1 . Celebrating the Yorkshire Dialect (方言)
The Yorkshire Dialect Society (YDS) is kicking off a weekend of activities for Yorkshire Day in Keighley Library with what might be described as an important warm-up event and something unique and special about Yorkshire people—how they talk.
Keynote speakers will include Ian Stevenson on the story behind the Yorkshire dialect, such as the point from which it starts and its gradual development; Rod Dimbleby, Chairman of the YDS, on the 19th-century dialect poet and storyteller John Hartley; and Eric Scaife on readings and recitation s of dialect poems and prose (散文). There will also be an exhibition of books and booklets by the Keighley historian, writer and dialect poet, the late Ian Dewhirst.
The Schedule:10:30 Registration and coffee.
11:00 The welcome speech by Rod Dimbleby.
11:10 The story behind the Yorkshire dialect by Ian Stevenson.
12:15 The lunch break. You may bring sandwiches or go to local cafes in Keighley. During the lunch break, there will be time to see the exhibition in the library to remember Ian Dewhirst who sadly died in 2019.
13:30 A talk on John Hartley’s Clock Almanack, a gold mine of the Yorkshire dialect, by Rod Dimbleby.
14:30-14:45 The tea break.
14:45 “Tyke Talk”——a celebration of the Yorkshire dialect through humorous poems and amusing stories—by Eric Scaife.
16:00 Questions and discussion about the future of the Yorkshire dialect.
16:30 Close.
Tickets:
The admission price is £5 for members and £8 for non-members, both of which include the morning coffee and afternoon tea.
1. Who will give the talk on the origins of the dialect?| A．Eric Scaife. | B．Ian Stevenson. | C．John Hartley. | D．Rod Dimbleby. |
| A．Join in a question-and-answer session. | B．Go into a recitation of poems and prose. |
| C．Make sandwiches in Keighley’s local cafes. | D．Attend an exhibition in memory of a poet. |
| A．It lasts for two days in total. | B．It looks into the dialect’s future. |
| C．It offers a discount to members. | D．It focuses on dialect poets’ life and work. |
2 . Digital mindfulness is the application of mindfulness practices in your digital life. According to Jon KabatZinn, a professor at the University of Massachusetts Medicine School, mindfulness is “a means of paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally”. Here two main key points are emphasized when it comes to mindfulness as a practice in your digital life.
The first point is that you must learn to do things on purpose. For instance, you use your phone as a habitual escape from boredom or stress, which is thought by many as a quick solution to all those negative feelings. But what if you get only negative responses from your phone — the news or posts are negative? Instead of finding peace, you find more boredom and more stress. The solution that mindfulness provides is purposeful and intentional choice. Therefore, you are empowered to choose how to respond to the stimulus (刺激) behind such feelings as boredom, loneliness, and stress and not just treat the symptoms (症状).
The other key is going through the experience nonjudgmentally. When you feel sad or angry because of a post on social media, all you ever do is to go through the experience and let it flow. At its core, mindfulness involves the acceptance of your memories, feelings, and thoughts minus any judgment on yourself or others because of those things. These feelings, memories, and experiences come and go. After they have passed, you are still you and in control. You will become more aware of your inner world. It’s this internal monologue (独白) that pushes you to grab your digital technology (phone, Alexa speaker, TV, etc.).
Digital mindfulness is not about avoiding the negative things in life. Through mindfulness practice, you regain the power to learn from these experiences and healthily deal with the negative. Mindfulness will also teach you to be aware of all your emotions, so you learn to deal with the things that you used to avoid. Finally, digital mindfulness brings you peace of mind in an everchanging and increasingly connected world.
Now, I would rather prefer to think of it as one of many tools that we can use in our daily life.
