1 . Autumn Reading
Rez Dogs
Rez Dogs, by Joseph Bruchac is a book written in verse (诗). It’s about an eighth-grader named MalianShe’s visiting her grandparents at their home on a Wabanaki reservation when COVID-19 hits. During lockdown, Malian learns more from her grandparents about her Native family’s history.
Omar Rising
Omar Rising, by Aisha Saeed tells the story of the son of a servant in Pakistan. Omar is excited that he has won a scholarship (奖学金) to a boarding school. But when he gets there he discovers that his scholarship is offered with special conditions. To stay at the school, Omar must do chores (杂活) and get better grades than the wealthy students. And he’s not allowed to join clubs or teams. When his future at the school does seem bright, he and his friends work hard to create fairness for all.
The Ice Cream Machine
The Ice Cream Machine is no common book. It’s six different stories rolled into one book. Each story has a very different plot (情节) about ice cream. One ice-cream story is about a boy and his robot in the distant future. Another is about a father and daughter who invent an ice-cream machine. The Ice Cream Machine is inventive and fun. Its author,Adam Rubin, hopes the book encourages kids to write.
Sugar and Spite
Sugar and Spite, by Gail D.Villanueva, finds 12-year-old Jolina newly arrived on an island in the Philippines. It’s there that she learns how to make magic. Jolina uses that magic to get a bully (仗势欺人者) named Claudine off her back. Filipino history and culture are shown in the book. Villanueva said that kids should read about places and cultures different from their own.
1. What problem does Omar have?| A．He finds it difficult to learn magic. | B．He is unable to visit his grandparents. |
| C．He receives unfair treatment at school | D．He has no money to buy an ice-cream machine |
| A．It is a guidebook. | B．It is a travel diary. |
| C．It is a verse novel. | D．It is a collection of stories. |
| A．Rez Dogs. | B．Omar Rising. |
| C．Sugar and Spite. | D．The Ice Cream Machine. |
2 . For the past few years, I’ve taken my vacation in the spring. One April I planned to visit a friend in Nepal who had lived in the country for over 15 years.
I flew into Kathmandu and spent a week visiting sites, and on Friday, April24, 2015, we went to Lukla, a mountain town to the northeast. My friend had worked there before. We visited a nearby village on Saturday. We were served a delicious pancake and endless cups of milk tea; villagers made small talk and caught up with each other. After a couple of hours, my friend and I made a polite exit(离去) for a coffee break across the dirt path to our lodging, a house he had lived in while working in Lukla years ago.
As we sat in the kitchen taking a rest, I wondered why it felt like an underground was running under the village. As the sound started to shake, I looked out the window at the passers-by and thought it felt like a truck was driving by-impossible in this village. I looked at my friend and he said off-handedly: “It’s an earthquake.” Before I could ask questions, he began shouting to get out of the house.By the time I was running down the dirt path, I couldn’t run straight.
Away from buildings, we lowered our bodies near a low wall, and unbelievably before our eyes, walls and buildings fell. In front of us the end wall of the house we slept in collapsed(倒塌), the stones dislodging(移开)and falling to the ground. In a matter of seconds, every house in the village was damaged(损坏), with walls either seriously cracked(破裂), or partially or completely damaged.
In the days and weeks that followed we checked in with friends and shared stories of where we were and what we were doing. The event was so wide-reaching that it was difficult to understand except through personal stories.
1. What did the author do in Nepal?| A．He visited his friend. | B．He tried to look for a job. |
| C．He built a house for villagers. | D．He moved to a village to enjoy life. |
| A．Shy. | B．Bored. | C．Friendly. | D．Humorous. |
| A．He was injured by a collapsed wall. | B．An earthquake struck the village. |
| C．A truck drove by the village | D．He missed the train. |
| A．It was left empty. | B．It was quite peaceful. |
| C．It was badly damaged. | D．It was attractive to visitors. |
3 . Julie, Frank, Unicorn or Luna — your child surprises you with an important new friend, a friend they have imagined. There are good reasons to play along. For one thing, it’s a sign of your child’s growing imagination. For another, their best new friend can give them comfort, and confidence in the world.
