1 . Here are some habits to help you enjoy a longer and better life.
Eat better. You don’t have to adopt some crazy diet or give up all sweets. Instead, try to eat a few more vegetables and fruits.
Check with your doctor. When you feel good, it’s easy to avoid going to the doctor. No matter how you feel, though, it’s a good idea to visit your doctor for an annual check up.
Keep moving. Exercise lowers blood pressure, controls our weight, strengthens our bones and muscles, reduces our risk for cancers, and improves mood. Some research also says it has the power to keep us young. Physical activities including exercises can improve our flexibility, strength and balance.
A.Do volunteer work |
B.Connect with people |
C.You can also eat more whole foods |
D.You don’t have to take up running marathons . |
E.They not only have health benefits, but taste good |
F.The doctor will most likely carry out some routine tests |
G.Each of these tests can help identify any potential problems |
2 . In our information-driven society, shaping our worldview through the media is similar to forming an opinion about someone solely based on a picture of their foot. While the media might not deliberately deceive us, it often fails to provide a comprehensive view of reality.
Consequently, the question arises: Where, then, shall we get our information from if not from the media? Who can we trust? How about experts—people who devote their working lives to understanding their chosen slice of the world? However, even experts can fall prey to the allure of oversimplification, leading to the “single perspective instinct” that hampers(阻碍)our ability to grasp the intricacies of the world.
Simple ideas can be appealing because they offer a sense of understanding and certainty. And it is easy to take off down a slippery slope, from one attention-grabbing simple idea to a feeling that this idea beautifully explains, or is the beautiful solution for, lots of other things. The world becomes simple that way.
Yet, when we embrace a singular cause or solution for all problems, we risk oversimplifying complex issues. For instance, championing the concept of equality may lead us to view all problems through the lens of inequality and see resource distribution as the sole panacea. However, such rigidity prevents us from seeing the multidimensional nature of challenges and hinders true comprehension of reality. This “single perspective instinct” ultimately clouds our judgment and restricts our capacity to tackle complex issues effectively.
It saves a lot of time to think like this. You can have opinions and answers without having to learn about a problem from scratch and you can get on with using your brain for other tasks. But it’s not so useful if you like to understand the world. Being always in favor of or always against any particular idea makes you blind to information that doesn’t fit your perspective. This is usually a bad approach if you would like to understand reality.
Instead, constantly test your favorite ideas for weaknesses. Be humble about the extent of your expertise. Be curious about new information that doesn’t fit, and information from other fields. And rather than talking only to people who agree with you, or collecting examples that fit your ideas, consult people who contradict you, disagree with you, and put forward different ideas as a great resource for understanding the world. I have been wrong about the world so many times. Sometimes, coming up against reality is what helps me see my mistakes, but often it is talking to, and trying to understand, someone with different ideas.
If this means you don’t have time to form so many opinions, so what? Wouldn’t you rather have few opinions that are right than many that are wrong?
1. What does the underlined word “allure” in Para.2 probably mean?A.Temptation. | B.Tradition. | C.Convenience. | D.Consequence. |
A.They meet people’s demand for high efficiency. |
B.They generate a sense of complete understanding. |
C.They are raised and supported by multiple experts. |
D.They reflect the opinions of like-minded individuals. |
A.Simplifying matters releases energy for human brains. |
B.Constant tests on our ideas help make up for our weakness. |
C.A well-founded opinion counts more than many shallow ones. |
D.People who disagree with us often have comprehensive views. |
A.Embracing Disagreement: Refusing Overcomplexity |
B.Simplifying Information: Enhancing Comprehension |
C.Understanding Differences: Establishing Relationships |
D.Navigating Complexity: Challenging Oversimplification |
3 . Gardeners who use pesticides are contributing to the decline of British songbirds, a study suggests. Scientists have urged people to stop “spraying their gardens with poisons” in order to halt bird decline and adopt instead wildlife-friendly practices. The results of the University of Sussex study, which researchers call the first of its kind, were published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.
The experiment, which surveyed 615 gardens in Britain, found 25% fewer house sparrows when glyphosate (草甘膦) was used regularly. This is an ingredient found in commonly used herbicide (除草剂) brands such as Roundup or Gallup. Slug pellets (鼻涕虫杀虫剂) also seemed to have an impact on bird sightings; in gardens where Slug pellets were used, house sparrow numbers were down by almost 40%.
Prof. Dave Goulson, of the school of life sciences at the University of Sussex, said, “The UK has 22 million gardens, which collectively could be a fantastic refuge for wildlife, but not if they are overly tidy and sprayed with poisons. We just don’t need pesticides in our gardens. Many towns around the world are now pesticide free. We should simply ban the use of these poisons in urban areas, following the example of France.” The Royal Horticultural Society, the UK’s leading gardening charity, said the use of pesticides and herbicides should be avoided if possible and they should only be used, if ever, in small and targeted applications.
