Yuan Xin, who is now pursuing his doctoral degree, learned from a young age the only way for him to succeed was with his brain rather than brawn (体力).
At the age of three, a terrible accident cost Yuan his right arm. His parents didn’t send him to kindergarten but kept him home. The idea was to ease him into learning with family care and better prepare him for further education. They believed that knowledge can change one’s life.
When he entered primary school, he started receiving unwanted attention and some kids gave him nicknames. “I had doubts about myself then, but my parents told me to dismiss unfriendly noises and focus on learning,” he says. He buried his head in his books and, as a result, his academic performance stood out. It gradually brought him admiration and respect from people around him.
His academic strength saw him admitted to computer science of Wuhan University of Science and Technology. “I figured it was less demanding on the ‘hand’ and more about brainwork,” he says. However, he had his work cut out for him from the start. Before college, he hadn’t even touched a computer. He couldn’t make any sense of the first class, and had no clue about the keyboard. To catch up with the class, for the first term, Yuan spent his spare time studying and practicing in the computer room of the school library.
Yuan took every learning opportunity seriously and always followed up with his own actions. When he saw keyboards gathering dust and failing to work properly afterwards, he thought of setting up a protection cover over the keypads. He then spent half a year looking into the subject, consulting his professor and experimenting. Later he developed an idea and got a patent for it.
With his remaining hand, Yuan has come up with original designs and patents that have earned him more than 60 prizes and awards. “Although there might be many hard situations to face, I will make progress as long as I work for it,” he says.
1. Why did Yuan’s parents keep him home rather than send him to kindergarten?2. How did Yuan respond to his classmates’ unfriendliness?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
Yuan spent his spare time in his first term working hard in the computer room because he wanted to develop his ideas and get patents.
4. Among Yuan’s qualities, which one(s) do you think will be important for us? Why? (In about 40 words)
2 . During the final scenes of the movie, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, we experience the full range of emotions. We hold our breath as the fire surrounds Frodo; we cheer when Gandalf saves him. So what’s going on? There must be a special kind of movie magic that makes us care about what we know isn’t real. As it happens, there is a special kind of magic, but it’s not in the movie. It’s in the minds of people who watch it. Dr. Norman Holland, professor of the University of Florida, believes this magic is particularly potent when we watch movies on the big screen.
“The first thing that happens, “he argues,” is that you give up control. The movie is in control.” In normal life our brains are like tractor beams (牵引光束), busy taking in any information that seems important or interesting. This is called the attentional system. But as the characters come alive on screen, we stop sensing our body. Psychologists call this kind of mental state “flow”: when our attention is completely absorbed in one activity and there isn’t any juice left in our attentional system to take in any more information. We are effortlessly swept along in the currents of the ride. This is why we love the movies: it’s like going on a roller coaster (过山车) for the brain.
But there’s another kind of magic at work here too; in a movie theater, as we give up control, our sense of reality changes. Deep down we know that what we’re seeing is make-believe, but because we’re not going to act upon it, because it doesn’t have a direct physical bearing upon us, we don’t test if it is real. It’s like that part of our brain goes on a temporary vacation. Something else is happening in the brain to make this possible too. The mind has different abilities, and each one has a distinct place in the brain. Our knowledge that we’re only watching a movie happens in the front part of our brain. But emotions come from the limbic system (边缘系统), in the back of the brain. Even though our front brain knows that a movie isn’t real, the back brain never gets them message.
Sadly, the intensity of the emotions that movies produce in us may be decreasing. At home, or on our smart phones, movies are wonderfully convenient. But watching in this way limits their magic because we’re in control; we have the power to stop the film or fast forward bits we don’t like. “If you’re not giving up control to the movie, “Holland says,” you’re getting a thinned-out movie experience.” More control might be more convenient, but it won’t mean more magic. Surely, we deserve better than that, and Frodo does too.
1. What does the underlined word “potent” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Complicated. | B．Effective. | C．Subjective. | D．Temporary. |
| A．To illustrate the excitement that a movie can provide. |
| B．To explain the film-making techniques used by directors. |
| C．To demonstrate the working state of the attentional system. |
| D．To describe psychological methods involved in seeing a movie. |
| A．Distinct parts of our brain are interactive. |
| B．The limbic system can help us sense the reality. |
| C．Going to theaters creates better viewing experience. |
| D．Movies on phones can take us to the state of flow easily. |
| A．Your Brain on Movies |
| B．Emotions out of Control |
| C．The Rise of Movie Theatres |
| D．Different Choices of Moviegoers |
Brian Schwartz became one of the many to turn jobless under the epidemic. For Brian, the timing could not have been worse. It was a stressful time between a wife carrying a baby, a dad battling brain cancer, and everything else going on in the news.
