1 . There are four fantastic films you can’t miss in March.
Raya and the Last Dragon
1h 54min | 5 March 2021 (China) | Director: Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada
Five hundred years after the world’s dragons sacrificed (牺牲) themselves to save humanity and the country was divided into five warring states. It’s up to Raya to find the lone survivor: a soft and shape-changing water dragon. Children can find much fun from this cartoon fantasy adventure.
Cosmic Sin
1h 28min | 12 March 2021 (USA) | Director: Edward Drake
The year is 2524 and Earth has had colonies on Mars for centuries. After a severe first contact with alien life, General Eron Ryle (Frank Grillo) calls on retired General James Ford for help. War is coming and there is only one man who can save civilisation as we know it.
The World to Come
1h 45min | 2 March 2021 (USA) | Director: Mona Fastvold
Somewhere along the mid-19th century American East Coast frontier, two neighboring couples battle hardship and isolation, witnessed by a splendid yet testing landscape, challenging them both physically and psychologically. Actress Katherine Waterston has performed particularly well in the film.
Happily
1h 45min | 19 March 2021 (USA) | Director: BenDavid Grabinski
A dark romantic comedy. Tom and Janet have been happily married for years. But a visit from a mysterious stranger leads to a dead body, a lot of questions, and a tense couples’ trip with friends who may not actually be friends at all.
1. Which of the following is a cartoon film?| A．Raya and the Last Dragon. | B．Cosmic Sin. |
| C．The World to Come. | D．Happily. |
| A．Don Hall. | B．Edward Drake. | C．Mona Fastvold. | D．BenDavid Grabinski. |
| A．On 2 March. | B．On 5 March. | C．On 12 March. | D．On 19 March. |
3 . Putonghua is the official language on the mainland, but if history had played out differently, most of the people could have been speaking Cantonese.
In 1912, shortly after the end of the Qing dynasty, the founding fathers of the republic met to decide which language should be spoken in the new China.
Mandarin - now known as Putonghua - was just a northern dialect spoken by the hated Manchurian officials at that time. While it had served as China’s lingua franca(混合语) for centuries, many saw it as an “impure form” of Chinese.
Many of the leaders, including Sun Yat-sen, were from Guangdong - where people are open to new ideas. A great debate started and eventually led to a formal vote. Cantonese lost out by a small margin to Putonghua and the rest is history.
While historians today still argue about whether this story is real, it is something Guangdong people love to tell. Many Cantonese speakers feel proud of their native language, saying it has more in common with the classical Chinese than Putonghua - which is a mix of northern dialects heavily influenced by Manchurian and Mongolian.
Linguists agree to some degree. “Cantonese is closer to classical Chinese in its pronunciation and some grammar,” Jiang Wenxian, a Chinese language scholar, said. “Using Cantonese to read classical poetry is a real pleasure,” he said. “Many ancient poems don’t rhyme(押韵) when you read them in Putonghua, but they do in Cantonese.”
“Cantonese keeps a flavor of ancient Chinese. Nowadays few people understand classical Chinese, so Cantonese should be protected as a type of language fossil helping us study ancient Chinese culture.” Cantonese is spoken by about 70 million people in Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macau and communities abroad.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Guangdong was the only Chinese province allowed to trade directly with foreigners. Many Westerners at the time learned Cantonese. Up till very recently, there were more Cantonese speakers in overseas Chinese communities than Putonghua speakers. In Canada, for example, Cantonese is the third most commonly spoken language after English and French.
1. What’s the function of the first paragraph?| A．To introduce the topic. |
| B．To attraction people’s attention. |
| C．To summarize the whole passage. |
| D．To show the importance of Putonghua. |
| A．Most of the leaders are in favor of Putonghua. |
| B．Most of the leaders came from Guangdong at that time. |
| C．Guangdong people are more likely to accept new ideas. |
| D．Sun Yat-sen suggested having a debate to decide on the new language. |
| A．Because it’s as important as Putonghua. |
| B．Because it is an ancient language with a long history. |
| C．Because nowadays few people can understand Cantonese. |
| D．Because it is very helpful when studying Chinese culture. |
| A．New language, New China. |
| B．How Putonghua defeated Cantonese |
| C．The development of an official language |
| D．Cantonese almost became the official language |
4 . A good gift is one that is more valuable for the recipient than it is for the giver. But most gifts destroy value rather than create it. Think of the Christmas-tree-shaped cookie jar that cost your aunt 530 but is worth considerably less than zero to you, posing a moral conundrum (难题): Do you throw it right into the trash or wait a couple of months? The economist Joel Waldfogel calls this discrepancy the “deadweight loss” of gifts, and estimates that, on average, it is from 10 percent to a third of a gift’s price.
