1 . Twelve-year-old Catherine has a lot of friends—632, actually, if you count up her online friends. And she spends a lot of time with them.
But is it possible that Catherine’s online friendships could be making her lonely? That’s what some experts believe. Connecting online is a great way to stay in touch, they say. However, some experts worry that many kids are so busy connecting online that they might be missing out on true friendships.
Could this be true? During your parents’ childhoods, connecting with friends usually meant spending time with them in the flesh. Kids played Scrabble around a table, not words with friends on their phones. When friends missed each other, they picked up the telephone. Friends might even write letters to each other.
Today, most communication takes place online. A typical teen sends 2,000 texts a month and spends more than 44 hours per week in front of a screen. Much of this time is spent on social media platform.
In fact, in many ways, online communication can make friendships stronger. “There’s definitely a positive influence. Kids can stay in constant contact, which means they can share more of their feelings with each other,” says Katie Davis, co-author of The App Generation.
Other experts, however, warn that too much online communication can get in the way of forming deep friendships. “If we are constantly checking in with our virtual world, we will have little time for our real-world friendships,” says Larry Rosen, a professor at California State University. Rosen also worries that today’s kids might mistake the “friends” on the social media for true friends in life. However, in tough times, you don’t need anyone to like your picture or share your blogs. You need someone who will keep your secrets and hold your hand. You would like to talk face to face.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?A.To tell about true friends. | B.To start a discussion. |
C.To encourage online friendships. | D.To summarize(总结) the text. |
A.In any case. | B.In public. | C.In person. | D.In advance. |
A.Unconcerned. | B.Positive. | C.Worried. | D.Confused. |
A.Teenagers need to focus on real-world friendships. | B.It’s easier to develop friendships in real life. |
C.It’s wise to turn to friends online. | D.Social media help people stay closely connected. |
2 . It is natural for us teenagers to feel upset.
•Move your body.
•Talk about it.
•Laugh a lot.
Humour can rescue you from an upset moment or make you feel better when you’re in an unpleasant mood. No matter what’s going on, the ability to laugh at yourself and your situation is really important.
•Cry — it’s okay!
Sometimes the only way to get out of your feelings is to cry — so go ahead! Shut yourself in your room and cry your eyes out! No one says you have to be happy all the time.
A.Why not pack up your suitcase and take a trip? |
B.We can’t say enough good things about exercise. |
C.But still we should find ways to manage our feelings. |
D.So smile at whatever is happening and choose to be happy. |
E.And do you know just smiling can help better your mood? |
F.When you are done, you’ll be ready to face the world again. |
G.Don’t hold in all those feelings until you are ready to explode. |
3 . Blind people have long desired for brightness, but scientists don’t have the technology. To bring that one step closer to reality, Zhiyong Fan, a materials scientist of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, developed a new artificial eye recently. The device, which is about as sensitive to light and has sharper vision and a faster reaction time than a real eyeball, may outperform human eyes.
The human eye owes its wide field of view and clear eyesight to the retina (视网膜) — an area at the back of the eyeball covered in light-detecting cells. The design for a new artificial eye is based on the structure of the human eye and uses a friendly light-sensitive material. At the back of the eyeball, an artificial retina is lined with Nan scale light sensors (纳米级光感器). Those sensors measure light that passes through the lens (晶状体) at the front of the eye. Wires attached to the back of the retina send signals from those sensors to the processor, similar to the way nerve networks connect the eyeball to the brain.
“In the future, we can use this to replace damaged human eyes,” says the lead designer. In theory, this artificial eye could see more clearly than the human eye, because the artificial retina contains about 460 million light sensors per square centimeter while a real retina has about 10 million light-detecting cells per square centimeter. Besides, the artificial eyeball records changes in lighting faster than human eyes can — within about 30 to 40 milliseconds, rather than 40 to 150 milliseconds. Although its 100-degree field of view isn’t as broad as the150 degrees a human eye can take in, the device can see as well as the human eye in poor light.
