1 . Only positive thinking is not enough to attain our goals. Our
In the 2008 summer Olympics, Michael Phelps was ready to
In psychology, the
Mental contrasting can make sure we consider realistic obstacles when
A.concepts | B.evaluations | C.dreams | D.wishes |
A.life | B.night | C.situation | D.path |
A.break | B.establish | C.hold | D.write |
A.shut off | B.stood against | C.filled with | D.took on |
A.neglect | B.adjust | C.update | D.remove |
A.and | B.but | C.as | D.if |
A.slow | B.memorable | C.precious | D.short |
A.prepare | B.rescue | C.refresh | D.control |
A.contributed | B.discovered | C.kept | D.created |
A.fact | B.turn | C.detail | D.addition |
A.partly | B.precisely | C.generally | D.rapidly |
A.counted | B.imagined | C.designed | D.remembered |
A.trial | B.task | C.effort | D.practice |
A.original | B.deep | C.positive | D.strange |
A.requires | B.allows | C.urges | D.commands |
A.unrealistic | B.accidental | C.desired | D.delayed |
A.reforms | B.decisions | C.budgets | D.progressions |
A.supporting | B.explaining | C.transforming | D.developing |
A.warm | B.lead | C.remind | D.forbid |
A.eventually | B.astonishingly | C.abruptly | D.secretly |
2 . What could well extend your life, and might assist you in the life to come? Answer: singing in a choir. It’s not a new discovery: there are endless studies on the subject.
But there was a specific angle to this latest study done by Oxford Brookes University researchers, which compared the collective experience of choral singing to that of taking part in team sports. Choirs apparently win hands down. And as someone who since childhood has used singing as an excuse to stay off the sports field, I take no issue with that.
In fact, I take no issue with any of these piles of research. The only thing I find annoying is that such an endlessly repeated truth results in relatively little action from the kind of people who could put it to good use. Not least, in government.
From time to time I get invited as a music critic to the launch of some program to encourage more collective singing among school-age children. Expert s like Howard Goodall usually turn up. Then, six months later, everything goes quiet.
The hard fact is that most state schools don’t bother much with singing. They say they don’t have the resources or the time. And even when a worthwhile singing project drops into their lap, they turn it down. I know a woman named Golda who’s been trying hard to organize a performance of Benjamin Britten’s The Little Sweep — perhaps the greatest work for young children to sing together. But has she found her local schools responsive? Sadly not: it was all too much trouble.
I got the chance to tour with a choir at age 11. It opened a world to which an 11-year-old from unfashionable parts of east London doesn’t generally get access. It spoke possibilities. All the physical and mental pluses are a happy bonus. But the joy of access to that world of music is what counts.
Just think: if we could finally get Britain’s children singing. we wouldn’t need university researchers. We’d just do it, and be all the better for it.
1. What does the underlined part “take no issue with” in Paragraph 2mean?A.Feel confused about. |
B.Make no comment on. |
C.Get unfamiliar with. |
D.Have no objection to. |
A.Most children think little of singing. |
B.Most children prefer singing to doing sports. |
C.Most schools attach little importance to singing. |
D.Most schools don’t have the money or the time to form a choir. |
A.She couldn’t find a choir to join. |
B.She failed to win local schools’ support. |
C.Howard Goodall turned down her invitation. |
D.The government was unwilling to provide resources. |
A.Eye-opening. |
B.Identity-awakening. |
C.Soul-comforting. |
D.Character-shifting. |
A.To review the latest study on singing. |
B.To advocate choir singing for children. |
C.To recommend musical works for the young. |
D.To compare the benefits of recreational activities. |
3 . For too many years now, the teaching of the English language in our grammar and high schools has been uninspiring, leaving an entire generation with only unclear ideas about how to write and speak clearly and well. Now The Handbook of Good English, a comprehensive, easy-to-use guide to modern grammar, punctuation, usage, and style, puts the best available advice about writing and using the English language at your fingertips.
Intended to replace Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style and a host of other desk-reference books on careful writing, The Handbook of Good English is organized for both rapid reference to check specific points and for leisurely study to improve personal and professional writing.
