1 . “Quick, quick, slow, slow,” my husband said as I was trying to focus. We frequently stepped on each other’s feet. Both of us were being rhythmically challenged, and we figured a series of lessons might help us look somewhat elegant on the floor. However, it didn’t.
It didn’t matter that the lessons didn’t pay off. Our learning something new together gave us a string of good memories, such as taking a Thai cooking class on a cold Chicago night and learning how to make classic cocktails (鸡尾酒) in a common bar. These experiences are my best memories from the past 10 years. We always have such a great time when we’re trying something new together. It seems to have strengthened our relationship, and makes me feel like we have a closer connection.
It turns out that my theory is backed by research. One study shows that learning new things with your spouse (配偶), friends, or partners, can strengthen your connection or friendship. But how exactly does this work? The key is vulnerability (弱点). “Learning new things together strengthens bonds because it is at those moments that we can show our vulnerability to one another,” says Dr. Hisla Bates. When we are learning a new task, misfortunes and failures are bound to happen. In those moments when we fail, the other party can be there in favor of us. We can work together to find a solution, and working together helps deepen the connection.
The benefits gained from learning new things with your partner can come from activities as small as hiking, trying a new recipe, going boating in the local lake or taking a fitness class together. You don’t have to go bungee jumping or skydiving to grow closer. Try selecting activities that both partners are unfamiliar with, as this will ensure you’re on the same page.
Trying to learn something new together once a month will benefit you and your spouse or friends. Overall, some of my best memories with my husband are the moments when we are learning something new together.
1. What were the author and her husband doing in Paragraph 1?A.Playing sports. | B.Practising dancing. |
C.Teaching lessons. | D.Taking a walk. |
A.Practice makes perfect. |
B.Good memories last a long time. |
C.Processes matter more than results. |
D.Well begun is half done. |
A.It can encourage them to teach and praise each other. |
B.It helps improve the understanding of each other. |
C.It can reduce each other’s loneliness and boredom. |
D.It helps find each other’s weaknesses and offer support. |
A.The power of learning new things together |
B.The advantages of taking different lessons |
C.The challenge of acquiring new knowledge |
D.The importance of improving people’s bonds |
2 . Recently I read an article written by Edan Lepucki and titled "Don't Play With Your Kids. Seriously." It makes a case for parents consciously withdrawing from their children ’s playtime until those children are able to play independently all the time.
According to Edan Lepucki, there are two main reasons. One is that it allows the child time and space to delve into wonderful imaginary worlds that he or she is not able to enter in quite the same way if a parent is present.
The second reason is that it gives parents a break. With everything else we do on a daily basis-feeding, cleaning, disciplining, educating, transporting, and more-it's simply too much to be expected to entertain our kids actively, as well. Lepucki describes a sense of exhaustion to which I can relate.
"The constant quarrelling was so exhausting that my husband and I didn't have the energy to play the way my son preferred. After I scolded him, I felt guilty and frustrated."
Adopting a no-play approach changed everything, improving both the relationship with her son and her own mental wellbeing, and it has done the same for me, with my own three children.
I have another reason for choosing this approach: It builds greater independence in children. Children play differently when adults are present. They tend to rely on adults to solve conflicts,whereas when they're on their own, they have no choice but to rise to the occasion and deal with any issue.
Lenore Skenazy, the author of "Free Range Kids", told me that when adults are present, kids act like kids, but when adults leave, kids become adults. She said, "If there's an adult there, they will take over. So adults need to step back."
Take this as your excuse to stop playing with your kids. Know that it' s perfectly OK to say no, to admit you need a break, and to encourage your children to play without you. Then sit back and observe the clever, imaginative little humans you've created at play. It's a most satisfying feeling.
1. What does the underlined part "delve into" in paragraph 2 probably mean?A.Develop. | B.Change. | C.Explore. | D.Preserve. |
A.Her relaxing time is increased. | B.She becomes more independent. |
C.She makes more adult friends. | D.Her physical health has improved. |
A.To prove kids' poor independence. | B.To provide evidence for an opinion. |
C.To show kids' changeable character. | D.To explain parents' bad effect on kids. |
A.It Provides Us with Many Benefits to Play Alone |
B.Parents Should Help Develop Kids' Independence |
C.Refusal Can Create a Harmonious Family Atmosphere |
D.It Won't Hurt Your Kids If You Stop Playing with Them |
A MOTHER’S DAY SURPRISE
The twins were filled with excitement as they thought of the surprise they were planning for Mother’s Day. How pleased and proud Mother would be when they brought her breakfast in bed. They planned to make French toast and chicken porridge. They had watched their mother in the kitchen. There was nothing to it. Jenna and Jeff knew exactly what to do.
