1 . Jokes and humor are often thought of as unimportant. If the lawyer defending you in court couldn’t stop joking, you’d be understandably alarmed.
However, regarding humour as insignificant is a mistake. Humour, jokes and laughter, have a vital role to play in human behaviour and interaction. They are a powerful part of social bonding and are genuinely beneficial for health via their stress-relieving properties.
Why do we respond, in such powerful and rewarding ways, to things that objectively make little sense? A substantial amount of data has been generated regarding how humour works in the brain and on the various types of recognisable jokes that trigger it.
Verbal puns, the most familiar type of joke, involve words that convey two meanings at once. For example, “Why did the golfer wear two pairs of trousers? In case he got a hole in one.” Here “hole in one” has two possible interpretations. Their simplicity and familiarity mean most people recognise the humour in puns. So, the brain’s humour processes are still engaged.
But where does humour arise from in the brain? Considerable research points towards a specific system in the brain for recognizing humour. This system seemingly detects and resolves incongruity (不和谐). Our brains know how things, like language and behaviors, should work. But, in the real world, many things don’t match our expectations. It seems our brains have evolved a system to recognise when this happens.
If normality is subverted, it means we don’t know what’s going to happen, which creates cognitive (认知) tension. However, the system that recognises incongruity seemingly also resolves it, by providing an explanation, or at least a confirmation that the incongruity has no negative consequences. This removes the uncertainty, relieving the tension. So, we experience a rewarding feeling. If the incongruity is not resolved, however, humour is absent. If the answer to “Why did the golfer wear two pairs of trousers?” is “in case the metal owl that lives in his gold bag attacks him”, that’s not funny. There’s unresolved incongruity.
Humour is essentially our brain going, “This isn’t how things usually work... but I’m okay with it!”
1. What does the author say about humor in the first two paragraphs?A.Its positive role is often underrated. | B.It mainly serves to entertain and amuse. |
C.Its harmful effects shouldn’t be ignored. | D.It is essential for professional communication. |
A.To prove a theory. | B.To draw a conclusion. |
C.To illustrate a concept. | D.To make a comparison. |
A.Detected. | B.Overturned. | C.Established. | D.Repeated. |
A.How Jokes Affect Brain Structures | B.Using Humor to Boost Brain Power |
C.Jokes and the Brain’s Reward System | D.Unlocking Brain Secrets Behind Humor |
2 . As a traveler with a disability, I have always avoided cruises. This expedition-style small-ship cruise changed my mind.
When our expedition leader
In fact, the possibility of
Our visit there wasn’t about what we could do or see. It was an opportunity to just be—to exist in a brief
A.knew | B.announced | C.remembered | D.replied |
A.living | B.return | C.landing | D.mark |
A.failing | B.choosing | C.struggling | D.hoping |
A.Instead | B.Finally | C.Thus | D.Otherwise |
A.strategic | B.remote | C.favorable | D.central |
A.set foot on | B.fell victim to | C.kept track of | D.gained control of |
A.constructions | B.conditions | C.descriptions | D.distributions |
A.unwanted | B.unsecured | C.unplanned | D.unauthorized |
A.mistakenly | B.nervously | C.routinely | D.happily |
A.walk | B.flight | C.ride | D.path |
A.dampen | B.share | C.convey | D.fuel |
A.changed | B.lost | C.fought | D.made |
A.in response to | B.in view of | C.in contrast to | D.in defense of |
A.moment | B.experiment | C.glance | D.ceremony |
A.value | B.need | C.miss | D.experience |
3 . BOLOGNA CHILDREN'S BOOK FAIR ILLUSTRATORS EXHIBITION 2024-58TH EDITION
A BCBF highlight, the Illustrators Exhibition is a unique international showcase for state-of-the-art illustrations for children and young adults.
WHO CAN ENTER
Illustrators, both professionals and beginners, can enter unpublished artwork, or artwork published in the previous 2 years.
