1 . When we’re facing a problem, we often gather a group to brain-storm. We’re looking to get the best ideas as quickly as possible. I love seeing it happen, except for one question—group brainstorming usually has opposite effects.
In brainstorming meetings, many good ideas are lost. Research shows that when attending brainstorming meetings, people tend to bite their tongues either because they don’t want to look stupid, or they avoid talking all at once, and sometimes they just follow the crowd. As a result, we end up waving goodbye to different ideas and saying hello to group thinking.
To find the hidden strength in teams, instead of brainstorming, we’d better turn to a process called “brainwriting.” The first steps are done individually. We start by asking everyone to create ideas separately. Next, we collect them and share them without names among the group. Only then does the team come together to select the best choices. By developing and judging ideas individually before choosing them, teams can present possibilities that might not get attention otherwise.
Research by organizational behavior expert Anita Woolley helps to explain why brainstorming fails and brainwriting works. She finds that a key to group intelligence is to offer people equal chances to voice their ideas. In brainstorming meetings, people tend to follow the loudest voices and the most powerful people. However, the brainwriting process makes sure that all ideas are brought to the table and all voices are brought into the conversation. The goal isn’t to be the smartest person in the room—it’s to make the room smarter.
1. What do the underlined words “bite their tongues” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Keep silent. | B．Stay calm. |
| C．Injure their mouths. | D．Express their ideas. |
| A．It makes people perform confidently. | B．It improves people’s writing ability. |
| C．It helps people think independently. | D．It benefits people’s mental health. |
| A．What makes a smart conversation | B．How team intelligence plays a part |
| C．Why brainwriting is a better choice | D．Where group brainstorming works |
2 . On a recent drive through Cleveland, Texas, Linda was surprised when a skinny dog on the road approached her car. Linda, who has experience in saving lost dogs in the area, knew something was wrong.
Unfortunately, the dog got away before Linda could help. But days later, Linda saw the dog again. This time, Linda stopped the car and the dog ran over. She was heartbroken to see the dog was ill-fed and in sadness, so Linda put the dog in her car and drove home to care for her.
Safe at Linda’s home, the dog happily ate and drank. But the dog, later named Nala, still seemed anxious. As she gave Nala a bath, Linda noticed the dog’s body showed signs of having recently given birth. Linda was alarmed—were Nala’s babies somewhere out there, all alone?
Linda rushed Nala back to the place where they first met and encouraged the dog to lead the way. Nala’s ears went up and her nose started moving, and then suddenly she took off running. Finally they arrived at a deserted house. Searching the area, Linda felt her heart almost jumped out of her body—there, hiding in a corner of the house, were Nala’s six baby dogs. “I was so thankful they were still alive.” Linda was in disbelief.
Now Linda’s house has become Nala and her babies’ loving home. “I hope all the animals have their own homes and are treated well by humans,” Linda said.
1. What do we know about Linda and the dog’s first meeting?| A．Linda took the dog home. | B．Linda saw the dog’s babies. |
| C．The dog was in good condition. | D．The dog came close to Linda’s car. |
| A．She didn’t like bathing. | B．She was not treated well. |
| C．She would give birth soon. | D．She worried about her babies. |
| A．In an empty house. | B．Under Linda’s car. |
| C．On a country road. | D．Near Linda’s home. |
| A．Humorous. | B．Caring. | C．Selfless. | D．Determined. |
3 . Welcome to our collections! We have so much for you to enjoy, explore and experience!
The LIFE Picture Collection
The LIFE Picture Collection(LIFE) is one of the most important picture files in the United States of the 20th century. From 1936 to 2000, LIFE collected more than 10 million photos across 120,000 stories. The original photos and articles were collected by Meredith, a well-known photographer who created LIFE.
LIFE works with individuals and organizations to research, show, and reproduce our pictures for new visitors. If you’re interested in teaming up with us, please check out the information on this page.
Other Collections
In addition to LIFE, we have also got a number of picture collections for you to view, including:
●DMI Collection: pictures about famous people from the late 1970s to the early 2000s.
●Dahlstrom Collection: 7000 photos of New York and the mid-Atlantic area.
