1. What is the aim of the campaign?
A.To remind people of Earth Day. |
B.To encourage people to reduce garbage. |
C.To warn people of the bad effects of pollution. |
A.Planting trees. | B.Designing posters. | C.Collecting garbage. |
A.Paint paper. | B.Stop driving cars. | C.Decorate classrooms. |
A.Absurd. | B.Hollow. | C.Practical. |
1. What is the man’s problem?
A.He forgot his password. | B.He can’t use the system. | C.He can’t find his computer. |
A.Beside the stairs. | B.At the back of the lift. | C.Next to the reception desk. |
1. How should the woman take the medicine in the first three days?
A.One red pill each morning. |
B.Two red pills after lunch. |
C.Three yellow pills in the evening. |
A.Take the disease seriously. |
B.Keep regular hours. |
C.Ask for a sick leave. |
4 . You’re in the shower. You grab the showerhead. What do you do? You sing.
Have you ever wondered about this phenomenon? Some of us wouldn’t sing in public if someone paid us. Yet we’ll sing in the shower without embarrassment. Believe it or not, there’s a scientific explanation behind it.
First, let’s look at why we’re relaxed enough in the shower to burst into song. Think about it: you don’t sing when you’re sad (unless you’re singing the blues, of course). For many people, shower time is the only time they’re alone all day. You’re in a warm, small, safe environment. You’re comfortable enough to be yourself! When you relax, your brain releases dopamine (多巴胺), which can give your creative juices an extra kickstart.
Warm water is rushing over you, and now you’re relaxed and feeling good. It turns out that singing makes you feel even better. Singing, because of the breathing you put into it, gets more oxygen into the blood. This gives you better circulation, which in turn improves your body and mood. And because you have to breathe a little deeper to belt out a song, you get some of the same relaxation and mind-clearing benefits as meditation (冥想). Another neat thing is that when you’re singing, you really can’t think about your problems—more stress relief.
But the best thing about singing in the shower? The acoustics (音响效果)! You can never ask for a better sound system than a bathroom. Because bathroom tiles (墙砖) don’t absorb sound, your voice bounces back and forth around the room before fading away, which makes your voice hang in the air longer. And because the shower is a small space, it boosts your voice, making your singing sound more powerful. So you will sound better than you actually are, which is a confidence boost.
We don’t sing in the shower simply because we have “Call Me Maybe” stuck in our heads. It turns out we do it for many reasons: stress relief, happiness, great acoustics, or maybe just because we like to hear our own voices. Whatever the reason, keep it up. It’s good for you. And if you’ve never tried it, pick a song, grab the showerhead and put on your own private concert.
1. Why do many people feel comfortable singing in the shower?A.The acoustics are perfect in public places. | B.Shower time is relaxing and private. |
C.Singing boosts stress levels. | D.Showering improves vocal abilities. |
A.Released dopamine due to relaxation. | B.Increased exposure to blues music. |
C.Enhanced oxygen absorption from water. | D.Strengthened lung capacity. |
A.The bathroom’s small size encourages relaxation. |
B.Breathing while singing improves circulation. |
C.Singing removes the need for deep breaths. |
D.Tile walls absorb sound and stress. |
A.Science. | B.Technology. | C.Culture. | D.People. |
The very ancient poetry that
For foreigners, ancient Chinese poetry
Another point worth
6 . Instead of being a pacing-up time, winter is a locking-down time. Winter frees us in all sorts of ways.
I once had a neighbor named Earl. An old-timer and a self-made man, he
And I’ll never
As I write these words I occasionally raise my head to
As I tended to all those things, when did I have time to
Some years ago a friend sent me a quote by Socrates that I try to be mindful of: Beware the fruitlessness of a
The advice
A friend of mine who lives in the Southeast recently called. In the course of our
But I think I need a good time of winter.
