1 . How long does it take to become an elite (精英) in your field?
For decades, Hayes has been investigating the role of effort, practice and knowledge in top performers.
Let’s talk about what Hayes has discovered about world-class-performers. And more importantly, let’s discuss how you can use these insights to achieve your goals and become your best.
text, Hayes mapped out the timeline of each composers career.
In follow-up studies, Hayes found similar patterns among famous painters and popular poets. These findings have been further confirmed by research from professors like K. Anders Ericsson, who produced research that revealed that you needed to put in “10, 000 hours” to become an elite or expert in your field.
| A．It takes time to achieve your goals. |
| B．And what do people like doing in their spare time? |
| C．He has studied the most talented creators in history. |
| D．Hayes started his research by examining successful composers |
| E．Professor Hayes began to refer to this period as the “ten years of silence”. |
| F．And what do the successful people do differently than the rest of us? |
| G．And then he calculated how long they had been working before they created their popular works. |
2 . When it comes to popular symbols of marriage, one can not look past the wedding ring. The wedding ring serves as a perfect symbol of everlasting love — a ring is a circle and thus has no beginning or end, representing the never-ending union of marriage. Wedding rings have long and rich histories.
Evidence suggests that wedding rings were used in ancient Egypt around 6,000 years ago. However, unlike the metals and gemstones used today, they were crafted from materials such as reeds, leather or bone. In the centuries that followed, the wedding ring tradition was picked up in the West, where it spread first in ancient Rome and Greece, subsequently throughout Europe during the Middle Ages and eventually to Eastern culture. Throughout history, the circular shape of the ring has endured, and so has the tradition of wearing it on the fourth finger of the left hand. The latter practice stemmed from an ancient belief that a vein ran directly from this finger to the heart. Although this belief has since been proved false, the custom has persisted.
Regarding customs surrounding wedding rings, there was a time when only the bride wore a wedding ring. It wasn’t until the early 20th century that the practice of grooms wearing rings gained popularity. This change was influenced by soldiers going off to war, who wore rings as reminders of their loved ones waiting for them at home. Today, the exchange of wedding rings remains an integral part of the wedding ceremony, symbolizing the commitment and love shared between two individuals embarking on a life together.
Wedding rings hold a symbolic significance that binds the two members of a married couple. In an ever-changing world, the wedding ring stands as an ancient tradition that is likely to continue for generations to come, reflecting the timeless and eternal love celebrated through marriage.
1. What is the main reason wedding rings are considered symbols of marriage?| A．They are made of precious materials. | B．They have profound histories. |
| C．They are worn on left hands. | D．They have circular shapes. |
| A．Women were wearing wedding rings long before men were. |
| B．One finger on the left hand contains a vein leading to the heart. |
| C．Both ancient Romans and Egyptians wore the ring on the same finger. |
| D．The wedding ring tradition began in Egypt thousands of years ago. |
| A．How the tradition of it spread around the world. |
| B．What couples do with their wedding rings. |
| C．How to choose suitable wedding rings. |
| D．Materials used to make early rings. |
| A．It will most likely last forever. | B．It has already fallen out of date. |
| C．It should be taken more seriously. | D．It holds no significance in modern society. |
3 . Some buildings can leave you wondering how on earth they were built. Jaw-dropping architecture is not new. We’re still amazed that the Great Pyramid in Egypt was built 4,500 years ago! Read on for more recent examples of innovative 4 buildings constructed using technology developed in the last century.
Krzywy Domek (Crooked House) Sopot, Poland
COMPLETED: 2004
SIZE: About three-fourths the size of a football field
With its warped 13 walls, curved stained glass, and roof that looks like green dragon scales, Crooked House is popular with photographers. Staring at it for too long might make you dizzy! Inside though is a typical mall and office building. People can shop in the stores, eat in the restaurants and get their haircut in a salon. A favorite feature is the Wall of Fame with signatures from Polish celebrities. It’s modeled after the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Cube Houses Rotterdam, Netherlands
COMPLETED: 1984
SIZE: About one-fourth the size of a basketball court
The 38 Cube Houses are a popular attraction, but they are also real houses that people live in! The cubes have concrete foundations and floors with a wood-frame living space on top. Cement panels and zinc panels add visual appeal. The furniture is tailor-made to fit the odd angles where the walls meet.