Hongrui Jiang, an electrical engineer at the University of Wisconsin, though, thinks engineers need a much more practical and efficient way to produce vast series of tiny wires on the back of the artificial eyeball to give it superhuman sight, which is super hard to achieve.
1. Why does Zhiyong Fan develop the artificial eye?A.To replace people’s real eyeballs. | B.To gain a sharper vision. |
C.To help the blind regain their eyesight. | D.To help normal eyes perform better. |
A.The design of the artificial eye. | B.The structure of the human eye. |
C.The advantages of the artificial eye. | D.The material used for the artificial eye. |
A.They have the same structure. |
B.The artificial eye may see more clearly. |
C.The human eye sees better in weak light. |
D.The artificial eye takes in a broader view. |
A.Doubtful. | B.Favorable. | C.Unconcerned. | D.Satisfied. |
4 . Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill once said, “The British are the only people who like to be told how bad things are.” This is definitely (绝对地) true of British comedy. Most people think humor is about happy things, but for the British, the opposite is true. We love to use our cruel sense of humor to complain and be negative (消极的).
British comedy, for example, draws a fine line between comedy and tragedy (悲剧). BBC’s The Office is a TV show, famous for its dry humor. The main character, David Brent, is a foolish man, and the show’s comedy comes from his delusions. For example, he often tells himself that he is loved by everyone but the viewer can see that everyone hates him.
Stupid characters for the audience to laugh at are an old tradition in Britain. In Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night, the character Malvolio is an old man whom people play tricks on. The audience will laugh away, although the reality is that this man is a truly tragic individual (个体).
This side of British humor is reflected (反映) in friendships as well. At university, my friends and I would always laugh at one another. I had an American friend who actually found this sarcasm (挖苦) quite upsetting. She didn’t realize that in Britain, the better friends you are with someone, the more you laugh at them.
This approach — laughing at everything — may sound rather depressing (让人郁闷的), but our strange humor played a big part in British history. In World War II, along with a stiff upper lip (坚定沉着), the British got through it by laughing. What else was there to do?
There is a saying in English: “Laugh and the world laughs with you; cry and you cry alone.” If you are ever on the receiving end of British sarcasm, you may feel like crying, but it’s best to just laugh it off!
1. How is British comedy different from other types?A.It is often surprising and boring. |
B.It often laughs at human nature. |
C.It is often about negative things. |
D.It often makes people feel depressed. |
A.strong abilities | B.fun characters |
C.incorrect beliefs | D.deep confidence |
A.To show one of the best examples of British comedy. |
B.To explain how Shakespeare’s comedy is different. |
C.To show how difficult it is to make people accept British comedy. |
D.To prove Britain has a long tradition of laughing at stupid characters. |
A.Learn from it. |
B.Don’t take it seriously. |
C.Reply sarcastically. |
D.Be careful not to make stupid mistakes. |
A.Negativity | B.complaint | C.Sarcasm | D.anger |
5 . “What should I learn to stay excellent?”
Self-management
Self-management is your ability to manage behaviors, thoughts and emotions. It is a way that better serves you and your work. Rules of self-management usually include: How to create and keep a calendar;
Logic and reasoning
Logical thinking can be extremely powerful for making better decisions and solving problems. However, most of us receive little training in this area in school.
How to do exercise
You can just pick an activity you enjoy and do it regularly. Try different things and see what you enjoy.
Knowing how to fix things around your house or apartment is wonderful. Instead of having to wait hours or days for others to fix it. you can do so immediately. And doing your own repairs can save you lots of money. You can buy a basic tool kit. And when you meet some kind of problem with your place, see if you can figure out how to fix it on the Internet.
A.It’s a difficult question to answer |
B.How to make and use a to-do list |
C.How to perform basic home repairs |
D.There’s a bit more to it than that |
E.So it’s worth spending some time learning how to think logically |
F.And remember that there’s no such a thing as the “best” exercise program |
G.But having logical thinking in your mental “toolbox” can be very useful |
6 . Finding a California condor in the wild would be the most unusual treat. perhaps even more unusual than finding a wolf in Yellowstone National Park. In fact, the wolf was what opened my eyes to the fact that humans could bring an animal back to the place where it had disappeared.
