Many students say that a lack of concentration is their biggest problem. It seriously affects their ability to study, so do their test results. If so, use these tips to help you.
Study Techniques.
You should always study in the same place. You shouldn’t sit in a position that you use for another purpose. For example, when you sit on a sofa to study, your brain will think it is time to relax. Don’t watch TV while you are studying. Experts warn that your concentration may be reduced by 50 percent if you attempt to study in this way. Always try to have a white wall in front you, so there is nothing to distract you. Before sitting down to study, gather together all the equipment you need-apart from your textbooks, pens, pencils and knives, make sure you have a dictionary. If your study desk or table is needed when you are not studying, store all your equipment in a box beside it. Your eyes will become tired if you try to read a text which is on a flat surface. Position your book at an angle of 30 degrees. Be realistic and don’t try to complete too much in one study period. Finish one thing before beginning another. If you need a break, get up and walk around for a few minutes, but try not to telephone a friend or have something to eat.
Test-taking Skills.
All your hard work will be for nothing if you are too nervous to take your test. Getting plenty of rest is very important. This means “do not study all night before your test”! It is a better idea to have a long-term study plan. Try to make a timetable for your study which lasts for a few months. Exercise is a great way to reduce pressure. Doing some form of exercise every day will also improve your concentration. Eat healthy food too. When you arrive in the examination room, find your seat and sit down. Breathe slowly and deeply. Check the time on the clock during the test, but not too often. Above all, take no notice of everyone else and give the test paper your undivided attention.
1. What is the author’s purpose of the passage? (No more than 15 words)2. Please explain the underlined word “distract” in English? (No more than 5 words)
3. What shouldn’t you do when you take a break? (No more than 10 words)
4. What is the most important tip when you take an exam? (No more than 15 words)
5. Which tip do you think is useful to you? Why? (No more than 20 words)
2 . Leonardo da Vinci, one of the greatest thinkers in the world, began his career as an artist. Very little is known about Leonardo’s early life. He was born in 1452 in the town of Vinci. As a boy, Leonardo showed a great interest in drawing, sculpting and observing nature.
However, because Leonardo was born to parents who were not married to each other, he was barred from some studies and professions. He trained as an artist after moving to Florence with his father in the 1460s. It was an exciting time to be in Florence, one of the cultural capitals of Europe. Leonardo trained with one of the city’s very successful artists, Andrea del Verrocchio. He was a painter, sculptor and gold worker. Verrocchio told his students that they needed to understand the body’s bones and muscles when drawing people.
Leonardo took the teacher’s advice very seriously. He spent several periods of his life studying the human body by taking apart and examining dead bodies. While training as an artist, Leonardo also learned about and improved on relatively new painting methods at the time. One was the use of perspective (透视) to show depth. A method called “sfumato” helped to create a cloudy effect to suggest distance. “Chiaroscuro” is a method using light and shade as a painterly effect.
Leonardo’s first known portrait now hangs in the National Gallery in Washington, D. C. He made this painting of a young woman named Ginevra de’Benci around 1474. The woman has a pale face with dark hair. In the distance, Leonardo painted the Italian countryside.
He soon received attention for his extraordinary artistic skills. Around 1475 he was asked to draw an angel in Verrocchio’s painting “Baptism of Christ.” One story says that when Verrocchio saw Leonardo’s addition to the painting, he was so amazed by his student’s skill that he said he would never paint again.
1. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?| A．We can find Leonardo’s work in the National Gallery. |
| B．Leonardo thought his teacher’s advice was unreasonable. |
| C．“Sfumato” is a method to show depth by using light and shade. |
| D．“Baptism of Christ” made Leonardo known across the world. |
| A．prevented | B．protected | C．suffered | D．chosen |
| A．Stubborn. | B．Creative. | C．Ambitious. | D．Determined. |
a. He finished the painting of Ginevra de’Benci.
b. He moved to Florence.
c. He finished drawing an angel in his teacher’s painting.
d. He began to learn art from Andrea del Verrocchio.
e. He began to study the dead body.
| A．b, c, e, d, a | B．d, b, c, d, e | C．b, d, e, a, c | D．b, e, d, a, c |
| A．Verrocchio didn’t like Leonardo’s work. |
| B．Verrocchio thought Leonardo’s work terrible. |
| C．Verrocchio thought highly of Leonardo’s work. |
| D．Verrocchio didn’t believe Leonardo could paint well. |
3 . Learn With Homer
Price: Free
Grade level: Pre-K, K
Skill: Comprehension, Phonics(拼读法)
Device: iPad
It’s a learn-to-read app for kids aged 3 to 6 that includes drawing, voice recording, stories, songs, and more, along with more traditional phonics exercises.