One explanation for the deadweight loss is a mismatch between desirability and feasibility. Consider n gadget that is useful (high disability) but difficult to set up and time-consuming to use (low feasibility). Scholars have found that givers usually focus on desirability, and receivers are more aware of feasibility. Your friend who bought you a fancy wearable fitness tracker probably thought it was a really cool and helpful gift; to you, it seems like a massive headache to figure out, requires an app download and a monthly fee, and offers data that will either make you feel terrible about yourself or turn into a life-ruining obsession. That’s why it is still sitting in your drawer in its original package.
Another happiness-killing mismatch can occur between the receiver’s initial reaction and their long-term satisfaction. As Anna Goldfarb noted in The Atlantic a few weeks ago, givers tend to look for “reaction-maximizing gifts” (such as the wife’s over-the-top response to the car) as opposed to “satisfaction-maximizing gifts.” Once the giver is not present to see the receiver’s reaction, the receiver might not actually be that excited about socks with her best friend’s face on them.
Someone looking for a big reaction might be tempted to buy a wildly expensive gift, which poses its own emotional problems. In the worst cases, they may even be trying to exert dominance over you, or manipulate you into doing them a favor later. Either way, receiving a gift that’s too nice might make you feel guilty. According to one 2019 survey from CompareCards, 46 percent of respondents felt guilty for being unable to give a gift worth as much as the one they received.
In truth, the biggest benefit to most gift giving is to the giver herself. Generosity is truly a way to buy happiness. As my colleague Michael Norton and his co-authors showed in the journal Science in 2008, although spending money on oneself is weakly related to happiness, spending money on others significantly rises the giver’s well-being. Neuroscientists have shown that charitable giving to others engages the reward system, inducing pleasure in one of the same ways that alcohol and certain drugs do. (Maybe this is the real reason Santa is so jolly.)
1. What does “deadweight loss” of gifts in para.1 refer to?| A．The value the gift creates rather than destroys. |
| B．The money the giver spends on a meaningful gift |
| C．The good-will and thoughtfulness of the gift giver. |
| D．The loss of the gift value in the eyes of the receiver. |
| A．Fashionable and practical. | B．Unfriendly and upsetting. |
| C．Desirable and satisfactory. | D．Expensive and unworthy. |
| A．That the giver is not present to see the receiver’s reaction. |
| B．That the receiver was expecting something wildly expensive. |
| C．Thot the giver is confused about what gift brings satisfaction. |
| D．That the receiver was expecting something he/she truly wants. |
| A．It is in giving that givers receive. |
| B．Gift-giving is in most cases a win-win situation. |
| C．The greatest gift you can give is your time and attention. |
| D．Presents are generally terrible, but they can still bring you joy. |
5 . With climate change continuing to worsen, our situation is beginning to feel increasingly serious.
Techno-optimism is one of the greatest misconceptions when it comes to solutions to ensure our future. It can be defined as a belief that future technologies will solve all of our current problems. This definition reinforces (强化) the idea that there’s no reason to panic or change our current energy-intensive lifestyle. All society needs to do is look to green technology to work its magic.
One of the best examples of this optimistic misconception is the electric car. Despite being highly regarded as an eco-friendly way to get around, electric cars are not the end for the future of transport. Batteries in electric cars use chemical elements which we could be seeing a shortage of by the midcentury.
Techno-optimism puts too much emphasis on technology and not enough on what we can do right this minute. Unfortunately, people seem to like the picture that techno-optimism paints.
| A．So where should we look for answers instead? |
| B．The modern world’s simple solution is technology. |
| C．Moreover, they are more energy intensive to produce. |
| D．Is it a trap that many people have fallen into in recent years? |
| E．Unfortunately, this is an incredibly dangerous opinion to hold. |
| F．Despite any technology, we as a whole are not living sustainably. |
| G．Nevertheless, the truth is, we need a widespread change in our lifestyles. |
6 . Arguably, the biggest science development of the year to date has been the images of the very depths of the universe taken by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Those images beg a comparison between the external and internal universes that science is bent on observing and understanding.
Decades ago, astrophysicist Carl Sagan famously said, “The universe is also within is. We’re made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself. ” He was commenting then on the reality that our internal universe was as complex and as fantastic as the outer space.
There are many similarities between the progress we’ve made in understanding the universe and in piecing together life’s inner workings. Like the technological developments that took us from Galileo’s telescope to the Hubble to the JWST, life science tools have also improved rapidly. From early light microscopes to modern super-resolution ones, these developments have afforded researchers a deep look into biology’s infinitesimal (无限小的) landscape. Learning that living things were composed of cells was, not a terribly long time ago, a revolutionary observation. Since then, scientists have been able to dive ever deeper into the components of life.