Imaginary friends are surprisingly common. A 2004 study suggested well over half (65%) of all children may have had one by age seven. This is quite commonly seen. Typically, imaginary friends appear in children’s lives from around age three and are usually gone by the age of 11. And there may be more than one. The study found some children have different playmates up to 13 were recorded.
The burning question for most parents is why their child has an imaginary friend. There’s no real answer, but children may make up impressive stores including the friend’s family and lifestyle — for play companionship (陪伴) on to develop ideas and stories. Boys may like superhero-style friends, while girls often act as wise advisers for their friends. Not all friends are human, and this is just another way young children show their imagination and ability to develop characters and role play. Your main worry is keeping up with the main stories and names.
So how do you manage your child’s unknown playmate? Most advice suggests you don’t ask too many questions as your child likes to be in control of their special relationship — and they may not tell you everything. They can be changeable too, changing friends at will. The only thing to watch out for is an imaginary friend who keeps causing trouble Dirty shoes can’t be blamed on (把责任推给……) Julie, Frank, Unicorn or Luna without some fair parental intervention (干预). Make it clear that while they are under your roof (屋顶) the imaginary friend has to follow your house rules.
1. What does the author mention in the first paragraph?| A．The reasons why kids want to have an imaginary friend. |
| B．Advantages of playing along with imaginary friends. |
| C．Parents’ worries about imaginary friends. |
| D．Kids’ dependence on imaginary friends. |
| A．Kids usually have many imaginary friends. |
| B．Imaginary friends will keep kids company for life. |
| C．Having imaginary friends is against kids’ nature. |
| D．It is common for kids to have imaginary friends. |
| A．They are inspired by heroes around kids. |
| B．They may show up for different reasons. |
| C．They are trustworthy for parents. |
| D．They are usually humans. |
| A．Ask their kids and their imaginary friends to follow house rules. |
| B．Take their kids out to join in some outdoor activities. |
| C．Help their kids to find an imaginary friend. |
| D．Talk to their kids honestly and heartfully. |
4 . Most parents are worried the first time they catch their kids out in a lie. According to child and teen psychiatrist Gayani DeSilva, lying can actually be a sign of healthy development in young children. “Kids lie for many reasons, and much of it is normal,” DeSilva says. “People are not born with the knowledge of communicating with others and getting their needs met. They’ll experiment with different communication styles and techniques until they find the ones that work best for them. Lying is one of those techniques.”
As kids get older, they become more aware of how their actions affect others, and many will lie less frequently. In spite of this, parents still need to lead their kids to form a habit of not lying. According to DeSilva, when children lie, look at them directly and ask what they need. After they tell you, gently remind them that telling you directly will be more effective than lying.
It’s also a good idea to model the behavior you want to see in your kids. In other words, don’t lie to your children. This will set you and your children on a course of open communication and trust.
In some cases, lying is a sign of a deeper issue. A child who is neglected will lie more than a child who has attentive and responsive parents. He’s not sure whether he’s loved. He may lie to please others. The same goes for a child who has experienced something unpleasant. He may lie to try to hide his shame, avoid admitting his needs, or to control his surroundings to ensure his safety.
By paying attention to the reasons behind a lie, parents can figure out what need to be done. For example, while Jack might lie about completing his homework in order to play video games, he also might be trying to avoid negative feelings connected with school work, and this is just where parents should start, says therapist Gideon Javna.
1. What can be inferred about lying from DeSilva’s words?| A．It has certain benefits for the healthy growth of kids. |
| B．It shows the understanding between kids and parents. |
| C．It can be an effective means of communication for kids. |
| D．It is so common for kids that parents can completely ignore it. |
| A．By pretending to trust them at first. |
| B．By encouraging them to admit their needs. |
| C．By telling them directly the harm of lying. |
| D．By punishing them for their lying in a safe way. |
| A．It’s common for children to lie |
| B．It’s important to be a generous parent |
| C．lying can damage family relationships |
| D．lying is a reflection of one’s mental trouble |
| A．Ask him to avoid playing video games. |
| B．Turn his attention to other positive things. |
| C．Give him a second chance to finish homework. |
| D．Listen to and help solve his problem related to school work. |
5 . The development and keeping of a strong friendship relies on the efforts of two parties.