This app can be helpful for kids who have speech production problems and language organization problems.
Inspiration Maps
Price: $ 9.99
Grade level: 4th and above
Skill: Comprehension, Writing
Device: iPad
Inspiration Maps is a mind-mapping tool that helps kids visually (视觉上) organize ideas. They can create maps, organizers, brainstorms, and text outlines. Outlines can be changed to maps, and maps can be changed to outlines. Users can share creations by emailing, printing, or saving to iTunes, Dropbox, Photos, or the app (as PDF or PNG files) . The Lite version (简化版本),which is free, lets kids create up to five mind maps with no sharing choices.
Aesop’s Quest
Price: $ 0.99
Skill: Comprehension
Grade level: 2nd, 3rd, 4th
Device: iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch
Aesop’s Quest, based on Aesop’s Fables, is a learning game where the student must remember parts of a story to complete a level. At the end of each story level, the student is rewarded with tests. After solving the tests, the story is complete and the child can continue to the next story.
Developed together with the Virginia Department of Education.
LightSail
Grade level: Pre-K, K, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and above
Price: Free
Skill: Comprehension
Device: iPad
LightSail is an e-reading platform that helps teachers support their students’ independent reading. Students can use LightSail to check out text from their schools’ online libraries and read the books directly on their iPad. As students progress through a book, questions appear to check their comprehension. As students complete these assessments (评定),they earn prizes.
1. What do the four apps have in common?| A．They try to improve kids’ comprehension ability. |
| B．They are developed for high-school students. |
| C．They can be downloaded onto iPhone. |
| D．They are free of charge. |
| A．singing songs | B．reading stories | C．making speeches | D．learning foreign languages |
| A．Learn With Homer | B．Aesop’s Quest | C．LightSail | D．Inspiration Maps |
| A．Finish reading the previous story. |
| B．Retell the previous story completely |
| C．Work out the tests of the previous story. |
| D．Remember every part of the previous story. |
| A．It is developed only for teachers. |
| B．It is a platform to support students’ independent reading. |
| C．It helps users to finish their homework. |
| D．It develops users’ comprehension through games. |
4 . Most humans are able to recognize about 1 million different colors, but some people can’t recognize this many because of something called colorblindness. In rare cases, some people can’t see any colors at all.
There are three cone-shaped (锥形的) cells at the back of our eyes that allow us to see colors. These cells absorb light waves and send a message to the brain, where the image is processed.
If something is wrong with these cone-shaped cells, this can result in colorblindness.
One of the most common types of colorblindness is red-green colorblindness. People who have this specific type of visual impairment (视觉障碍) have difficulty telling the colors red and green apart. “Problems with distinguishing red from green interrupt simple daily routines such as deciding whether a banana is ripe,” Karepov explained. That is why people with colorblindness sometimes find it difficult to finish their daily tasks.
Thankfully, special color-correcting glasses have already been made to help fix some types of colorblindness. Now, according to research published in Optics Letters, scientists have provided another choice.
Sharon Karepov and Tal Ellenbogen, engineers from Tel Aviv University in Israel, have found a way to apply this technology to contact lenses (隐形眼镜), which create a customized, compact and durable way to address these deficiencies (缺陷) of the special color-correcting glasses which are significantly bulkier (笨重的). The creation of the much smaller contact lenses is really good news for the millions of people worldwide who suffer from colorblindness.
This new research is groundbreaking (开创性的). In addition to offering those who are colorblind another option, it may lead to solutions for other visual impairments.