Brian needed to do something productive and he turned to mow mowing lawns for stress relief. “I just decided to create my own good news, really just as a time filler,” says Brian. He wanted to help neighbors, just keeping himself busy mentally and physically. Brian offered his lawnmowing service free to seniors and people with disabilities in his community.
As word spread of his good acts, the local media began picking up on the story. The attention got Brian thinking. There was clearly a broader need for what he was offering. So he decided to launch a website, loanttomowyourlaen.com, and a kindness movement was born. Pretty soon, Brian had a large crowd of clients needing others to mow their lawns and an army of volunteers, from 18-year-olds in college to recent retirees. As news of his organization spread, he also began to attract donations to help with operating costs, which encouraged him to turn the service into a nonprofit.
As the organization has evolved (演变), Brian has expanded his offerings to include other services like removing trees and clearing snow. But he believes the benefit of what his team does goes way beyond the practical. “We are not only providing them with financial relief,” he says. “It’s mental and physical relief as well. And we’re hearing feedback not only directly from the people we’re helping, but also from their neighbors who thank us for helping make the community better. And I’m even receiving occasional letters from people that we might not even help, but they might have just been at the time looking for some uplifting news.”
lwanttomouwyourlawn.com has become a passion. Not least of all for the benefits the kindness brings. “It stimulates my mind, my body and my soul just by helping others,” he says. “It’s a really good feeling. I feel like I’m doing something that has some meaning and purpose.”
1. What got Brian into a bad situation?| A．Taking care of a baby. | B．Being out of work. |
| C．Fighting against cancer. | D．Being reported in news. |
| A．To gain more public attention. |
| B．To provide a wider range of services. |
| C．To raise donations for people in need. |
| D．To collect news of kindness movements. |
| A．It puts forward plans on bettering the community. |
| B．It requires people to give feedback on the offerings. |
| C．It reduces the unemployment among people in need. |
| D．It gives people spiritual support as well as direct help. |
| A．Good things take time. | B．Every moment matters. |
| C．We rise by lifting others. | D．Fame brings opportunities. |
4 . Most kids spent their summer holidays playing video-games, watching TV and sleeping in.Parents can follow the steps below, and your kids can break their summertime tech habits and adapt to a school-friendly schedule in two weeks.
Shift bedtime
There’s nothing more important to kicking off the school year successfully than getting sufficient sleep. Two weeks before school begins, schedule bedtime back by about 20 minutes a night to stop kids staying up late or sleeping in. Instead of a long, fun bathtime, switch to a quick shower. Keep all digital devices out of their bedrooms and buy them alarm clocks.
Set screen goals
Having intentional goals for screen use can help kids change their tech habits. You might decide to make screen time a reward rather than a right. Set limits on digital activities such as no videogames until they complete homework. Don’t jump to no apps but consider using apps that control the length of time kids can use a device. Establish zones in your house where electronics simply are not allowed. Besides, get your kids involved in activities that don’t need a screen.
Make a schedule
A summer spent without routine can make jumping back into the structure of school difficult for kids. Setting a schedule for the last two weeks of summer can work. Ms. Rawson, founder of the Screen Time Clinic, suggests creating blocks of time that mirror those of the school day,arranging 30 to 50 minutes for an activity, depending on the kid’s age, along with a set lunchtime. Kids should have a say in deciding how to fill the day’s time blocks. The activities can involve anything but screens.
1. Before the new school year begins, kids can shift bedtime by .| A．taking a long bath | B．sleeping in a lot |
| C．using phones as alarm clocks | D．moving to bed earlier |
| A．Manage homework time with apps. |
| B．Forbid them from using electronics. |
| C．Reserve areas for screen-free activities. |
| D．Remove apps from their digital devices. |
| A．reflect individual needs of kids |
| B．copy the exact school timetables |
| C．start from the beginning of holidays |
| D．combine study with digital entertainment |
The Sanxingdui Ruins site in Sichuan province,
Extreme heat is becoming increasingly common across the globe. It is an
I enjoyed a lovable college time both on campus and at home. At college, I joined a variety of clubs to enrich my life. As the term was drawing to an end, I
Avoiding Procrastination——A Lesson You Shouldn’t Put Off
You sit down to write a report for school, but decide to scroll your phone first. Soon, it’s evening and you still haven’t started that report. You’ve been having procrastination. It is not simple laziness. It’s the habit of avoiding urgent tasks despite negative consequences.