The development of honesty and trust in a friendship helps those involved feel comfortable when they communicate with each other. Mutual(相互的)honesty between friends helps build a solid relationship and encourages directness. Honesty also leads to trust, which is another important quality.
Though it is a simple task, listening is very important in a friendship. Making an effort to listen to your friend is a form of respect.
You should make your friend feel accepted by including him or her in activities that you both enjoy. This is true of friendships at every age.
| A．You should believe in your friend and expect the same in return. |
| B．In a friendship, it is important to be supportive during difficult times. |
| C．Try to accept your friend’s opinions even if you disagree with him or her. |
| D．Sharing whatever you have in common can go a long way in a true friendship. |
| E．Both members should share the responsibility of developing a healthy friendship. |
| F．Having fun and feeling comfortable are basic characteristics of a true friendship. |
| G．It also shows that you actually want to learn about things important to your friend. |
6 . My first shopping in a general store was in Miss Bee’s when I spent the summer with my grandmother in New York.
“Go get them yourself” Miss Bee said, ignoring the shopping list held up before her nose. “I’m not your servant, so just get yourself a basket from that pile over there and start filing.”
It took me three wall-to-wall searches before I found the first item on my list―a pork can be placed between boxes of cereal and bread. Next up was toilet paper, found under the daily newspaper, and Band-Ads, found next to the face cream. The store was a puzzle, but it held some surprises too. I found a new Superman comic behind the peanut butter.
I visited Miss Bee a couple of times a week that summer. Some times she short-charged me. Other times she overcharged or sold me an old newspaper instead of a current one. Going to the store was more like going into battle. I left my Grandma’s house armed with my list—memorized to the letter—and marched into Miss Bee’s like General Patton (巴顿将军) marching into North Africa.
All summer long she found ways to trip me up. No sooner had I learned how to pronounce bicarbonate of soda (小苏打) and memorized its location on the shelf than Miss Bee rearranged the shelves and made me hunt for it all over again. By summer’s end, however, the shopping trip that had once taken me an hour was done in 15 minutes.
The morning I was to return to Brooklyn, I stopped into tell her that she was mean (刻薄的). To my amazement she laughed and said. “Well, I don’t care! Each of us is put on this earth for a reason. I believe my job is to teach every child I meet ten life lessons to help them. Think what you will, but when you get older you’ll be glad our paths crossed!”
I thought the idea was absurd until one day my daughter came to me with homework troubles.
“It’s too hard,” she said. “Could you finish my math problems for me?”
“If I do it for you, how will you ever learn to do it yourself?” I said.
Suddenly, I was back at that general store where I had learned the hard way totally up (结算) my bill along with the cashier. As my daughter went back to her homework, I wondered: Had Miss Bee really taught me something all those years ago? I took out some scrap paper and started writing.
1. Why did the writer spend a long time doing her first shopping in the general store?| A．She was too young to remember all the items on the list. |
| B．Miss Bee didn’t treat her kindly. |
| C．Her grandmother asked her to buy too many things. |
| D．The store was in disorder and she was not familiar with the shop. |
| A．She was well prepared and full of confidence. |
| B．Going shopping in the store was a challenge to her. |
| C．She was very aggressive, taking Miss Bee as the enemy. |
| D．Going shopping was so fun that it was like playing a war game. |
| A．The writer would benefit from the experience of shopping in Miss Bee’s. |
| B．The writer would find shopping in Miss Bee’s store very interesting. |
| C．The writer would be happy to meet Miss Bee again later in life. |
| D．The writer would realize that Miss Bee could become her friend. |
| A．Don’t be so quick to judge other people |
| B．The best teacher isn’t only in school |
| C．Stick to your dream whatever happens |
| D．Things can be learned in daily routines |
7 . Danone Portugal introduced a new yogurt named Juntos. For every pack of yogurt that a person bought, he would donate yogurt to a family in need. Danone had done its research. Increasingly, people say they want to buy from brands that give them a sense of purpose. Surely a yogurt that helped the needy would be appealing. But Juntos was a failure. Despite sinking millions into a marketing campaign, Danone pulled Juntos from the market only months after it was launched. Now the same product is simply marketed as a tasty yogurt.