●Hugo Jaeger Photographic Collection: color photos of Europe.
●Mansell Collection: works focusing on art and culture.
Using Our Content
We are happy to work with you. You are permitted to use our pictures. Please contact us for any of the following:
●Photos for book, magazine and website
●Museum and Art Show
●Research
1. What can we learn about LIFE?| A．Its photos add up to 120,000. | B．It includes many old pictures. |
| C．It only works with individuals. | D．Its photos were all taken by Meredith. |
| A．DMI Collection. | B．Mansell Collection. |
| C．Dahlstrom Collection. | D．Hugo Jaeger Photographic Collection. |
| A．A letter. | B．A speech. | C．An Interview. | D．An introduction. |
Venice is in the northeast of Italy. It was built on small islands in saltwater lakes more than 1,500 years ago. It is a city with no cars and people travel by boat. There are 117 waterways and more than 400 bridges that can guide you to any place you want to go.
Los Angeles
It was founded in 1781. It is now the second largest city in the United States. It is famous for Hollywood, which is the oldest film industry of the world. It is also the home of Disneyland.
Budapest
The population of Budapest is about 1.7 million and the city is a very popular place for tourists. Visitors like to take boat rides along the Danube (多瑙河). Budapest is known for its exciting nightlife. The best time to visit Budapest is summer.
Singapore City
It is the capital of Singapore. For many tourists, the city is a wonderful place in Southeast Asia. It has a night zoo called “Night Safari”. People can watch lions, tigers and foxes there.
1. How do people travel around in Venice?| A．By boat. | B．By car. | C．By train. | D．By bus. |
| A．Spring. | B．Summer. | C．Autumn. | D．Winter. |
| A．A storybook. | B．A dictionary. |
| C．A travel guidebook. | D．A book review. |
5 . Many people know that rubbish is a big problem on the Earth. What many people don’t know is that rubbish is becoming a problem in outer space too. Years of space exploration (探索) have left tons of “space junk” (太空垃圾) around the planet.
According to the reports of BBC, there are more than 22,000 pieces of rubbish in space around the Earth. And these are just the objects that are easy to see. There may be millions of smaller pieces of rubbish that we can’t see.
The pieces of space junk move around the planet at very high speeds. They move so fast that even a very small piece can become dangerous. If they crashed (碰撞) into each other, it could cause explosions that might even hurt people on the Earth. If the tiniest piece of rubbish crashed into a space shuttle (航天飞机), it could blow open a hole as big as an elephant.
To help solve this problem, countries around the world have agreed to limit the time their space tools stay in space to 25 years. Each tool must fall safely into the Earth’s atmosphere, or upper parts of the sky. There, it will burn up, and it won’t crash near the Earth.
1. What is becoming a problem in outer space?| A．Unseen things. | B．Many big holes. |
| C．Too much space junk. | D．A lot of explosions. |
| A．It may kill elephants. |
| B．It causes air pollution. |
| C．It moves faster than space shuttles. |
| D．It may cause explosions and hurt people. |
| A．Burn them on the Earth. | B．Limit their time in space. |
| C．Let them crash in the sky. | D．Make them move slowly. |
6 . Lawmakers in Massachusetts have introduced a law that would ban children in the seventh grade or younger from playing tackle football (冲撞式橄榄球). The Act for No Organized Head Impacts to Schoolchildren, or the NO HITS Act, was introduced last month in an effort to protect children’s heads from blows (重击) while at a particularly fragile age.
The bill would cause fines of up to $ 2,000 for each time the law is broken. People who frequently break the law, or those whose actions cause physical harm, would face bigger fines.
“It’s all about kids’ health and we have a number of studies that say that repeated contacts to the head are very bad for you and the younger that starts, the worse it is,” said Paul, who introduced the bill with House Minority Leader Bradley Jones .
According to a 2017 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers examining 111 brains belonging to former NFL (National Football League) players found the brain disease Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE, in 110 of them. The disease is associated with repeated head injuries, not just concussions (脑震荡), and is generally found in athletes, retired soldiers and others with a history of repetitive brain injuries, according to the Concussion Legacy Foundation, a non-profit organization that works to study, treat and prevent future cases of brain injuries among athletes and other at-risk groups.
