1 . Want a relaxing but fun challenge at home?
Puzzles come in a huge range of sizes and difficulty levels. For beginners, a 100-piece puzzle is usually a good starting point.
For a real test, puzzles that have 1,000 pieces or more are a tough task and it’s best to complete them with friends or family if you can. Choosing a scene that interests you, such as a favourite film, sport or location, can help keep you interested and determined to work to the final piece. You can get fun educational puzzles, too.
Some of the best places to pick up puzzles are charity shops. They’re often on sale for less than £5. Once you have completed a puzzle, it’s nice to exchange it with a friend.
A.So others can have a go. |
B.You can’t beat a good puzzle. |
C.Some companies make personalized puzzles. |
D.However, a good start doesn’t always lead to a good result. |
E.Most people like to start by getting the four edges of a puzzle laid out. |
F.It can get you used to sorting out how the shapes, patterns and colors go together. |
G.For example, you may try a map of the world or historical timelines. |
2 . To show empathy (共情) is to identify with another’s feelings. It is to emotionally put yourself in the place at another. The ability to empathize is directly dependent on your ability to feel your own feelings and identify them.
If you have never felt a certain feeling, it will be hard for you to understand how another person is feeling. If you have never put your hand in a flame, you will not know the pain of fire. If you have not experienced jealousy (妒嫉), you will not understand its power. Reading about a feeling and intellectually knowing about it is very different than actually experiencing it for yourself.
Among those with an equal level of emotional intelligence, the person who has actually experienced the widest range and variety of feelings — the great depths of depression and the heights of fulfillment, for example — is the one who is most able to empathize. On the other hand, when we say that someone “can’t relate to” other people, it is likely because they haven’t experienced, acknowledged or accepted many feelings of their own. Once you have felt discriminated (歧视) against, for example, it is much easier to relate with someone else who has been discriminated against. Our innate emotional intelligence gives us the ability to quickly recall those instances and form associations when we encounter discrimination again. We then can use the “reliving” of those emotions to guide our thinking and actions. This is one of the ways nature slowly evolves towards a higher level of survival.
For this process to work, the first step is that we must be able to experience our own emotions. This means we must be open to them and not distract ourselves from them or try to numb (使麻木) ourselves from our feelings through drugs, alcohol, etc.
Next, we need to become aware of what we are actually feeling—to acknowledge, identify, and accept our feelings. Only then can we empathize with others. That is one reason why it is important to work on your own emotional awareness and sensitivity — in other words, to be “in touch with” your feelings.
1. How does the author explain the feelings of empathy?A.By giving examples. | B.By having classification. |
C.By making comparison. | D.By providing data. |
A.Low level of empathy leads to fewer varieties of feelings. |
B.The deeper one’s feelings are, the more empathetic one is. |
C.Empathy is a way we recently picked up for better survival. |
D.Rich experiences of emotions may go with a high level of empathy. |
A.To advise a sincere attitude to one’s experiences. |
B.To suggest a right understanding of empathy. |
C.To recommend sensing and recognizing one’s emotions. |
D.To call for true acceptance of one’s identity. |
A.How Empathy Unfolds | B.Be Open to Your Emotions |
C.Why Is Empathy Important | D.Accept Your True Self |
3 . The sun is setting. I’m sitting on a rock top on the Jurassic Coast with my family. We are
Out in the wild, I have
After resting, with packs returned to our
As I walk ahead, I reflect on why we want to be out here. Mostly, I think it’s because it slows us down and
A.disappointed | B.tired | C.surprised | D.annoyed |
A.difficulty | B.assumption | C.goal | D.effort |
A.promoted | B.arranged | C.missed | D.observed |
A.energized | B.centralized | C.knowledgeable | D.teachable |
A.covering | B.planning | C.cycling | D.designing |
A.desire for | B.prepare for | C.complain about | D.talk about |
A.frightens | B.supports | C.amazes | D.disturbs |
A.different | B.lucky | C.impressive | D.fresh |
A.destinations | B.vision | C.shoulders | D.memory |
A.calmly | B.cautiously | C.wildly | D.aimlessly |
A.involves | B.traps | C.expresses | D.influences |
A.offered | B.challenged | C.promised | D.pretended |
A.refused | B.invited | C.stopped | D.expected |
A.lessons | B.interaction | C.comparisons | D.progress |
A.guidance | B.reward | C.greeting | D.pleasure |
4 . A team in Europe are working with wood, but not in the usual ways. They are not carpenters (木匠). Instead, they are scientists exploring how wood can lead to a greener electronic device, a transistor (晶体管) made from balsa wood, whose production releases less climate-warming gas into the air.
