5 . Have you ever been amazed at a 3-year-old who’s always in the mood to ask why?
“It’s time for your bath!”
“Why?”
“Because we always wash ourselves before bed.”
“Why?”
“Because, um…because I said so!”
“But why?”
Unfortunately for many of us, our born curiosity dies early on. Can you remember — before the responsibilities of growing up consumed us — when life had room for wonder? Indulging (沉溺于) in the ungoverned curiosity of childhood might not seem relevant to our grown-up concerns. Or maybe it feels like a luxury (奢侈品) that we just don’t have the time for: But nothing could be further from the truth.
If you Google “intellectual curiosity,” you might be astonished at what you find. According to numerous studies and articles, intellectual curiosity contributes to academic and professional success and has a positive influence on personal relationships.
So what exactly is this surprisingly powerful character trait? Intellectual curiosity is a tendency to acquire knowledge. It is a mental attitude and a posture (姿态) of active interest toward the world. It is also more intended and focused than the occasionally dangerous curiosity of childhood. When we were children, which of us learned the hard way that stoves are hot? But instead of a painful lesson, putting time and energy into learning about a particular thing for a particular purpose gets professional and relational rewards.
One study claims that a “hungry mind” is one of three top factors that influences academic performance. Other studies suggest that showing an interest in others will do more for our relationships than showing others how interesting we are. Intellectually curious people enjoy socializing more. Being curious about why others think and feel the way they do helps us empathize (同理心).
So ask questions! “How does this work? Why do you feel like that?” Cultivating intellectual curiosity helps us succeed professionally and also points the way to a friendlier, more interesting world.
1. What is the benefit of intellectual curiosity?| A．Acquiring knowledge from socializing. |
| B．Helping people take up responsibilities. |
| C．Removing grown-up concerns and dangers. |
| D．Enhancing academic performance and relationships. |
| A．To highlight the safety issue. | B．To disapprove of childhood curiosity. |
| C．To show childhood curiosity. | D．To point out time and energy wasted. |
| A．Recover the power of wonder. | B．Grow up with responsibilities. |
| C．Socialize more than others. | D．Aim for better academic performance. |
| A．Hungry Mind: the Key to a Friendlier World |
| B．Intellectual Curiosity: a Luxury of Childhood |
| C．Hungry Mind: a Dangerous Curiosity of Childhood |
| D．Intellectual Curiosity: the Healthy Appetite of a Hungry Mind |
Pride and Defeat
I had always prided myself on my talent in debates and arguments. Thus, when I was selected to represent the school in the national debate series, I was naturally confident of my readiness for the task Little did I know that this would turn out to be one of the most important lessons in my life.
The run-up to the finals was a breeze for my team. Our teacher was very experienced and we were all good speakers. My teammates were open to communicate so we showed perfect teamwork. But I was undoubtedly the most outstanding. In each round, the judges had always selected me as the best speaker. This means that my confidence was at an all-time high by the time we found ourselves with one week to train before the finals. I had no reason to even think that I would not be voted the overall best speaker for the debate series.
Unfortunately, I began to get self-focused about the whole business and started putting on airs with my teammates. I saw myself as the natural debater who would be let down by their bad performance. I became so dissatisfied that I began missing practices, which disappointed my kind teammates and teacher. They had no choice but to continue their training schedule.
The day of the finals dawned bright and fine. Actually, I just passed my teammates to enter the hall of the debate finals, feeling the excitement of being able to finally show off my debating power. But the reality was something quite different. My absence from the practices had created a gap between my teammates and me. We could not work perfectly as we did previously. Instead, our teamwork was so bad that even our school supporters were shamed into silence. When it was my turn to conclude as the last speaker of the team, the hall was quiet. Everyone knew that I was the most likely to win the overall best speaker for the series.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
But as I launched into my speech. I knew that things were very wrong.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Suddenly, one of my teammates came up and patted me on the shoulder.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7 . We’ve all heard the expression, “Money doesn’t buy happiness.” Since happiness is a side effect of laughter, shift your focus from the secret of happiness to experiences that bring you laughter. Instead of asking yourself “How can I be happy?”, ask “What makes me laugh?” This approach creates space for more actionable practices.
•Look at the situation through a child’s eyes.
When times get stressful, take a moment to think about how you saw things as a kid. The more we can experience that childlike wonder and enthusiasm, the less we sweat even the big stuff.
•Add laughter to your mornings.
•Learn to laugh at yourself.
