Last year, I baked biscuits for complete strangers to say “thank you”. I’d had to call 999 because I found my husband unconscious on the floor. Within minutes, a police car arrived and soon my husband received medical care in hospital.
A week later, when I dropped off still-warm biscuits and presented a thank-you note at the police station, the policemen thanked me for delivering gifts.
I drove away feeling light and happy. Later, I realized that my natural high might have been more than it seemed.Research has shown that sharing gratitude has positive effects on health. People who express gratitude will increase their happiness levels, lower their blood pressure and get better sleep.
What about people who receive gratitude?Research has confirmed that when people receive thanks, they experience positive emotions.“Those are happy surprises,”says Jo-Ann Tsang, a professor of psychology. When someone is thanked,he’s more likely to return the favor or pass kindness on, and his chances of being helpful again doubles, probably because he enjoys feeling socially valued.
The give-and-take of gratitude also deepens relationships. Studies show that when your loved ones regularly express gratitude,making you feel appreciated,you’re more likely to return appreciative feelings, which leads to more satisfactory in your relationships.
Nowadays,however,many people don’t express gratitude. Our modern lifestyle may be to blame. With commercial and social media, everything is speeding the younger generation to feel they’re the center of the world. If it’s all about them, why thank others?
Why not thank others? Just take a look at how many positive effects can saying “thank you”have on personal health—and the well-being of others.
If you aren’t particularly grateful, I strongly suggest you learn to be.People who are instructed to keep gratitude journals,in which they write down positive things that happen to them,cultivate gratitude over time.
1. What health benefits can people gain from expressing gratitude?2. How do people probably respond when they receive gratitude and feel socially valued?
3. Please decide which part of the following statement is false, then underline it and explain why.
▷ Saying “thank-you”improves relationships,but nowadays some young people don’t want to do it because everything is making them feel blamed by the whole society.
4. If possible, who would you like to express gratitude to most? Why? (In about 40 words)
2 . Many industries are facing a shortage of labour. Warehousing has grown rapidly. And robots are now indispensable,picking items off shelves and helping people pack an exponentially rising numbers of boxes. They are even beginning to walk slowly along some pavements, delivering goods or food right to people’s doors. Having more robots to boost productivity would be a good thing.
And yet many people fear that robots will destroy jobs. A paper in 2013 by economists at Oxford University was widely misinterpreted as meaning that 47% of American jobs were at risk of being automated.
In fact,concerns about mass unemployment because of robots are overblown. The evidence suggests robots will be ultimately beneficial for labour markets. A Yale University study found that an increase of one robot unit per 1,000 workers boosted a company’s employment in Japan. Research from the Bank of Korea found that notarization moved jobs away from manufacturing into other sectors, but that there was no decrease in overall vacancies(空缺).Another study，by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and colleagues elsewhere, looked at Finnish firms and concluded that their use of advanced technologies led to increases in hiring.
For all that, the march of the robots will bring big changes to workplaces. The skills and firms that are rewarded will shift,too.But that need not be the disaster many fear. One supposed example of “bad automation” is self-service checkouts in supermarkets because they displace human workers. Checkout staff who retrain to help customers pick items from aisles may well find that dealing with people in need is more rewarding than spending all day scanning barcodes.
Certainly, some people will be on the losing end of change even as the robots make society as a whole better off. One lesson from the freewheeling globalization of the 1990s and 2000s is that the growth in trade that was overwhelmingly beneficial triggered a political backlash(强烈抵制)because the losers felt left behind. That is one more reason why firms and governments would do well to recognize the value of retraining and lifelong learning. As jobs change, workers should be helped to acquire new skills, including how to work with and manage the robots that will increasingly be their colleagues.
The potential gains from the robot revolution have just started. It won’t be the plot in some films where the robots fight against their human masters and cause mass unemployment.
1. What does the underlined word “indispensable”mean in Paragraph 1?| A．Essential. | B．Spare. | C．Detective. | D．Complicated. |
| A．To prove that robots will not be a disaster. |
| B．To remind us of the big changes at workplaces. |
| C．To illustrate checkout staff will scan barcodes slowly. |
| D．To tell firms the value of retraining and lifelong learning. |
| A．It will push losers to leave behind. |
| B．Robots may lead to mass unemployment. |
| C．People will help robots to gain new skills. |
| D．Robots and people may become co-workers. |
| A．jobs will be at risk due to robots |
| B．no evidence shows that robots will destroy jobs |
| C．notarization will quickly boost mass employment |
| D．people have benefited a lot from the robot revolution |
3 . The hydrogen-powered drone(无人机)，called “Qingting” in Chinese pronounced the same as the Chinese word “dragonfly”,has completed the automatic inspection of the 500 kilovolt of Wangnan Line.
