1 . As an artist who shares her journey on social media, I’m often asked by curious followers how to begin an art journey. Unfortunately, there is no magic list I can offer. I do remember, though, what it was like to be a complete beginner. So I’ve put together some good tips for starting an art journey.
·Start small. I suggest using a sketchbook (素描本) for small studies. These small studies provide inspiration and may be a springboard for more complex works in the future.
·Paint often and paint from life. There’s no better way to improve than to put in those brush miles. Whether you paint still lifes, portraits, or landscapes, paint from life as much as possible.
·Continually challenge yourself to try something new.
·
The journey you’re on won’t follow a straight path.
| A．Get out of your comfort zone. |
| B．Make career plans and set goals. |
| C．Don’t throw away your beginner art. |
| D．Share your work if you feel comfortable doing so. |
| E．You’ll hit roadblocks, and you’ll feel discouraged at times. |
| F．Evaluate your performance and, if needed, redefine your role. |
| G．You’ll develop that painting muscle memory that only comes with repetition. |
2 . Popularization has in some cases changed the original meaning of emotional (情感的) intelligence. Many people now misunderstand emotional intelligence as almost everything desirable in a person's makeup that cannot be measured by an IQ test, such as character, motivation, confidence, mental stability, optimism and “people skills.” Research has shown that emotional skills may contribute to some of these qualities, but most of them move far beyond skill-based emotional intelligence.
We prefer to describe emotional intelligence as a specific set of skills that can be used for either good or bad purposes. The ability to accurately understand how others are feeling may be used by a doctor to find how best to help her patients, while a cheater might use it to control potential victims. Being emotionally intelligent does not necessarily make one a moral person.
Although popular beliefs regarding emotional intelligence run far ahead of what research can reasonably support, the overall effects of the publicity have been more beneficial than harmful. The most positive aspect of this popularization is a new and much needed emphasis (重视) on emotion by employers, educators and others interested in promoting social well-being. The popularization of emotional intelligence has helped both the public and researchers re-evaluate the functionality of emotions and how they serve people adaptively in everyday life.
Although the continuing popular appeal of emotional intelligence is desirable, we hope that such attention will excite a greater interest in the scientific and scholarly study of emotion. It is our hope that in coming decades, advances in science will offer new perspectives (视角) from which to study how people manage their lives. Emotional intelligence, with its focus on both head and heart, may serve to point us in the right direction.
1. What is a common misunderstanding of emotional intelligence?| A．It can be measured by an IQ test. | B．It helps to exercise a person’s mind. |
| C．It includes a set of emotional skills. | D．It refers to a person’s positive qualities. |
| A．To explain a rule. | B．To clarify a concept. |
| C．To present a fact. | D．To make a prediction. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Intolerant. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Its appeal to the public. | B．Expectations for future studies. |
| C．Its practical application. | D．Scientists with new perspectives. |
3 . Sitting in the garden for my friend’s birthday. I felt a buzz (振动) in my pocket. My heart raced when I saw the email sender’s name. The email started off: “Dear Mr Green, thank you for your interest” and “the review process took longer than expected.” It ended with “We are sorry to inform you…” and my vision blurred (模糊). The position—measuring soil quality in the Sahara Desert as part of an undergraduate research programme — had felt like the answer I had spent years looking for.
I had put so much time and emotional energy into applying, and I thought the rejection meant the end of the road for my science career.
So I was shocked when, not long after the email, Professor Mary Devon, who was running the programme, invited me to observe the work being done in her lab. I jumped at the chance, and a few weeks later I was equally shocked—and overjoyed—when she invited me to talk with her about potential projects I could pursue in her lab. What she proposed didn’t seem as exciting as the original project I had applied to, but I was going to give it my all.
I found myself working with a robotics professor on techniques for collecting data from the desert remotely. That project, which I could complete from my sofa instead of in the burning heat of the desert, not only survived the lockdown but worked where traditional methods didn’t. In the end, I had a new scientific interest to pursue.
When I applied to graduate school, I found three programmes promising to allow me to follow my desired research direction. And I applied with the same anxious excitement as before. When I was rejected from one that had seemed like a perfect fit, it was undoubtedly difficult. But this time I had the perspective (视角) to keep it from sending me into panic. It helped that in the end I was accepted into one of the other programmes I was also excited about.
Rather than setting plans in stone, I’ve learned that sometimes I need to take the opportunities that are offered, even if they don’t sound perfect at the time, and make the most of them.