Relieving yourself of pressure is the joy of learning to laugh at yourself. It also allows you to show more of your true self.
•
There is no better way to practice laughing at yourself than going outside your comfort zone. From learning German to taking up rollerblading and Zumba, plenty of new activities will fuel your laughter. With so many ways to laugh more, why wait for your bit of happiness?
| A．Hang out with friends. |
| B．Take up something new. |
| C．Permit yourself to be silly. |
| D．Morning routines set the tone for the entire day. |
| E．Read on four ways to get your daily amount of laughter. |
| F．Money doesn’t buy happiness but it can help us find happiness. |
| G．Instead, try any of the ideas above, and start feeling better now. |
8 . Standing in my office 25 years ago was a young astronomer. She had an incredible request that my team revise our software to do something beyond our design, and risk breaking it. All to carry out a seemingly impossible experiment — to prove that a massive black hole existed in our Milky Way. My initial “no way” gradually gave way in the face of her cheerful but unshakable determination. It was my first encounter with Andrea Ghez, one of the winners of Nobel Prize in Physics 2020.
For 25 years Andrea has been searching for evidence of a black hole at the heart of our galaxy. But the work has been defined by technology. Scientific equipment was never designed to meet Andrea's need — analyzing the image data at superspeed. But she was not to give in and our team just made the changes. And it worked! It was extremely hard and time-consuming, but Andrea persisted. Out of that effort came the first evidence of stars orbiting a black hole.
Andrea is fond of owing her success to the interaction between astronomers and engineers responding to the challenge. Science questions generate new technology and new technology generates new science. Andrea has always pioneered in this virtuous cycle (良性循环). She created UCLA Galactic Centre to promote research and technical developments.
Today, Andrea received the highest scientific recognition. But as she would be the very first to knowledge, this success represents the combined efforts of so many. From the theoretical prediction Albert Einstein, through the amazing telescopes and observatory locations, to the technical workers it is the product of thousands.
But in my eyes, it was just one person that had the persistence and focus to make the idea happen that person is my friend and longtime colleague the one who refused to take "no" for an answer Andrea Ghez.
1. Why did Andrea Ghez pay the first visit to the author?| A．To appreciate a software design. | B．To demand a software revision. |
| C．To conduct an astronomy research. | D．To promote a high-tech product. |
| A．Carrying out outer space experiment. | B．Developing superspeed equipment. |
| C．Looking for evidence of a black hole. | D．Searching for new stars in the galaxy. |
| A．Pioneering and appreciative. | B．Artistic and reserved. |
| C．Determined and disciplined. | D．Innovative and controlling. |
| A．Average | B．Fashionable. |
| C．Troublesome. | D．Admirable. |
9 . What are the Examination Systems in These Countries?
Finland
Finnish students are assessed based on their daily performances until they take the college entrance examination at age 18+. This consists of at least four tests: mother tongue and three other compulsory（必修）tests from second national language, foreign language, maths, and sciences/humanities. They can also take one or more optional tests like economics.
France
Lower secondary education ends at 15 when students take a lower secondary leaving exam, which consists of French, maths. civics education and history/geography together with continuous assessment from 13 to 15. After one year of upper secondary education, students can leave or continue their education. Those that stay on can choose from a diploma, a technical career or professional certificates.
North Korea
There is no national examination on completion of lower secondary education. But students may need to take an entrance-exam at age 15+ for some upper secondary schools. All students who wish to go to college have to take the national College Scholastic Ability Test（CSAT）. CSAT involves written tests in subjects: Korean, maths. English, social studies, science and professional education, and a second foreign language.
The Netherlands
At age 15, students enter the second cycle which prepares them for specific and differentiated terminal examinations. It includes three cultivation routes: pre-professional secondary education, senior general secondary education, and a pre-university qualification. All require common compulsory subjects like Dutch, English, physical education. And their differences lie in some special career options and study burden.
1. Which country requires a lower secondary leaving exam?| A．Finland. | B．France. |
| C．North Korea. | D．The Netherlands. |
| A．Economics. | B．Geography. |
| C．Social studies. | D．Physical education. |
| A．Pre-university qualification. | B．Professional secondary education. |
| C．Technical career certificates. | D．Junior general secondary education. |
The King’s Speech is a 2010 British film directed by Tom Hooper. The film,
The film looks like a fairly typical historical film without fancy special
If you enjoy true stories of films about history, you will love The King’s Speech.