What happened? To find the reason behind Juntos’ failure, Lawrence Williams and his colleagues did an experiment where they showed people some products and asked these people to pick one option. They reminded some to focus on the “purposeful and valuable” aspect while others were told to “enjoy themselves” and focus on “delight and pleasure.” They found that participants who prioritized meaning preferred the less expensive product when compared with people who put pleasure in the first place.
So why were meaning-seekers cheaping out? Lawrence Williams asked participants to explain their decision-making to find out. He learned that meaning-oriented people were not thinking about how the product they might buy could bring meaning to their lives. Instead, they were occupied with what else they could do with their money.
I am all for people making wise and strategic financial choices. But cheap products can create many problems. Inexpensive options often do not last as long as the higher-end ones. As a result, we shop more often, which is ultimately worse for our wallets. Plus, that spending pattern can do a greater damage to the environment. Thanks in part to fast fashion, people buy 60 percent more clothing today than they did 15 years ago. The fashion industry alone emits more greenhouse gases than international flights and maritime (海洋的) shipping combined.
So before you dive into your wallet for some deals, try not to fix only on what you are spending or saving. Think carefully about what you are buying, too.
1. What is the main reason for the failure of Juntos?| A．It ignored marketing strategies. | B．It priced itself relatively high. |
| C．It lacked a particularly good taste. | D．It focused on delight and pleasure. |
| A．They frequent high-end stores. | B．They think products extend their lives. |
| C．They hesitate to make decisions. | D．They make more purchases with money. |
| A．By giving some examples. | B．By listing numbers and data. |
| C．By explaining reasons. | D．By making some comparisons. |
| A．Innovation: a Product’s Life | B．To Buy or not to Buy |
| C．Meaning seekers or Quality-pursuers | D．Fast Fashion: a Hit to Your Wallet |
8 . The most important determining factor of success or failure—at work and in life—is self-awareness, the ability to understand who we are, how others see us, and how we fit into the world.
For millions of years, the ancestors of humans evolved painfully slowly. However, about 150,000 years ago there was an explosive development in the human brain where, among other things, we gained the ability to examine our own thoughts, feelings and behaviors, as well as to see things from another’s point of view. Not only did this transformation create the foundation for art, spiritual practices and language, but it came with a survival advantage for our ancestors, who had to work together in order to survive.
Though we may not face the same day-to-day threats to our existence, self-awareness is no less critical. There is strong scientific evidence that people who know themselves and how others see them are happier. They are smarter, superior students. They raise more mature children. They also tend to be more creative, confident and less aggressive.
But for most people it is easier to choose self-delusion (自我欺骗) rather than the cold hard truth. Our increasingly “me” focused society makes it easier to fall into this trap. Recent generations have grown up in a World obsessed with self-esteem (自负), constantly being reminded of their special qualities. Not only are our assessments often flawed (有缺陷), but we are usually terrible judges of our own performance and abilities—from leadership skills to achievements at school and work. What’s scary is that the least competent people are usually the most confident in their abilities.
How can we avoid this fate? We must work on two specific types of insight. Internal self-awareness is an inward understanding of our passions and aspirations, strengths and weaknesses and so on. And external self-awareness, knowing how others see you, means understanding yourself from the outside in.
For those looking to gain true insight, remember that other people often see us more objectively than we see ourselves and that self-examination can have hidden trap that make insight actually impossible.
1. The first three paragraphs mainly talk about _______.| A．the significance of self-awareness in human survival and advancement |
| B．the sharp contrast between self-awareness of today and the past |
| C．the necessity of a shift in self-awareness to satisfy the needs today |
| D．the intelligence gap between modern men and their ancestors |
| A．People’s performance and abilities are overlooked. |
| B．Competent people tend to be unconfident of their leadership skills. |
| C．It’s difficult to obtain an objective assessment of ourselves. |
| D．Modern people fail to bring their special qualities into full play. |
| A．You listen to the comments about you from others. |
| B．You are fully aware of your strengths and weaknesses. |
| C．You reflect your behaviors thoroughly every day. |
| D．You carefully compare your behavior with that of others. |
| A．develop true insight to judge people more objectively | B．try to avoid the trap set by others |
| C．gain more insight by means of self-examination | D．pay more attention to external self-awareness |
9 . Not sleeping enough or getting a bad night’s sleep over and over makes it hard to control your appetite. And that sets you up for all sorts of health problems, including obesity (肥胖) , heart disease and high blood pressure.
