1 . We don’t see many 17-year-old who can list as many accomplishments (成就) as Eduardo Caiado.
Edu, as he likes to be called, lives in Anapolis, Brazil. He’s always been driven to help others. In fact, when he was just 15, he was named one of the 50 Young Inspirers of the United Nations for his project on reusing
These are all totally natural for Edu, who says he’s been
Since he was 9, he’s dreamed of the day he could open a
“The place where I live is cold, and many stray dogs were dying of
After years of feeding animals on the streets, Edu understands that while they’re not human, animals have feelings of their own. Each has their own habits,
He’s already given about 30 dogs and cats a home, and the number keeps growing every day! His only regret is that he doesn’t have enough room or money to
| A．newspaper | B．rainwater | C．leftover | D．oil |
| A．borrowing | B．winning | C．using | D．wasting |
| A．actively | B．normally | C．casually | D．negatively |
| A．nursery | B．hospital | C．zoo | D．shelter |
| A．made | B．brought | C．raised | D．reminded |
| A．slight | B．certain | C．extreme | D．immediate |
| A．inventions | B．donations | C．responsibilities | D．values |
| A．cook | B．buy | C．order | D．cover |
| A．personalities | B．performances | C．appearances | D．originalities |
| A．take down | B．take off | C．take in | D．take up |
2 . Psychologists who study creative accomplishments throughout the life cycle generally find that creativity peaks between the ages of mid to late 30s or early 40s.They tend to view creativity from the perspective of creative and innovative disciplines, rather than individual accomplishment. And they find little variation across different professions and disciplines of creativity and innovation, such as the arts and sciences.
At What Age Does Creativity Peak? A new study shows that it counts on whether you are a conceptual or an experimental thinker.
But according to two economics professors at Ohio State University, that’s only part of the story. Their research, which looked at 31 Nobel Prize Winners in the field of economics and when they made their most significant contributions to the field, uncovered evidence of two peak cycles of individual creativity in the sciences, one that surfaces very early in some people’s careers, and another that, for others, rises up later in their lives. The difference between those who experience a peak in creativity during their mid twenties and those who are more likely to peak in their mid 50s, the researchers say, is in the type of creativity involved.
People who are conceptual innovators — those who think out of the box and challenge conventional wisdom — tend to come up with new ideas and innovations automatically and peak at an earlier age. Those creators who are more experimental — who build on their knowledge and accepted theories throughout their careers and ultimately find new and innovative ways to analyze that knowledge — tend to peak later in life.
Past research has shown that conceptual artists — poets, painters and novelists — who have clear and more immediate goals for their work, such as to communicate very specific and timely ideas or emotions, work in a different time frame than experimental artists, whose goals are less clear and less precise and who work through trial and error at a more gradual pace. Examples of conceptual innovators include Pablo Picasso, T.S. Eliot, Herman Melville, and Albert Einstein, all of whom contributed their most innovative work while they were young. Examples of experimental innovators include Paul Cezanne, Robert Frost, Virginia Woolf, and Charles Darwin.
The researchers believe that their findings on this view of creativity — that your most creative period is more a product of the type of creator you are and the nature of your work than of the particular field you are in — extend to other academic and scholarly disciplines as well. If you are a conceptual thinker, you are likely to be more creative when you are younger; if you are an experimental thinker, you are likely to do your most creative work when you are older, perhaps even past middle age. In theory, then, there are no limitations to creativity. You could end up doing your best work in your forties, fifties, sixties or even later.
1. What can affect the age of Creativity Peak?| A．Different professions. |
| B．Different disciplines. |
| C．The type of research. |
| D．The type of thinker. |
| A．challenge conventional wisdom |
| B．have immediate goals for their work |
| C．share specific and timely ideas |
| D．work through trial and error gradually |
| A．An experimental thinker may be more innovative. |
| B．Creativity without limitations may peak at any age. |
| C．A scientist is more likely to do creative work than an artist. |
| D．The person who has less precise goals can do more creative work. |
| A．reveal when the accomplishment peaks |
| B．analyze how to be more creative |
| C．explain the factors that influence creativity peaks |
| D．present the importance and limitations to creativity |
3 . Coral reefs are the rainforests of the ocean. They exist on vast scales and are equally important havens of biodiversity. Reefs occupy 0.1% of the oceans.
Corals are useful to people. Without the protection which reefs afford from crashing waves, low-lying islands such as the Maldives would have flooded long ago, and a billion people would lose food or income. However, reefs are under threat from rising sea temperatures. Heat causes the algae (海藻) with which corals are living together to generate toxins (毒素) that force those coral to leave.
