How time flies!

Thank you.

A small device, Moxie, has produced oxygen on the surface of Mars,    1     (bring) the chances of surviving on the red planet a step closer. Research published in     2     journal Science Advances reported that Moxie produced breathable oxygen in seven-hour-long tests conducted in various weather and atmospheric conditions last year. The research also found that even in       3    (extreme) harsh weather conditions like a Martian dust storm, Moxie     4    (continue) to produce high purity oxygen.

“This is the first demonstration of actually using     5    (resource) on the surface of Mars and transforming them chemically into something useful for a human mission,” Jeffrey Hoffman, a retired astronaut, said.

“The thin atmosphere on Mars is 96 percent carbon dioxide and much more     6    (change)than on Earth and the temperature can vary by 100 degrees, ” Hoffman said. “One aim is     7    (show) we can run Moxie in all seasons.”

The device, Moxie, uses some special pumps,     8     take in carbon dioxide. The gas     9    (heat) to 800°C and pressed to separate the carbon and oxygen. Carbon monoxide is sent out as waste while the pure oxygen is left behind.

Despite the challenges, Moxie has proved durable in the extreme conditions on Mars and scientists regard the test results     10     a great achievement.

3 . Science shows that stretching us essential after exercise. Stretching lengthens and mobilizes the connective tissue around your muscle. What’s more, stretching helps your blood flow and even relieves your stress.     1    

You could feel sick. You won’t be surprised to know that when you exercise, you raise your heart rate for a period of time. While it’s great to get that blood flowing, it’s just as important to get your heart rate back to a normal level after the workout is over.     2     As your heart is beating faster and your body temperature is higher, you could pass out or feel sick if you stop too fast. Stretching after physical activity allows a gradual decrease at the end of the episode.

Your muscles will likely become stiffer and sorer. When you exercise your muscles, it produces lactic acid (乳酸), which is actually what causes your muscles to become sore. When you rest between periods of exercise, your body naturally breaks down that lactic acid. Is there one thing that helps your body get rid of that lactic acid?    3     Stretching helps you distribute oxygen throughout your body, which can reduce lactic acid production and rid your muscles of any accumulation of lactic acid.

    4     Flexibility is closely related to injury risk. Poor flexibility will cause you to have muscles that get tired quicker and joints that are more likely to suffer from injury. Besides, your weakened range of motion will lead to less blood and nutrients to your joints.     5     Sticking to stretching exercise after physical activity can hopefully improve your flexibility.

4 . Both Roberto and Keith have a 45-minute commute (通勤) time from their homes to their workplace. When Roberto drives, he has realistic expectations of how others drive and how long the trip should take. Overall, he is able to adapt to any unexpected challenges he may: face on the road.

He rarely becomes angry. By contrast, Keith drives with a tendency for becoming angry easily, partly due to unrealistic expectations of other drivers, his quickness to personalize and feel threatened by the actions of others, and his inability to calm his anger.

The difference between how Roberto and Keith experience their drive to work, especially with regard to getting angry, is influenced very much by their emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is crucial for helping individuals choose constructive over destructive anger. A key aspect of healthy anger is being able to pause and reflect on, rather than react to our thoughts, feelings, and senses associated with getting angry.

Self-regulation and empathy (同理心) are two important components of emotional intelligence, which can be a buffer (缓冲) against destructive anger. Self-regulation helps us to control our moods. Empathy helps us to recognize the humanity. in others and ourselves.

Studies suggest that training in emotional intelligence can powerfully impact how anger is managed. This was supported by a three-year study of 476 young adults who showed reduced tendency of becoming angry after training. Children and adults can learn skills to boost their emotional intelligence and, by doing so, develop adaptability for dealing with various negative feelings, including anger. Many workbooks offer skills in emotional intelligence to promote empathy and self-awareness regarding emotions and how they impact our beliefs and behavior.

Clearly, through training, Keith would experience greater emotional flexibility that could support a more peaceful commute to work. I firmly believe that learning skills in emotional intelligence should be the focus in helping individuals more constructively manage this highly challenging and complex emotion.

5 . When I was a teenager, my dad wasn’t terribly interested in the music I liked. To him, it just sounded like “______ ”, while he referred to the music he listened to as“______ .” As I’ve grown older, I’ll often hear people of my age say things like “they just don’t make _____ music like they used to.”

Luckily, my ______ as a psychologist has given me some insights into this puzzle. We know that musical tastes begin to ______ when we’re teenagers. By the time we’re in our early 20s, these tastes get locked into place pretty firmly.

In fact, studies have found that by the time we turn 33, most of us have ______ listening to new music. Meanwhile, those familiar songs released when you’re in your early teens are likely to remain quite ______ among your age group for the rest of your life. There could be a biological ______ for this. There’s evidence that the brain’s ability to make subtle distinctions between different chords, rhythms and melodies gets ______ with age. So to older people, less ______ songs might all “sound the same”.

But I believe there are some simpler ______ for older people’s dislike of newer music-the “mere exposure effect”. It means that the more we’re ______ to something, the more we tend to like it.

Psychology research has shown that the emotions that we ______ as teens seem more intense than those that come later. We also know that intense emotions are ______ with stronger memories and preferences. All of this might explain why the songs we listen to during this period become so memorable and beloved.

So there’s ______ wrong with your parents because they don’t like your music. In a way, it’s all part of the natural order of things.

One Monday afternoon, we were playing basketball on the playground while I suddenly slip and fell over. On seeing that, all my classmates rushed to me. Under the help of several other students, Li Xiang, one of my best friend put me on his back and headed for the clinic immediately. It turned out that my right ankle got injured but I had to be sent to hospital. He did not leave until an ambulance was arrived. The following day, he came to see me. To my greatly relief, he brought textbooks with them and helped me with my lessons. It was a great pleasure have such a devoting friend.

Plastic has polluted the countryside and been     1     threat to wildlife for decades. In the last century or so, environmentalists have urged us     2     (cut) the amount of plastic we use or recycle the plastic bags. However, with only less than 14 percent of the total amount recycled, people are still struggling with plastic pollution     3     (global).

There may be a solution. Recently scientists have made a biodegradable (可降解的) plastic,     4     means the billions of plastic bags, cups, straws, etc. that we throw away each day could be recycled.     5     (compare) with ordinary plastics, they could break down as naturally as organic waste. They could do it within a few weeks,     6     (use) just heat and water. The new, biodegradable plastic has polyester-eating enzymes (酶) inside it, When these enzymes are exposed     7     heat and water, they eat away at the plastic and turn it into “food” for the soil. Professor Ting Xu said up to 98 per cent of the plastic her team made reduced into tiny pieces: She said: “The study gives us a belief that this continuing problem of single-use plastics can     8     (solve) in the near future.” She added: “Look at all the     9     (waste) stuff we throw away—clothing, shoes, electronics.... We are taking things from the earth at a     10     (fast) rate than we can return them.”