Bubble Palace Cannes, France
COMPLETED: 1989
SIZE: Almost three times the size of a basketball court
This house may look like a space colony but it’s really a 10-bedroom palace. Made of cave-like bubbles forming a labyrinth (迷宫), it also has ponds, waterfalls, swimming pools, an outdoor theater that seats 500 people, and views of the Mediterranean Sea.
Wonderworks Pigeon Forge, Tenessee
COMPLETED: 2006 (Other locations followed)
SIZE: About nine-tenths the size of a football field
Looking at the cracks in this building, you might think, is it about to crumble? And how do they get palm trees and grass to grow upside down? But it’s all an illusion. This indoor amusement park is actually pretty normal. The upside-down features are just for show. Inside are more than 100 hands-on science exhibits and activities, including a laser-tag zone, a hurricane-force wind tunnel, a zero-gravity astronaut-training ride, and a three-story ropes course.
1. Which building has the smallest size?| A．Wonderworks. | B．Cube Houses. |
| C．Bubble Palace. | D．Krzywy Domek. |
| A．The Wall of Fame with signatures from Polish celebrities. |
| B．The tailor-made furniture to fit the strange angles. |
| C．An illusion of palm trees and grass growing upside down. |
| D．A labyrinth formed by cave-like bubbles. |
| A．A textbook. | B．A tour brochure. | C．A magazine. | D．A report. |
4 . Driverless taxicabs, almost certainly coming to a city near you, have freaked out passengers in San Francisco, Phoenix and Austin over the past year. Some documented their experiences on TikTok, like “startled by the empty front seats during a ride to a coffee shop” or “we're making a left turn without using a left hand”.
The nervous laughter of anxious TikTokers reminds historian Victor McFarland of the pedestrians who yelled “Get a horse” to unlucky motorists in the 1910s. But McFarland, who teaches at the University of Missouri, says the innovative beasts known as automobiles were more threatening and unfamiliar to people a century ago than driverless cars are to us now. He says, “The early automobiles were noisy and dangerous. They had no seat belts and ran over pedestrians.
Contemporary over-scheduled families see benefits of driverless taxis. “If I could have a driverless car drive my daughter to every boring play date, that would transform my life, "Mathieu, a history professor, laughs. She says that larger concerns today include numerous laws that can be broken when no one is at the wheel.
A century ago, like now, there were concerns about the future of certain jobs. “A hundred-plus years ago, we were worried about teamsters being out of work,” Mathieu says. Teamsters then drove teams of horses Union members today include truckers, who might soon compete with driverless vehicles in their own dedicated lanes.
“You can’t have congestion-free driving just because you constantly build roads,”Peter Norton says, another history professor. Now, he says, is an excellent time to learn from what has not Worked in the past. “It doesn’t automatically get safe just because you have state-of the-art tech.”
Historians say we need to stay behind the wheel when it comes to driverless cars.
1. What does the underlined word “startled” mean in Paragraph 1?| A．delighted | B．satisfied | C．embarrassed | D．astonished |
| A．Cars were frightening to people at first. | B．Cars were once considered as horses. |
| C．Cars were driven by horses 100 years ago. | D．Cars were getting familiar with people. |
| A．Putting humans physically behind the wheel. |
| B．Exploring new technology further. |
| C．Building more roads to avoid congestion. |
| D．Getting on top of concerns over driverless. |
| A．Driverless Cars: Bridging the Past and Present |
| B．Driverless Cars: Pioneering a New Era |
| C．Driverless Cars: What History Teaches Us |
| D．Driverless Cars: How Innovations Shape the World |
5 . Binge-watching (刷剧) is when a person watches more than one episode of a show in a row. With developments in the speed and connectivity of the Internet, increases in technology and the rise of on-demand entertainment companies, people can now have their favorite shows stream (流播) directly to their television at their convenience.