This comprehensive book explores syntax, punctuation, style, organization and tone. Edward D. Johnson does more than issue the rules; he gives examples, exceptions, and, more important, clear, easily understood explanations of why grammar has the rules it does. He also gives full attention to styling, the important matter of giving consistent treatment to numbers, abbreviation, generic terms, forms of address, foreign terms, etc., in good writing.
A special feature of this book is the combined Glossary/Index (词汇表/索引), arranged from A to Z, to give instant answers to the most commonly asked questions about misused words, phrases, and constructions, and cross-referenced to the text of a longer explanation is desired. For the novice, the professional, for anyone who cares about the language, The Handbook of Good English is the crucial guide to proper communication.
“The Handbook of Good English fills a real need for a basic and strict handbook of standard English grammar, punctuation rules and conventions of editorial styling. Because grammar has been taught so carelessly for the past 20 years, Johnson takes pains to explain reasons for and relationships between grammatical rules,” comments Booklist, a book-review magazine.
1. What does the author think of classroom English language teaching?A.Engaging. | B.Time-consuming. |
C.Creative. | D.Ineffective. |
A.To list English words commonly used in daily conversations. |
B.To provide advice on proper English communication. |
C.To further develop the idea in The Elements of Style. |
D.To highlight the importance of grammar learning. |
A.Its diverse content. | B.Its unique organization. |
C.Its publishing process. | D.Its target readers. |
A.It has multiple glossaries for different users. |
B.It has extensive references for further reading. |
C.It has a section devoted to readers’ frequent confusions. |
D.It adopts a conversational approach to explaining grammar. |
A.Effective means of learning standard English. |
B.A further recommendation for Johnson’s book. |
C.An expectation of Johnson’s creation. |
D.An introduction to the history of English grammar. |
A.distinction | B.admission | C.impression | D.ambition |
5 . A medical emergency can happen anywhere at any time. Taking a brief moment to seek help is often the best first response. But before an ambulance can get to the scene, the immediate first aid attendance to anyone who is injured seriously makes a difference between life and death. Life Saver Team has been providing CPR (心肺复苏术) and first aid training since 2009. Here are a few of their most popular courses:
CPR AEDIt is a classroom, video-based, instructor-led course that teaches the basic techniques of CPR and the use of an AED (自动体外除颤器), as well as how to relieve choking. This course teaches skills with research-proven techniques.
●Course length: 2 hours
●Initial course: $50 (Sign up for a first aid course for an additional $30)
Upon completion of this course, students will receive an American Heart Association Heartsaver CPR AED Course Completion Card that is valid for two years.
Basic Life SupportThis is a classroom course designed to provide a wide variety of healthcare professionals with the ability to recognize several life-threatening emergencies, provide CPR, use an AED, and relieve choking in a timely and effective manner.
●Course length: 4 hours
●Initial course: $60 (Sign up for a first aid course for an additional $30)
The American Heart Association BLS for Healthcare Provider Course Completion Card is valid for two years.
First AidIt is a classroom, video-based, instructor-led course that teaches students critical skills to manage an emergency in the first few minutes until emergency medical services arrive. Students learn skills such as how to treat bleeding, broken bones and other first aid emergencies.
Course length: 2 hoursInitial course: $45
Upon completion of this course, students will receive an American Heart Association Heartsaver First Aid Course Completion Card that is valid for two years.
1. What should be often done first in a medical emergency?A.Calling for help at once. |
B.Providing immediate first aid. |
C.Taking the injured to the hospital. |
D.Leaving the scene as soon as possible. |
A.$ 80. | B.$ 90. | C.$ 95. | D.$ 105. |
A.It is a part of a research project. |
B.It is aimed at medical workers. |
C.It costs the least of the three courses. |
D.It teaches students basic first aid. |
A.They are available online. |
B.They are for all individuals. |
C.They take the same amount of time. |
D.They include a two-year AHA certificate. |
A.A medical report. | B.A first aid guide. |
C.An advertisement. | D.An introduction to school courses. |
6 . Standing at the finish line, 70-year-old Bob Long spent a while reflecting on the achievement he’d just made. Behind him was the wild, endless Mongolian grassland extending into the distance. This American had just become the oldest person to ever complete and win the Mongol Derby, the world’s longest horse race.
Long, a rider all his life, entered the race after being inspired by All the Wild Horses, a movie based on the grueling event.