1. What can cause colorblindness, according to the article?| A．Only one type of cone-shaped cell exists in the eyes. |
| B．Cone-shaped cells cannot process images received. |
| C．The brain fails to absorb and process light waves. |
| D．Something is wrong with these cone-shaped cells. |
| A．They can recognize l million different colors. |
| B．They are not interested in colorful stuff. |
| C．They may find daily tasks more difficult. |
| D．They have fewer cone-shaped cells than other people. |
| A．They are much smaller. | B．They are easier to make. |
| C．They are much cheaper. | D．They can help correct colorblindness. |
| A．It has led to a cure for colorblindness. |
| B．It has found causes of visual impairments. |
| C．It could lead to solutions for other visual impairments. |
| D．It has helped to develop glasses to fix visual impairments. |
| A．People who suffer from colorblindness can’t see any colors at all. |
| B．It is the cone-shaped cells that send messages to the brain. |
| C．Nothing can help fix some types of colorblindness. |
| D．People with red-green colorblindness can tell whether a banana is ripe. |
I was visiting my sister Mary, who has two boys, aged seven and five. They were throwing a ball around the living room. She asked them several times to stop, but they didn't listen to her. Finally, one of the boys threw the ball and knocked over a lamp. She shouted loudly at them for several minutes. Then, she sent them to their room. She looked at me and said, "They never listen to me."
Carmen
Dear Carmen,
Your sister needs to be clear to her children what behavior she expects. She should tell her boys, "Don't throw the ball in the house. If you throw the ball again, I'm going to take it." Then, she needs to do what she says. Her boys will soon learn to listen to her.
Dr. Bob
Dear Dr. Bob,
I walked into my two-year-old daughter's bedroom and found her coloring on the wall again with her crayons. I told her, "No! No! Never write on the wall with your crayons. You can only write on paper." My husband thought I was too easy on her and that she needed a spanking (打屁股). What is your opinion?
Debbie
Dear Debbie,
You dealt with the situation well. Children this age are too little to understand the relationship between their actions and a spanking. Use this as a warning; it's time to babyproof your home. Now that your little one is more active and curious (好奇的), what else can she reach? Check her room and your home for crayons, paints, medicines, cleaning products, and other things that might interest her.
Bob
1. What was wrong with Mary's children?| A．They threw a ball at Carmen. |
| B．They often shouted loudly at her. |
| C．They had a fight over a ball. |
| D．They turned a deaf (聋的) ear to her words. |
| A．making your home safe for babies |
| B．giving your baby a spanking |
| C．getting crayons out of your home |
| D．teaching your baby to behave well |
| A．stop their children from telling lies |
| B．ask their children to follow rules |
| C．get their children to go to bed on time |
| D．develop their children's interest in reading |
| A．You can't judge a book by its cover. |
| B．The pot calling the kettle black. |
| C．Children are what the mothers are. |
| D．Spare the rod and spoil the child. |
| A．A tourist brochure. | B．A news report. |
| C．A parenting column. | D．A science magazine. |
6 . A month before my first marathon, one of my ankles was injured and this meant not running for two weeks, leaving me only two weeks to train. Yet, I was determined to go ahead.
I remember back to my 7th year in school. In my first P. E. class, the teacher required us to run laps and hit a softball. I didn't do either well. He later informed me that I was "not athletic".
The idea that I was "not athletic" stuck with me for years. When I started running in my 30s, I realized running was a battle against myself, not about competition or whether or not I was athletic. It was all about the battle against my own body and mind. A test of wills!
The night before my marathon, I dreamt that I couldn't even find the finish line. I woke up sweating and nervous, but ready to prove something to myself.
Shortly after crossing the start line, my shoe laces became untied. So I stopped to readjust. Not the start I wanted!
At mile 3, I passed a sign: "GO FOR IT, RUNNERS!"
By mile 17, I became out of breath and the once injured ankle hurt severely. Despite the pain, I stayed the course walking a bit and then running again.
By mile 21, I was starving!
As I approached mile 23, I could see my wife waving a sign. She is my biggest fan. She never minded the alarm clock sounding at 4 a.m. or questioned my expenses on running.
I was one of the final runners to finish. But I finished! And I got a medal. Actually, I got the same medal as the one that the guy who came in first place had.
Determined to be myself, move forward, free of shame and worldly labels(世俗标签), I can now call myself a "marathon winner".
1. After the author’s ankle was injured, what was he determined to do?| A．quit | B．go ahead |
| C．have a rest | D．keep calm and walk |
| A．treasure his precious old days | B．prove his inability in sports then |
| C．defend himself from prejudice | D．convey his gratitude to the teacher |
| A．He succeeded for a strong will. | B．He quit running halfway. |
| C．He was awarded the first prize. | D．He walked to the end. |
| A．He passed a sign: "GO FOR IT, RUNNERS!" |
| B．He became out of breath and the once injured ankle hurt severely |
| C．He was starving! |
| D．He was encouraged by his wife. |
| A．One is never too old to learn. |
| B．Failure is the mother of success. |
| C．Family support is the fountain of success. |
| D．Success can be acquired with a great effort of will. |
Learn Chinese swordsmanship and practice Chinese sword play under the instruction of a professional in Ditan Park every Sunday afternoon.