1.A.gradually | B.excitedly | C.angrily | D.unwillingly |
A.struggled | B.explored | C.survived | D.celebrated |
A.laughter | B.evidence | C.expectation | D.patience |
A.buried | B.struck | C.destroyed | D.supported |
A.realize | B.forget | C.recall | D.learn |
A.designing | B.improving | C.fixing | D.tending |
A.bought | B.controlled | C.built | D.filled |
A.look at | B.watch over | C.glance out | D.glare at |
A.picked | B.cut | C.planted | D.fell |
A.settle | B.arrange | C.work | D.breathe |
A.busy | B.happy | C.creative | D.special |
A.demanded | B.taught | C.appointed | D.assisted |
A.amazement | B.surroundings | C.opportunity | D.ability |
A.convenience | B.appearance | C.contribution | D.conversation |
A.employs | B.forces | C.enables | D.saves |
1. What did Susan Sontag write in her books?
A.Poetry. | B.Essays. | C.Dramas. |
A.17. | B.20. | C.32. |
A.She appeared in films. |
B.She wrote many love stories. |
C.She has never appeared on TV. |
A.She set up 15,000 libraries. |
B.She was a common social critic. |
C.She was referred to as one influential thinker. |
8 . Going to the Basque Country of Spain, linguistically (就语言角度来看), a Briton may feel he is entering not just another country but perhaps another continent. Familiar world languages — Spanish and French — suddenly give way to Basque, with its strange-looking words of tongue-twisting (绕口的) length. Basque is unrelated to the Indo-European family that includes almost all European languages.
Its survival has not been assured. The rule of Francisco Franco from 1939 to 1975 centralised the state and he insisted that citizens speak Spanish. Public use of Basque was forbidden. When Franco died, the Basque-speaking population was mostly old and rural. For a language, this usually means extinction.
Since the 1980s the number of speakers has grown by almost 350,000, out of a regional population of 2. 1 million. In 2017 two-thirds of pupils were studying in schools where Basque was the language of instruction, up from around 14% in 1984; 87% of 10 to 14-year-olds are estimated to know the language. This is why, in the most recent big survey, the Basque-speaking population (41%) almost matched the non-Basque-speakers (44%). The other 15% are said to understand Basque but struggle to speak it.
But there is another side to the story. In the Basque Country, just 376,000 people have the language as their first, passed down to them in the home. Basque is weakest in the three provincial capitals, where the population is dominated by people from Spanish-speaking homes. Even as the knowledge and influence of the language are growing, actual usage outside schools still seems to be reducing. A similar story could be told of Irish, Welsh, and Maori.
What would it take to get people to live with these languages, as opposed to merely acquiring them? Some Basques say sadly that in a mixed group in which just one person is uncomfortable in Basque, the rest quickly switch to Spanish. They say that in Catalonia, a similar group is more likely to insist on continuing in Catalan, which, for this and unrelated historical reasons, is far more widely spoken in its territory than Basque.
1. What confused a Briton when entering the Basque Country of Spain?A.Basques tend to have a large vocabulary. |
B.Spanish is much more widely used than French. |
C.Basques speak much faster than other Europeans. |
D.Basque differs significantly from other European languages. |
A.The factor behind Basque’s decline. |
B.The achievements of Francisco Franco. |
C.The links between Basque and Spanish. |
D.The history and development of Basque. |
A.Population growth. | B.School education |
C.Economic development. | D.Cultural awareness. |
A.It leads to discomfort in Basque. | B.It will soon be replaced by Catalan. |
C.It is decreasingly used in daily life. | D.It confuses many Spanish speakers. |
9 . We all scream for ice cream!
Ice cream may be universally appealing, but many countries have their own version of ice cream that’s often not called ice cream. Let’s learn about these tasty “ice creams” around the world and awaken your inner child!
