I’m not sure when I started to love qipaos. I just remember that when I saw Zhao Wei and other stars
I’ve collected some qipaos,
Many foreigners’
In my native United States, non-Asians
1. Where does Emilia Clarke come from?
A.America. | B.China. | C.England. |
A.A musical made by her father. |
B.A play directed by her father. |
C.A movie played by her father. |
A.Before she came to London. |
B.When she was 3 years old. |
C.After she could walk. |
A.Humorous. | B.Considerate. | C.Ambitious. |
1. What are the speakers talking about?
A.An interview. |
B.A job offer. |
C.A suggestion for help. |
A.International business. |
B.Science education. |
C.English translation. |
A.Experiencing another culture. |
B.Making friends with foreigners. |
C.Learning international business. |
1. What is the main feature of LearnEnglish courses?
A.The fun. | B.The low prices. | C.The flexibility. |
A.Help choose a course. | B.Offer extra written work. | C.Guide the learners’ habits. |
A.As soon as you register. |
B.After you pass a language test. |
C.Before you take the taster lesson. |
A.Ways of learning English. | B.Special online courses. | C.Technology and English. |
5 . In a gray box, I have a thick pile of love letters. I imagine about sharing them with a granddaughter when I’m 90. But my most treasured love letter is from one of my best friends. It’s a handwritten letter years ago when I was having trouble getting over a man. Her letter is the most romantic in my pile. It made no excuses. It simply let me know that I was loved.
Reflecting on her gift, and the dying art of handwritten letters in our age of emails and emoticons, I chose to conduct an experiment this Christmas: replacing presents with heartfelt, handwritten love letters for my family members.
In our digital era, most of us rarely take the time to share deeply considered thoughts and emotions with the people in our lives. Handwriting captures the writer’s emotions, often preserved longer than digital exchanges. However, technology is taking over. First came typewriters and keyboards. Now a new brain-computer lets people type with their minds. What are we losing when we sacrifice the physical labor behind the written word? We tend to value what we struggle for. Have we undervalued the human exchange of ideas?
That day, I came across a letter my mom wrote to her parents when she was young. She seemed so comfortable with her parents. It was a relationship I didn’t have with her. I was inspired by my mother’s letter to her parents when I sat down to write my letter to her. I wanted her to know my love, and to close the crack that technology and culture had created between us. With each sentence, I was discovering new and deeper ways of seeing my mother, and making myself known to her in more thoughtful ways as well.
Eight single-space pages later, my hand was aching but I was done. It was only the first of my love letters, but it was already clear: What had begun as a fun project was in fact one of the most important undertakings of my life.
1. Why does the author mention her love letters in Paragraph 1?A.To show her grand charm as a young girl. | B.To share them with one of her granddaughters. |
C.To highlight the value of handwritten letters. | D.To look back upon her romantic relationship. |
A.Making our interaction less emotional. | B.Encouraging our thoughtful communication. |
C.Saving our physical labor in conveying emotions. | D.Increasing our effort in handwritten exchanges. |
A.To give her mother a big surprise. | B.To answer her mother’s handwritten letter. |
C.To bridge a communication gap. | D.To make her mother feel more comfortable. |
A.The irreplaceable bond of family members. | B.The tendency of information technology. |
C.The expression of emotions in the digital age. | D.The power of handwritten correspondence. |
6 . When instant cake mixes first appeared in the 1950s, American housewives were doubtful. These mixes, promising easy cake-baking, felt too easy. The manufacturers discovered that requiring the addition of an egg in the baking process was just enough to make the housewives happy with their work. The greater sense of effort gained from a little extra labor is believed to have been essential to the later success of the cake mix.
This reflects the IKEA effect (宜家效应), which is identified by psychologist Michael I. Norton and his colleagues, suggesting we place greater value on things we have worked to create. They conducted four studies in which they asked participants to fold paper cranes and frogs, assemble IKEA boxes, and build sets of Legos. They then asked the builders to bid (出价) for their creations, and compared the prices with bids from people who hadn’t built them. The builders consistently outbid the non-builders.
Interestingly, the IKEA effect works even when people have no opportunity to fully personalize their creations. While most participants’ folding skills left much to be desired, they loved their imperfectly personalized products all the more. Builders valued their wrinkled crane-like creations nearly five times as much as non-builders. Beauty, it seems, is in the eye of the builder.
Today, as cities are suffering from severe housing crises, the IKEA effect can give us insight into the well-being benefits of a self-building approach to housing development. Projects like WikiHouse and the “half-a-house” approach pioneered by Alejandro Aravena’s architecture company Elemental are working to make housing more affordable and sustainable by making it easier for people to build and personalize their own homes.
“The moment people are involved with their built environment, they have a totally different relationship to it,” WikiHouse co-founder Alastair Parvin explained. “When the roof starts leaking or a door starts creaking, they have the power to fix it themselves.”
