Psychological health of athletes. |
| D．Competition habits of athletes. |
| A．Worsened. | B．Examined. | C．Promoted. | D．Recognized. |
| A．Setbacks won’t stop me. |
| B．If I fail, I will lose everything. |
| C．It is a world full of competition. |
| D．What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger. |
| A．Psychological benefits of physical activity |
| B．Effective tools for protecting self-confidence |
| C．Rational and logical beliefs about performance |
| D．Warning signs of poor mental health in athletes |
2 . “Red tide” is a natural phenomenon that frequently occurs in many places around the world. The phenomenon is the result of extreme growth of tiny algae (海藻) called K. Brevis, which has a red color, giving the water surface a very noticeable red color. K. Brevis will give off chemicals that can attack the nervous systems of animals, which often leads to deadly results.
Florida citizens are no stranger to “red tide”, which occurs along the state’s Gulf Coast annually. However, the most recent outbreak of red tide has so far lasted much longer and spread across nearly 145 miles of the coastline in southwestern Florida.
The long season has caused the death of tons of fish and other animals which were washed up on the beaches all the way from Tampa to Naples. The smell of the dead animals has kept away thousands of locals and tourists that frequent the area’s long beaches. In view of that, in August, Florida declared a state of emergency for the seven places where K. Brevis has been growing quickly, providing $ 3 million to help with research, cleanup, and wildlife rescue.
Recently, the situation of red tide in Florida may be exacerbated due to an outbreak of algae Trichodesmium in the waters offshore of Manatee County. Trichodesmium floats on the water’s surface sucking nitrogen (氮) from the air while K. Brevis lives below the surface obtaining nitrogen from the water. If these two masses of algae mix, the dying Trichodesmium may end up providing nitrogen for K. Brevis, lengthening its stay in the area.
Researchers recently are exploring the idea of introducing other algal species to Florida. Among the possibilities is the Diatom. It’s a kind of algae that can grow quickly in the water. Its growth will consume a large amount of nitrogen from the water. So it competes with K. Brevis for nitrogen. Another possibility is algae known to give off chemicals that stop the growth of red tide.
The 10-month-long red tide outbreak in Florida may be the result of a combination of heavy rainfall, warmer ocean temperatures, and pollution. Now it’s time for us to do something.
1. What can we learn about K. Brevis?| A．It’s caused by red tide. | B．It can harm ocean life. |
| C．It’s facing dying out. | D．It exists mainly on land. |
| A．The researchers’ study of algae. | B．The tourism potential in Florida. |
| C．The possible ways to deal with red tide. | D．The consequences of red tide in Florida. |
| A．Worsened. | B．Studied. | C．Handled. | D．Ignored. |
| A．To change the color of K. Brevis. |
| B．To help reduce K. Brevis’ food supply. |
| C．To damage K. Brevis using some chemicals. |
| D．To increase fishes’ resistance to K. Brevis’ attack. |
3 . How to Have a Better Conversation on Social Media
You’re not alone if you find social media to be both a space for staying informed and a space full of hate and disagreement. These days, that is the landscape we log into and struggle in.
Don’t voice opinions on everything
Too much information is like an “Everything Storm” for us to absorb and respond. Thus, it’s OK — and normal — that there are some topics we know more about and others we know almost nothing about.
Find a place to fully express ourselves
Stop competing for “likes”
The internet has become an arena (竞技场), where we all compete, for “likes”. We use emojis to cheer and boo (发出嘘声). Often the supposed winner of a debate is who-gets the most “likes.” This can be entertaining, yet it blocks the forming of genuine connections with people.
Accept differences
It’s sad but true: many of us act differently online than we would in real life, and often see anyone who disagrees as a “troll” (网络怪物).
| A．Exit the battlefield |
| B．Remove this word from our vocabulary |
| C．It is wise to limit our comments to the former |
| D．Many social platforms enforce strict word limits |
| E．Luckily, we can still survive with some strategies |
| F．Briefing your message in a reply will get you more connections |
| G．Our online feelings can be described as “entertaining” and “connecting” |
4 . Since 1912, The Nederlander Organization has continued the tradition of operating historic theatres, producing and presenting the best theatrical and concert events. The following are a few of its Broadway theatres.
GERSHWIN THEATRE: 222 W 51ST ST, NEW YORK, NY 10019
Home of the Broadway smash-hit musical Wicked, Gershwin Theatre was named in honor of one of America’s greatest composers, George Gershwin. The theatre’s circular ball was designed to display the names and photographs of Broadway’s own Theater-Hall of Fame. Opened in 1972 with 1,900 seats, it is one of the Nederlander Organization’s nine Broadway theatres.