Research groups around the world are coming up with plans of action to see if that will help, such as identifying naturally heat-resistant corals and cross-breeding such corals to create a new type.
Doubters doubt humanity will get its act together in time to make much difference.
| A．This can cause a coral’s death. |
| B．But there are grounds for optimism. |
| C．And they host a quarter of marine species. |
| D．Coral’s global ecosystem services are worth up to $10trn a year. |
| E．This mix of natural activity and human intervention is important. |
| F．This research can also be brought to bear on trying to save entire ecosystems. |
| G．However, the assisted evolution of corals does not meet with universal enthusiasm. |
4 . In the 17th century when a British businessman heard that there were one hundred million people in China, he was determined to go there and sell spoons. He thought even if he could earn one penny for one spoon, he would still make a lot of money.
Then, why do the Chinese people use chopsticks? Some people did research on the origin of China’s chopsticks. One theory is that chopsticks were very convenient for Chinese to use because China was an agricultural society, relying mainly on vegetables for food. When we steamed or boiled food, it was difficult for us to use spoons to dip vegetables in the soup.
Chopsticks reflect gentleness and kindness, the main moral teaching of Confucianism.
Today, chopsticks have become a typical part of Chinese culture, symbolising the power of unity.
| A．As a result, spoons were designed and preferred by Westerners. |
| B．But to his surprise, the Chinese people use chopsticks, not spoons. |
| C．Therefore, Chinese people cleverly invented chopsticks to pick food. |
| D．Besides, never point at people with your chopsticks while using them. |
| E．Indeed, one chopstick is useless and so delicate that it can be broken readily. |
| F．So these virtues have gradually become the rules people follow in their daily life. |
| G．There are some rules about using chopsticks that you should pay great attention to. |
5 . Motivation is the desire to act in service of a goal. It’s the crucial element in setting and attaining our objectives. Some of the most common goals people make—and the most common goals they struggle to meet—are to eat healthier, work out more, and save more money. Many traps can prevent people from achieving those goals, but predicting those challenges can help achieve real change.
Many people struggle to stick to a diet. Research suggests that extrinsic (外在的) motivators—to avoid hurtful comments or fit into an outfit—can jumpstart the process but that intrinsic motivation—interest, enjoyment, and challenge in the journey—is key to sustained, lasting weight loss.
There are a few creative ideas to consider if motivation is a barrier to exercise. One is to widen the options you have: If you don’t have time to go to the gym, exercise by going for a walk, doing a bodyweight circuit, or watching a yoga video.
Most people, unfortunately, fail to follow through on their New Year’s resolutions. This might be because people tend to set overwhelming goals, engage in all-or-nothing thinking, don’t predict barriers, and beat themselves up when they get off track. By addressing those traps, people are more likely to truly achieve their goals.
Motivation is one of the driving forces behind human behavior. It fuels competition and sparks social connection. Its absence can lead to mental illnesses such as depression.
| A．It is helpful to find a community of supporters. |
| B．People can break large goals into smaller pieces. |
| C．Eventually, consistently spend less than you make. |
| D．The following steps can help cultivate the habit of saving money. |
| E．Intrinsic motivation includes competence, autonomy, and relatedness. |
| F．Motivation includes the desire toward meaning, purpose, and a life worth living. |
| G．Another is to make exercise more enjoyable, such as by listening to a book on tape. |
Now, at Hailang River in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, dozens of Chinese merganser ducks are preparing to migrate south. Chinese merganser duck is an
10 . One day, while homeless John was asking for money, he met a woman named Gladys Kamande. She had collapsed lungs that gave her shortness of breath and she
After knowing her situation, John’s eyes
A passerby named Njogu
Soon, John’s story spread across social media and generous strangers from all around the world began donating money in an effort to help. In fact, enough was raised to
But that’s not where the good news ends. John’s simple
John and Gladys were both able to get the help and the bond they formed that crucial day continues on. It just goes to show that a little
| A．randomly | B．seldom | C．occasionally | D．constantly |
| A．cut through | B．gone through | C．checked on | D．got away |
| A．welled | B．moved | C．wept | D．cried |
| A．touched | B．picked | C．reached | D．grabbed |
| A．talented | B．proud | C．special | D．right |
| A．witnessed | B．confirmed | C．monitored | D．sought |
| A．spot | B．moment | C．guidance | D．works |
| A．spare | B．adjust | C．cover | D．pack |
| A．strategy | B．habit | C．prediction | D．interaction |
| A．kindness | B．courage | C．determination | D．passion |