Art schools can enter the projects by students who have attended their Institute.
Publishers can enter illustrators they work with.
FEATURES OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS
Illustrators must enter their artworks exclusively online by December 31, 2023.
The 5 artworks must be based on the same theme, and must be numbered, as preferred, from 1 to 5 on the digital format file.
The 5 illustrations—5, no more, no less—may be unpublished artwork or artwork published after 1 January 2022. The work can be in black and white or colour and be produced using any technique.
The digital format must be: jpg or png, maximum size 5 MB, resolution 150 DPI.
SELECTION PROCESS
All works shall be examined by the international Jury comprising five members (from publishing houses, art schools, or illustrators) appointed by BolognaFiere. The Jury's decision shall be final.
WINNERS
Being selected will give illustrators great visibility with the publication of their works in the Illustrators Annual and the 2-year world tour of the exhibition.
Winners under 35 will automatically be shortlisted (入围) for the International Award for Illustration Bologna Children's Book Fair, which consists of a prize of 15,000 Euro and the assignment to illustrate a children's book to be published by Grupo SM, Spain.
Unpublished winners under 30 will also compete for the ARS IN FABULA scholarship, which covers the entire Masters course fee.
CONTACTS
If you have problems or need assistance: bf@archimedia. it
1. Who can submit entries to the BCBF Illustrators Exhibition 2024?A.Visitors of the exhibition. | B.Editors of publishers. |
C.Illustrators of all levels. | D.Authors of children's books. |
A.Artworks in jpg digital format. | B.Five artworks on diverse themes. |
C.Physical artworks in black and white. | D.Artworks published over 2 years ago. |
A.A 2-year global tour. | B.A cash prize of 15,000 Euro. |
C.A scholarship for further education. | D.A chance to get their works published. |
4 . At the start of my first lesson in Chinese calligraphy, my teacher told me to write my name. After I put it down, he said, plainly: “Now I will teach you how to make it beautiful.” I felt my breath catch.
Growing up in Singapore, I had an uneasy relationship with my Chinese name. My parents are ethnically Chinese but they didn’t speak Mandarin. Unfamiliar with Chinese characters, they used fortune tellers to decide my name based on the ideal number of strokes (笔画) for each character, which was calculated for the best fortune. Chinese names can be truly poetic. Not mine. Embarrassingly, the characters for my Chinese name mean, roughly, “old,” “barley” and “warm.” My personal and cultural histories were messy knots.
When I arrived in America for college at 18, I embraced critical analysis and creative expression. It felt like a way to abandon the strict formalities that defined my early years in Singapore’s high-pressure education system, and with it, perhaps, parts of my identity. Suddenly, I felt the need to present myself in a way that Americans would accept. I put on an American accent and set aside my Chinese name. Ultimately, after 14 years in the States, I decided to learn calligraphy. Why not get back in touch with my heritage? I thought.
In calligraphy, the idea is to replicate (复制) the old masters’ techniques, thereby enhancing your own. Every week, my teacher would evaluate my writing. “You need to be braver,” he once observed. “Your challenge is in producing a bold stroke.” For years, I had prided myself on developing an image of integration and confidence despite deep insecurities, but my writing betrayed me.
I had been learning calligraphy to try to get in touch with my cultural roots, but what I was really seeking was a return to myself. That first lesson came with the terrific promise that what had been shameful in myself could be made beautiful—and that I could be the one to do that work. I know now that what calligraphy teaches me is not the value of replication but the possibility that I could know myself more fully.
1. What criterion guided the selection of the author’s Chinese name?A.Poetic sound patterns. | B.Ideal symbolic images. |
C.Favorable stroke counts. | D.Positive literal meanings. |
A.To break with tradition. | B.To fit into the community. |
C.To achieve academic success. | D.To facilitate language learning. |
A.It revealed her inner self. | B.It improved her public image. |
C.It presented no challenge to her. | D.It enhanced her replication skills. |
A.Fortune favors the bold. | B.Embrace who you truly are. |
C.Our roots define our identity. | D.Planning is good, but doing is better. |
5 . As its name suggests, online therapy (心理治疗) allows people with mental health disorders to connect to a licensed therapist over the Internet. Five years ago, large scale online therapy providers started offering their services to the public.