DURHAM PERFORMING ARTS CENTER: 123 VIVIAN STREET, DURHAM, NC 27701
Since its opening in 2008, DPAC has become the center for entertainment in North Carolina. With 2,700 scats, DPAC truly has “something for everyone,” and hosts more than 200 performances yearly. DPAC welcomes all guests and events in an open, friendly, and respectful setting. It stands committed against all forms of discrimination.
DOLBY THEATRE: 6801 HOLLYWOOD BLVD, HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA 90028
Dolby Theatre, built in 2001, delivers the most natural, life-like sensory experience with the latest innovations in Dolby entertainment technology, including DolbyAtmosTM, a breakthrough audio technology. Its cutting edge technologies attract many world’s biggest movie premieres, notable television awards events, and performances. With 3,400 seats, it is one of two Broadway theatres in Los Angeles.
WINTER GARDEN THEATRE: 1634 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, NY 10019
The playhouse occupies the second American Horse Exchange, built by William K. Vanderbilt in 1896, when Longacre (now Times Square) was the center of the horse and carriage trade. By 1911, it had been rented out, as horses had given way to automobiles. The Winter Garden was converted into a theatre in 1911. It served as a movie house from 1928 to 1933 when Warner Brothers rented’ it. Winter Garden Theatre has 1,600 seats and is one of Broadway theatres. The sound of music: the classic musical is now playing at the Winter Garden Theatre.
1. Which theatre enjoys the longest history?| A．Gershwin Theatre. | B．Winter Garden Theatre. |
| C．Dolby Theatre. | D．Durham Performing Arts Centre. |
| A．Realistic sound effects. | B．Numerous performances. |
| C．Hall of Fame. | D．Disapproval of discrimination. |
| A．Big movie premiers. | B．A musical about Gershwin. |
| C．A timeless musical. | D．Television awards. |
5 . Antarctica has not always been a land of ice and snow. Earth’s southernmost continent once was home to rivers and forests full of life.
Scientists are using satellite observations and radar imagery to look deep under the ice. The researchers report finding a large ancient landscape buried under the continent’s ice sheet. It is full of valleys and ridges (山脊) , shaped by rivers before being covered by glaciers long ago.
The landscape is located in East Antarctica’s Wilkes Land area bordering the Indian Ocean. The researchers said the landscape appears to date back to at least 14 million years ago and perhaps beyond 34 million years ago, when Antarctica entered its deep freeze.
“It is difficult to know what this lost world might have looked like before the ice came along, but it was certainly warmer back then,” said Stewart Jamieson, a professor at Durham University. “Depending how far back in time you go, you might have had climates that ranged anywhere from the climate of present-day Patagonia through to something more approaching tropical.”
“Such an environment likely would have been populated by wildlife”, Jamieson said. “But the area’s fossil record is too incomplete to know which animals may have lived there.”
The researchers said the surface of the planet Mars is better known than the earth surface below the ice in Antarctica. They said one way to learn more would be to drill through the ice and take a piece of the earth below. This could uncover evidence showing ancient life, as was done with samples taken in Greenland dating back two million years ago.
Jamieson said the researchers think that when Antarctica’s climate was warmer, rivers flowed toward a continental coastline that was created as the other land masses broke away. When the climate cooled, some small glaciers formed on hills next to the rivers. When the climate cooled even more, an ice sheet grew which covered the whole continent, the landscape got preserved, likely for 34 million years.
1. What can we learn about the ancient landscape?| A．It locates in the center of Antarctica. | B．It’s discovered by drilling through the ice. |
| C．It’s once a warmer area than it is now. | D．It has a history of no more than 14 million years. |
| A．There is a lack of complete fossil record. |
| B．The ice sheet of Antarctica is melting quickly. |
| C．Scientists lack enough advanced equipment. |
| D．Climate conditions vary greatly from place to place. |
| A．To attract more scientists to study Antarctica. |
| B．To strengthen the importance of the Mars. |
| C．To indicate the complex situations of the Mars. |
| D．To show the difficult to know Antarctica’s earth surface. |
| A．The colder climate. | B．The protection offered by coastlines. |
| C．Other land masses’ reduction. | D．A decrease in the number of wildlife. |
6 . Changi Community Chub Visit
To Green Ark Fish Farm
WHATGreen Ark is one of the fish closed fish farms in the world. It is a floating structure about the size
of the two classrooms.WHERE
Located 5km off Chang Point, the farm can produce 166, 000 kilograms of fish a year. The fish are housed in four enormous tanks. The raised fish include barramundi, red snapper and grouper. They are mainly for local consumption.
