1 . Third grade was the worst year ever. My parents split up that year, and my dad moved out. I know that every divorce is different, and I’m told that not all of them are as painful as ours was. Ours was cruel.
There were other difficult things happening, too. I was epileptic and had a brain tumor. So I had to leave he classroom sometimes, to go to the nurse’s office to take pills or to head to the hospital for blood work, an EEG, or a CAT scan. Not fun.
And I turned, as kids often do, to books. Books were doorways out of my cold house, to imagined ands, full of magical creatures and wishes-come-true. I read from sunup to sundown. I read at breakfast, and I read late into the night. I devoured books.
Originally, in that terrible year, I sought out books that distracted me from my pain. I loved Half Magic; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; Mary Poppins, books where regular kids encountered magic in the world around them. I was eager for something unexpected to happen and radically alter my world, so those books were many of my favorites. But they were not my only favorites.
The other books I loved were the books that made me cry. My brain is still full of so many perfect painful moments. Beth, dying in Little Women. I read Oscar Wilde stories in which all hearts were broken. The Nightingale, dead from love.
I’ve thought a lot about why these books mattered so much. And I think it was because I was very alone in my sadness. Lonely, I sought company, the best way I could. Books were company. And though Half Magic was one kind of company, a distracting, cheerful friend — that wasn’t enough.
So sometimes you need a friend who is also struggling, a friend who is sad in the very way that you are sad, and so makes you feel normal. For me, sad books were that friend. After a sad book, I slept easier.
1. What didn’t happen to the author in the third grade?| A．The author’s dad left him/her. | B．The author had to quit school. |
| C．The author had serious diseases. | D．The author’s parents got divorced. |
| A．Fantasy books. | B．Funny books. |
| C．Sad books. | D．Medical books. |
| A．Because the author didn’t want to read cheerful books. |
| B．Because reading these sad books could make him/her cry. |
| C．Because he/she liked the perfect painful moments in the books. |
| D．Because they made the author feel he/she was not alone in sadness. |
| A．To share with readers his/her experience of growing up. |
| B．To encourage readers to read more books in their spare time. |
| C．To call on readers to pay more attention, to those who are suffering. |
| D．To tell readers how he/she got through a tough time in his/her life by reading. |
2 . The Ouray Ice Park sits at the mouth of a narrow box canyon sculpted by the Uncompahgre River. As we picked our way up the canyon, Davis, operations manager at the park, pointed out the various projects his staff were rushing to complete before opening day. There was signage to build, a new bridge to check, and of course, lots of ice to grow.
He showed. me the lines of water pipes and sprinklers (洒水器) located along the cliff edge. There are more than 200 of these sprinklers, which spray water directly onto the rock, creating walls of ice containing 100-plus climbs. Starting in November when the temperature drops, the ice farmers wet the rock with water to cool it, essentially building a canvas for the waterfalls. They use existing features on the rock to grow a variety of routes for all skill levels. Though the job involves much labour in freezing weather, Davis described growing ice as a kind of art form. If half an ice farmer’s job is creation, the other half is upkeep. Exposed water pipes in the mountains are easy to freeze and break and it is up to those farmers to fix them.
This winter has been unusually warm and temperatures, even in December, were not cold enough to make sufficient ice. It even rained a day before the park was set to open, destroying 30% of the ice farmers’ efforts. “Winter climate is less certain due to the warming of our planet,” said Heidi Steltzer, a professor of environment and sustainability. “Human-made ice may not be possible every year, but in years when it is, the ice park offers joy, a gathering place and opportunities of earning money to sustain rural mountain life.”
1. What does paragraph 1 mainly talk about?| A．The significance of building an ice park. |
| B．The geographical variety of the Ouray Ice Park. |
| C．The location and building schedule of the Ouray Ice Park. |
| D．The influence of the Uncompahgre River on the Ouray Ice Park. |
| A．To make ice walls for climbing. |
| B．To form an attractive landscape. |
| C．To remove dirt from the rock surface. |
| D．To avoid the rock breaking in high temperatures. |
| A．Profit. | B．Repair. | C．Impact. | D．Service. |
| A．It offers a method of recreation and livelihood. |
| B．It seems only a waste of manpower and money. |
| C．It has some unforeseeable impacts on local ecology. |
| D．It is better than other kinds of parks with its unique amusements. |
3 . Some people can begin a conversation with anyone ——even complete strangers.