In 1987, there were only 27 California condors left, none of which were in the wild, only in captive breeding programs, It was those breeding programs that contributed to their population rise, enough that by 1991 some of them could be freed into the wild.
Still, the hope of seeing a California condor, which remains an endangered species, is very low, let alone getting a photo of one. California condor population dropped mostly due to human factors, such as poaching and living areas destruction-these are challenges California condors still face today.
Although this is just a bird’s-eye view of the challenges California condors face and there are many others, it is part of why the opportunity to work with the US Fish and Wildlife Service team and their partners helping their recovery is so special to me as a photographer. I am not only able to photograph the birds in their wild living areas, but also understand and record how difficult the work is of those people on the front lines of the protection.
I am grateful for the work of the team, and my hope is that California condor population will continue to rise allowing future generations an opportunity I never had when I first got here-to look to the sky and see one flying around.
1. What helped the increase of the California condor population in 1987?A.Rules for hunters. | B.Captive breeding programs. |
C.The improved natural environment. | D.The enlargement of wild living areas. |
A.It is difficult. | B.It is easy. | C.It is boring. | D.It is dangerous. |
A.He guided ways for them. | B.He made records by photos. |
C.He helped the birds to recover. | D.He rebuilt the birds’ living areas. |
A.New Way, New Hope | B.Wolves and California Condors |
C.A Photo of a California Condor | D.The California Condor’s Coming Back |
7 . A lot of people find it difficult to do exercise regularly, even though they know it’s good for their physical and mental (身心上的) health. Yet keeping on a workout routine doesn’t necessarily go to the gym or run around your neighborhood. Gardening is a great example of a popular hobby that can be used as a workout.
Nashville resident Tom Adkinson, 72, is on board with the idea of gardening to stay fit. He has three gardens, which he uses primarily to grow tomatoes, sweet banana peppers and okra. Like traditional exercise, Adkinson does a lot of preparation before gardening, and then he spends hours watering and weeding (除草) all three gardens, involving bending and stretching, which he compares to performing garden yoga.
“It is wise of Adkinson to do so. Even though gardening may not appear difficult, using the body in new ways can make you hurt if you don’t warm up beforehand,” said Zeller, who teaches at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cape May County in New Jersey.
Working in your garden just two hours a week could improve your mood. And the communal gardening, which is done by a number of people as a group in communities and schools, provides social benefits that can reduce stress and help fight against loneliness and even dementia according to studies.
“With all these benefits, gardening for fitness will be a trend (趋势) in the coming year,” announced Mandal, CEO of the fitness coaching app Future, “Our users at Future have already been asking their coaches to add gardening and landscaping activities into their routines because it’s easy to get and fit into their lifestyle.”
1. What do the underlined words “on board with” mean in paragraph 2?A.In support of. | B.At the risk of. |
C.Under the control of. | D.In opposition to. |
A.Having a good rest. |
B.Getting enough water ready. |
C.Doing warm-up exercise. |
D.Preparing tools for weeding. |
A.Tips for gardening. |
B.The benefits of gardening. |
C.The process of garden management. |
D.The difference between personal and group gardening. |
A.Running. | B.Yoga. | C.Gardening. | D.Walking. |
8 . Yue-Sai Kan was born in China. In 1972, she moved to New York. When Kan was a child, she was told by her father that she should always aim to (力争) be the first because no one remembered the second. What her father said has been a driving inspiration over the years for her to become a bestselling author and a successful businesswoman.
Her new book Be a Pioneer, which is the tenth she has written and her first Chinese-language autobiography (自传), was produced after three years, inspired by her father’s words.
When writing an autobiography, the biggest challenge is not how to present one’s life, but to remember it. To help with reconstructing her story, Kan asked many friends and colleagues she made over the years to write down their memories of her from earlier times. So besides featuring Kan’s own words, the new book is also filled with those of her friends’s, which gives Kan a new understanding of herself — a woman who works hard, studies hard. and the most important thing is that she is a woman filled with a sense of responsibility.