Going beyond merely observing the complicated makeup of organisms, life scientists can now discover the workings of molecules (分子). And that is where scanning the universe differs from peering into biology. Understanding the universe, especially from a functional standpoint, is not necessarily an immediate urgency. Understanding biology on that level is. Simply observing the amazing internal structure of cells is not enough. Biologists must also characterize how all those parts interact and change in different environments and when faced with various challenges. Being able to image a virus or bacterium is nice at the level of basic science. But knowing how viruses gain entry into cells and spread, infect, and disable can literally save lives. Through time, biology has risen to this mechanistic challenge. Not only can life science tools produce images of cell components, even more importantly, they can help predict the effects of drugs on receptors, of immune cells on foreign invaders (入侵者), and of genetic perturbations (基因干扰) on development and aging.
This is not to belittle the work of scientists researching into universe. They should rightly be praised for delivering views of impossibly distant, impossibly massive phenomena. My aim is to celebrate these accomplishments while at the same time recognizing that science’s inward search for detail and insight is equally impressive and, in my view, more urgent. The output of both the outward and inward explorations should stimulate wonder in everyone. After all, it’s all star-stuff.
1. Why does the author quote Carl Sagan’s comment in Paragraph 2?| A．To introduce the background. | B．To prove an assumption. |
| C．To make a comparison. | D．To present an idea. |
| A．study approaches | B．system management |
| C．research facilities | D．technology integration |
| A．practical | B．risky | C．flexible | D．popular |
| A．It has received universal recognition. | B．It should enjoy priority in development. |
| C．It can be applied in the majority of areas. | D．It is more complicated than space science. |
7 . While many local teens spent their summers playing by the pool, Shea Frenyea-Provost brought her talents to life, leaving a lasting memory for years to come.
After five weeks, the 15-year-old’s artwork is now on show in People’s Park for all to see as the Village of Dannemora’s first outdoor mural(壁画)-symbolic of the ongoing efforts to give new energy to the village and all it has to offer.
For the young artist，the project took her out of the comfort zone(舒适区)-going from colored pencils and sketchbooks(素描本)to her first life-size mural- the first in what will now become a series of projects between the local teen and village.
With her mom active in the village’s growing Beautification Committee, Shea also got involved with volunteering. After seeing Shea’s sketches during the early stages of the mural planning, Tina Leduc, director of Beautification Committee, was awed by her talent and knew she was a perfect fit for the project.
With the help of her family, Shea was soon set up with her very own studio, where she spent weeks researching the Luna moth(蛾)，observing its outline and perfecting each final detail. “I used a projector(投影仪)to observe the moth for weeks and researched native plants in our area and the rest I really ended up doing freehand,“ Shea said, pointing to the fine lines of the climbing grape plants and moth antennas(触角).
For the Beautification Committee and villagers alike, her work has brought a welcomed new addition to the park while clearly showing her bright artistic future ahead. “She’s just such a natural,” said Leduc, who offered beginning guidance, otherwise leaving the creativity and design to the promising young artist. “I feel this is just the beginning for her. I know it is. We’re going to see so much from her.”
1. What can we learn about Shea’s mural?| A．It is the first indoor mural in her village. |
| B．It shows the history of her village. |
| C．It took her a month to complete. |
| D．It was a real challenge for her. |
| A．Amazed | B．Encouraged |
| C．Changed | D．Affected |
| A．Creative and humorous. |
| B．Polite and generous. |
| C．Talented and patient. |
| D．Experienced and professional. |
| A．It will inspire more kids to do art. |
| B．It promises a bright future for her. |
| C．It will attract more foreign visitors to the village. |
| D．It raises the villagers’ awareness of environmental protection. |
8 . GREAT BOOKS TO TEACH CHILDREN ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE
Here is a shortened list of books sponsored by the magazines TIME and TIME for Kids that are suitable for primary schoolers. To make the list, we considered how age-appropriate the material was, and whether the tone and story line left the reader feeling engaged and empowered rather than anxious or confused.
Experts recommend the youngest kids to read books that explore the beauty and fragility (脆弱) of nature. When developing an appreciation for the world around them, they can switch to books that show the cause and effect of how humans treat our planet, and why it’s important to respect the environment. For older primary school kids, picture books can illustrate how our use of fossil (化石) fuels contributes to global warming. Most of the books on the list also offer lessons about how children, families, schools, and communities can make a difference.