A great way to start a conversation with the people around you is to simply comment on your shared surroundings.
Keep your comments positive——never mean-spirited or critical. You want the other person to feel comfortable getting in on the joke with you. You could follow up on your previous comment about your professor with something like, “I wonder where Hedwig is?”
If you don’t receive a positive response from one person, the method might work with someone else.
| A．A little humor works great here |
| B．Here are some ways to help you |
| C．A good conversation really matters a lot |
| D．But many others find it difficult to talk to a stranger |
| E．Humor is difficult with someone you don’t know well |
| F．The more you practice, the easier it will be to talk to a person you don’t know |
| G．The more confident you are, the more chance to receive a positive response there will be |
4 . While writing, we may always ask ourselves “Are there any better expressions to convey what we mean?” In a writing class, a teacher tells a golden rule of writing.
Teacher: Show but don’t tell, class. This is the golden rule of creative writing. You need to show the reader (the person who is reading) what you want to say, not tell him, or her.
David (student):
Teacher: Stop laughing, everybody, and listen carefully. I’ll give you two examples: ‘He was feeling very worried.’ Now I will say the same thing in a different way: ‘He was biting his fingernails and sweating.’
Anne(student):The second example, the one about the fingernails and the sweating.
Teacher: Yes! Excellent! Well done, Anne. You’re a brilliant student.
David: I don’t understand.
Teacher: And here, everybody, we see a very good example of both showing and telling. Not only has David told us that he doesn’t understand, he’s also shown us: with that silly look on his face.
David: Stop laughing! It’s not funny! Be quiet, Anne!
Teacher: David! Don’t shout at Anne. She’s done nothing wrong. Now, everybody, let’s play a game:
| A．This is showing |
| B．A lovely example |
| C．Why not try doing it |
| D．But how do we do that |
| E．I’ll tell you something and you have to say it in a different way |
| F．Now, which example tells the reader about how the man was feeling |
| G．Look and decide which ‘tell’ sentence matches which ‘show’ sentence |
5 . Since her retirement, an old family friend has begun visually journaling her travels. She isn’t an “artist”, but that doesn’t reduce her joy in her experiences or the truth and appeal of her sketches (素描). It was inspiring and I took it as a good idea for later. When I saw the recent Van der Weel and Van der Meer study about handwriting and cognitive activation (认知激活), I thought about my friend, the passage of time, and aging and realized that it was time to hunt up all my media ( pens, pencils, watercolors, bound journals, and sketchpads) and shift some activities from keyboard to paper as an investment in brain health.
Van der Weel and Van der Meer found writing by hand (rather than tapping away on your keyboard) increases brain connectivity. It may be time to consider deleting some of those list-making and journal apps from your phone and return to paper and notebooks. Healthy media use of any kind is, after all, about balance. I realized that I write very little by hand but if doing so activates the whole brain, then it may join the list of activities, like doing crossword puzzles and learning a new language, which help delay cognitive decline.
Writing helps people process life’s emotional ups and downs through sense-making—the greater the cognitive effort to find meaning, the greater appreciation of the benefits and improved mood. Meaning and positive emotions are central to well-being.
However, I had never considered the physical act of handwriting as a brain health aging activity. The greater brain activity from handwriting compared to typing is thought to explain why handwritten notes are linked to increased learning among students. Learning and memory are both cognitive functions. Learning describes how we gain new skills and knowledge. Memory is how we store and bring back what we learn. Aging messes with both and can prevent new learning as well as the memory of what you just learned. However, social, physical, and cognitively challenging activities have been shown to reduce the negative effects of aging on cognitive function and increase cognitive reserve (认知储备).
1. What made the author begin to notice brain health?| A．The passage of time. | B．The aging of him/her. |
| C．The recent study about handwriting. | D．His/Her friend’s visual travel sketch. |
| A．The benefits of writing. |
| B．Ups and downs of life. |
| C．The meanings of positive emotions. |
| D．The advantages of writing over computers. |
| A．By giving advice. | B．By listing numbers. |
| C．By quoting experts’ words. | D．By making a comparison. |
| A．Learn by memorizing. | B．Add handwriting to your list. |
| C．Be aware of the secret of memory. | D．Join in the healthy aging activities. |
6 . Passive learning and active learning are two totally different patterns of learning in the world of teaching. Traditionally, learning has been mostly passive in nature. However, in the last 2-3 decades, there has been a push to encourage active learning in the classroom. Passive learning refers to learning in which the student does little to acquire knowledge. The most common form of passive learning is direct instruction. In passive learning, the student is viewed as an empty container of knowledge that the teacher must fill with his or her knowledge. Freire called this pattern of learning banking education as the student serves as an account in which the teacher or banker places knowledge or money. There’s a heavy stress on memorizing information or knowledge. The student should take notes and be ready to repeat what the teacher has said. The teacher is the wise man on the stage.