The research also found that those who adopted wildlife-friendly practices such as planting native shrubs and flowers, or digging a wildlife pond, saw more birds than those who did not. Cannelle Tassin de Montaigu, a PhD researcher within the school of life sciences and an author of the study, said, “It’s encouraging to find that simple measures, such as planting native shrubs and trees and creating a pond, together with avoiding the use of pesticides, really make a measurable difference to the number of birds you will see in your garden.”
1. What does the underlined word “halt” in paragraph 1 most probably mean?A.Stop. | B.Attract. | C.Note. | D.Witness. |
A.To reveal the severe influence of pesticides on birds. |
B.To compare the effects of two kinds of pesticides. |
C.To convince readers of the importance of house sparrows. |
D.To help gardeners choose the proper pesticides. |
A.The ideal places for wildlife in the UK are extremely tidy gardens. |
B.The gardens in the UK are so tidy that pesticides are not needed. |
C.Pesticides should be prohibited from use throughout the UK. |
D.Some countries like France have made urban areas pesticide free. |
A.Alternative methods to keep gardens tidy. |
B.Assistant ways to increase the number of birds. |
C.Gardeners’ attitudes towards the experiment. |
D.Other researchers’ interest in the experiment. |
4 . It’s school time again! You’re probably feeling excited and maybe a little sad that summer is over. Some kids feel nervous or a little scared on the first day of school because of all the new things: new teachers, new friends, and even a new school. Luckily, these “new” worries only stick around for a little while. Let’s find out more about going to a new school.
Most teachers kick off the new school year by introducing themselves and talking about all the stuff you’ll be doing that year. Some teachers give students a chance to tell something about themselves to the rest of the class, too. When teachers do the talking on the first day, they often go over classroom rules and school rules so you’ll know what’s allowed and what’s not. Please pay close attention.
You might already know a lot of people in your classes on the first day, but it’s a great day to make a new friend, so try to say hello to kids you know and new ones that you don’t. Make the first move and you’ll be glad you did, and so will your new friend!
Seeing friends you haven’t seen for some time can make the first day a good one. You can make the day feel special by wearing clothes that you really like. Maybe you got a great T-shirt on one of your vacations, or a pair of sneakers (运动鞋). It also can make you feel good to be prepared and have all the things you need, such as pencils, folders, and whatever else you’ll be needing. But make sure that you pack them the night before in case you don’t have time in the morning.
1. The underlined phrase “kick off” in the second paragraph probably means “________”.A.start | B.study | C.find | D.learn |
A.what to know about a new school | B.how to prepare for a new school |
C.what to do on your first day of school | D.how to spend your first day of school |
A.introduce yourself | B.learn about the school rules |
C.make new friends | D.go over your lessons |
A.nervous | B.mad | C.happy | D.upset |
5 . Online marketing means advertising and marketing using the Internet to drive sales of a product or service.
Write a blog.
If you have a business, consider starting a blog as part of your marketing plan.
Video is so popular because it’s interesting and allows people to get information and entertainment that’s easy to digest. You can produce creative videos that educate your customers about your products. Also, promote your videos across several social media channels.
Write e-books.
Teach an online course.
Teach a class in your specialty (专长).
A.Create videos |
B.Learn the definition of online marketing |
C.You can teach the class in person, or you can offer it online |
D.The following are four online marketing methods for you to choose from |
E.You can write how-to articles, product reviews and posts about upcoming events |
F.Research has shown that readers remember more information from paper books than e-books |
G.E-books can help you build your brand and offer valuable information to your target audience |
6 . Charlie Chaplin, British comedian, producer, writer, director and composer, is widely regarded as the greatest comic artist of the screen and one of the most important figures in the film history.
Chaplin was named after his father, a British entertainer. He spent his early childhood with his mother, the singer Hannah Hall, after she and his father separated, and took the place of his mentally unstable mother to appear on the stage. However, he and his mother soon separated from each other because the sick Hall was sent to a hospital. Then, Charlie was sent to a series of boarding schools.
Using his mother’s show-business contacts, Charlie became a professional entertainer in 1897 when he joined the Eight Lancashire Lads, a dancing act.
His early stage characters include a small role in William Gillette’s Sherlock Holmes (1899). While touring America with the Karno company in 1913, Chaplin was signed to appear in Mack Sennett’s Keystone comedy films. Though Making a Living (1914) was not the failure that historians have claimed, Chaplin’s first screen character did not show him to best advantage.
To come up with a more-workable screen image, Chaplin created an outfit consisting of a too-small coat, too-large pants and a walking stick. As a finishing touch,he put on a mustache (胡子). It was in his second Keystone film, Kid Auto Races at Venice (1914), that Chaplin’s classic screen character, “the Little Tramp (流浪汉)”,was born.