1. What does the author suggest readers do when they feel stressed in their digital life?| A．Find something interesting to do. |
| B．Use the phone as a habitual escape. |
| C．Keep away from the negative responses. |
| D．Deal with the root cause of the problem. |
| A．Negative feelings should be avoided or controlled. |
| B．Mindfulness involves both acceptance and judgment. |
| C．Mindfulness helps us fully experience life as it happens. |
| D．Digital technology is the key to understanding our inner world. |
| A．How Can You Avoid Negative Feelings? |
| B．How Can You Define Digital Mindfulness? |
| C．How Can Digital Mindfulness Help You? |
| D．How Can Digital Mindfulness Harm You? |
| A．Applications of mindfulness in communication. |
| B．Ways of practising mindfulness in the digital age. |
| C．Development of mindfulness in medical field. |
| D．Benefits of practising digital mindfulness in daily life. |
3 . Nick Rose-Stamey is a lot like Jack Black’s character in School of Rock- a guitarist who discovers a passion for making music accessible to children. Working in the nonprofit arts education sector over the last 10 years raised his awareness of the lack of music programs in public schools, and later inspired his nonprofit, Band in a Bus. “The original idea was to take an old school bus and turn it into the best band class on wheels,” he says.
In fact, activities of Band in a Bus don’t actually happen on a bus. It provides instruments, courses, and staffing to students. Kids 18 and under can also participate in enriching summer programs through Band in a Bus, such as Bucket Brigade, five weekly classes where grades K-4 learn rhythm (节奏) and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) principles through contemporary music. There are also teen bands for grades 7-12 where kids learn to play pop music and develop social and team work skills.
When schools went virtual during the COVID-19 period, Rose-Stamey thought it was a shame that instruments were left sitting on shelves instead of in the hands of kids. So he created and distributed more than 1,000 “Band in a Box” DIY kits. Each kit contains small noise makers like kazoos, drumsticks, and shakers, with the intention of introducing a modernized music class experience that meets kids where they are.
“It is reported that if a kid has 30 minutes of a performing arts or creative elective every singleday, then that’ll help them develop their social, emotional and leadership skills, because there’s a lot of team work when it comes to making music. You have to learn how to work well with others,” Rose-Stamey says.
In the last year, Band in a Bus has worked directly with more than 500 students. “Music is a win-win for everybody,” Rose-Stamey says. “I just hope that someday we can stop making it the first kid out in the dodge ball (躲避球) game.”
1. What motivated Rose-Stamey to establish Band in a Bus?| A．The movie School of Rock. | B．The band classes in public schools. |
| C．His music learning experiences. | D．Insufficient music education. |
| A．They mainly focus on pop music. | B．They are usually organized on a bus. |
| C．They encourage team-building activities. | D．They combine music with other subjects. |
| A．To promote noise making instrumental kits. |
| B．To help students gain access to music at home. |
| C．To lift students’ mood during the COVID-19 period. |
| D．To enable students to take creative electives every day. |
| A．We should treat every student equally. |
| B．We should give music enough importance. |
| C．We should reconsider the rules of the dodge ball game. |
| D．We should encourage fair competition in various activities. |
1. Whose speech did the woman listen to this morning?
| A．John Miller’s. | B．David Thompson’s. | C．Alan Brown’s. |
| A．Economy knowledge. | B．Risk assessment. | C．Employee motivation. |
| A．Challenging. | B．Interesting. | C．Rewarding. |
| A．Find a new position. |
| B．Raise employees’ salaries. |
| C．Improve management skills. |
1. Who will help deliver the bottles on Monday morning?
| A．Lisa. | B．Steven. | C．The teacher. |
| A．To decorate the room for the party. |
| B．To make gifts for the homeless. |
| C．To use them as money cans. |
| A．A community club. |
| B．A charity event. |
| C．An entertainment activity. |
1. How many multiple-choices remain unfinished?
| A．3. | B．4. | C．7. |
| A．Fairly well. | B．Just so-so. | C．Quite badly. |
7 . Wildlife conservation programs are a great way to get involved in the preservation of endangered species, as well as learn how you can help protect them. If you are a wildlife lover, here are some programs you can choose.
●Animal Rescue Project, South Africa
You will be working with experienced conservationists in Cape Town. A significant challenge is to find new homes for homeless dogs and cats. The project comprises two sections: a fully equipped animal hospital and an adoption center focusing on securing new homes. Due to limited funding, the center can only afford a small number of permanent staff, relying heavily on wildlife lovers to assist with daily tasks and provide hands-on care for these animals.