 THANK YOU, EARTH: A LOVE LETTER TO OUR PLANET By April Pulley Sayre This photography book shows to us plants, animals and landscapes in vivid colors and descriptions. From up-close images of insects to pictures of mountain ranges, the pages introduce children to the planets’ diversity in a simple but effective way. |  THE LORAX By Dr. Seuss Thanks to its rhyme, and whimsical illustration, this classic tale is suitable for young children who can grasp the scarcity of natural resources, and also older kids who can see a danger in valuing profits over long-term environmental harm. |
 WE ARE WATER PROTECTORS By Carole Lindstrom A tribute to native tribes that are protecting the planet, this book vividly shows the harms of oil pipelines. Kids will see the value of community action, while adults will recognize the story of the native tribes Standing Rock Sioux’s fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline. |  POLAR BEAR, WHY IS YOUR WORLD MELTING? By Robert E. Wells This book introduces the greenhouse effect with illustrations showing how sunlight gets trapped. It then explains fossil-fuel energy, and our reliance on it for electricity and transportation. The pages are full of science. |
| A．Confusing story line. | B．The tone of anxiety. |
| C．The books sponsorship. | D．Age-appropriate content. |
| A．They can see the value of community action. |
| B．They can know how to protect the native tribes. |
| C．They can recognize the story of the native tribes. |
| D．They can understand the importance of oil pipelines. |
| A．THE LORAX |
| B．WE ARE WATER PROTECTORS |
| C．POLAR BEAR, WHY IS YOUR WORLD MELTING? |
| D．THANK YOU, EARTH: A LOVE LETTER TO OUR PLANET |
9 . How to Organize Your Digital Files
Searching for a file on your computer is a whole lot easier than digging through a pile of papers, yet it’s far from being a perfect system. Lately, it’s been hit-or-miss for me.
Use “resources”, “in progress”, “final”, and “scrap” folders for projects.
There are plenty of ways to title your subfolders for projects, but one of the most intuitive(使用简便的) is to have folders for stages of your project.
The “resources” folder is for things like images, documents, and other items that are needed to complete your project.
It’s near impossible to find a photo quickly when you have thousands of photos all named something like “20211108_0978234.jpg.” So for photos, I like to have a date structure and folders for key events or categories, such as: 2021 ＞01 (for the month)＞2021-01 Mom and Dad 50 Anniversary LA. This way, you can either browse your photos by year and month or search for folders that include “Mom”, “Dad”, “Anniversary”, or “LA.”
Use tags.
In addition to creating a folder structure that works for you, consider tagging files.
| A．With tags, you can connect multiple files across folders. |
| B．For photos, use a date structure and keywords for your folders. |
| C．This way, you can always know which is the final project file to grab. |
| D．The standards will keep files organized and make them easier on the eye. |
| E．“In progress” is for the current working version or versions of the project. |
| F．To find files more efficiently, I’ve been rearranging my digital filing system. |
| G．Move your photos to a more specific folder or back them up on an external storage device. |
10 . TUTORING
Tutoring(辅导)is available free of charge to all currently Tiffin University students. Tutoring services may be accessed in a variety of formats to assist you with academic needs in a wide range of courses.
Tutoring Hours:
Monday-Thursday:9:00a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Friday:9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Sunday:1:00p.m.-9:00p.m.
In-Person Tutoring
Campus based students and those located within driving distance of the main campus may schedule an in-person appointment for tutoring assistance during regular operating hours. Please keep in mind that not all subjects are available at specific times. To schedule an appointment, please e-mail tutor@ tiffin. edu or call the Murphy Academic Support Center at 419-448-3324.
Virtual Tutoring
Similar to our in-person tutoring, virtual tutoring is conducted by a Tiffin University tutor through an online platform. This offers more flexibility to our students and allows those at greater distances to receive academic support through our office. To be put in contact with a tutor virtually, please e-mail the Murphy Academic Support Center tutor@ tiffin.edu with the course information, a range of times, and any additional information. Our staff will then work to schedule you with a virtual tutor.
E-Tutoring
Tiffin University is a member of the Ohio E-Tutoring Collaborative, a program supported by the State of Ohio to assist in the delivery of tutoring across Ohio’s institutions of higher education. Live sessions take place in a ZOOM room within the e tutoring Online platform room using audio and video, a whiteboard, document-sharing and instant messaging. Writing students use the e Tutoring Online platform by uploading papers for review by tutors and receive written encouragement and suggestions on improving the written work.
To access the E-Tutoring platform, visit E-Tutoring. If you have not used the platform before, you will need to create an account using your University e-mail. For questions, please contact the University Academic Support Office tat tutor@ tiffin. edu or 419-448-3324.
1. Where is the text probably taken from| A．A textbook. | B．An exam paper. |
| C．A course plan. | D．An academic article. |
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
| A．Submit their papers. | B．Create a ZOOM room. |
| C．Schedule an in-person appointment. | D．Keep in touch with a tutor virtually. |