In truth, Chaplin did not always portray a tramp; in many of his films his character was employed as a waiter,store clerk, stagehand, fireman,and the like. But the Tramp’s attraction was universal: audiences loved his cheekiness (厚脸皮), unexpected bravery and especially his recovery in the face of difficulties which moved the audience most. Some historians have traced the Tramp’s origins to Chaplin’s Dickensian childhood, while others have suggested that the character had its roots in the motto (座右铭) of Chaplin’s teacher, Fred Karno: “Keep it eager, gentlemen, keep it eager.” Whatever the case, within months after his movie was on, Chaplin was the screen’s biggest star.
1. Which word best describes Chaplin’s early life?A.Carefree. | B.Struggling. | C.Simple. | D.Boring. |
A.His further study in an art school. |
B.His performances in another country. |
C.His mother’s serious health problem. |
D.His father’s disapproval of their meeting. |
A.His early works. | B.His main character. |
C.The reasons for his success. | D.His relationship with others. |
A.His action with a walking stick. |
B.His unique and serious appearance. |
C.His special learning experience. |
D.His ability to recover from difficulties. |
7 . When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, we had a milkman delivering milk to our doorstep. His name was Mr. Basille. He wore a white cap and drove a white truck. As a 5-year-old boy, I couldn’t take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt. He noticed this one day during a delivery and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer.
Of course, he delivered more than milk. There was cheese, eggs and so on. If we needed to change our order, my mother would pen a note — “Please add a bottle of buttermilk next delivery” — and place it in the box along with the empty bottles. And then, the buttermilk would magically (魔术般) appear.
All of this was about more than convenience. There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen. Mr. Basille even had a key to our house, for those times when it was so cold outside that we put the box indoors, so that the milk wouldn’t freeze. And I remember Mr. Basille from time to time taking a break at our kitchen table, having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery.
There is sadly no home milk delivery today. Big companies allowed the production of cheaper milk, thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete. Besides, milk is for sale everywhere, and it may just not have been practical to have a delivery service.
Recently, an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories. I took it home and planted it on the back porch (门廊) . Every so often my son’s friends will ask what it is. So I start telling stories of my boyhood, and of the milkman who brought us friendship along with his milk.
1. Mr. Basille gave the boy a quarter out of his coin changer to __________.A.show his magical power | B.pay for the delivery |
C.satisfy his curiosity | D.please his mother |
A.He wanted to have tea there. | B.He was a respectable person. |
C.He was treated as a family member. | D.He was fully trusted by the family. |
A.Nobody wants to be a milkman now. | B.It has been driven out of the market. |
C.Its service is getting poor. | D.It is not allowed by law. |
A.He missed the good old days. | B.He wanted to tell interesting stories. |
C.He needed it for his milk bottles. | D.He planted flowers in it. |
You probably have ever been warned against using certain hand gestures when
Mark Mofftt, author of The Human Suarm, describes our need to belong to a certain group. We are
Humans gravitate (吸引) to those people who are
Outsiders to our group
There are many things help us identify these strangers or outsiders-the clothes they wear and the way they speak. Now, experts know that their body language is also an indicator. In our ancestors’ times, knowing
When Beethoven was only four, his father decided to make him a musician. Beethoven was made to practice
However, this didn’t stop Beethoven. During his life, he composed about 30 pieces of music. It is
10 . Wonderful trip around the Mediterranean
Days 1-2 Barcelona, SpainDiscover the interesting buildings, Catalan culture and Gothic Quarter in Gaudi’s city of Barcelona.
Day 3 Board Regal Princess
Day 4 Relaxing at sea
Day 5 Gibraltar
You’ve got a full day to get to know this British territory (领土), home to many cultures. Choose to ride the cable car (缆车) for great views of the Rock of Gibraltar or discover the beautiful lighthouse.
Day 6 Relaxing at seaDay 7 Marseille, France
Enjoy a full day discovering all that Provence has to offer — flower fields, fishing boats or Roman ruins (遗迹). City or countryside, you decide.
Day 8 Genoa, ItalyGet to know this busy town by walking through the wonderful streets and piazzas (public squares, especially in an Italian town).
Day 9 Florence / PisaChoose to visit wonderful wineries (酒庄) in Tuscany or the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa on your last day in Italy.
Day 10 Disembark (下船) Regal PrincessGo to the airport for your flight home.
Your holiday includes• Direct flights
• 2 nights 4 star Barcelona hotel incl breakfast
• 7 nights aboard Regal Princess
• Private guide
10 day holiday from
Single room £1,199
Mini double room £1,949
1. What can a visitor do on Day 5?
A.See a lighthouse. | B.Go rock climbing. |
C.Enjoy Catalan food. | D.Visit the English countryside. |
A.One day. | B.Two days. | C.Three days. | D.Eight days. |
A.A tour diary. | B.A business report. |
C.A travel magazine. | D.A geography textbook. |