“My helper Stephanie mentioned that I was worried because we were running out of money for the company. My housekeeper reminded me that before the start of one of my events she found that I had fainted (晕倒) in the bathroom. I was so tired that I was getting sick. They know more about me than myself,” Kan says.
“Writing a book is a good business to be in, not so much to make money but to grow the brain. I believe what I do will benefit the world. All the things I have done in Be a Pioneer — my successes and my failures — can be a good example to young people in particular. That’s the main reason why I wrote the book,” adds Kan.
1. What can we know about Kan’s book Be a Pioneer?A.It took her 10 years to finish. |
B.It is full of her father’s words. |
C.It was completed with her friends’ help. |
D.It tops the tenth on the bestseller list. |
A.Being short of money. | B.Having no supporters. |
C.Having to write it in Chinese. | D.Remembering her past. |
A.To tell Kan is weak in health. |
B.To show Kan is a worried woman. |
C.To report the path of writing is difficult. |
D.To state how Kan’s story was reconstructed. |
A.Setting an example. | B.Earning money. |
C.Making herself popular. | D.Proving herself to her father. |
9 . Welcome to Chelsea FC Foundation Soccer Schools. Our camp programs in these schools offer players aged 9-17 the experience of a living and training like soccer experts with world-class coaching. Players will learn what it takes to become a world-class footballer at Chelsea FC and learn about Chelsea’s unique coaching philosophies. Chelsea FC Foundation’s coaches are skilled in challenging players of every level and their specialist programs cover technical, physical, psychological and social aspects of the game. Players will be grouped by age and their ability on the first day of the camp, and then they will start their training at different places.
Groups:
Boys | Girls | |
Senior players | 13-17 | 12-17 |
Place | Charterhouse School | Seaford College |
Junior players | 9-15 | 10-14 |
Place | Lancing College | Ardingly College |
We offer you Soccer Only Camp and Soccer and English Camp to choose from.
Soccer Only Camp (2 weeks):
•Up to 32 hours per week of soccer training.
•Campers need to be able to speak at least an intermediate level of English.
•Campers need to pay $2,295.
Soccer and English Camp (2 weeks):
•Up to 19 hours per week of soccer training, along with 14 hours per week of English language lessons.
•Campers need to be basic level English speakers at least.
•One-to-one instruction from Chelsea FC Foundation’s coaches.
•Campers need to pay $3.200.
1. What is an advantage of Chelsea FC Foundation’s coaches?A.They come from different countries. |
B.They have specialized programs in different fields. |
C.They provide one-to-one instruction for Soccer Only campers. |
D.They can help campers achieve an intermediate level in two weeks. |
A.At Lancing College. | B.At Seaford College. |
C.At Ardingly College. | D.At Charterhouse School. |
A.14 hours. | B.19 hours. | C.32 hours. | D.33 hours. |
10 . We all feel lonely at some point, but long-term social loneliness can damage our mental and physical health. “Loneliness is a signal that you need human connection,” says Dr. Jeremy Nobel.
Know yourself
It’s easier to connect with people if you have shared the same ideas or experiences, so start paying attention to what’s on your mind.
Make something
When someone says make something, you can immediately say, “Well, I’m not Picasso. I don’t know how to do a fancy painting.” And, of course, you’re not! But the opportunities for creative expression are endless. You can plant a garden or try a dance move.
Take a risk by having conversations
Share something about yourself. It doesn’t have to be the biggest or darkest part of your life, but just something you think other people might find interesting and convincing.
Whether it’s volunteering for a cause you believe in or just for fun, try to find others who share your interests. And if you follow your natural curiosities, you may find something new. Share your thoughts and feelings in creative ways with other people who have that interest.
A.Other people’s loneliness matters too |
B.Find a group that matches your interests |
C.Since you have shared some of your secrets |
D.Here are some good tips to make connection |
E.Even if you’re nervous about being judged or refused |
F.Knowing yourself can be the first step to bond with others |
G.Making something can express your thoughts and feelings to others |