It is the first time that a fuel-cell drone powered by hydrogen has been used in the national electrical power system to carry out inspection programs, meaning that hydrogen energy equipment has been firstly applied into the inspection of power grid(网).
The inspection drone traditionally is powered by lithium batteries which can last 20-30 minutes on average.There exists a certain threat to inspection safety if the drone falls out of control due to its use of large-capacity lithium battery pack, which easily leads to burn and explode. Thus, the current urgent need of inspection work for power grid requires a new kind of drone with long battery life,continuous inspection,and high security.
It is introduced that, this year State Grid Wenzhou Power Supply Company,together with Jinling Carbon Energy Digital Intelligence Technology Laboratory, finally successfully invented the first hydrogen-powered drone after half a year’s exploration and perseverance. As an electric drone taking hydrogen fuel cell to generate the power and hydrogen,hydrogen does not burn in thefuel cell during the operation of “Qingting”. Instead,it can be transformed directly into electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen through the action of platinum-carbon catalyst in a clean and carbon-free way, and the only product is water.
It is learned that it offers power autonomy of 2 hours, about four times that of the lithium battery drone. The life of hydrogen fuel cell is more than 2000 hours,about 20 times that of the lithium battery.The battery of hydrogen fuel cell contains no heavy metal pollutants, whose materials can be recycled after destruction. It is tested that the “Qingting”drone fails to burn or explode when it falls out of control,which performs better in safety.
The success of the initial inspection of the“Qingting”drone has filled the gap of the application of hydrogen fuel in the electric power drone. Next, the company will expand the multi-directional application of hydrogen drones in inspection for power grid by carrying different functional equipment to make breakthroughs in the technical barriers. Moreover, under the national policy of actively promoting the application of clean energy, accelerating the development of hydrogen fuel cells in the field of unmanned aviation vehicles(UAVs)is of significance.
1. What can we learn about the traditional drone?| A．It is powered by hydrogen. |
| B．It can work for a long time. |
| C．It may burn if failing to control. |
| D．It can ensure the safety of power grid. |
| A．How “Qingting” works. |
| B．Why “Qingting”is safe. |
| C．What advantages“Qingting”has. |
| D．What effects“Qingting”has on the environment. |
| A．The battery it uses is recyclable. |
| B．It has been used to examine power grid. |
| C．It can change hydrogen directly into electricity. |
| D．It can prevent the hydrogen battery from explosion. |
| A．Hydrogen fuel has been applied into other fields. |
| B．Hydrogen fuel has a bright future in many fields. |
| C．Hydrogen drone is widely used in the field of UAVs. |
| D．Hydrogen drone has taken along limited functional equipment. |
4 . Tours come in many creative forms, such as guided walking tours, self-guided walking tours, coastal walks and bush walks.
Guided Walking Tours
Guided walking tours are an informative and fun way to deeply understand the area about a city’s history and the people there. You can take this kind of tour anytime and anywhere. Guided walking tours come with a guide with the knowledge and history of the area and they can help you with a lot of the history that happened in the area. Guided walking tours are better at showing sites in-depth.
Self-Guided Walking Tours
Self-guided tours are good if you wish to do things at your own pace. With self-guided tours, you usually have a brochure on the area that you follow and it will tell you about local people’s favorite landmarks. Self-guided tours are suitable for individuals or close friends. You can take them in any season you like.
Coastal Walking Tours
Coastal walks are ideal for those who enjoy breathtaking views. Coastal walks will often take you inland for part of your journey, only to rejoin the coastline at some other spectacular views mother nature has provided. Coastal walks are for all year round. I have done some great walks in winter and seen mother nature at her best, and the best part about doing tours during winter is that there are not very many people that will almost have the tour to themselves.
Bush Walking Tours
Bush walks, according to research, can help reduce depression and raise self-esteem. Bush walks can be a family activity with your dog throughout the year. Some bush walks may take more than one day. Whenever you want to take a bush walk, you should keep in mind that all bush walks should be researched thoroughly as you may need special equipment like waterproof trousers. At the very least you should let your family or friends know where you are going. This is useful if you get lost.
Hope you can find the most suitable tour for yourself.