1. How did the author feel upon seeing the email sender’s name?| A．Anxious. | B．Angry. | C．Surprised. | D．Settled. |
| A．criticise the review process | B．stay longer in the Sahara Desert |
| C．apply to the original project again | D．put his heart and soul into the lab work |
| A．demanding | B．inspiring | C．misleading | D．amusing |
| A．An invitation is a reputation. | B．An innovation is a resolution. |
| C．A rejection can be a redirection. | D．A reflection can be a restriction. |
4 . It’s a joyful and stressful time of year in the United States for students and their families as they make decisions about where to attend college. Families often turn to rankings systems to help make a decision.
When I talk to families as a scholar of higher education, they’re often surprised that teaching excellence is not counted in rankings.
Emerging research suggests that courses in lower-ranked universities, on average, scored higher on teaching than courses in higher-ranked universities.
Rankings, however, are only one reason why a low value is placed on teaching in higher education. Administrators often don’t view teaching excellence as a way to increase enrolment (注册) or funding.
What should students and their families do? They should give strong consideration to universities where high-quality teaching is valued, even though the schools may be ranked lower.
| A．Higher education has achieved its true potential. |
| B．Therefore, it’s not highly valued in hiring or promotion. |
| C．Quality teaching has been an important reputation-building factor. |
| D．However, the rankings ignore a critical factor: the quality of teaching. |
| E．Efforts to improve teaching at the university level have recently emerged. |
| F．They’re even more surprised at how teaching is undervalued by universities. |
| G．In fact, universities often shift emphasis from teaching to other ranking factors. |
5 . An Australian professor is developing a robot to monitor the health of grazing cattle, a development that could bring big changes to a profession that's relied largely on a low-tech approach for decades but is facing a labor shortage.
Salah Sukkarieh, a professor at the University of Sydney, sees robots as necessary given how cattlemen are aging. He is building a four-wheeled robot that will run on solar and electric power. It will use cameras and sensors to monitor the animals. A computer system will analyze the video to determine whether a cow is sick. Radio tags (标签) on the animals will measure temperature changes. The quality of grassland will be tracked by monitoring the shape, color and texture (质地) of grass. That way, cattlemen will know whether they need to move their cattle to another field for nutrition purposes.
Machines have largely taken over planting, watering and harvesting crops such as com and wheat, but the monitoring of cattle has gone through fewer changes.
For Texas cattleman Pete Bonds, it's increasingly difficult to find workers interested in watching cattle. But Bonds doesn't believe a robot is right for the job. Years of experience in the industry - and failed attempts to use technology - have convinced him that the best way to check cattle is with a man on a horse. Bonds, who bought his first cattle almost 50 years ago, still has each of his cowboys inspect 300 or 400 cattle daily and look for signs that an animal is getting sick.
Other cattlemen see more promise in robots. Michael Kelsey Paris, vice president of the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association, said a robot could be extremely useful given rising concerns about cattle theft. Cattle tend to be kept in remote places and their value has risen, making them appealing targets.
1. What is a problem with the cattle-raising industry?| A．Soil pollution. | B．Lack of workers. |
| C．Aging machines. | D．Low profitability. |
| A．Monitor the quality of grass. | B．Cure the diseased cattle. |
| C．Move cattle to another field. | D．Predict weather changes. |
| A．He wants to help them earn a living. | B．He thinks men can do the job better. |
| C．He is inexperienced in using robots. | D．He enjoys the traditional way of life. |
| A．Increase the value of cattle. | B．Bring down the cost of labor. |
| C．Make the job more appealing. | D．Keep cattle from being stolen. |
6 . For nearly a decade now, Merebeth has been a self-employed pet transport specialist. Her pet transport job was born of the financial crisis(危机)in the late 2000s. The downturn hit the real estate (房地产)firm where she had worked for ten years as an office manager. The firm went broke and left her looking for a new job. One day, while driving near her home, she saw a dog wandering on the road, clearly lost. She took it home, and her sister in Denver agreed to take it. This was a loving home for sure, but 1, 600 miles away. It didn’t take long for Merebeth to decide to drive the dog there herself. It was her first road trip to her new job.
Merebeth’s pet delivery service also satisfies her wanderlust. It has taken her to every state in the US except Montana, Washington and Oregon, she says proudly. If she wants to visit a new place, she will simply find a pet with transport needs there. She travels in all weathers. She has driven through 55 mph winds in Wyoming, heavy flooding and storms in Alabama and total whiteout conditions in Kansas.