Passive learning always sounds bad but sometimes it can be beneficial. When people have no former knowledge of a subject, passive learning can provide a foundation for future active learning activities.
Active learning is learning in which the student is actively involved in the learning process. Common examples of this learning pattern include any form of discussion in the classroom.
Active learning encourages students to use their current knowledge to build new understanding. There’s a reduction of lecturing in an active learning classroom. Rather, students interact with each other and the teacher to develop their understanding of the content. Active learning also faces some challenges. One is that active learning is time-consuming. Developing activities and leading discussions can force the class to move slower. If the course covers a large amount of content, this can be challenging for teachers.
In conclusion, there’s room in the world of education for both passive and active learning. But too much reliance on either one will probably be a disadvantage for students.
1. What’s the disadvantage of banking education?| A．Failing to make classes move quickly. |
| B．Weakening teachers’ interest in education. |
| C．Focusing too much on memorizing knowledge. |
| D．Causing bad relationships between teachers and students. |
| A．When learning a new lesson. |
| B．When writing about reflection. |
| C．When answering a teacher’s question. |
| D．When planning active learning activities. |
| A．Parents should support teachers’ education. |
| B．Teachers shouldn’t bother students’ learning process. |
| C．We must make passive learning disappear from classes. |
| D．We should balance passive learning and active learning. |
| A．Taking too much time. | B．Highly effective. |
| C．Making no difference. | D．Rather expensive. |
7 . Natural disasters can cause people’s fears at any age.
● Be honest
When there is information about natural disasters, try not to hide it.
●
Ask your children what they are nervous about so that you can solve their concerns. Deal with any of their fears, big or small, and provide some kind of comfort. Whether these disasters are happening far away or close to home, they need to know that you will keep them safe.
● Make a plan for your family
There is no place on Earth that is free from possibly suffering some type of natural disaster. All families should have a disaster plan and emergency supplies at home. Create a family safety plan, and share it with your children.
● Talk about the helpers
| A．Answer questions |
| B．Take away your children’s fears |
| C．It is completely natural to be afraid |
| D．They just have to wait with nothing to do |
| E．It can prepare them for what to do if a disaster happens |
| F．Instead, offering detailed information and explanation can help calm your children |
| G．Teach your children about the different types of helpers that show up in a disaster |
8 . “From delighting in the creativity of others, seeing something from a different viewpoint, sharing that experience or building connections, I know I always leave our galleries feeling energized, inspired and uplifted,” says Karin Hindsbo, the director of Tate Modern——and she’s certainly not alone. According to a recent study, looking at art can light up the pleasure centre in the brain and release dopamine, the feel-good chemical——which is why visiting a gallery can be a valuable act of self-care.
Nottingham-based art psychotherapist Sofie Dobbelaere agrees that going to a gallery to view art can be a powerful healing (治愈) experience. “When we look at art, we connect with our humanity, and therefore are pulled into dialogue with something outside of ourselves,” she says. “This can help us feel connected and like we are part of something important.”
We live in a fast-paced culture, often consuming great works of art as quickly as we do content on our phones. But the act of engaging with art often disobey our own deadlines and boundaries of time, inviting us to look a little longer. Next time you go to a gallery, try practicing “slow looking”, spending several minutes or even hours thinking over just one piece. Galleries are full of amazing works, but observing just one on a deeper level can be incredibly meaningful.
According to a recent study, although 95% of UK adults agree that visiting museums and galleries is beneficial, 40% of us visit them less than once a year—which is especially regretful as so many of these incredible spaces and artworks, including the main collections in the Tate galleries, are completely free to view and open to all. “These gloomy (阴沉的) winter months are the perfect time to get lost in our free displays, especially if you’ve never visited before,” says Hindsbo.