The link between poor sleep and a greater body mass index(BMI) has been shown in study after study, but researchers typically relied on the memories of the participants to record how well they slept.
Sleep apps on fitness trackers, smartphones and watches have changed all that. In a new study researchers tracked sleep quality for 120,000 people for up to two years.
The results showed sleep durations (持续时间) and patterns are highly variable between people. Despite that, the study found people with BMIs of 30 or above — which is considered obese by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention－had slightly shorter sleep durations and more variable sleep patterns.
It didn’t take much less sleep to see the effect. People with BMIs over 30 only slept about 15 minutes less than those less weighty people.
There were some limitations to the study, naps(午睡) were not included, other health conditions could not be factored in, and people who use wearable tracking devices are typically younger, healthier and from a higher economic status than those who do not wear trackers.
“These are quite pricey devices, and they are not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. The results would need to be validated (确认) by the appropriate FDA-approved devices, and because the study is likely on younger people who are more economically well off, it needs further study whether that really applies to older folks with poor sleep.” said Dasgupta, the associate program director.
However, Dasgupta added, a major plus for the study is that it did monitor people for over two years, and the results corroborated previous research and were “not surprising.”
While we cannot determine the direction of association from our study result, these findings provide further support to the idea that sleep patterns are associated with weight management and overall health.
1. How does the new study differ from previous studies?| A．It lasts the longest time in history. | B．It uses apps to record participants’ sleep. |
| C．It specially improves participants’ sleep quality. | D．It relied on participants’ memory to record data. |
| A．Doubtful | B．Shocked | C．Cautious | D．Dissatisfied |
| A．limit | B．correct | C．confirm | D．combine |
| A．Sleep Quality Varies from Person to Person |
| B．Sleep Apps Are Widely Used to Monitor Sleep |
| C．Young People Are Paying More Attention to Obesity |
| D．Lack of Sleep May Be Possibly Connected with Obesity |
10 . We all try to spend our days doing engaging things, but the reality is that there’s a lot of boring work which also must be done. Whether it’s washing the dishes, filing papers, entering data, or any of the countless dull yet critical tasks that keep our homes, organizations, and communities running, we all have less-than-exciting tasks we have to do. Of course it’s not always easy to get ourselves to stick to these tasks, even if we know we should. What does it take to persist (坚持) when work is boring?
Researchers have explored this question from many angles and studies have shown that people may persist longer when they monitor their progress, receive rewards, or when a task is made more fun. These findings have direct effects on how we design products and policies. For instance, companies are increasingly offering incentives to encourage employees to get more exercise, and managers are carrying out various game strategies to make employees’ work more fun.
Recent research by Harvard University, however, suggests that for tasks that don’t require a lot of attention, there may be a better approach. Researchers conducted a series of studies with over 2,000 participants and found that in many cases, people stop working on tasks earlier than expected not because they aren’t motivated enough, but because the tasks do not need enough attention.
Often, strategies designed to increase persistence will involve changing something about the work itself — but you can only make washing the dishes so exciting or mentally stimulating (振奋人心的). Rather than endlessly attempting to make boring tasks less boring, it can sometimes be more effective instead to pair these activities with other tasks that require more attention. This concept is called tangential immersion (切入式专注法).
Basically, the mind seeks to be engaged. We experience boredom when doing tasks that require less attention than we have available, and this leads us to quit those tasks too early. But if there is a second activity in which we can involve ourselves at the same time with the low-attention task, it can occupy that extra attention, reducing boredom and thus increasing persistence.
1. In what circumstance may people continue with a boring task?| A．When they feel motivated. | B．When they want to kill time. |
| C．When they are full of energy. | D．When they lack attention. |
| A．Instructions. | B．Rewards. | C．Programmes. | D．Positions. |
| A．The tasks were beyond them. | B．The studies took too much time. |
| C．The tasks demanded less attention. | D．The participants were not devoted. |
| A．By making it more challenging. | B．By checking the progress repeatedly. |
| C．By refreshing the mind regularly. | D．By pairing it with a demanding one. |
