1 . If someone says “give me five” to you, do not search your pocket to get five yuan! It will make others laugh! The person is not asking for your money, but your fingers.
In the US, “give me five” or “give me the high five” is a popular gesture (动作). You can see it often in films or on TV. It means the clapping (拍) of each other’s raised (举起的) right hands together.
People do it when they meet for the first time or when something happy or successful happens. For example, when a basketball team wins a game, the players will give high fives to everyone around to celebrate.
This gesture may come from the old Roman gesture of raising the right arm for the emperor (皇帝). This showed that the person raising his arm did not have a sword (刀) in his hand.
Why not try to give the high five to your friends?
1. “Give me five” is a gesture to ______.| A．ask for money | B．make people laugh |
| C．give up dreams | D．celebrate success |
| A．toes | B．hands | C．arms | D．legs |
| A．lose your money | B．go back home |
| C．win a basketball game | D．lose your way |
| A．Rome | B．America | C．China | D．England |
2 . The world is going through a basic transformation,which is changing the way we live, work and think. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is bringing dramatic change and giving rise to a future filled with exciting opportunities and new challenges. Together, governments and businesses must find solutions to society's most pressing needs—from creating a carbon-free economy to tackling population growth and urbanization.
In any period of rapid change there is a trend to look for a simple method,to greet the new things and replace the old way of doing things. But a closer look at the facts tells a different story. Complex problems require many solutions working in harmony to enable positive change.
The challenge for scientists and engineers is to provide solutions in fact, data and today's realities. And while technologies offer new tools to help uncover solutions, the process also requires hard work, imagination and lots of improvement.
Success rests on performing practical, realistic, long- term solutions that make the world cleaner, safer and more sustainable(可持续的).
The environment is a case in point. Much of the public debate has centered on the central role of renewable power sources in realizing a low-carbon energy future. While the industry is fully behind developing renewables, today we understand that a low or zero-carbon future depends on adopting a multifaceted approach.
We cannot control sunshine levels or decide when the wind blows, which means solar power and wind power generators will produce too much or too little energy at times. The transition to renewables needs to take account of serious considerations.
Batteries have been much discussed as a means of storing extra energy, but there are other choices. Power-to- X technologies enable spare energy created by renewables to be stored and redistributed when and where it is needed.
1. Which of the following best explains the underlined word“tackling" in Paragraph 1?| A．Caring about. | B．Dealing with. |
| C．Going through. | D．Suffering from. |
| A．Offer new tools to help uncover solutions. |
| B．Look for a simple method to face the future. |
| C．Find out ways to solve the problem. |
| D．Realize a low-carbon energy future. |
| A．Powerful. |
| B．Safe. |
| C．Clean. |
| D．Unsteady. |
| A．They can adjust power supply. |
| B．They take the place of batteries. |
| C．They help make more electricity. |
| D．They can create power from wind and sun. |
3 . Farmers in India's northern state of Himachal Pradesh are now growing herbs(草药) instead of traditional crops such as rice, wheat and corn. They are trying to save their farms from monkeys eating their crops.
For years, farmers have fought a losing battle with increasing number of monkeys. The animals invade farms in several northern Indian states, searching for food and destroying crops worth millions of dollars. Many have given up on farming because of the monkey problem. Officials estimate that 40 percent of the farmland in the area is unplanted.
Agriculture experts say switching to herbs will protect farmers’ crops and bring higher profits. Monkeys do not attack herbs with medicinal properties. Farmers can make more money as demand for herbsboostsfrom Indian companies making medicinal and personal care products. India's herbal product industry is worth $4 billion and growing quickly. Some farmers have already started planting herbs with help from the medicinal plants board.
Experts have listed about 100 herbs that can be grown on the empty farmland where villagers stopped growing crops. So far, nearly 4,000 farmers have switched to growing herbs in seven North Indian states. In Himachal Pradesh, the number is 300.
An expert says the most successful farmers have strong business sense and are willing to innovate. His organization also links farmers in distant villages with possible buyers to make sure they can market their crops.
Monkeys are also becoming problems in cities, including India's capital New Delhi. They are famous for stealing food and even mobile phones.
In December, experts gave lawmakers advice on dealing with monkeys often seen around parliament (议会) . The experts advised leaving the animals alone and not making eye contact. The monkey population has increased since India banned their export for biomedical research in 1978. But many in Hindu-majority India respect and feed the animals. They link the monkeys to the Hindu god Hanuman, who takes the form of a monkey.
1. What results from the growing number of monkeys?| A．The price of crops increases. |
| B．More traditional crops are grown. |
| C．Quite a few farms are not grown. |
| D．Farmers are easy to suffer from attack. |
| A．Lacks. |
| B．Changes. |
| C．Reduces. |
| D．Increases. |
| A．Leave them alone. |
| B．Cover their eyes. |
| C．Avoid feeding them. |
| D．Comforting them. |
| A．Farmers Switch to Herbs to Stop Monkeys |
| B．Effective Measures to Deal with Monkeys |
| C．Battle Between Farmers and Monkeys |
| D．Ways to Avoid Being Attacked by Monkeys |
4 . Have you ever felt as if the entire world was watching while you made a mistake? Well here’s some good news: it’s likely that no one even notice.
The spotlight effect is a trick of the mind that makes us believe that people notice us more often than they really do. We experience the spotlight effect not only when we make mistakes but also when we perform well, such as making a mistake in a game, giving a terrible answer in class, scoring a big goal or doing a good deed. In these moments, it feels like everyone is watching.
The spotlight effect exists because we all get used to seeing things through our own eyes. Every person is the main character in his or her story, and the events of our lives seem to have great importance. We are so busy examining ourselves that we actually observe very little about everyone around us.
The spotlight effect is a very common part of the human experience. However, in some cases, it can lead to extreme social anxiety and nervousness around other people.
Everyone suffers some degree of social anxiety. We all care about what others think, and we all want to be liked. It’s normal to wonder about what effect we have on other people.
However, this can be a problem when the anxiety is too much to handle. If someone is so nervous that they can’t make good decisions then it’s time to take action and improve the situation.
Learning about the spotlight effect is important because it can help us reduce our anxiety. The next time you feel like everyone is staring at you, remind yourself that it’s just your mind playing tricks on you. Another good exercise is to make an effort to notice the people around you, rather than focusing on yourself. If you fill your mind with thoughts of your friends and family, it will help you be less self-conscious.
1. What is the spotlight effect?| A．It feels like all eyes are on us. | B．We enjoy more focus from others. |
| C．It’s probably (hat no one notices us. | D．It is a trick lo make us perform well. |
| A．Proud. | B．Anxious. | C．Relaxed. | D．Depressed. |
| A．It makes people feel more confident in scoring a big goal. |
| B．It may be an unusual human experience about social anxiety. |
| C．It happens only when we make some mistakes in great events. |
| D．It exists when we care too much about what others think of us. |
| A．To release our mental burden. | B．To help us take more exercise. |
| C．To make us more self-conscious. | D．To help us pay more attention in class. |