1. What can we learn about guided walking tours from the passage?| A．It can be a family activity that may include pets. |
| B．You can have a further understanding of the area. |
| C．You can enjoy breathtaking views during the tour. |
| D．You can know the landmarks with the help of local people. |
| A．Bush walking tours. | B．Guided walking tours. |
| C．Coastal walking tours. | D．Self-guided walking tours. |
| A．You can participate anytime of the year. |
| B．You should buy special equipment in advance. |
| C．You will take part in both inland and coastline journeys. |
| D．You need a brochure to introduce the tours’ special features. |
5 . Tips on How to Use Body Language in Interviews
When was the last time you went to an interview? How did it go? There are lots of things to remember and prepare. However, one important thing to think about is your body language as it can really help you get the job. With a good understanding of body language in interviews, you can communicate the right messages, and even understand what the interviewer is saying or thinking. Here are some really useful things you need to know about body language in interviews.
Greetings
When greeting the interviewer, smile, look him in the eye and introduce yourself in a strong and confident voice. Also, remember that in most English-speaking countries (the UK, the USA, Australia, Canada, etc.), a firm handshake is seen as a sign of trust; and a limp handshake could make you appear weak or disinterested. Experts recommend waiting for the interviewer to extend his hand first.
Palms (手掌)
When possible, keep your palms facing up to show that you’re open, trustworthy and interested. Research has shown that if we can’t see the other person’s open palms, we subconsciously become suspicious of them.
Mirroring
Mirroring involves copying what someone does with their body. For example, if the interviewer places a hand on their leg, you should do the same, but not too obviously. Experts have shown that mirroring someone can make him like you, or even think that you’re more honest and trustworthy. However, be careful—if the other person knows about this technique, he might notice you doing it.
Sitting position
When sitting, if you lean back, you could appear lazy or arrogant; and if you lean forward too much, you might appear aggressive. The ideal posture is to sit with your back straight and your shoulders back a bit, leaning in very slightly. Sit with your legs slightly apart to give the impression of self-confidence and try to angle your knees and feet so they’re pointing towards the interviewer.
1. A good understanding of body language can help you ______.| A．succeed in getting the job |
| B．express the correct messages |
| C．know more about the interviewer |
| D．perform better than other interviewees |
| A．extend your hand first |
| B．sit with your legs apart |
| C．keep your palms facing down |
| D．copy what the interviewer does |
| A．Adventure. | B．Entertainment. | C．Life. | D．Profile. |
6 . Mobile technology impacts all areas of our lives today. The early mobile phones, often referred to as 0G mobile phones, led to the phones used now which rely on 4G or 5G mobile technology. The mobile revolution has enabled global communities to form, but there are concerns too, the impact of which we look at here.
The mobile revolution has seen all of us spend more time online than ever before. Whether catching up with family, shopping, doing research, watching movies or gaming, all of these are now all possible at any time, wherever we are.
Nowadays, almost all businesses offer mobile-accessible sites for smartphones and tablets. Whether you are placing an order for a new pair of jeans, researching the best financial advisor or wanting to play a casino game on the move like blackjack mobile, it is really easy to do all of these.
Since the launch of social media in 1997 with Six Degrees, which allowed users to upload a profile and make friends with other users, there are now many other social media platforms like Facebook (2004).
Mobile technology means that we have access to information at our fingertips, wherever we are. “Google is your friend” is now listed in urban dictionaries, showing how many of us search for instant answers without doing more than pull out our phones or ask Alexa.
The mobile revolution has also seen a rise in fitness devices worn on the wrist. Not only recording lap times, fitness devices can also monitor pulse rates, blood pressure and sleeping patterns.
| A．The impact is not all positive. |
| B．They have a number of functions. |
| C．What’s more, it is very popular with young people. |
| D．Besides, app technology makes the searching simple. |
| E．You can begin a game at home and continue it on the bus or train. |
| F．They can even offer instant health feedback and recommendations. |
| G．They give us real-time access into the lives of friends, family, celebrities and businesses. |
7 . If you truly want to live, you need to get out and see the world. Traveling and living different adventures may become your favorite lifestyle. Here is a brief introduction about the top three destinations to visit in the world.
Paris
First on the list is Paris, France. For some people, this shouldn’t be a surprise. For others, they might consider Paris overrated as it has a reputation for being dirty. Any major city in the world might be thought to be dirty by anyone not living in a city. It comes with the territory. The reason Paris is at the top of this list is not because of its famous attractions but because of its charm. You can spend the day walking around cobblestone streets and enjoy elegant cafes and high-end shopping. When you finish satisfying your appetite, you can relax on the banks of the Seine River.
Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park comes in second on the list. It is located in Montana, America. It will be well worth the effort thanks to snow-capped mountains, crystal blue lakes, seventy miles of hiking trails, and thirteen camping areas. If you visit during the summer, you can go swimming or white-water rafting. If you visit during the winter, you can go skiing or snowshoeing. But the real allure (诱惑力) and what you will always remember is the breathtaking scenery and fresh mountain air.
Bora Bora
The reason Bora Bora is the third on this list is that it’s expensive, which could limit your other travel plans. If you do make it to this small island paradise, you will find peaceful beaches, jungles, luxury accommodations, turquoise water, and some of the friendliest people you have ever met.
Other vacation destinations that should be on your list if you’re living the adventurous lifestyle include London, the South Island of New Zealand, Maui, Tahiti, Tokyo, Barcelona and New York City.
1. Tourists can ________ to appreciate the charm of Paris.| A．enjoy elegant cafes |
| B．visit its famous attractions |
| C．walk around crystal blue lakes |
| D．meet the friendliest people you have ever met |
| A．Peaceful beaches. |
| B．White-water rafting. |
| C．The breathtaking scenery. |
| D．Snow-capped mountains. |
| A．To compare the top three destinations. |
| B．To introduce the top three destinations. |
| C．To encourage people to live an adventurous lifestyle. |
| D．To analyze the good and bad points of the three destinations. |
8 . Imagine someone had a knife and told you, “This is a great knife. The only problem is that it can’t cut anything.” You’d think it’s not a great knife.
“Telos is the Greek word that Aristotle and others use to define the end or purpose of something,” Jonathan Haidt, professor at New York University Stern School of Business, says in a recorded lecture at the University of Colorado Springs. The telos of a knife is to cut. What, Haidt asks, is the telos of a university?
Truth — that’s the purpose of higher education, Haidt says. The academy aims to be a stage where truth is sought, discovered, and explored. When the university is functioning at its best, students learn to present arguments and receive debate in following truth.
Are today’s universities achieving their purpose?
In his lecture, Haidt suggests that changes in campus culture over the past decade have rerouted university resources away from the pursuit of truth and towards creating an emotionally and intellectually comfortable environment for students.
“From out of nowhere, students in 2014 began asking for trigger warnings,” Haidt says. A growing group among student bodies and administrators seemed to believe students were fragile and needed to be aggressively protected from “bad” ideas, offensive imagery, and annoying arguments. Students began protesting speakers, and publicly shaming peers whose words made them uncomfortable.
There are many places and institutions whose purpose, or telos, is comfort. But a university is not one of those places. To make that point, Haidt quotes CNN contributor Van Jones: I don’t want you to be safe ideologically. I don’t want you to be safe emotionally. I want you to be strong — that’s different. I’m not going to settle the jungle for you. Put on some boots and learn how to deal with adversity. I’m not going to take all the weights out of the gym. That’s the whole point of the gym. This is the gym.
Putting comfort over the pursuit of truth, universities are ignoring their purpose. Higher education should be a stage of open exploration and free expression, where ideas are exchanged, tested, and inspected. A common education should be “an invitation to be concerned not with the employment of what is familiar but with understanding what is not yet understood,” according to philosopher Michael Oakeshott.
What is the social influence if universities fail to achieve their purpose? New generations could lose more than academic power; they could lose the ability and interest to pursue and prioritize truth first. They could become so dependent on emotional comfort that they refuse to observe deep in thought “what is not yet understood”. Anyhow, this is happening in reality. It’s time for universities to realize their telos, or they’ll risk losing their essential role in society.
1. What does the author imply by saying “This is a great knife. The only problem is it can’t cut anything”?| A．Such a knife is not a good knife. |
| B．The role of a knife is to cut something. |
| C．The problems in the universities can be ignored. |
| D．Universities are diverting from their original purposes. |
| A．To tell us what a gym should be like. |
| B．To tell us what Haidt wants to do in a gym. |
| C．To tell us what a university student should be like. |
| D．To tell us what Van Jones wants to do in a university. |
| A．Students are eager to study new knowledge. |
| B．Students’ ability to pursue truth is improving. |
| C．Students prefer emotional comfort to the pursuit of truth. |
| D．Students have realized their lack of academic power and interest. |
| A．The purpose of higher education. | B．The method to choose a great knife. |
| C．The current situation of universities. | D．The process of realizing universities’ purpose. |
9 . While many people prefer to buy a new dog from a breeder, another option is to adopt a rescue dog. As the Svilicics already had a healthy daughter Charlotte, they felt fortunate enough to save another life. Thus, Catherine adopted a dog and named it Khan. Catherine was hopeful this would provide valuable lessons for her baby, such as sharing, learning to love and responsibility to care for animals.