Similar laws have been considered elsewhere in the country, including California and Illinois last year, though they didn’t secure enough votes to become law. Those against previously proposed (提议的) bans have argued that adequate progress has been achieved to make the sport safer and that the sport offers too many benefits for children to totally avoid it.
Several former NFL players, who have been directly or indirectly affected by CTE, have argued differently, however. “I made the mistake of starting tackle football at 9 years old. Now, CTE has taken my life away.Youth tackle football is all risk with no reward,” Nick Buoniconti, a former NFL player, told CNN last year.
1. Why was the law introduced by lawmakers in Massachusetts?| A．To ban children from doing sports too young. |
| B．To make tackle football safer for players. |
| C．To keep young children from suffering brain injuries. |
| D．To encourage the popularity of some safe sports. |
| A．The fines of playing tackle football incorrectly. |
| B．The causes of the new law in Massachusetts. |
| C．The consequences of breaking the new law. |
| D．The reason why the sport is forbidden. |
| A．Brain injuries can really be prevented with action. |
| B．Repeated head blows can result in brain diseases. |
| C．NFL players used to pay much attention to CTE. |
| D．Future cases of brain injuries can be reduced. |
7 . A new study published this week in the journal Nature Communications has concluded that a 100 percent change to organic food production in England and Wales would actually lead to a great increase in greenhouse gas emissions (排放). In turn, this would contribute to further climate change.
Although organic farming directly pours out fewer emissions than conventional farming — around 20 percent lower for crops and 4 percent for farm animals — it produces especially less food. As to this study’s findings, total organic agriculture in England and Wales would produce 40 percent less food. With less food in the market, the countries would need to increase food imports, which would produce more global greenhouse gas emissions.
Organic farming also increases the amount of absorbing carbon, a process where carbon dioxide (CO2) is “absorbed” out of the atmosphere and captured by plants and stored in the soil. However, even a total change to organic farming would only be equal to a tiny part of the higher emissions from overseas land use.
“We predict a drop in total food production of 40 percent under a fully organic farming process, compared to conventional farming, if we keep to the same national diet,” Dr Adrian Williams, lead author and reader in Agri-Environmental Systems at Cranfield University, said in a statement. “This results from lower crop quantity, because output is limited by a lower supply of nitrogen, which is mainly from other crops or solid waste from cattle on the grassland.”
Nevertheless, it is important to note that organic farming still holds some useful benefits for the environment, such as reducing exposure to chemicals and improving the varieties of creatures. In conclusion, the study suggests that organic farming will continue to play a key role in solving the world’s environmental problems. However, it’s just one part of a much wider solution.
1. What will total organic agriculture bring to England?| A．More food imports. | B．More species crop. |
| C．More main food. | D．More fresh oxygen. |
| A．By changing CO2. | B．By giving off CO2. |
| C．By producing CO2. | D．By taking in CO2. |
| A．The advantages of organic farming. |
| B．The results caused by organic farming. |
| C．The solution to the environment problems. |
| D．The ways to reduce organic farming. |
8 . All living things on Earth need water to live. Yet humans are facing serious water problems. According to the United Nations, today over 663 million people live without a safe water supply close to home.
To remind people of the importance of water, the UN first set up World Water Day in 1993. It is on Mar 22 each year. From Mar 22 to 28 is also the China Water Week. The first year’s theme is “Waste water”. It tried to call people to reuse waste water instead of wasting it.
In Australia people make good use of waste water. Most Australians have a grass lawn around their home instead of washing the car in the street. Many of them wash it on the lawn to keep the grass longer so that it covers the ground and reduce evaporation.
Rainwater may seem useless to you. But you can also reuse it. People in Germany collect rainwater to wash their toilets. Most houses in the country that are built in the last few years have rainwater collection devices (设备). Rainwater is collected from the root, and then linked to the toilet. But if you don’t have the device just put a bucket (桶) under your roof when it rains.
Water makes up 71 percent of Earth’s surface. But we can only use a very small part of it. Only about 3 percent of the world’s water is fresh water. It’s in lakes, rivers and underground.