● Raspado, Mexico
Raspados are the Mexican version of American snow cones (冰沙). But while snow cones are made using overly sweet syrup (糖浆), raspados have real fruits or fresh fruit juices. The sweet and cold treat is everywhere throughout Mexico and sold at street carts (手推车). You won’t find Mexicans eating their raspados in cones since they’re only served in cups.
● Kakigori, Japan
It may be made of ice, but kakigori, the Japanese version of ice cream, is most definitely not a snow cone. It melts in your mouth just like a creamy ice cream. Chefs make kakigori by shaving ice from ice blocks until it builds into a soft pile. Then, syrups of various flavors, like green tea, strawberry, grape and melon, are added to the ice. Kakigori is almost always served in a bowl, and it’s not unusual to find sweet shops offering toppings as the final touch, most commonly red bean paste or fresh fruit.
● Gelato, Italy
Pizza and pasta aside, gelato is considered to be Italy’s food symbol. In fact, visiting the local gelateria is a way of life for Italians. Italian gelato is lower in fat than traditional ice cream and is made with whole milk, eggs, sugar and flavoring — chocolate, hazelnut, pistachio (开心果) or vanilla (香草) ice cream mixed with pieces of chocolate are the most beloved flavors.
● Dondurma, Turkey
An ice cream that doesn’t melt? Yes, that’s exactly what dondurma or Turkish ice cream is. Dondurma has an elastic texture (弹性口感) and buying dondurma is like watching a performance. The men who sell it wear traditional Turkish clothes, twist and turn the ice cream until it lands into the cone to be served. Kids and adults get a kick out of the show.
1. What do Raspado and Kakigori have in common?A.They have an ice cream-like texture. | B.They are usually sold at street carts. |
C.They are made of real fruits. | D.They are not served in cones. |
A.Raspado. | B.Gelato. | C.Dondurma. | D.Kakigori. |
A.Its popularity among people of all ages. | B.Its unusual flavor combinations. |
C.The interesting way it’s served. | D.The low fat level it has. |
10 . I had always been fascinated by the use of natural treatments in healthcare. So, when I came across a local clinic that offered courses in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) several months ago, I immediately signed up for a one-year course.
On the first day of class, I was looking forward to what I was going to learn. As the instructor explained the procedure, I felt a little disturbed by the thought of needles being stuck into my skin. However, I was determined to overcome my fear. Acupuncturist uses hair-thin needles to find specific areas on the body to treat pain or tension the body may be experiencing, known to help with depression, insomnia (失眠) and anxiety. The instructor told us that an acupuncturist might request patients to provide more information about their health, how to treat them, and what points are most appropriate for them. We were taught how to examine a patient’s tongue and pulse to gather evidence of any imbalances in the body. He showed us how to adjust the needle’s depth, as different organs required different depths. The needles were only a few millimetre thick and made of stainless steel, so they were solid and easy to switch out.
In class, we also learned about the phenomenon of acupuncture anesthesia (麻醉) where patients could undergo surgery without conventional anesthesia using only acupuncture. As we progressed through the course, we learned about herbs and their uses. We also discussed the effects of substances such as alcohol, tobacco, and drugs on the body and how they could lead to severe anxiety and abuse.
TCM dates back to ancient China, and it is a widespread practice today. It is fascinating to learn about the symbolism behind each organ and how they relate to different emotions and imbalances in the body. After a year of wrestling with the course, I have now graduated and put everything in place. Without doubt, it has been one of the most fulfilling experiences in my life.
1. What made the author decide to sign up for a TCM course?A.His worries about health problems. | B.His interest in natural treatments. |
C.An accidental visit to a local clinic. | D.The increasing knowledge of TCM. |
A.The development of acupuncture. | B.The way to perform acupuncture. |
C.The requirement for an acupuncture. | D.The various tools used in acupuncture. |
A.Easy. | B.Complicated. | C.Advanced. | D.Worthy. |
A.An encounter with TCM | B.A modern change in TCM |
C.A course to improve my fitness | D.A special acupuncture treatment |