They trained Khan during the first few days and everything began smoothly. Charlotte and the new dog made a habit of playing out in the backyard. However, things were different this day. They began running through the backyard grass together. That was until Khan’s temperament seemed to change dramatically. Khan began acting wildly aggressively (富于攻击性的), grabbing the baby.
This was not the normal play between the two. Mouth open, Catherine watched in complete and utter shock. She watched as Khan tossed (抛) Charlotte across their lawn. What happened next alarmed Catherine and everyone present. He tightly clenched his jaws into her diaper to toss her back and forth. Therefore, with urgency, she ran to Charlotte and carried her to safety.
Miraculously, her child was unharmed. While Catherine brought her baby to shelter, Khan barked madly and then collapsed. The dog began crying. No one understood what was going on! Khan was obviously not doing well. The dog continued crying and then fell lifeless. Catherine focused on the dog, watching his dying eyes and realized he had been protecting her child. It turned out that Khan was protecting Charlotte from a poisonous, dangerous snake. She used all her strength to bring the dog to her car and sped for the vet, hearing his breath slow. When the vet took over, Catherine cried and felt totally helpless, so she prayed for his recovery.
The vet had to remove all the snake poison from the body. Quite a few days later, Khan was slowly getting stronger through the vet’s effort. Eventually, he made progress and the snake’s venom was removed. Actually, Khan impressed even the vet with his rapid recovery and progress.
The whole family could be reunited once again with this amazing and heroic animal. Catherine was determined to protect this amazing animal as if it were her own child.
1. What caused Catherine to carry her child away from Khan?| A．That Khan tossed her child back and forth. |
| B．That Khan grabbed her child aggressively. |
| C．That Khan tossed her child across their lawn. |
| D．That her child played with Khan for such a long time. |
| A．Catherine adopted Khan to protect her child. |
| B．Khan’s sickness was too serious to be cured. |
| C．The child was hurt because she was treated badly. |
| D．Khan was attacked by a snake in order to protect the child. |
| A．Outgoing. | B．Caring. | C．Faithful. | D．Honest. |
Judgement is a quality that is hard to define but important to possess. Sir Andrew Likierman of the London Business School suggests that judgment is “the combination of personal qualities with relevant knowledge and experience to form opinions and take decisions”. And he argues that, thus defined, judgment involves a process—taking in information, deciding whom and what to trust, summarizing one’s personal knowledge, checking any prior beliefs or feelings, summarizing the available choices and then making the decision.
Expert knowledge can be useful in making judgments. But it is not the same thing. “Academics have expert knowledge,” Sir Andrew observes. “They don’t necessarily have judgment.” People with judgment know when they are out of their depth in making a decision and typically then seek the advice of someone who has the right background and knowledge. “While good judgment is important to success,” Sir Andrew cautions, “success is not a signal that there has been good judgment.”
The degree of judgment required tends to increase as people take on more responsibility. Those with routine tasks generally have limited scope for judgment. Line supervisors have some discretion (自行决定权). For a chief executive, the proportion of decisions involving judgment is high. Deciding not to take action is also a judgment with potentially serious consequences (for example, “I won’t get vaccinated” or “I won’t pay my bills”). The world is full of people whose lack of judgment brought their careers or personal life crashing down. Many made the common mistake of assuming everything was fine.
As artificial intelligence gets used for more and more routine tasks in the service sector, exercising judgment may be one area where humans retain an edge over machines. This is far from certain, however. With enough practice, machines may be able to recognize these implicit cues and thus display the equivalent of good judgment. But then, perhaps humans can be taught, too. In the long run, one of the trickiest aspects of human judgment may be knowing precisely when to let machines take decisions and when to leave it to people.
1. What’s Sir Andrew’s definition of judgement?2. Why does Andrew say that expert knowledge is not the same as making judgements?
3. Please decide which part of the following statement is false, then underline it and explain why.
Good judgement is important to success and a successful person definitely has good judgement.
4. Please list a factor except “judgement” that can lead to success and explain why. (about 40 words)