Over 80 percent of the w
aste water in the world goes back into the nature. It has not been cleaned and pollutes the rivers and lakes. Unsafe water makes around 842,000 people die each year.
By 2030, about half of the world’s population could be facing water problem. By 2050, as many as seven billion people across the world could not have enough water supplies. The world’s population might be 9.3 billion by then.
1. The China Water Week in 2017 tries to___________.| A．collect rainwater to wash their toilets |
| B．remind people of the importance of water |
| C．put a bucket under your roof when it rains. |
| D．call people to reuse waste water instead of wasting it. |
| A．sit down | B．cut down | C．put down | D．write down |
| A．To share his rich knowledge about water. |
| B．To warn more people to save water. |
| C．To show how water problems change the world. |
| D．To tell people how to discover safe water supply. |
| A．Water in the world has become less and less. |
| B．Unsafe water makes so many people die. |
| C．Our planet will face serious water problems. |
| D．Learning to save water to protect our planet. |
9 . A few months ago someone gifted us a robot cleaner. We already had a regular cleaner and I didn’t really see the need to use this new one, so it just satin its box.
One of our neighbors is moving away to a new house next week and I thought of asking her whether this might be something she could use. It turned out that she replied yes! Her new place had hardwood floors and her daughter was asking if they could get a robot cleaner but she said they would have to wait and see....and now she didn’t have to buy one!
I couldn’t tell you how overjoyed I was to see her daughter’s response when she came over. She was also as excited about the flower seeds I gave her from our backyard to plant in their new home.
The nice thing was that the daughter would still be working in our town, and I told her that if she ever needed to stay over instead of driving 45 minutes to the new house, our home was always here for her.
She also told me that she was so touched that I drew a big pink heart on the front of our house for their going-away party. I told her maybe after they moved I would clean it up. Or maybe not—I like being reminded of how our hearts are connected to everyone.
1. Why did the author give away the robot cleaner?| A．She liked to giveaway gifts. |
| B．She already had one at home. |
| C．She showed off before her neighbor. |
| D．She met the need of her neighbor’s daughter. |
| A．It is surrounded by some flowers. |
| B．It has a door with a “heart” on it. |
| C．It saw a goodbye party for the author. |
| D．It is far from her daughter’s workplace. |
| A．Love never fails | B．Hearts connect us |
| C．Little acts add up | D．Family warms hearts |
10 . When searching for something fun and educational to do in Maryland, why not visit the Maryland Science Center? It is located at 601 Light Street, Baltimore. The ticket prices vary depending on ages, groups and the exhibits you choose. Click here for more information.
Introduction
The Maryland Science Center is basically a museum, but it gives everyone a chance to learn through experience and play, rather than just glance at an exhibit.
Activities
You can learn about various topics, including outer space, the human body, dinosaurs, electricity, marine (海洋的) biology, energy, and much more. You can also take part in the interactive activities, such as racing bubbles, digging for dinosaur fossils, using puzzle pieces to construct cars, and so much more.
The Davis Planetarium (天文馆)
At the Davis Planetarium, you can be back in a chair and look at the stars while still inside the Science Center. The stars will appear on the ceiling of the theatre as you watch them.
There are different shows to catch at the Davis Planetarium. You can learn about the galaxy and astronomy during the Dark Matters show. Learn about the stars and planets during the Sky Live show. The One World One Sky show allows children to explore the stars. The Live from the Sun show will teach you all about the hot sun.
The Kids Room
For children, they can’t miss the Kids Room. They will be able to play in a water area, construct dams and water towers, push buttons, ring doorbells, build with blocks, and more, and definitely they will learn a lot. In addition, there is also an area for kids of two years old and under, where they can crawl, walk and explore safely with soft toys.
1. If you want to know why the sun shines, which show should you choose?| A．The Dark Matters show. | B．The Sky Live show. |
| C．The Live from the Sun show. | D．The One World One Sky show. |
| A．It charges different prices for adults and kids. |
| B．It is regarded as the most popular museum in Maryland. |
| C．It is a museum where there are many famous exhibitions. |
| D．It is mainly designed for children and their families to play together. |
| A．A travel plan. | B．An academic column. |
| C．An educational magazine. | D．An online advertisement. |
