A. engage B. assess C. combination D. intentions E. refresh F. understanding G. relaxed H. consciously I. return J. threatens K. regretfully |
“Dealing with money is a basic life skill”
Why financial transactions are about relationships and why the
quality of the relationship is more important than the transaction itself.
British psychologist, William Bloom, has long argued that society would benefit if money flowed more freely-if, for example, people regularly give part of their salaries or profits to charity.
When you say, “Money should flow more freely,” what do you mean?
“There are two metaphors that I like to use for money. One is the energy of the environment and human nature. Money represents a(n)
Money still isn’t flowing freely.
A lot of it is dammed up in banks and in the hands of a small percentage of extremely wealthy individuals. “We have to build a society in which we are not threatened by each other. The gap between the rich and the poor
How can we deal with money in a healthier way?
“When it comes to money, there is a lot of naiveté. Children need to be taught in school that dealing with money is a basic life skill. They need to be able to read a bank statement in a(n)
Another form of flow is giving. Can that be a kind of spiritual practice?
“Humans are paradoxical beings. It is possible to have pure
2 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
A. pursuits B. interests C. comparable D. innovation E. schedule F. options G. realization H. routes I. subjects J. recipes K. motivated |
Creativity Is a Human Quality That Exists in Us
When you think about creativity, it might be highly creative people like Mozart, da Vinci or Einstein who spring to mind. They were all considered to be “ geniuses” for their somewhat in their fields. Their type of creativity is unique talents that led to global
On top of hobbies and
It might not sound very creative, but this aspect of creativity relies on our ability I consider
While Big C creativity is valued and celebrated, it is often Small C creativity that has allowed humans to flourish over thousands of years. It sets us apart from other animals and it is also the type of creativity which can be fostered through our education system and beyond into the workplace. Traditionally, research tells us that creativity has been largely associated with the arts. Our previous research has shown that teachers are often able to give examples of creative activity in arts
But there is a growing
3 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
A. digesting B. distinction C. examine D. identical E. intervening F. live G. mixture H. perspective I. shock J. space K. texting |
Communication — a thing of the past?
We all think we communicate all the time, and that’s true. There’s also non-verbal communication you could add into the mix — everything we’re saying when we’re not saying anything. But there’s a(n)
So it was quite a(n)
I don’t think our common, current methods of communication come close to being in a small house with lots of people and having to communicate
promote the safety participating in volunteer activities a different perspective wipe a lamp a peaceful and joyful Spring Festival cultivate the enthusiasm the electricity safety promotion |
“Can we use a wet cloth to
At the entrance of the supermarket, a class on safe electricity usage is taking place. To further
Unlike previous times, volunteers involved in
“This is my first time
“I just answered two questions correctly and got this little doll. It made me so happy!” said 11-year-old villager Li Chuyang after participating in the event.
“We hope to provide villagers, especially children, with useful knowledge of electricity and fire safety, and
“We also brought some Chinese New Year gifts for the villagers, and wish that everyone has
A. ballooning. B. frost-intolerant. C. directly. D. contributors. E. erupted F. conditions. G. shaded H. sensor-equipped I. engineering J. situated K. properly |
Farm of the Future in the Sky
Five storeys off the ground at Colorado State University, a highly unlikely garden grows under a long row of rooftop solar panels. It's late November at 9 am, when the temperature is-2℃ and the wind is cutting. Not long before my arrival, researchers had pulled the last
This is no ordinary green roof, but an expansive and
Therefore, the overall goal of the rooftop farm is to grow more food for
However, being
It is obviously early days for rooftop farms, but some effects were already evident. Instead of being big, dead spaces, roofs may act as booming ecosystems.
A. attraction B. waiting C. mystery D. unique E. simply F. originally G. stable H. popularity I. donating J. searching K. interfere |
There’s a rarely-visited, dusty corner of the world where something magical happens. The place, which looks like Mars with its red rock landscape, is the Tatacoa Desert, in Colombia.
Tatacoa is located in the region of Huila, south of the country’s capital Bogotá. Although Tatacoa, with its protruding cacti and red rippled rocks, is called a desert, it is in fact a dry tropical forest. But the exciting, and very
Thanks to its remote location — it’s almost 30 miles and an hour’s drive over bumpy winding roads to the nearest town — Tatacoa has no light pollution to
Up to 88 constellations (星座) are visible on a clear night, as well as both hemispheres — something that happens nowhere else in the world.