There are a large list of benefits to this type of therapy. People who use an online therapy service frequently mention that they can manage the monthly payments, which generally do not exceed £200 per month.
For all the love online therapy has received lately, it doesn't come without its flaws. The main issues many people have with online therapy are the absence of verbal or facial cues and moral implications. Due to these reasons, professional organizations are hesitant to fully support online therapy.
There are many considerations to take into account prior to joining an online therapy platform. It's important to keep in mind that though many people are already using one of these services, it doesn't necessarily mean it's a good option for you.
A.The concept is quite simple |
B.Should you decide to join one |
C.Once the services understand a client's unique profile |
D.For those hesitant about sharing personal information online |
E.The reality is, online therapy services differ greatly in price and quality |
F.Online therapy is also known as being as effective as traditional therapy |
G.Other common concerns include legal issues and technological difficulties |
6 . For many students, math class is the subject of nightmares. Many who enthusiastically show off their counting skills in pre-school years later consider math class the most hated hour of the school day. The problem, according to a Stanford education professor, is a matter of mindset.
Jo Boaler, professor of mathematics education at Stanford, has studied how students learn math, to identify why so many students end up hating or fearing math, and, too often, underachieve. In her new book, Mathematical Mindsets, Boaler describes how society has traditionally valued one type of math learner — one who can memorize well and calculate fast — as opposed to others who have the same potential but may be deeper, slower.
The “testing culture” in American schools is a major problem for math learners, Boaler said, noting that exams and tests are far more pervasive (普遍) in math than other subjects. The combination of frequent testing, procedural teaching and uninteresting questions disconnected from students’ lives causes many students to regard math as a “cold, lifeless subject” without a human connection.
The good news is that any student’s negative perception of math can dramatically change, Boaler said. She works with Stanford psychology Professor Carol Dweck to deliver growth mindset interventions to teachers and students. A “growth mindset” is built around the idea that most basic abilities can be developed and expanded upon through dedication and hard work. By contrast, with a “fixed mindset,” people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits (特征).
“When we open up mathematics and teach broad, visual, creative math, then we teach math as a learning subject instead of as a performance subject,” Boaler said, “The outcome is that the subject becomes deeper and filled with more connections, so students enjoy it more and achieve at higher levels.”
Critics such as Marina Ratner, professor of mathematics at the University of California, express skepticism towards moving away from traditional methods. Math is math; there is no shortcut. They argue that without solid basic skills, students might struggle with subjects like algebra (代数), let alone tackling any other higher-level STEM courses.
1. What problem is presented in the text?A.Students fear math due to abstract concepts. |
B.There is a lack of standardized tests in math. |
C.Math learners focus on advanced concepts too early. |
D.Traditional math teaching discourages many students. |
A.Dynamic methods vs. standard methods. | B.Group learning vs. individual learning. |
C.Improvable abilities vs. inborn abilities. | D.Long-term results vs. short-term results. |
A.By integrating timed drills. | B.By rewarding quick calculations. |
C.By encouraging repeated reviews. | D.By employing pictures and models. |
A.Unclear. | B.Supportive. | C.Doubtful. | D.Critical. |
The motley (混杂的) looking group of eleventh graders didn’t look like any “honors” U.S. History class I’d ever imagined. They shuffled (拖着脚步走) into my classroom, which I had painstakingly decorated with Presidential portraits and colorful maps.
Fresh out of college with a degree in history, a teaching certificate, and not a lick of experience, which was what I was.
“Good morning,” I said brightly. I was greeted with vacant stares. “I am so excited to have been selected to teach this honors class,” I continued. “They usually don’t let first-year teachers do that.”