1. What brought customers the joy of cake-baking according to paragraph 1?A.A better taste. | B.An easy approach. |
C.A detailed recipe. | D.An additional effort. |
A.Creations are based on skills. | B.Extra labor increases perceived value. |
C.Beauty is found through contrast. | D.Strict management brings good quality. |
A.Critical. | B.Objective. | C.Doubtful. | D.Supportive. |
A.To promote a brand. | B.To make a proposal. |
C.To explain a concept. | D.To introduce a study. |
Have you ever heard someone say “You can tell a lot about someone by how they dress” and wondered if that was true? What you wear can inform
In early civilizations, the key purpose of clothing was
In many societies, dress sense represents personal wealth and taste. For example, Economist George Taylor demonstrated this most
Whether you are male or female, your fashion choices can affect both your self-image, the impression
YOU ARE WHAT YOU WEAR!
8 . When it comes to lowering blood pressure, studies have typically shown that aerobic (有氧的) exercises are best. Recent research suggests another type of physical activity is worth including as an effective tool to prevent and treat high blood pressure.
Exercises that engage muscles without movement, such as wall squats and planks, may be best for lowering blood pressure, according to a large study published in July, 2023 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
This type of training is known as isometric exercise, according to the Mayo Clinic. Isometric muscle action happens when muscles contract but do not visibly change length, and the joints involved don’t move, facilitating stability of the body. Isometric exercises can be done with weights or without, just relying on the body’s own weight.
“These findings provide a comprehensive data-driven framework to support the development of new exercise guideline recommendations for the prevention and treatment of high blood pressure,” said study coauthor Dr. Jamie O’Driscoll in a news release.
The researchers looked into randomized controlled trials that had reported the effects of exercise interventions, lasting two or more weeks, on blood pressure between 1990 and February 2023. From a review of 270 trials with 15,827 participants, the researchers found that among HIIT (high intensity interval training), isometric exercise, aerobic exercise, dynamic resistance training and a combination of the latter two, isometric exercise led to the greatest reductions in blood pressure.
It’s also important to note that there are other lifestyle changes as well as exercise that can benefit your blood pressure. These include keeping to a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet, cutting down on salt, not drinking too much alcohol and ensuring that you continue to take any prescribed medication.
More research is needed to determine exactly why isometric exercises might be better for lowering blood pressure than other types of training, the authors said.
1. What does the underlined part “isometric exercise” in paragraph 3 refer to?A.Exercise that is done with extra weights. |
B.Exercise that involves visible muscle contraction. |
C.Exercise that focuses on stability of the body. |
D.Exercise that engages muscles without movement. |
A.By providing statistics. | B.By interviewing experts. |
C.By doing experiments. | D.By making comparisons. |
A.Exploring the reasons for its effectiveness. |
B.Demonstrating its influences on mental health. |
C.Assessing its suitability for different populations. |
D.Determining its long-term impacts on blood pressure. |
A.The benefits of aerobic exercises. | B.The best exercise for blood pressure. |
C.The effects of various types of exercises. | D.The importance of keeping a healthy lifestyle. |
9 . At the age of 16, I went to Australia as an exchange student and lived with a host family. Even though I had made some preparations, the culture shock was still
During the first months, which is called the “honeymoon phase” of culture shock, I was super
“I wish public transportation would…” These thoughts were of course highly
Over the next few months, though, feelings of adjustment and belonging gradually
Things started to make sense and I
The
A.unavoidable | B.unbearable | C.unbelievable | D.unforgettable |
A.worried | B.lonely | C.thrilled | D.proud |
A.similar | B.expensive | C.advanced | D.fresh |
A.uncontrollable | B.odd | C.distracting | D.worthless |
A.experiences | B.comments | C.thoughts | D.news |
A.effortless | B.unimportant | C.unhelpful | D.aimless |
A.took over | B.broke out | C.went on | D.faded away |
A.requirements | B.trend | C.behaviors | D.stress |
A.missed | B.entered | C.completed | D.created |
A.appreciate | B.meet | C.ignore | D.change |
A.slowly | B.dramatically | C.suddenly | D.regularly |
A.memorized | B.introduced | C.understood | D.analyzed |
A.breakthrough | B.barrier | C.dilemma | D.method |
A.patient | B.familiar | C.careful | D.comfortable |
A.keeping | B.enjoying | C.remembering | D.spreading |
A.complained | B.remarked | C.declared | D.emphasized |
A.look | B.sound | C.eat | D.dress |
A.effects | B.descriptions | C.advantages | D.attractions |
A.understanding | B.changes | C.feelings | D.response |
A.questioning | B.exploration | C.imitation | D.acceptance |
10 . Moving into your own apartment is exciting, but it can sometimes take a little while to really feel settled in.
Work on unpacking one room at a time if you’re just moving in. As you start to unpack boxes, work on one room at a time.
Light scented (香薰的) candles to make your apartment smell more like home.
Hang art and photos that reflect your style throughout your place. Art is the perfect way to express your personal style, so search thrift stores, secondhand shops, and online stores for deals on art pieces that make you feel good. You can also display pictures of your family and friends.
A.That way you won’t make a mess. |
B.Place your furniture so it decides different spaces. |
C.Don’t underestimate the power of a comforting scent. |
D.Make you feel at home and use it to paint one of your rooms. |
E.That will give you an instant feeling of comfort when you look at them. |
F.Fortunately, there are plenty of things you can do to warm up your space. |
G.That way, you don’t have to worry about spending a lot money to stock up all at once. |