The big day came at last. The alarm rang at 6 a.m. The pair went down the stairs quietly to the kitchen. They decided to boil the porridge first. They put some rice into a pot of water and left it to boil while they made the French toast. Jeff broke two eggs into a plate and added in some milk. Jenna found the bread and put two slices into the egg mixture. Next, Jeff turned on the second stove burner to heat up the frying pan. Everything was going smoothly until Jeff started frying the bread. The pan was too hot and the bread turned black within seconds. Jenna threw the burnt piece into the sink and put in the other slice of bread. This time, she turned down the fire so it cooked nicely.
Then Jeff noticed steam shooting out of the pot and the lid starting to shake. The next minute, the porridge boiled over and put out the fire. Jenna panicked. Thankfully, Jeff stayed calm and turned off the gas quickly. But the stove was a mess now. Jenna told Jeff to clean it up so they could continue to cook the rest of the porridge. But Jeff’s hand touched the hot burner and he gave a cry of pain. Jenna made him put his hand in cold water. Then she caught the smell of burning. Oh dear! The piece of bread in the pan had turned black as well.
注意:1.续写词数应为150左右。2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
As the twins looked around them in disappointment, their father appeared.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The twins carried the breakfast upstairs and woke their mother up.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4 . Love your parents
Even if you think that your parents are mean-spirited at times, loving your parents is a normal and fulfilling (满意的)part of life. You love them for the fact that they created you, raised you, and are in part a source of who you are. Here are some ways to love your parents.
Respect them more and cherish(珍惜)these moments. You can use these moments to learn from them when you're off on your own. It's OK to get angry but angry actions don't help you or your parents. Act calmly, cool off, journal about your feelings, or talk to a friend.
Obey their requests. It will make your attitude better and earn you more respect from them. It may seem like you are going through hell when you don't get what you want or you have to clean. However, you had better remember they keep a roof over your head when it's cold, raining, snowing, or too hot. Understand that parents are human beings and make mistakes.
Keep company with them. Do things with your parents like watching TV, or go somewhere with them.
Some people simply may not be able to love their parents. .
A.There can be realistic reasons for this, family violence for example. |
B.Anyway, spend as much time with them as you can. |
C.Tell them you love them every morning. |
D.Forgiveness is the key. |
E.Parents will turn express their love to you. |
F.After this, share your feelings with your parents. |
G.Please remember parents are as important as friends. |
5 . 假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文,请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误,每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号( ^ ),并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线( \ )划掉。
修改:在错的词下画一横线,并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;
2.只允许修改10处,多者(从第11处起)不计分。
The Moments (朋友圈) section of WeChat has become the popular part of the social networking platform. We can share everything about their life on it with our friend. Many teenagers, however, chose to keep their parents out their Moments. They argue that if their parents get involved, and they will feel upset. As far as I am concerning, I feel happily when my parents comment on my posts in my Moments. It shows their love and care for me. What’s more, shut them off may make the generation gap bigger and bigger, when inviting them in would help us communicate better and feel closer to each other than before.
6 . Before you walked down the aisle—if you even did---did you first agree to take your partner’s name? had you agreed to the bank for updated credit cards, changed your email address, and updated your Facebook?
I didn't; and I know plenty of women out there didn't, either. So I was pretty shocked to learn that in a recent survey, over 50 percent of U.S. citizens believe a wife should take her husband's name—and she should be required to do so by law.
Author Emily Schafer, a sociology professor at Portland State University, surveyed a representative national sample of 1,200 people tar the study, which found that a larger number of American adults think there needs to actually be a law in place to prevent women from keeping their own name.
The most common reason given? The general belief is that women should prioritize (优先)their marriage and their family ahead of themselves. To this, I admit I'm a bit confused, because I don't understand how exactly not taking your husband’s last name means you aren't prioritizing your marriage.
Now, I didn't take my husband's name for a variety of reasons: I didn’t feel like the name was "mine" and professionally I had built up a reputation as a writer under my maiden(未婚的)name, so I didn't want to lose that. His surname wasn't easy to spell, either; everyone gets it wrong (including my mother—still—and we've been married 13 years).But most of all, I felt like in taking my husband's last name, I was losing a huge sense of self. And while yes, we are a family, I don't want his surname to define me. I'm not his possession.
Just like every aspect of motherhood, each woman should be respected for the choices she makes—without having to do anything by law. And we should all be grateful to Lucy Stone—the first American woman to legally maintain her last name after marriage in 1856.Just imagine how difficult that must have been to forego tradition in that time?
1. What can be learned about the tradition of taking a husband's name from the survey?A.A law should be there to break the tradition. |
B.The majority of American adults support the tradition. |
C.The majority of American women go against the tradition. |
D.The law requires wives to take their husbands' names in America. |
A.To value her marriage and family. |
B.To show honesty to her husband. |
C.To join in the family of her husband. |
D.To unite a new family under the same name. |
A.Why the author didn't use her husband's name. |
B.Why the author's mother didn't like her husband. |
C.How worthy the author's own maiden name was. |
D.How bored the author became with her husband's name. |
A.It's reasonable | B.It isn’t worth caring |
C.Every coin has two sides | D.It's out of date and confusing. |