When you’re facing a task, one part of your mind is rational (理性的) and says, “Let’s do it.” Another part is irrational. It says, “Wouldn’t a quick video game be fun?” That part seeks instant satisfaction, while the rational part knows you should do your work. Being procrastinating may relieve pressure in the moment, but it is a force that constantly works against us, in our studies and our personal lives. It often stops us from reaching our potential and students who routinely procrastinate tend to get lower grades. In general, habitual procrastinators have to face high physical costs and the increase of stress and worry. It is something we all need to think about——and think about today, not tomorrow. So how do we beat it?
First, we must understand the emotions behind procrastination. Studies have shown that people are more likely to procrastinate when they feel negative emotions, such as fear of failure or fright about doing boring tasks, toward things that need to be completed. It’s therefore important to ignore your mood, and just dive in and take the first step. For example, if you are writing a report, start by simply putting your name at the top of page one. Then, focus on taking one step at a time until you reach the finish line. When you’re done, reward yourself——maybe by doing something fun that was distracting (使分神) you before.
If you do put things off, make sure to forgive yourself, since guilt makes the urge to procrastinate stronger. Beating procrastination, though, will help you in all aspects of your life, from finishing tasks at school to achieving personal goals. The time to start is now!
1. According to this passage, what’s procrastination?2. What are the negative effects of procrastination?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
Procrastination is more likely to appear when we have negative emotions, so we should reward ourselves first to delight us.
4. In addition to the tips mentioned in the passage, what other beneficial strategies can you offer to procrastinators? (In about 40 words)
9 . Food delivery applications have seen a sudden increase in growth over the past decade. In most instances, digital food ordering can be done directly with a restaurant app or third party food service.
A combination of comfort eating and much less exercise meant within a few months — it could have even been weeks — I was struggling to fit into my regular clothes.
The obesity (肥胖) epidemic is causing an estimated annual 1.2 million deaths in Europe, and costs the National Health Service￡6 billion a year to tackle in the UK. As a result, we need to be reminded of the importance of cooking for ourselves.
| A．Then people can get access to local restaurants and menus more easily. |
| B．Obesity is a continuous epidemic in both immature and adult populations. |
| C．That means people are consuming much more than they normally would. |
| D．At first it was fun to be able to order not just fast food, but even faster food. |
| E．Some companies became the first successful third-party food delivery systems. |
| F．These apps, on the other hand, are encouraging overeating and physical inactivity. |
| G．And with the cost-of-living crisis many families are facing, it’s certainly a cheaper option. |
10 . Life Cycles
About 15 years ago, Andrew McLindon, whose favorite hobby is riding, was on his bike in Austin, Texas, when he thought about a friend’s son. The boy had never known the joy of biking because he suffered from the balance disturbances. When McLindon got home, he bought a three-wheel recumbent (可斜躺的) bike with a seat belt, perfect for a child with balance issues. Then the boy got the chance to seize the freedom coming with simply riding a bike and began interacting with friends. But there was more, as McLindon learned from his friend’s reaction after performing this small act of kindness. “I’ll never forget the smile on his face,” McLindon said.
The smile launched the McLindon Family Foundation. Funded by donations, the foundation finds disabled children who can benefit from owning adaptive bikes, and helps adapt each bike to the particular needs of the children.
When the foundation was just started, people thought a bike was not a pressing need for children with medical conditions. The feedback from the families, however, told the foundation that it was so much more. It strengthens muscles. It builds confidence. It is the joy and pride of owning a bike. And, most importantly, it’s inclusion. To the families and the children, the bike has changed their lives. Once children are fitted for their bikes and are able to ride around with families and friends, the real results come to light. The ability to move allows these children to truly become part of the group — that is priceless at any age.
Since the start of the foundation, they have helped to provide 450 bikes for happy children. These children and their families are not just one-time clients. They are involved. “I am part of the project because every day my family is blessed with the wonderful gift that is the fruit of this project. It is really incredible,” a mother said. “I could go on forever about all the things that this project has given back to me,” said McLindon. “It absolutely brings me the greatest happiness.”
1. What mainly motivated McLindon to set up his foundation?| A．His pursuit of freedom. | B．His favor to bike riding. |
| C．The suffering of his friend’s son. | D．The feedback from his friend. |
| A．are funded to get medical care | B．are allowed to pay less for their bikes |
| C．can move around like normal children | D．can make changes to their special bikes |
| A．Giving is receiving. | B．Nothing is impossible. |
| C．Practice makes perfect. | D．Well begun is half done. |