HOWThe fish are sale from threat such as all spills (溢油) and other chemicals which could kill them. The aa waler they live in is really clean. Bacteria and viruses are destroyed by ozonation (臭氧化). In this process, oxygen is blown into the tanks every hour. “All these improved conditions ensure that the waler quality remains high. This enables our fish to become healthier,” said Mrs. Linda Tan, spokesperson of Green Ark Fish Farm.
Would you like a glimpse of Green Ark Fish Farm?For the very first time, Changi Community Club is organizing 5 small-group tours (25 persons each) to Green Ark Fish Farm on the following Saturdays: 6, 13, 20, 27 July. You will have first- hand knowledge of how fish is raised there. The highlight of the tour will be tasty meal of fresh fish chosen by the chefs of Changi Cafe.
| Time | Schedule | Cost |
| 1: 00 p. m. | Meet at Changi Ferry Point | $40 per person; Changi Community Club members pay $30 each |
| 1: 15 p. m. | Depart for Green Arh | |
| 1: 30 p. m. | Tour of Green Ark | |
| 2: 30 p. m. | Return to Changi Point | |
| 2: 45 p. m | Dory Fish &Chips Meal at Changi Cafe |
For enquiries, please visit the website at 222. changicc. com. sg. Registration will be on a. first-come, first-served basis. Book early to avoid disappointment!
1. What can we know about the fish raised by Green Ark Fish Farm?| A．They are in danger of oil spills. | B．They can swim freely in the ocean. |
| C．They are mainly sold to local buyers. | D．They could be killed by other chemicals. |
| A．The water level is high enough for fish. |
| B．The water is the same as water from the sea. |
| C．The water doesn’t contain viruses or bacteria. |
| D．The water has enough space for fish to swim in. |
| A．Send an email to the club. | B．Join Changi Community Club. |
| C．Pay booking fee ahead of time. | D．Register before the places are filled up. |
7 . When Posten walked outside to her car, she saw something that looked like a note or receipt stuck to the windshield.
She grabbed it and saw it was a black and white photo of a woman holding a little boy. On the back, it said, “Gertie Swatzell & J.D. Swatzell 1942.” A few hours later, Posten discovered that the photo had made quite a long journey — almost 130 miles on the back of terrible winds.
Posten had been tracking the tornadoes that hit the middle of the U.S., killing dozens of people. They came close to where she lives in New Albany, Indiana, across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky. So she figured it must be from someone’s damaged home.
“Seeing the date, I realized that was likely from a home hit by a tornado. How else is it going to be there?” Posten said. “It’s a well-kept photo.”
So she posted an image of the photo on Facebook and Twitter and asked for help. She said she was hoping someone on social media would have a connection to the photo or share it with someone who had a connection.
“A lot of people shared it on Facebook. Someone came across it who is friends with a man with the same last name, and they tagged him,” said Posten.
That man was Cole Swatzell, who commented that the photo belonged to family members in Dawson Springs, Kentucky, almost 130 miles away from New Albany. Cole Swatzell on Sunday didn’t respond to a Facebook message seeking comment.
Posten plans to return the photo to the Swatzell family sometime this week.
“It’s really remarkable, definitely one of those things, given all that has happened, that makes you consider how valuable things are — memories, family heirlooms (传家宝), and those kinds of things,” Posten said. “It shows you the power of social media for good. It was encouraging that immediately there were tons of replies from people, looking up ancestor records, and saying ‘I know someone who knows someone and I’d like to help.’”
1. What helped Posten know the photo had made quite a long journey?| A．Learning about a home hit by a tornado. |
| B．Looking into the information of the photo. |
| C．Making tracks for the process of the tornadoes. |
| D．Recognizing the person in the photo at first sight. |
| A．It’s a damaged photo. |
| B．It belongs to Cole Swatzell. |
| C．Its owner lives in New Albany, Indiana. |
| D．It travels 130 miles away from Kentucky. |
| A．From Twitter. | B．From Facebook. |
| C．From her friend. | D．From ancestor records. |
| A．Valuable things should be kept well for good. |
| B．Common item sometimes is also very valuable. |
| C．We should encourage each other on social media. |
| D．Posten thinks highly of the function of social media. |
8 . You are what you think. Whatever you are doing right now is determined by your thinking. All your emotions and desires are influenced by your thinking. The problem is that when you are not aware of your thinking, you have no chance of correcting it if it is poor. When thinking is subconscious, you are in no position to see any problems in it. And, if you don’t see any problems in it, you won’t be motivated to change it. What’s worse, few people realize the powerful role that thinking plays in their lives, so they don’t gain significant command of it. As a result, most people are in many ways victims of their thinking.
