1 . “I think therefore I am”— mind over matter. What you expect from yourself and the world makes a big impact on the results of your efforts.
From a neuroscience perspective, the brain will believe anything you tell it, right and wrong. Research has shown that this phenomenon can have huge benefits when we approach a significant or difficult task. “We do know there’s the mind-body connection, which isn’t kind of mysterious or magical, and that this is in itself changing our physiology,” said David Robson, a science writer. “Think that you could catch up in a race or that your public speaking anxiety could help you perform better.”
Expectations, even negative ones, are meant to help our brains navigate (理解) a complicated world by simplifying our predictions of the wide range of outcomes to any situation. Those negative expectations can help us anticipate and avoid danger, but they aren’t always up to date with the context that surrounds us. And when you’re in the face of a challenge, inaccurate information can create obstacles of its own. Pessimistic thoughts really just put you in a position where you’re more vulnerable to actually experiencing that unpleasant or negative outcome.
Setting more positive expectations and hopefully acquiring the rewards starts with how you talk to yourself. When baseball players step up to the plate, they tell themselves they will knock it out of the park. Being aware of your thoughts and how you talk to yourself about a challenge can make a big impact.
We tend to see ourselves and our obstacles in two ways. Either our abilities are fixed or can grow, and our obstacles are a threat or a challenge. Shifting focus to believe that we can see difficulties as a challenge to be met rather than a threat to be avoided has been shown to result in more success. If you interpret that situation as a challenge, your physiological response will empower and equip you to be more creative and effective.
Having realistically optimistic expectations does better equip each of us to take up a challenge with our best resources, experts said.
1. What does the third paragraph mainly talk about?| A．The outcome of pessimistic thoughts. |
| B．The connection between the mind and body. |
| C．The advantages of positive expectations. |
| D．The pros and cons of negative expectations. |
| A．Thinking out loud. |
| B．Stepping up to the plate. |
| C．Challenging themselves. |
| D．Improving their abilities. |
| A．Avoiding threats and troubles. |
| B．Removing our obstacles in the way. |
| C．Shifting our focus to something else. |
| D．Regarding difficulties as challenges. |
| A．A history book. |
| B．A fantasy novel. |
| C．A science & wellness paper. |
| D．A sports & health report. |
2 . Buying furniture is easier than ever. You can even order a new table and chairs online without ever leaving home. But did you ever think about how furniture is made? The process begins with trees but now researchers have found a better way: growing it in a lab instead of a forest. Instead of cutting down trees and adding to deforestation, Velasquez-Garcia said, “If you want a table, then you should just grow a table.”
The research group found a way to actually grow plant tissue (组织) — wood and fiber — in a lab that is similar to the way cultured meat is grown. While there is still a long way to go to actually grow a table, the team was able to grow structures from cells from zinnia leaves.
Making furniture and other items from biomaterials could eliminate cutting down trees in forests. “The way we get these materials hasn’t changed in centuries and is very inefficient,” said Velasquez-Garcia. “This is a real chance to avoid all that inefficiency.”
There are other benefits to using lab wood too. Lab grown wood can be handled to take on any shape — like 3 D printing — so it may be possible to build a table without glue or screwing parts together.
Beckwith, a mechanical engineering PhD student, was inspired by a visit to a farm to try to make land-use more efficient and environmentally sound. “That got me thinking: Can we be more strategic (战略上的) about what we’re getting out of our process? Can we get more yield for our inputs?” she told MIT News. “I wanted to find a more efficient way to use land and resources so that we could let more farmlands remain wild, or to remain lower production but allow for greater biodiversity.”
Today, the two largest uses of trees are to make wood products and paper. When new biomaterials become readily available, forests will lose their economic value and will be preserved for their environmental, health, and recreational value. These researchers, like Velasquez-Garcia, are speaking for the trees.
1. What does the author think of growing furniture according to Paragraph 1?| A．It turns out to be convenient. |
| B．It’ll cut down daily expense. |
| C．It might have a bright future. |
| D．It’s as important as making furniture. |
| A．Risk. | B．Fancy. | C．Remove. | D．Delay. |
| A．To make large profits. |
| B．To keep biodiversity. |
| C．To increase production. |
| D．To use wild resources. |
| A．Wide use of new biomaterials. |
| B．Less use of wood products and paper. |
| C．Making effective forest laws. |
| D．Caring more for the environment. |
3 . “Life is a practice of flexible performances,” said a Canadian college senior who won a competition for her feeling on the theme “How COVID-19 changed your senior year”. The competition, sponsored by a nonprofit organization, invited high school and college seniors to record a video that answers the question. Participants included 379 students in 49 countries, but it was the words of a 19-year-old film student that stole judges’ hearts in the competition.