Fearing that he wouldn’t be able to complete it, he set about preparing his mind and body for this “hardest, toughest, most demanding thing you can do on a horse”, an annual 1000-kilometer race that was recognized as the world’s longest horse race by The Guinness Book of Records in 2011. He confirmed his belief that preparation can surpass youth, as some of the other riders were less prepared.
Although Long had been riding horses for many years, the hardship and uncertainty of the task pushed him to his limit and forced him to depend entirely on his own will. The race organizers had provided an extensive support network to keep an eye on the participants from afar. Despite that, the physical strain of riding such a long distance made simple things like squatting (蹲) down at the end of the day almost impossible.
Along the vast race course there were unpredictable circumstances beyond Long’s control, however well prepared he’d been. Weather was one of them, which could switch from heavy rain to burning unexpectedly.
Above all else, the biggest obstacle was the state of mind. Without a living soul in sight, Long was desperate for interaction, guidance, and comfort. This feeling of loneliness accounted for his hope that one of his fellow competitors would catch up.
Regardless of the hardship, Long felt a sort of spiritual adventure while traveling through the wilderness. He was provided with some memorable moments while connecting with nature. He also grew to love the country and the communities along the route.
Still holding the passion for riding, Long never dismisses the idea of competing in another Mongol Derby.
1. What distinguished Bob Long from other competitors in the Mongol Derby?A.He rode the whole race course alone. |
B.He completed the toughest part of the course. |
C.He was the oldest participant of the horse race. |
D.He was most likely to enter the competition again. |
A.Tough but rewarding. |
B.Difficult and exhausting. |
C.Comfortable and pleasant. |
D.Romantic but time-consuming. |
A.The changeable weather. |
B.The mental state in the course. |
C.The difficulty in finding the right route. |
D.The physical strain of riding a long distance. |
A.An introduction to the Mongol Derby. |
B.A review of a film based on the longest horse race. |
C.The experience of the Mongol Derby’s oldest winner. |
D.The preparations before a long and difficult horse race. |
A.Competing in the Mongol Derby |
B.All the Wild Horses |
C.The Guinness Book of Records |
D.Endless Mongolian grassland |
7 . Fifteen-year-old Michael Platt is the owner of Michaels Desserts. Born with an incredible love for
With his activities limited by his
Michael sells about 170 treats a month. There are various
It is Michael’s
A.shoes | B.study. | C.sweets | D.medicine |
A.Meanwhile | B.Therefore | C.However | D.Especially |
A.report | B.blame | C.abandon | D.fight |
A.of | B.by | C.with | D.at |
A.health | B.educational | C.mental | D.economic |
A.which | B.whose | C.that | D.who |
A.inspiration | B.imagination | C.courage | D.challenge |
A.weak | B.depressed | C.greedy | D.needy |
A.invented | B.founded | C.discovered | D.organized |
A.avoiding | B.escaping | C.facing | D.hating |
A.prices | B.brands | C.shapes | D.flavors |
A.figures | B.sites | C.stories | D.records |
A.friends | B.customers | C.relatives | D.colleagues |
A.agree | B.compare | C.provide | D.argue |
A.Apart from | B.Regardless of | C.But for | D.Owing to |
A.competitions | B.exhibitions | C.parties | D.sales |
A.make a difference | B.make a living | C.make a fortune | D.make a donation |
A.decision | B.faith | C.desire | D.plan |
A.return | B.tell | C.give | D.refuse |
A.misunderstood | B.doubted | C.controlled | D.forgotten |
8 . I met Ariep on an island in the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu. Being the last fluent Naati speaker in the area, he sorrowfully expressed his fear that, with his death, the language would no longer exist.
Naati is just an example of endangered language. Today, 50% to 90% of the world’s languages are considered at risk of falling out of use by the end of the century.
Over the last 10 years, this crisis has attracted more public attention. While we praise previous efforts made to protect dying indigenous languages native to specific places and spoken by aboriginal people, let’s stop and ask: Why does it matter?
Should Naati’s fate concern the world? Many speakers of endangered languages, including Ariep, communicate fluently in other languages. Is the hope of “saving” these small languages just a romantic idea of unrealistic scholars?
As a linguist, I’m on the opposite side of those answering “yes”. I understand how critical and urgent language loss is. Individual communities rely on languages to form culture and identity, and for the global community, languages are an invaluable source of information about human cognition.