This behavior is nothing new. In fact, binge-watching has been officially listed in dictionaries since 2015. The entertainment companies recognize this behavior and many take steps to encourage it. Often, instead of releasing each episode on a week-by-week basis, an entire series will become available concurrently. Once the episode finishes, many platforms will display pop-ups with “you might like” suggestions, or will automatically play the next episode.
However, recent research suggests that out of the more than half of British adults who watch more than one episode of a show back-to-back (一集接一集地), almost a third have admitted missing sleep or becoming tired as a result; and 25% have neglected their household chores (家务活). Next we’ll be missing work!
Bingeing has other connections — binge eating, binge drinking and binge smoking. All of them are often associated with a lack of control and a possible route to addiction. Lindsey Fussell, consumer group director, said, “The days of waiting a week for the next episode are largely gone, with people finding it hard to resist (抗拒) watching multiple episodes around the house or on the move.” If people find binge-watching hard to resist, are we witnessing the birth of a new type of addiction?
The countless number of information and entertainment that television and online media can bring us is, many would say, a good thing. However, when the activity begins to bleed into other areas, causing us to stop functioning, then it becomes a problem. So, what’s the answer? Moderation! Neither a tiny amount, nor too much. After all, as the old proverb says, “A little of what you fancy does you good.”
1. How did the writer develop the first paragraph?| A．By giving a definition. | B．By telling a story. |
| C．By listing some examples. | D．By analyzing the cause and effect. |
| A．For convenience. | B．At the same time. |
| C．In detail. | D．Free of charge. |
| A．people can’t control their feelings | B．people can’t resist the temptation of Bingeing |
| C．people have no patience to do work | D．people are addicted to waiting for a new episode |
| A．To keep online media from stopping functioning. |
| B．To enjoy entertainment as much as possible. |
| C．To learn life lessons from the episodes. |
| D．To watch episodes in a moderate way. |
A video of a young boy waving to ask his dad for one extra hug before he drives off to work is capturing the hearts of social media users online.
Tyler Lobdell shared a 31-second clip on his TikTok page, which now has over 1.5 million views. Lobdell, a father of two, told Good Morning America he had the idea to check his doorbell camera recently when he came across the special moment and couldn’t resist watching it over and over.
“I watched it 150 times before I posted it because I’m just watching it and its making me emotional watching it and I just wanted people to feel what I felt watching it.” Lobdell said of his motivation to share the video of him and his son Isaiah.
Lobdell said even though he often showers his sons, Hudson and Isaiah, with hugs and kisses, the boys, who are now 6 and 8, still like to stop him before he leaves for work and occasionally request one more hug from him.
“They’ll catch me in the garage or come out, like Isaiah did that morning, and they’ll stop me for an extra hug,” Lobdell, an ironworker in Constantia, New York, explained. “They just do it randomly from time to time and I just love that they do that.”
“I always try to make sure that I’m reciprocating that love that they’re trying to show me,” he continued. “It’s a rough world out there and I don’t ever want my kids to ever feel that they can’t show me love or feel in any way that they’re not totally and completely loved by their parents.”
Lobdell said he encourages other parents to “be as present as possible” with their kids and take the opportunity to spend time with them because “time flies by so fast”. As for his young sons, Lobdell added that he wants them to know that no matter what they do, he’ll always support them and he’ll always be proud of them.
1. What attracted people’s attention about the video?| A．Lobdell’s care for his son. | B．Isaiah’s love for his father. |
| C．Lobdell’s parenting skills. | D．Isaiah’s funny activities. |
| A．To express his gratitude. | B．To attract some followers. |
| C．To make his son feel proud. | D．To share his personal feelings. |
| A．Making out. | B．Taking over. | C．Giving back. | D．Setting down. |
| A．Be strict with their children. | B．Keep their children company. |
| C．Show respect to their children. | D．Praise and motivate their children. |
7 . The English language arrived in South Asia as a result of colonization (殖民).