This wanderlust is inherited from her father, she says. She moved their family from Canada to California when she was one year old, because he wanted them to explore a new place together. As soon as she graduated from high school she left home to live on Catalina Island off the Californian coast, away from her parents, where she enjoyed a life of sailing and off-road biking.
It turns out that pet transporting pays quite well at about $30, 000 per year before tax. She doesn’t work in summer, as it would be unpleasantly hot for the animals in the car, even with air conditioning. As autumn comes, she gets restless—the same old wanderlust returning. It’s a call she must heed alone, though. Merebeth says, “When I am on the road, I’m just in my own world. I’ve always been independent-spirited and I just feel strongly that I must help animals.”
1. Why did Merebeth changed her job?| A．She wanted to work near her home. |
| B．She was tired of working in the office. |
| C．Her sister asked her to move to Denver. |
| D．Her former employer was out of business. |
| A．make money. | B．try various jobs. |
| C．be close to nature. | D．travel to different places. |
| A．She has chances to see rare animals. |
| B．She works hard throughout the year. |
| C．She relies on herself the whole time. |
| D．She earns a basic and tax-free salary. |
7 . Things to Do in Yorkshire This Summer
Harrogate Music Festival
Since its birth, Harrogate Music Festival has gone from strength to strength. This year, we are celebrating our 50th anniversary. We begin on 1st June with Manchester Camerata and Nicola Benedetti, presenting an amazing programme of Mozart pieces.
Dates:1 June-31 July
Tickets:£12-£96
Jodie's Fitness Summer Classes
As the summer months roll in, our Georgian country estate makes the perfect setting for an outdoor fitness session. Come and work out with our qualified personal trainer, Jodie McGregor, on the grounds of the Middleton Lodge estate.
We will be holding a free taster session on 23rd May, at 10 am, to demonstrate the variety of effective and active exercises. There are eight spaces available for the taster session. Advance bookings are required (info@middletonlodge.co.uk)
Dates:23 May-11 July
Tickets: £7.50 per session
Felt Picture Making
Working from an inspirational picture, this workshop at Helmsley Arts Centre will teach you the techniques you will need to recreate your picture in wool.
We will also discuss the origins of felt, what enables wool fibres to become felt and how the processes we use work.
Dates: 12 June-12 July
Tickets: £40 including materials
Figure It Out!-Playing with Math
A new exhibition in Halifax uses everyday activities to explain the hidden math principles we all use on a regular basis. Pack a bag, cut a cake, guess which juice container holds the most liquid, and much more. Discover how architects, product designers and scientists use similar skills in their work.
Dates:7 May-10 June
Tickets: Free
1. What should you do if you want to attend the taster session of Jodie's fitness classes?| A．Join a fitness club. | B．Pay a registration fee. |
| C．Make a booking. | D．Hire a personal trainer. |
| A．£7.50. | B．£12. | C．£40. | D．£96. |
| A．Harrogate Music Festival. | B．Jodie's Fitness Summer Classes. |
| C．Felt Picture Making. | D．Figure It Out!-Playing with Math. |
8 . The International Olympic Committee(IOC)Young Leaders programme empowers talents to make a positive difference in their communities through sport. Twenty-five Young Leaders are being selected every two years for a four-year period. They promote the Olympic values, spreading the message of sport for good.
To be an IOC Young Leader, you need to first complete the 4-Week Learning Sprint (冲刺).
4-Week Learning Sprint
The 4-Week Learning Sprint, which will take place during November 2023, is a virtual learning programme. The sessions can be attended live or watched back after they are made available on the IOC channel. Each week, participants will be asked to complete a topic﹣specific reflection task.
The 4-Week Learning Sprint is open to anyone, with the target audience aged between 20 and 28.
After successfully completing the 4-Week Learning Sprint, you will need to submit a plan for a sport﹣based project, which you will work on if selected as an IOC Young Leader.
Requirements for the Applicants
•You have successfully completed the 4-Week Learning Sprint.
•You have completed your high school studies.
•You have at least one year of work experience.
•You have strong public speaking skills.
•You are self-motivated and committed.
•You are passionate about creating positive change in your community.
•You are open to being coached and advised by experts and peers (同伴).
•You are able to work with people from different backgrounds.