Transistors play an important role in computers and other devices. They act like tiny switches to control the flow of electricity. Engineers use them to process and store data. Today’s laptops may host billions of them. So they must be tiny — only a little wider than a strand of DNA.
The new transistor being built by physicist Isak Engquist and his team at Sweden’s Linkoping University isn’t as small as those. Big enough to see and hold, it can stand only an electric pressure that pushes electrons along. And it controls a current using charged particles (粒子) called ions.
This new technology shows a “proof of concept” that the idea can work, even if the new device is not yet ready to put into today’s electronics. “While it seems large by today’s standards, such a transistor still might prove useful for electronics that require low electric pressures,” says Engquist.
“The new transistor suggests that future electronic devices might be made in living plants,” Daniel Simon, a physicist in the team, says. “Imagine peeling away some bark from a living tree,” he says, “and stamping electronic circuits into the living wood.”
In fact, Engquist says, “There are so many ways we can use wood and the components of wood that we would never have thought of.” For instance, he can now imagine a wood-based sensor that could monitor crop health, measure pollution or survey a forest for fire risk.
1. Which can best describe the transistor?A.Costly. | B.Widely used. |
C.Time-saving. | D.More environmentally friendly. |
A.It is much bigger. | B.It can’t stand electric pressure. |
C.It can’t be seen. | D.It is made from metal. |
A.Uncertain. | B.Doubtful. | C.Positive. | D.Indifferent. |
A.Wood’s surprising roles in modern electronic design |
B.Wood-made transistors: a step toward greener electronics |
C.Scientists are researching the history of transistors |
D.Scientists are working as carpenters to invent transistors |
5 . Young people are spending more time in digital spaces. The Internet allows us to connect with people, share ideas, be creative, have fun and discover new things. Unfortunately, young people also face risks online. Common problems include cyberbullying (网络欺凌), receiving unwanted messages, seeing images and content you don’t want to see, or having your private information or photos shared without your permission.
Safer Internet Day (SID) is organized in the second week of February every year, and over 180 countries take part. The aim is to raise awareness of online issues and make the Internet a safer place. SID invites everyone to be part of a big conversation about online issues. This is particularly important for teenagers because they often experience unpleasant situations online, but they don’t always feel they can talk about them.
Cyberbullying is when someone uses the Internet to embarrass, threaten or hurt another person. If you experience cyberbullying, talk to an adult you trust as soon as possible. Don’t reply to any messages but save the evidence.
Going online often means spending time alone. When you feel down, social media can make you feel lonelier. Using social media might be related to higher levels of depression. So you need healthy social media use.
Whatever app you use, make sure you know who sees your posts and personal information. Limit what people can see, decide who can comment on your content and thwart other users’ comment. It may be illegal to share a photo or video of someone without their permission. The SID’s website has advice about what to do if someone shares pictures of you that you feel embarrassed about.
There is still a lot we don’t know about how time spent online affects people’s well-being. But talking about all the issues helps everyone understand common problems and know how to deal with them.
1. What can we learn from paragraph 1?A.The Internet has both good and bad sides. |
B.The Internet is a safe place to share photos. |
C.Young people should avoid going online. |
D.Young people face more risks than adults. |
A.What we can do on SID. | B.How to take part in SID. |
C.The time of organizing SID. | D.Some information about SID. |
A.Use other social media. | B.Turn to adults for help. |
C.Reply to the messages. | D.Deal with it with classmates. |
A.Admit. | B.Replace. | C.Prevent. | D.Change. |
1.活动背景及目的;
2.展示内容;
3.活动反响。
注意:
1.词数80左右;
2.可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
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7 . A 72-year-old Chinese retired physics professor becomes an Internet celebrity. In her short videos, Wu Yuren often uses everyday objects like eggs and coins as props for her experiments. In one video for example, when explaining cosmic rays in space. she grabbed a broom, ran her hand down the broomstick to the thin brush attached, to illustrate how the energy of the rays gradually weakens and disperses. She also explained rocket launches by blowing up a balloon. These interesting science videos have attracted over 1 million followers, many calling her “science grandma”
It’s said that Grandma Wu writes all her video scripts by herself, and she often works with young team members till late at night, just to plan each shoot down to the last detail. For some physics principles that are hard to present, she would discuss them with other professors to work out something easy for people to understand.