Fee: 60 yuan(US$ 7.2)
Time/Date: 2 pm — 3:30 pm, October 10.
Place: Meet at the south gate of Ditan Park, across the overpass north of the Lama Temple, Chaoyang District.
Tel: 8457-2772
See Lu Xun’s former residence
Visit the museum and former residence of Lu Xun, the father of Chinese modern literature, and learn about this period of Chinese history, from 1910 to the late 1930’s.
Fee: 50 yuan(US$ 6)
Time/Date: 2:30 pm — 4:30 pm, October 16
Place: Meet in front of Lu Xun’s Museum, Fuchengmennei Dajie, Xicheng District
Tel: 6432-9341
Hike on Heifengkou Great Wall
Heifengkou Great Wall is about one and a half hours’ drive north of Beijing. The hike starts from the village at the foot of the mountain where the Great Wall meanders to the top.
Fee: 150 yuan(US$ 18) for adults, 100 yuan(US$ 12) for kids under 12.
Time/Date: 8:30 am — 5:30 pm, October 16
Pick-up: Meet at 8:30 am in front of the Big Easy, at the South Gate of Chaoyang Park, returning by 5:30 pm.
Contact Lucy at lucy @ highclub. cn, or 6553-3920 for signing up.
Tai Chi class
This is a beginner’s level of Chen-style Tai Chi class, instructed by Paul Wang, who speaks excellent English and has a lot of experience teaching Westerners. He is the 12th generation master of Chen-Style Tai Chi, Tai Chi Sword, and Shaolin Temple longquan.
Time/Date: 10 am — 11:30 am, October 12, 19
Fee: 60 yuan(US$ 7.2)
Place: In front of Jintai Gallery, inside the West Gate of Chaoyang Park, Chaoyang District
Tel: 6432-9341
Contact Gina at linshujuan@chinadaily. com. cn.
1. The underline word “residence” in the second text possibly refers to ________.| A．a work | B．a famous person |
| C．a park | D．a house |
| A．Ditan Park at 2 pm — 3:30 pm, October 10 |
| B．Fuchengmennei Dajie at 2:30 pm — 4:30 pm, October 16 |
| C．the South Gate of Chaoyang Park at 8:30 am |
| D．Chaoyang Park at 10 am — 11:30 am, October 12, 19 |
| A．learn Chinese sword play |
| B．hike on Heifengkou Great Wall |
| C．visit the museum and former residence of Lu Xun |
| D．take the Tai Chi class |
| A．Sports. | B．Entertainment. |
| C．Advertisements. | D．Brief News. |
| A．$ 18 | B．$ 120 | C．$ 108 | D．$ 90 |
Apologizing can be very difficult. It needs you to put aside your pride and admit to your faults. And when you do issue an apology, it's easy to make mistakes.
Making excuses
Apologizing is about admitting to your mistakes, not making excuses for them. Take a careful look at the part you played in the mistake, and sincerely admit that you are wrong.
Doing it via messages
It's important to apologize face to face if possible. Never use message to make an apology. A post on social media is not the same as a heartfelt visit. Allow the other person to hear your voice and see your facial expressions. A message is the worst option when it comes to expressing sincere regrets.
Saying “I'm sorry, bu.."
Adding a “but” to your apology is one of the worst ways to say you're sorry. When you use the word "but", it negates or cancels everything that goes before it...
Apologizing too late (or too early)
Waiting too long to apologize can make a bad situation worse.
Do it sooner rather than later. If you do or say something harmful, offer an apology straightaway. However, apologizing too quickly can also be a problem. Sometimes people need a minute to cool off, and if someone's trying to chase them to give them an apology, they will probably not accept it.
Expecting immediate forgiveness
Once you have offered your apologies, don't expect a quick repair. It may take more time than you would like, but by doing the right thing, you have a new start in your relationships. In the end, your relationships can come back stronger than they were before.