The British first arrived in India in the early 1600s and soon established trading posts in a number of cities under the control of The East India Company. By 1765 the company’s influence had grown to such a degree that the British were effectively controlling most parts of the country. This date is often taken as the start of what is referred to as The Raj — a period of British rule in India that lasted until Independence in 1947.
At first, there were no official attempts to force the language on the masses. But by the 1700s, English had firmly established itself as the language of administration (行政) and many educated Indians were demanding instruction in English as a means of social advancement. By 1857 universities had opened in Bombay, Calcutta and Madras. English was increasingly accepted as the language of government, of the social elite (精英), and of the national press.
After Independence, India became a nation state, and it was intended that English would be phased out as the language of administration. But there was no simple solution as to which language should replace it. At first Hindi, the most widely spoken language, seemed to be the obvious choice, but since protests in 1963 in the state of Tamil Nadu against Hindi as a national language, opinion has remained divided. In a country with over 1. 3 billion people and more than a thousand languages, it is difficult to choose a single national language, as mother tongue speakers of that language would benefit more from it.
Despite continued pressure from nationalists, English remains at the heart of Indian society. It is widely used in the media, in higher education and government and therefore remains a common means of communication, both among the ruling classes, and between speakers who do not understand each other’s languages.
1. What led to the introduction of the English language to India?| A．The British rule. | B．The Indian press. |
| C．The contribution of social elite. | D．The promotion of English culture. |
| A．The progress of Indian education. | B．The change of social classes in India. |
| C．The advancement of Indian society. | D．The development of English in India. |
| A．Widely used. | B．Equally taught. |
| C．Publicly recognised. | D．Gradually put to an end. |
| A．Thankful. | B．Unconcerned. |
| C．Unsupportive. | D．Friendly. |
8 . The Friend Trip: Fun Without Conflicts
Anyone who said a friend is a friend forever has clearly never experienced a group trip where you will get into trouble arguing over plans and restaurant bills.
Invite with care
“You cannot travel with everybody. All your friends are not travel friends,” says Irvin on her popular TikTok account. She suggests picking travel partners who share similar interests, and deciding ahead of time what kind of trip you will be taking—relaxation, partying or adventure.
Brainstorm as a group
Exchange the captain’s hat
Use a classic teacher’s trick to keep everyone engaged and share the planning burden: schedule a group leader to take ownership of each day’s activities.
Tracking expenses for a whole group can expose a lot of pain points. “I have seen so many friendships break down because dissatisfaction builds when one person suspects other friends are taking advantage of her financially or not pulling their weight,” says friendship coach Jackson.
| A．Prepare cash in advance |
| B．Automate the money flow |
| C．Travelling with your best friends can be a tough job. |
| D．There are countless situations where the group need to design travel routes. |
| E．Apps can help make complex calculations easy even while the trip is still underway. |
| F．Ask your friends where they want to go and what they want to do using Google Forms. |
| G．This person will be responsible for making that day’s tour plan or keeping everyone on schedule. |
9 . Most of us have some sort of bucket list—a checklist of experiences and accomplishments we hope to achieve before our time here on earth is up. When we think of how to improve our lives, our first urge is generally to add things: I’d be happier if my career were going better. Everything would be different if I could find a good relationship. There is only one problem with this approach—science suggests it tends to have the opposite result.
A mountain of researches show that when you reach your goals, they’re likely to only bring you momentary joy. After a brief high, dissatisfaction creeps in and we start to long for the next thing on the list. How do you get off this problem and find lasting peace of mind? Brooks offers a simple, practical suggestion: Swap your traditional bucket list for something he calls a “reverse bucket list.”