Consider your success as a student. The single most significant variable in determining your success as a student is the quality of your thinking. Your instructors will play a role in your learning, but even the best teachers cannot get into your head and learn for you. If you lack the intellectual skills necessary for thinking well through course content, you will not be successful in school.
Here is the key question we are putting to you in this book. If the quality of a person’s thinking is the single most significant determinant of both happiness and success, why not take the time to learn from the best thinkers?
This book will inform you of the tools that the best thinkers use and will illustrate the activities and practice you can use to begin to emulate them, and take control of your destiny as a thinker. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of these thinking aids, helping you discover the power of your own mind and of your potential to think systematically about your thinking.
This book, as a whole, introduces you to the tools of mind that will help you reason well through various challenges you face. If you take these ideas seriously and practice using them, you can improve the quality of your thinking and ultimately, the quality of your life.
1. Why do many people lack motivation to change their poor thinking?| A．They are victims of emotions. | B．They are unaware of the need. |
| C．They think highly of themselves. | D．They lack the academic guidance. |
| A．The course content. | B．The school environment. |
| C．The commitment of teachers. | D．The quality of an individual’s thinking. |
| A．Make friends with. | B．Win over. | C．Follow the example of. | D．Look up to. |
| A．types of life challenges | B．varieties of thinking tools |
| C．determinants of life value | D．ideas of different thinkers |
9 . For most of history, people lived in small groups of up to 150 people. Then villages and small towns developed, offering safety and support through the sharing of resources. As time passed, urban living brought additional advantages such as better jobs, schools and healthcare. Larger towns also gave people more chances to meet and interact. This is important.
Today, over half of the world’s population currently lives in towns and cities. But this has resulted in a strange paradox (悖论). Although social opportunities are one reason people choose to live in large cities, research suggests that city life can be lonely.
The development of virtual communities can be traced back to the 1860s. Back then, telegraph operators exchanged messages and gradually formed friendships over long distances.
These days, there are thousands of virtual communities and that number keeps growing. Many people believe they will become more important.
| A．This trend, however, is not likely to continue. |
| B．As Aristotle said, the nature of humans is to be social. |
| C．That may explain why virtual communities are so popular. |
| D．The first popular online communities developed in the 1980s. |
| E．Before cell phones existed, radio was an easy way to communicate. |
| F．Nevertheless, others worry about problems with these communities. |
| G．This is among the earliest examples of virtual community interactions. |
10 . Human history is full of horse stories like guiding cowboys home on foggy nights and taking wounded soldiers through battle zones. Such sensible and highly trained horses made Elina Jatel, a computer scientist and roboticist, think of robots. “A horse that can take a rider home on its own would be the highest level of autonomy,” Jatel says. “You trust them with your life.” She was drawn to learning how such relationships form and if it could help improve human-robot interactions.
For a year, Jatel engaged herself in the horse world. She watched classes in horse training, and she also talked with students, instructors, trainers and horse owners. Along the way, Jatel even learned to ride.
Horses learn signals from their trainers on how to comfortably interact with people. People, too, must learn their part. Riders must learn what a horse wants or feels based on its behavior, and what signals to use to direct horses to perform in desired ways. Jatel found some similarities, here, to working with robots. People must learn how to direct robots to do specific tasks. They also must learn what to do when robots don’t perform as planned. The goal is to program robots that will respond predictably to inputs from people. But like horses, autonomous robots also should be able to respond on their own as conditions change. For example, a self-driving car must stop to avoid hitting something, even if some human mistakenly tells it to keep going.
Trainers and riders work with horses to build respect. Horses show that respect by matching their pace to a human or giving someone who is leading them a safe degree of personal space. Trainers begin their work with a horse by getting them to show signs of respect in basic interactions, Jatel says. Later, trainers will develop more complex interactions. Gradually, a horse’s respect can grow into trust.
But that trust is not given. And there may be a similar limitation with robots. What would it mean for robots and people to respect and trust each other? For now, she adds, this is largely uncharted territory. But she’s looking to build a path.
1. What drew Elina Jatel’s attention to horses?| A．Horses’ amazing performance. | B．Long history of horse training. |
| C．Horse-human interdependence. | D．Her horse-riding experience. |
| A．To act like real horses. | B．To show respect to humans. |
| C．To follow instructions from humans. | D．To make independent and sensible decisions. |
| A．The limitations of robots. | B．Trust between robots and humans. |
| C．Path toward higher robot efficiency. | D．Similarities between horses and robots. |
| A．History of Human-Horse Relationship | B．Secrets of Human-Animal Interactions |
| C．The Role of Trust in Human-Robot Partnerships | D．Horses as the Inspiration for Autonomous Robots |