A student at John Abbott College, April Judd used humor and creative words to describe what life was like moving back in with her family and missing the chance to say goodbye to all her friends at the arts college. Her inspiring message details how students can use this experience to their advantage and “shape the universe into the future they want to see”. The terrible disease actually drove April to find the good aspects in what our world is going through. “In the chaos that our world is experiencing right now, it’s really easy to get caught up in the negative,” the senior said. “We are all truly in this together and are all able to change and mature so as to make this world a better place.”
Patricia Cogley, host of the competition, said, “For many college and high school seniors in the graduating class, the disease has obviously changed their final year. But, true to our mission, the competition gave the young around the world the opportunity to showcase their creativity and ideas for a better future, despite this challenging and unprecedented (前所未有的) time.”
Not just seniors, anyone can draw inspiration from April’s uplifting message, which won hers $1,000. Especially take note of her conclusion, which was delivered with a smile; “We got this —or, at least we will — eventually!”
1. What does the author say about April?| A．She majored in performing art in college. |
| B．She was worried about the future. |
| C．She lived with her parents in her senior year. |
| D．She said goodbye to friends before graduation. |
| A．She was very humorous. |
| B．She saw beauty in the tough time. |
| C．She expressed feelings honestly. |
| D．She answered the question smartly. |
| A．It required a video entry. |
| B．It attracted juniors worldwide. |
| C．It was held in Canada. |
| D．It was sponsored by Patricia. |
| A．People should be united in the crisis. |
| B．The disease affected people severely. |
| C．The young must show their creativity. |
| D．People will surely overcome the difficulty. |
We want you to show your families all the pathways in your area, so let's invite your local providers to attend an open evening at your school. Each will set up a small stall (摊位) in your playground or school field with a taster activity of the activities they offer. This evening will be an opportunity to get more of your children moving more often.
After-school activities
Things are getting back to normal and the easing of the lockdown restrictions has seen our after-school clubs coming back online. We are now running 10 clubs a week and it's clear to see how much the children have missed it. We'll be back to have around 40 clubs a week and we're in conversation with schools across the region.
Active days
Since September many of our partner schools have asked children to come in in PE kit on their PE days. It reduces the time spent getting changed and means the pupils can stay in their PE kits after all day, which gives schools a great opportunity to create "Active Days". PE lessons and Outdoor and Adventurous can be all in an action packed.
Spiral PE
Our partner schools have access to tools which are there to help them maximise their impact. We suggest getting the most out of the PE Rewards section—award PE star of the Week and PE Class of the week certificates and run these as competitions throughout the school. The class which wins the PE Class of the week most often wins an active prize.
We're here to help, so please don't hesitate to get in touch to find out more.
1. In which of the following can a student enjoy the most varied group activities?| A．Grassroots evening. | B．After-school activities. |
| C．Active days. | D．Spiral PE. |
| A．It provides various competitions. | B．It promises plenty of big rewards. |
| C．It values long-run class achievements. | D．It advocates inter-school friendship. |
| A．To advertise to seek for partner schools. |
| B．To encourage students to take exercises. |
| C．To analyze the importance of PE lessons. |
| D．To introduce ways of selecting PE courses. |
1. Who would be interested in the museum in the Allianz Arena?
| A．Fans of the Bayern Munich. |
| B．Messengers of cultural exchange. |
| C．People longing for new 3D movies. |
| A．At the Signal Iduna Park. |
| B．At the Berlin Olympic Stadium. |
| C．At the German Football Museum. |
| A．Travel arrangements in Germany. |
| B．The greatest museums in Germany. |
| C．Places for sport tourism in Germany. |
1. What will the woman do on the computer?
| A．Search for an article. |
| B．Deal with some work. |
| C．Purchase newspapers. |
| A．He has mixed feelings now. |
| B．He is admitted to a college. |
| C．He is afraid of leaving home. |
| A．A consultant. | B．A professor. | C．A journalist. |
| A．Give a lecture. | B．Visit a university. | C．Meet Roxanne White. |
1. What did the Portuguese man depend on to move his boat?
| A．Petrol. | B．Solar power. | C．Wind power. |
| A．25 days. | B．30 days. | C．47 days. |
| A．He wanted a good rest. |
| B．He got delayed by the weather. |
| C．He needed to repair his boat. |
1. What is the book series about?
| A．Some children’s daily life. |
| B．Unsolved mysteries of the world. |
| C．Adventures of the four children and a dog. |
| A．From a shopping website. |
| B．From his mother’s place. |
| C．From a downtown bookstore. |
| A．Mother and son. | B．Husband and wife. | C．Friends. |
1. What did Justin watch on TV just now?
| A．Some sports news. | B．A fashion show. | C．An Olympic event. |
| A．Norway. | B．Finland. | C．Russia. |
| A．Two years ago. | B．Three years ago. | C．Five years ago. |