The warm and dry climate helps with stargazing; a
Not only is Tatacoa a natural wonder, but the DIY observatory that’s run by a Colombian man named Javier Fernanda Rua Restrepo has become a star
The Colombian, who is
At first Restrepo had worked at the Colombian government’s observatory, which he helped staff for 15 years. But after budget cuts meant he lost his job, he figured he would
In 2015, Restrepo opened the doors to his observatory — Tatacoa Astronomia — with just one telescope. Now, as Colombia has grown in
Tatacoa Astronomia is only open on starry nights, and Restrepo remains the sole employee. But that doesn’t distract from the intimacy and the specialness of the place. The structure sits on a small patch of land that Restrepo bought himself, and is cordoned (隔离) off by tarpaulin (油布) to add an extra sense of
“The stars… they put my life into its tiny perspective,” he says, “and they constantly remind me there are greater things out there.”
A. carved B. unknowingly C. ecosystem D. artificial E. elemental F. changing G. practically H. wrinkled I. unmoving J. species K. inspection |
Magical Creatures: AN APPRECIATION OF AUTUMN MOTH (蛾)
Moths seem to have a bit of a bad reputation: to some they are ill indications or something scary, to others they are dull in comparison to our well-loved butterflies. But moths are an essential part of a(n)
My first meeting with an Angle Shades moth was nearly a non-encounter. I almost passed by without noticing it, thinking it was a fallen leaf on a fence post. But there was something about it that stopped me in my tracks. Its angular shape perhaps? Or the way it sat,
The Canary-shouldered Thorn, with its hairy buttercup-coloured body and yellow and orange wings, reminds me of a fallen silver birch (白桦树) leaf. A night-flyer, it favours gardens and woodlands, and is often drawn to
There’s more to these imitators than fallen leaves. The Green-spotted Crescent, which
A. smoothing B. remain C. switched D. likelihood E. impact F. tip G. broadly H. headed I. booming J. positioning K. reliably |
Sea-level rise predictions
A team of University of Idaho scientists is studying a fast-moving glacier in Alaska in hopes of developing better predictions on how quickly global sea levels will rise.
Tim Bartholomaus, a professor in the Department of Geography and Geological Sciences, spent several weeks on Turner Glacier in Alaska’s southeastern
A surging glacier is defined,
During Turner’s surges, the mass of ice and rock will increase its speed from roughly 3 feet a day to 65 feet per day.
All of that is important because glaciers falling into the ocean are a major contributor to sea level rise, and current climate change models don’t
Glacial movement has something to do with water running underneath the glacier. Glaciers are full of holes, and water runs through those holes. When the water pressure is high underneath a glacier, it starts to move, partly because it’s lifting the mass of ice and rock off the ground and partly because it’s
But how exactly does that water move through the glacier, and how does the movement
Bartholomaus, some graduate students and researchers from Boise State University,
9 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
A. unanticipated B. moments C. evolved D. basically E. explored F. clearly G. navigate H. rituals I. integral J. access K. inspiring |
Boat of Power
Dragon boat racing began in China more than 2,000 years ago as part of a cultural community event to memorize the ancient poet, Qu Yuan. The traditional holiday was a time to perform
The Toronto-based Dragons Abreast team stands out at this sport for a few reasons. For one, the79-member team includes people ranging in age from 30 to 93. Prior to joining Dragons Abreast, some members hadn’t been part of a sports team since childhood and wouldn’t have described themselves as particularly athletic ones. And what has brought these women together is something
The breast cancer survivors on this team are in the same boat in every way. For many, being part of a community that knows
“I was so surprised at how
Being out on the water and connecting to the environment is an important aspect of dragon boating for many of the team members. They talk about how it provides
10 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
A.attractive B.bothered C.building D.contrasts E.crossed F.demonstrates G.dramatically H.greyed I.instrumental J.sustaining K.vividly |
A Review on Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer is Christopher Nolan’s film about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man known as “the father of the atomic(原子的) bomb”. As a drama about genius, pride and error, it
Oppenheimer is a great achievement, partly because it
The story tracks Oppenheimer across decades, starting in the 1920s with him as a young adult and continuing until his hair
The path of Oppenheimer’s life
François Truffaut once wrote that “war films, even those who support peace, even the best, willingly or not, present wars in a certain