If a language is lost, the relevant community heritage will disappear. For instance, people who speak Lulamogi in Uganda feel anxious that as people forget the terms describing methods of catching and eating white ants, they will also forget this important cultural practice.
Language loss also means a loss of community identity and self-determination. Measuring their exact damage is hard, but the loss indeed harms the well-being of community members. By contrast, the ability of community members to speak their indigenous language together enhances well-being. In British Columbia, research has proved that the young generations in indigenous communities where at least 50% of the people speak the native language tend to exhibit a stronger sense of well-being and more optimistic attitudes toward life.
When a language is disappearing more is lost than just certain bits of information.
Understanding language is vital to understanding human cognition. Every language presents us with a piece of the puzzle for finding out how language works in our mind, without which we are prevented from seeing the full picture.
For everyone’s sake, we must preserve the world’s languages to ensure linguistic diversity for future generations.
1. What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 3 refer to?A.Ariep’s fear. | B.Naati’s fate. |
C.Public concern over the crisis. | D.Protecting endangered language. |
①Broken dreams of scholars.
②Loss of information sources.
③A big puzzle missing pieces.
④Damaging effects on well-being.
⑤Disappearance of cultural heritage.
A.①②③ | B.①③⑤ | C.②④⑤ | D.②③④ |
A.Neutral. | B.Supportive. | C.Unconcerned. | D.Disapproving. |
A.Should we save endangered languages? |
B.Should Naati’s fate concern the island? |
C.How to make a self-determination? |
D.How to promote community identity? |
A.A diary. | B.A novel. | C.A guidebook. | D.A magazine. |
9 . In recent studies we have been investigating mirror writing by typical 4-to 6-year-old children. The term is used because the characters — numbered and letters — are reversed (颠倒), yet are correct when looked at in a mirror.
For quite a long time, the mainstream views on the phenomenon were supported by the observation of left-handed children writing reverse characters, which was insufficient and misleading as right-handed children do so as well. Even today, left-handedness is often the favorite explanation of teachers when children produce mirror writing.
We find mirror writing works on both the cerebral(relating to the brain) and the behavioral level. The former has long been limited to the simplistic 1925 theory by Samue Ort on that one of the cerebral hemispheres (大脑半球) (usually the left) would correctly store the letters while the other would store them in a mirrored form. More recently, however, it has been shown that the brain doesn’t consider orientation (方 向) (left or right) when storing images, a process called mirror generalization.
This mirror generalization process, which can be very useful — for example, to recognize a face by both its left and right sides —leads children to know, from memory, the shape of the characters, but not their left / right orientation. It is important to note that the learning of the form of characters by children is mainly visual, and that children produce almost entirely horizontal mirror writing.
At the behavioral level, when children write the characters from memory, they must give them an. orientation. In countries whose primary languages are written in Latin characters —written from left to right — children tend to reverse mainly characters that face the left, such as 7 and q. However, when children are required to write from right to left, they instead reverse the right-oriented letters. This suggests that children usually orient characters in the direction of their. writing.
Our explanation is supported by analyzing tens of thousands of writing samples from more than a thousand children. Nevertheless, many parents continue to believe that mirror writing might be the indicator of a disorder such as dyslexia (读写困难), as doctors may still suggest that mirror writing by children is a sign of a developmental issue. Our research on typical developing children does not support such claims.
1. What does the author want to show by mentioning the left-handedness view?A.The necessity of re-explaining mirror writing. |
B.The role of teachers in addressing mirror writing. |
C.The difficulty in adjusting children's handedness. |
D.The challenge of writing faced by left-handed children. |
A.It can recognize letters in a mirror forms. |
B.It ignores the orientation during image storage. |
C.Its ability to store visual images is quite limited. |
D.Its left hemisphere is more active in storing letters. |
A.Its pronunciation. | B.Its meaning. |
C.Its orientation. | D.Its outline. |
A.7, J and Z. | B.9, D and F. |
C.6, B and R. | D.8, J and L. |
A.Limiting children’s exposure to mirror writing. |
B.Regarding mirror writing as something normal. |
C.Encouraging children to overcome mirror writing. |
D.Seeking professional advice on kid’s developmental issues. |
A.couldn’t worry | B.couldn’t have worried |
C.needn’t worry | D.needn’t have worried |