Many youngsters are greatly touched by Grandma Wu’s sense of responsibility and mission to communicate physics ideas to the public, especially teenagers. Meanwhile, her lifestyle, embracing new technologies to maximize her value, inspires people in particular.
In recent years, Chinese short-video sharing platforms saw a rise of such elderly Internet celebrities like science grandma. For example, there’s “Grandpa Amu”, an experienced carpenter who turns ordinary wood into exquisite items without a single nail or a drop of glue. "Shaanxi Old Qiao", or Grandpa Qiao, teaches people to cook Shaanxi’s local cuisines in his videos. These noodles and all are so tempting that even kitchen rookies couldn’t help trying.
With the technology boom and the help of young people, many Chinese seniors are opening up a new digital world, and are communicating with the world better through the web. Plus, all this also shows society’s respect and affection for the elderly.
1. What can we learn about Wu Yuren from the first two paragraphs?A.She shared her videos to seek fame. | B.She finished her videos on her own. |
C.She chose daily items to aid her teaching. | D.She refused physical principals hard to explain. |
A.Her ambition to succeed. | B.Her multiple teaching methods. |
C.Her cooperation with colleagues. | D.Her passion for popularizing science. |
A.Green hands. | B.Masters. | C.Enthusiasts. | D.Instructors. |
A.Humorous and easygoing. | B.Creative and life-loving. |
C.Disciplined and positive. | D.Strict and responsible. |
1. How did Alan get his first car?
A.He bought it himself. |
B.His parents gave it to him. |
C.It was a prize from a competition. |
A.A teacher. | B.A salesgirl. | C.A law firm clerk. |
A.In primary school. | B.In high school. | C.In college. |
9 . I absolutely could have gone my entire life without ever reading Moby-Dick, but unfortunately, I have read it. Twice. I’ve had to read it twice.
I can trace it as far back as middle school — the teachers’ strong desire to push classic literature on students as much as possible. And it makes sense, in some ways. There are benefits to being well read —a larger vocabulary, mental stimulation, concentration and understanding of literary references in the world. But at the same time, being well read doesn’t necessarily mean only reading classics for the sake of reading classics.
This isn’t to say that these classic novels serve no purpose in curriculum (课程) or in the literary world — classics are, in many ways, vital to a well-rounded education in literature. But so are pieces of contemporary (当代的) literature and books from centuries ago that haven’t been recognized classics. So yes, there’s room for classic novels. But right now, there’s too much room for classic novels.
There are also many modern sayings that come from classics — like “Big brother is watching,” from George Orwell’s 1984, “Tomorrow is another day,” from Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind and “Hey Boo,” which originally comes from To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s worth something to be well versed in texts that have made an impact on the construct of modern day language. But at the same time, when classic novels are put on syllabi (教学大纲) or inserted into high school curriculum, novels should be selected with care —not just selected because it’s “what everyone in the field reads” —which yes, has been said to me before.
And as far as contemporary literature goes, there seems to be an opinion that it doesn’t offer as much wisdom and has less value and, therefore, we can’t learn as much from it. I’ve found this to be most untrue. After all, we tend to learn best from things that we can connect to, and contemporary literature is often the most relatable. And though it hasn’t had the time to become a classic, the structure and syntax (句法) holds its own. It’s different from classic work, but it’s not less valuable.
So let’s take a step back from the classics. We think that they’re pushing us forward, when, really, they might be standing in our way.
1. Why did the author read Moby-Dick twice?A.To stimulate her mind. | B.To enlarge her vocabulary. |
C.To meet her teacher’s requirement. | D.To better understand literary references. |
A.To prove classics are worth reading. |
B.To show some classics are out of date. |
C.To compare classics with contemporary literature. |
D.To advise schools to include more classics in curriculum. |
A.They should not be taken lightly. | B.They are not as valuable as classics. |
C.They are more important than classics. | D.They will surely become classics soon. |
A.Avoid them entirely. | B.Treat them seriously. |
C.Promote them at high school. | D.Reconsider their significance. |
1. 接受邀请;
2. 询问相关事宜。
注意:
1. 词数80左右;
2. 开头和结尾已给出,不计入总词数。
Dear Jim,
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Yours,
Li Hua