Several of the students sat up straighter and cut their eyes at each other. Too late, I wondered if I should have tried to hide the fact that I had zero teaching experience. “First off, let’s rearrange these desks,” I said. “I like lots of class discussion, so let’s put them in a big circle so we can all see each other’s faces.”
Several of the kids rolled their eyes, but they all got up and began scooting (拉) the desks out of the traditional straight rows. “Perfect! Thanks. Now, everybody choose a seat and let’s play a game. When I point to you, tell me your name. Then tell me what you hate most about history.”
Finally, some smiles. And lots more as our game progressed.
Amanda hated how history seemed to be all about war. Jose didn’t like memorizing names and dates. Gerald was convinced that nothing that had happened in the past was relevant to his life. “Why should I care about a bunch of dead white guys?” was how he put it. Caitlyn hated tricky true-or-false questions. Miranda couldn’t stand fill-in-the-blank tests.
Armed with the feedback my students had given me, I began formulating a plan. No teaching straight from the textbook for this group. No “read the chapter and answer the questions at the end” homework. These kids were bright. My honors class deserved to be taught in a way that would speak to them.
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。
Our courses were somewhat different from traditional ones.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________During our final workday, the principal called me into her office for my end-of-the-year evaluation.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1.活动过程;
2.个人感受。
注意:
1.写作词数应为80左右;
2.题目已为你写好。
A Career Exploration Activity
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Qingtuan, or sweet green rice balls, is
Qingtuan
With some soda
The green rice balls can have various fillings, most traditionally being sesame (芝麻) or bean paste. But nowadays some people also make
10 . While many of us may have been away somewhere nice last summer, few would say that we’ve “summered.” “Summer” is clearly a noun, more precisely, a verbed noun.
Way back in our childhood, we all learned the difference between a noun and a verb. With such a tidy definition, it was easy to spot the difference. Not so in adulthood, where we are expected to “foot” bills, “chair” committees, and “dialogue” with political opponents. Chances are that you didn’t feel uncomfortable about the sight of those verbed nouns.
“The verbing of nouns is as old as the English language,” says Patricia O’Conner, a former editor at The New York Times Book Review. Experts estimate that 20 percent of all English verbs were originally nouns. And the phenomenon seems to be snowballing. Since 1900, about 40 percent of all new verbs have come from nouns.
Even though conversion (转化) is quite universal, plenty of grammarians object to the practice. Some most leading experts, William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White, in The Elements of Style—the Bible for the use of American English—have this to say: “Many nouns lately have been pressed into service as verbs. Not all are bad, but all are questionable.” The Chicago Manual of Style takes a similar standpoint, advising writers to use verbs with great care.
“Sometimes people object to a new verb because they resist what is unfamiliar to them,” says O’Conner. That’s why we’re comfortable “hosting” a party, but we might feel upset by the thought of “medaling” in sports. So are there any rules for verbing? Benjamin Dreyer, copy chief at Random House, doesn’t offer a rule, but suggests that people think twice about “verbifying” a noun if it’s easily replaceable by an already existing popular verb. Make sure it’s descriptive but not silly-sounding, he says.
In the end, however, style is subjective. Easy conversion of nouns to verbs has been part of English grammar for centuries; it is one of the processes that make English “English”. Not every coined word passes into general use, but as for trying to end verbing altogether, forget it.
1. What can we learn about the verbing of nouns?A.It hasn’t recently been opposed by many grammarians. |
B.It is more commonly accepted by children than adults. |
C.It hasn’t been a rare phenomenon in the past century. |
D.It can be easily replaced by existing verbs in practice. |
A.Cautious | B.Objective. |
C.Optimistic. | D.Unconcerned. |
A.Predictable. | B.Practicable. |
C.Approaching. | D.Impossible. |
A.Are 40 Percent of all new verbs from nouns? |
B.Are Summering and Medaling Annoying? |
C.Are You Comfortable about a New Verb? |
D.Are There Any Rules for Verbing? |