1. What does "issue" mean in paragraph one? (only 1 word)2. What is the best way to express sincere regrets according to the part of “Doing it via messages"? (No more than 5 words)
3. What is the possible result if you chase someone to give him an apology? (No more than 10 words)
4. What can be the best title of the passage? (No more than 10 words)
9 . Before I turned 10, I lost my parents. My siblings left Hyderabad after relatives adopted them, but I insisted on staying back to continue my education. I lived alone in a room that a family member allowed me to use rent-free. To support myself, I began to deliver newspapers.
I would be up every morning by 5 a.m. and walk five kilometers to the newspaper office. By 6 a.m., I would collect 50 copies of Manzil (Urdu Daily)—the bundle must have weighed over 5 kilograms. My beat spanned 3 kilometers. After distributing the copies, I would rush home—another 3 kilometers —quickly cat and be off to high school.
One wintry morning in 1945,I got home after my deliveries to find a boy of my age at my doorstep. He introduced himself as Afzal and said his father wanted to see me.
I was greeted at the door by Afzal's mother, Naseem. She served tea and snacks as Afzal's father, Mr Kader, joined us. She gently asked me about my daily routine. I told her about my morning job.
Later, as I was about to leave after thanking them, Mr Kader asked me to wait. Later, Mr Kader emerged again, wheeling a new bicycle. "This is for you!" he said.
It took a few seconds for the love to sink in. It felt warm, like home. I didn't realize tears were rolling down my face.
Mr Kader said. Your newspaper editor is a friend of mine. He gave me your address. so I knew you lived close by. Then Afzal told us more about you."
I bowed, gratefully, shook hands with Afzal and left. This time I did not have to walk—I had the bicycle.
The bicycle saved my life for many years thereafter and taught me a lifelong lesson: Help should always be need-based. Never try to feed a person who is dying of thirst.
1. Why did Afzal's father want to meet the author?| A．He wanted to help the author. |
| B．The author's parents used to be his friends. |
| C．He wanted to know more about the author. |
| D．The author reminded him of his own childhood. |
| A．Satisfied. | B．Interested. | C．Touched. | D．Confused. |
| A．a gift from his parents | B．a childhood toy |
| C．something that made him proud | D．something that he needed most |
| A．The author lived alone in his own house after he lost his parents. |
| B．The author worked hard to support himself by delivering newspapers. |
| C．The author didn't cry although he felt touched by Mr Kader. |
| D．The author didn't want to accept the help from Mr Kader. |
| A．Sometimes helping others can hurt your relationships. |
| B．Try your best to help others even if you cannot. |
| C．Know what the person needs when giving help. |
| D．It's difficult to find out what a person really wants. |
10 . Some people live to climb the highest mountains. Some people live only dreaming about it while others live to avoid ever climbing at all. But one thing is certain, all people encounter mountains in their life.
When I was a little girl, my family moved to a tiny town at the bottom of a big mountain. One day after school, while exploring the green woods of this magnificent mountain, I almost fell on a set of stairs. What could these steps lead to? Curiosity got the best of me as I knew it would be starting to get dark soon. I started climbing up those strangely mysterious steps.
I climbed and climbed. There was nothing but just green bushes and these steps. I had to reach the top! But it was now getting real dark. If I kept going I might not be able to see my way back. My mom would be worried sick if I didn’t come home soon. So I ran back home almost in the dark while trying not to get too scared.
Anxiously I went to bed dreaming about what I would find at the top of this magical mountain. Could there be a castle up there? Maybe I would find a monster(怪物). Maybe I was taking the risk of never coming back home. Or, maybe all I would find was absolutely nothing! But something inside me was going to climb that mountain at all cost. I could hardly wait to try this adventure again.
Now we live in a world surrounded by the "can’t do" attitudes. We all fall down. We all have doubts and regrets. Still we must climb and dream about what’s at the top of our mountain. Monsters may appear or the night will fall. But never ever give up on your dream! Never let anyone tell you, "You can’t." Dream big and climb high!
1. What made the author start to climb up the stairs to the mountain top? (no more than 5 words)2. Why did the author hurry back home without reaching the top of the mountain? Give two reasons. (no more than 15 words)
3. How would you describe the author in terms of personalities according to Paragraph 4? (no more than 10 words)
4. How do you understand the underlined sentence in the last paragraph? (no more than 5 words)
5. What’s your attitude towards the "mountain" in your life? Please explain. (no more than 20 words)