“Each year on my birthday, I list my wants and attachments—the stuff that fits under the categories of money, power, pleasure and honor. I try to be completely honest,” he writes. Next, Brooks sits down and lists what his life would be like in five years if he were truly happy and successful—if he were living up to his values and experiencing a sense of psychological peace. The final step is to compare the two lists side by side. Would those things he longs for actually bring him closer to his vision of the good life?
If an item is on your bucket list because it lines up with your deepest desires and values, keep it. If it’s there to impress the neighbors or feed a vague and strong need for “success”, onto the reverse bucket list it goes.
When scientists ask people to solve problems of all kinds, their first urge is to add elements. They think a new feature, additional rule or extra ingredient will improve the final outcome. But recent research shows that subtraction (减法) is often the better one.
1. What is a problem probably caused when you achieve your goals?| A．You will be eaten up with pride. |
| B．Your confidence will be boosted overly. |
| C．You will be unwilling to achieve the next goal. |
| D．Your temporary happiness will give way to discontent. |
| A．Whether the items on the list are listed honestly. |
| B．Whether the items on the list can bring you glory. |
| C．Whether the items on the list can be achieved. |
| D．Whether the items on the list are consistent with your beliefs. |
| A．Buying a more luxurious villa than a friend’s. |
| B．Keeping on working out regularly to keep fit. |
| C．Serving the community to keep mentally peaceful. |
| D．Studying abroad for further education to realize self-value. |
| A．The Barrier of Happiness: A Rule of Subtraction |
| B．The Secret to Happiness: A Reverse Bucket List |
| C．The Block to Happiness: A Traditional Bucket List |
| D．The Truth of Happiness: A Checklist of Achievements |
10 . It’s not polite to stare, especially in the hospital. But nearly everyone who passes Moxi, the robot at Elmhurst Hospital in Elmhurst, Illinois, can’t help but goggle at it as it slowly rolls through hallways and corridors. The robot is roughly human-shaped, stands about 5 feet tall and perhaps most strikingly, has his big blue eyes that occasionally blink.
For months, Moxi robots have been travelling the halls of Chicago-area hospitals. They deliver medication, supplies and small pieces of equipment across the facilities. “With the staffing shortage, we’re always looking for ways to take no-clinical tasks away from the clinical staff, especially repetitive tasks,” said Dr. Kimberley Darey, Elmhurst chief medical officer. She noted that Moxi does not work with patients. The idea behind the robots is to give nurses more time with patients and perform higher level care.
When nurses want to use Moxi, they can summon (召唤) the robot by entering a request into an app on a tablet, similar to the way a person might request an Uber ride. When the robot arrives, a nurse or worker then holds their badge (工作证) up to a detector, which allows the worker to open any of the three drawers on the robot, and the nurse can place medication, supplies or equipment into a drawer. Moxi then scoots away. When Moxi arrives at its destination, a written message appears on its face screen. A nurse can then flash their badge at Moxi’s detector, prompting the drawer to unlock so the nurse can retrieve the delivery.
Each month, the two Moxi robots at Elmhurst Hospital perform about 1, 800 deliveries. At first, when Moxi arrived at Elmhurst, some of the nurses were nervous, said Heather Johnson, a nurse and clinical leader at the hospital. But after a successful trial run, nurses began to feel more optimistic about the robot’s usefulness. What’s more, at Elmhurst Hospital, patients often grin as Moxi rolls by, and some even stop to take selfies with it.
1. Why do people passing Moxi robot stare at it?| A．Out of interest. | B．Out of mercy. | C．Out of kindness. | D．Out of necessity. |
| A．To entertain patients and medical workers. |
| B．To cut down expense by replacing nurses. |
| C．To take medical tasks away from medical workers. |
| D．To free nurses up to spend more time with patients. |
| A．When Moxi robots are wanted. | B．How Moxi robots are operated. |
| C．How Moxi robots are summoned. | D．Why Moxi robots are needed. |
| A．Dismissive. | B．Indifferent. | C．Favourable. | D．Suspicious. |