●Sea Turtle Conservation Project, Sri Lanka
Recent years have witnessed a significant decline in the sea turtle’s numbers due to numerous commercial fishing. As a wildlife lover, your role extends to supporting hatcheries (孵化场) in their conservation efforts. Additionally, your involvement helps these hatcheries with funds, as we provide a placement fee for each wildlife lover, enabling them to generate additional income.
●Wildlife Conservation Program, Australia
You will be engaged in activities such as animal feeding, cleaning, maintenance, and enrichment. This program provides an incredible opportunity to gain firsthand international work experience. For you, this program is an excellent choice. Not only will you contribute to a noble cause, but it also offers a fantastic opportunity to meet people from around the world.
●Marine Conservation Program, Bali
You will be working in Tianyar, where the reef is now in a worsening state. The project was initiated to rest ore and conserve Tianyar’s coral reef, not only to protect its remarkable and delicate ecosystems but also to secure a sustainable future for the residents.
1. What problem does the adoption center meet with?| A．Insufficient equipment. | B．Insecure surroundings. |
| C．Shortage of shelters. | D．Lack of hands. |
| A．Animal Rescue Project, South Africa. |
| B．Sea Turtle Conservation Project, Sri Lanka. |
| C．Wildlife Conservation Program, Australia. |
| D．Marine Conservation Program, Bali. |
| A．To promote program cooperation. |
| B．To advocate restoring ecosystems. |
| C．To introduce endangered species protection. |
| D．To encourage engagement in wildlife preservation. |
1. When was Rebecca offered the position as a local news reporter?
| A．In 2016. | B．In 2017. | C．In 2019. |
| A．She moved to another city. |
| B．She followed her husband’s advice. |
| C．She wanted to take up a better position. |
| A．Impressive. | B．Enjoyable. | C．Promising. |
| A．Her educational background. |
| B．Her working experience. |
| C．Her professional skills. |
9 . Researchers at MIT created a high-tech pill that starts to vibrate (震动) once it makes contact with liquid in the user’s stomach and make him or her feel full. The pill was reportedly thought up by Shriya Srinivasan, currently an assistant professor of bioengineering at Harvard University.
VIBES, short for Vibrating Ingestible BioEleotronic Stimulator, was only recently made public in a study published in the Science Journal, but it is already being announced by the media as the future of weight loss. Although it has yet to be tested on humans, trials on pigs have achieved very hopeful results. After about 30 minutes of VIBES activity, pigs consumed on average almost 40 percent less food in the next half hour than they did without the smart pill. Apparently, the revolutionary device works by activating stretch receptors in the stomach, modeling the presence of food. This in turn signals the hypothalamus (下丘脑) to increase the levels of hormones that make us feel full. The vibrating stimulator, which is about the size of a vitamin pill, is powered by an encased battery and activated either by the gastric fluid (胃液) breaking down a coat around the pill, or by an incorporated timer. After producing the desired effect, the pill exits the body with other solid waste:
The good news is that it is expected to have a cost in the cents to one dollar range, and researchers say that it may eventually be possible to implant the stimulator and thus remove the need for people to constantly swallow it.
“Our study demonstrates the effectiveness of a low-cost, non-operative intervention to reduce food intake and ca lorie consumption. The device functions effectively in the stomach and leading to fullness,” said Giovanni Traverso, co-author of the study. “The device has the potential to revolutionize options for weight loss treatment. However, future studies will need to explore the physiological effects of the device before it’s available for patients.”
Researchers are now exploring ways to scale up the producing of VIBES capsules which could enable clinical trials in humans.
1. What is the outcome of taking the pill?| A．Liquid production. | B．Food storage. |
| C．Sensation of fullness. | D．Recovery of users. |
| A．Its working principle. | B．Its intelligence. |
| C．Its testing history. | D．Its side effect. |
| A．To produce gastric fluid with it. | B．To destroy the coat around it. |
| C．To fix it in human body. | D．To remove solid waste from it. |
| A．Worried. | B．Cautious. | C．Doubtful. | D．Confused. |
1. What was Inhotim like before 1990s?
| A．It was popular. | B．It was unique. | C．It was undeveloped. |
| A．To experience the art. | B．To see the landscape. | C．To visit the farm. |
| A．More employment. |
| B．Better living environment. |
| C．Stronger cultural atmosphere. |