1. In the 4-Week Learning Sprint, participants will ________.| A．create change in their community | B．attend a virtual learning programme |
| C．meet people from different backgrounds | D．promote the IOC Young Leaders project |
| A．complete a reflection task each week | B．watch sports on the IOC channel |
| C．work on a sport-based project | D．coach and advise their peers |
| A．Spreading the message of sport for good. | B．Having at least one-year work experience. |
| C．Showing great passion for project planning. | D．Committing themselves to becoming an expert. |
9 . Quantum ( 量子 ) computers have been on my mind a lot lately. A friend has been sending me articles on how quantum computers might help solve some of the biggest challenges we face as humans. I’ve also had exchanges with two quantum-computing experts. One is computer scientist Chris Johnson who I see as someone who helps keep the field honest. The other is physicist Philip Taylor.
For decades, quantum computing has been little more than a laboratory curiosity. Now, big tech companies have invested in quantum computing, as have many smaller ones. According to Business Weekly, quantum machines could help us “cure cancer, and even take steps to turn climate change in the opposite direction.” This is the sort of hype ( 炒作 ) that annoys Johnson. He worries that researchers are making promises they can’t keep. “What’s new,” Johnson wrote, “is that millions of dollars are now potentially available to quantum computing researchers.”
As quantum computing attracts more attention and funding, researchers may mislead investors, journalists, the public and, worst of all, themselves about their work’s potential. If researchers can’t keep their promises, excitement might give way to doubt, disappointment and anger, Johnson warns. Lots of other technologies have gone through stages of excitement. But something about quantum computing makes it especially prone to hype, Johnson suggests, perhaps because “‘quantum’ stands for something cool you shouldn’t be able to understand.” And that brings me back to Taylor, who suggested that I read his book Q for Quantum.
After I read the book, Taylor patiently answered my questions about it. He also answered my questions about PyQuantum, the firm he co-founded in 2016. Taylor shares Johnson’s concerns about hype, but he says those concerns do not apply to PyQuantum.
The company, he says, is closer than any other firm “by a very large margin ( 幅度 )” to building a “useful” quantum computer, one that “solves an impactful problem that we would not have been able to solve otherwise.” He adds, “People will naturally discount my opinions, but I have spent a lot of time quantitatively comparing what we are doing with others.”
Could PyQuantum really be leading all the competition “by a wide margin”, as Taylor claims? I don’t know. I’m certainly not going to advise my friend or anyone else to invest in quantum computers. But I trust Taylor, just as I trust Johnson.
1. Regarding Johnson’s concerns, the author feels ________.| A．sympathetic | B．unconcerned | C．doubtful | D．excited |
| A．His dominance in physics. | B．The competition in the field. |
| C．His confidence in PyQuantum. | D．The investment of tech companies. |
| A．Open. | B．Cool. | C．Useful. | D．Resistant. |
| A．Is Johnson More Competent Than Taylor? |
| B．Is Quantum Computing Redefining Technology? |
| C．Will Quantum Computers Ever Come into Being? |
| D．Will Quantum Computing Ever Live Up to Its Hype? |
Habit formation is the process by which behaviours become automatic. People develop countless habits as they explore the world, whether they are aware of them or not. Understanding how habits take shape may be helpful in changing bad habits.
Habits are built through learning and repetition. A person is thought to develop a habit in the course of pursuing goals by beginning to associate certain cues(刺激) with behavioural responses that help meet the goal. Over time, thoughts of the behaviour and ultimately the behaviour itself are likely to be triggered(触发) by these cues.
A “habit loop(环)” is a way of describing several related elements that produce habits. These elements are called the cue, the routine, and the reward. For example, stress could serve as a cue that one responds to by eating, which produces the reward﹣the reduction of stress. While a routine involves repeated behaviour, it’s not necessarily performed in response to a deep﹣rooted urge, as a habit is.
Old habits can be difficult to shake, and healthy habits are often harder to develop. But through repetition, it’s possible to form new habits. The amount of time needed to build a habit will depend on multiple factors, including the individual and the intended behaviour. While you are able to pickup a new habit in a few weeks, it takes many months to build a healthy habit. Take some time to think about what leads to bad habits and re﹣evaluate what you get out of them (or don’t). Consider and keep in mind why you want to make a change, including how the change reflects your values.
1. How are habits built?2. In what way is a routine different from a habit?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
Picking up a new habit takes a few week, while building a healthy habit takes a shorter time.
4. What benefit(s) have you got from one of your good habits?(In about 40 words)
