1 . Four of the Most Comfortable Hotels in Boston
Sonder 907 MainAcross the Charles River in Cambridge, this brownstone has generous rooms at generous prices. Check-in is done via your phone, which then becomes the room key for your stay. All rooms are private, including the bathrooms. No hotel staff are on site before 8 am or after 6 pm, and there’s no breakfast. Rooms: From $55.
The Farrington InnNeed a room for less than 100 bucks? The Farrington Inn, located in the student-favored area of Allston, will see you through. The bathrooms are shared, but for your money you get all you need, such as a double bed, TV, dresser, hairdryer, towels and free Wifi. Check-in is done at the reception desk. If you stay longer than five days, you’ll get a room with a small kitchen too (or access to the shared kitchen). Rooms: From $65.
The NewburyHidden in plain sight opposite the city’s lush Public Garden, this grand hotel brings warmth and tranquility (安宁) to every space, all dark wood and leather sofas. The beloved hotel has served a who’s who of guests over the last century, from the Duke and Duchess of Windsor to author Tennessee Williams, who wrote part of A Streetcar Named Desire while living at the hotel. Rooms: From $490.
The Langham BostonHoused in Boston’s former Federal Reserve Bank, the hotel was injected an element of fun and colour, most noticeably through the hotel’s art collection, which pays respects to the building’s heritage. Visitors will find more than 300 pieces on display and rotated (轮换) every four months to keep things fresh. Rooms: From $405.
1. What do Sonder 907 Main and The Farrington Inn have in common?| A．They both have shared bathrooms. |
| B．They are both suitable for bargain hunters. |
| C．They both require self-service check-in. |
| D．They both offer breakfast. |
| A．Sonder 907 Main. | B．The Farrington Inn. | C．The Newbury. | D．The Langham Boston. |
| A．It houses some artworks. |
| B．It pays respects to its architectural designer. |
| C．It has a wide range of guest rooms. |
| D．It is open for four months every year. |
2 . Most of us have at least a few prized possessions we’d have trouble letting go of. But those with a hoarding (囤积) disorder are forced to hold onto their belongings, even when doing so means severely messy surroundings that decrease their quality of life and threaten their safety through the risk of fire or personal injury.
The hoarding disorder is an under-recognized condition. “People with a hoarding disorder are often hesitant to seek or stay in treatment because of anxiety,” says Marla Deibler, a clinical psychologist based in Princeton, New Jersey. Now scientists at Stanford University are exploring a new treatment to help individuals with a hoarding disorder.
The recent pilot study shows that therapy powered by a virtual reality headset and handheld controllers can help those who hoard to practice letting go of their possessions using a simulation (模拟) of their homes before they clean the space in real life.
The study was conducted over 16 weeks and allowed its participants — all diagnosed with a hoarding disorder — to enter virtual models of their homes to practice sorting and discarding (丢弃) items which they found hard to part with. The virtual layout of their homes and possessions are created with photos uploaded to create a 3D simulation, so the items are known and valued by each participant before they practice throwing them out.
“78% of the participants noted virtual reality contributed to their motivation in increasing real-life discarding,” says Carolyn Rodriguez, the lead author of the study. “Such results are promising, especially when the study’s participants ranged in age from 60 to 73 years old — the group in which hoarding is most common.”
The Stanford study builds on work done at the University of Chicago, published in 2020, which also showed that individuals struggling with a hoarding disorder were motivated to have a clean environment by using virtual reality to explore their homes. The uniqueness of the Stanford research, however, lies in the opportunity it has provided for participants to take part in the discarding process — a crucial step in emotionally separating themselves from each item.
1. What do we know about the people with hoarding disorder?| A．They always keep their valuables safe. |
| B．They are longing for proper treatment. |
| C．They rarely spend quality time with their families. |
| D．They are overly attached to their belongings. |
| A．The significance of the study. | B．The details of the study. |
| C．The purpose of the study. | D．The application of the study. |
| A．Approving. | B．Dismissive. | C．Concerned. | D．Neutral. |
| A．Increasing their motivation to clean their houses. |
| B．Offering them a chance to explore their homes. |
| C．Involving them in a clean-up with virtual reality. |
| D．Providing an opportunity to strengthen emotional bonds. |
Kevin and I were friends in the elementary school. As top students, both of us sat in the front of the class, but in opposite sides. He was the smartest boy I’d ever known, who almost always got A+ in assignments. Actually, I was second only to him. Part of me wanted to hate him, but I couldn’t. After all, we were close companions. Instead, I envied him and longed with all my heart to be just like him.
Mrs. Becker, our teacher, was a patient, kind old lady. She would flash a pleasant smile, when the class got into an argument, and patiently guide us toward the correct answer. Last week, Mrs. Becker, put a big circle on the blackboard and said it was a pizza pie. “David,” she said to me. “If I were to divide the pizza, would you like one-third or one-tenth?” Ten is the bigger number, so that’s what I picked. At that moment, Kevin started waving his hand in the air, shouting that he chose one-third. Mrs. Becker drew lines on the circle, showing that Kevin’s piece of the pie was bigger than, mine. “David’s gonna get hungry,” Kevin joked. Then the whole class was laughing. My expression changed from a half smile, to a half frown, to one hundred percent unhappy face.
With a mixture of bitterness and envy slipping into my heart, I began to argue with him on purpose during the rest of class. Thus, a heated argument unavoidably broke out when a controversial topic appeared. After hearing our separate statements patiently, Mrs. Becker brought us up to the front of the class and placed Kevin on one side of her desk and me on the other. In the middle of her desk was a large, round object. I could clearly see that it was black. She asked Kevin what color the object was. “White,” he answered. “I couldn’t believe he said the object was white, when it was obviously black!” Another argument started between us, but this time about the color of the object. Mrs. Becker smiled gently. She explained that the object was actually a sphere with half black and half white, demonstrating the importance of perspective and understanding before jumping to conclusions.
1. Who is Kevin and what was his relationship with me? (use less than 20 words)2. Why couldn’t I just hate Kevin completely? (use less than 10 words)
3. Describe my personalities with two adjectives (2 words)
4. How did I feel when I was joked by Kevin in class? (use less than 5 words)
5. What can you learn from the story? (use less than 20 words)
All the people present at the meeting urged that
In the past two years, we
Though
Only if