1. Why is visiting a gallery an act of self-care?| A．It relaxes the brain. | B．It offers company. |
| C．It pleases the visitor. | D．It makes visitors wiser. |
| A．Be polite. | B．Take your time. |
| C．Leave before the deadline. | D．Stay longer than permitted. |
| A．Some collections are not open regularly. |
| B．Many seldom visit museums and galleries. |
| C．Less than half never visit museums and galleries. |
| D．Most think visiting museums and galleries is beneficial. |
| A．Free tour——visiting museums and galleries |
| B．Culture cure—a cure few have experienced |
| C．Why culture helps improve health condition |
| D．How art can be a powerful healing experience |
9 . In 2019, after retiring from her career as a social worker, Ane Freed - Kernis decided to build a home workshop and devote all of her free time to stone carving. “I might be covered head to to e in dust but I’m happy — it was something I needed more of in my life when I hit 60,” she says.
This appeal has its origins in Freed - Kernis’ childhood. Growing up on her father’s farm in Denmark, she used to wander through the fields with her eyes fixed on the ground, looking for stones to add to her collection. “I’ve always been drawn to the shapes and textures (质地) of stones,” she says.
After moving to England in 1977 and training as a social worker, Freed - Kernis soon became occupied with her busy career and the demands of raising her son. Stones were the last thing on her mind, until her father died in 2005. “He took a stone carving course in his retirement, and I always thought stone seemed so fun but never had the time to look into it myself,” she says. “After he died, I became determined to learn in his honour.”
Signing up for a week-long stone carving course at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Freed-Kernis began to learn how to turn a block of rock into well-designed shapes. “It was really scary at the start because you would spend hours just hammering (锤打).”
Now 65, Freed-Kernis has a thriving small business built largely through word of mouth. She creates 12 to 15 pieces a year that can take anywhere from a few days to three weeks to complete, while her prices range from £ 200 to £ 3,000. “I’m making smaller ones,” she says. “I don’t have to depend on the money much, so I want to keep prices in the range that people can afford, mainly just covering costs and labour (劳动力).”
1. Freed-Kernis was first attracted by stones when ______.| A．she was 60 | B．she was a child |
| C．her father died | D．she moved to England |
| A．She never cared about her father. |
| B．She led a disappointing life in Denmark. |
| C．She spent lots of time studying stone carving. |
| D．She learned stone carving under the influence of her dad. |
| A．Hopeful and proud. |
| B．Confident and satisfied. |
| C．Nervous and frightened. |
| D．Impatient and unprepared. |
| A．They are easier to move by her. |
| B．They are more affordable to people. |
| C．She wants to save costs and labour. |
| D．She is too old to focus on making large ones. |
10 . In San Francisco, a large group of sea lions move themselves out of the bay waters and hang out on PIER 39, which is a popular tourist destination. According to dock (码头) officials, this is the most sea lions seen in the region in 15 years.
“Over 1,000 sea lions have been counted this week,” PIER 39 harbormaster Sheila Chandor told many different media. “The surge in sea lions is usually a good sign of their strong population and healthy living environment,” said Adam Ratner, Director of Conservation Engagement at the Marine Mammal (海洋哺乳动物) Center in Sausalito, California.
“California sea lions are sentinels (哨兵) of the ocean,” Ratner said. Their population to some extent reflects the health of the ocean. Therefore, seeing a large number of California sea lions is clearly a good thing.
For nearly 35 years, the slippery (滑的) residents have been a star attraction for tourists. That autumn in 1989, PIER 39 had just been repaired, but the ships had not yet been moved back. At that moment, the sea lions unexpected arrival not only attracted fans but also created enemies. According to a website, some dock residents and workers were scared away by the strong and very unpleasant smell and noise of their new neighbors, while others saw these animals as a bright spot after the destructive Loma Prieta earthquake.
The officials sought help from the Marine Mammal Center to find a way to deal with sea lions. Ratner said that the final decision is to let the sea lions stay and coexist with humans. “The fact proves that this is really a good thing,” he said. “This is just a proof of how we can truly work together and think about how we can share our coasts with marine mammals and other wildlife in a way that benefits all the parties involved.”
1. How does the author start the text?| A．By describing a situation. |
| B．By answering a question. |
| C．By holding a conversation. |
| D．By comparing different opinions. |
| A．Sharp increase. | B．Tight control. |
| C．Slow development. | D．Sudden movement. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Uninterested. |
| C．Supportive. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Sea lions are pretty cool animals. |
| B．Animals and humans can live in harmony. |
| C．Watching sea lions might not be a proper action. |
| D．Sea lions should be driven out of PIER 39. |
