1 . We’ve all been there: in a lift, in line at the bank or on an airplane, surrounded by people who are, like us, deeply focused on their smartphones or, worse, struggling with the uncomfortable silence.
What’s the problem? It’s possible that we all don’t have enough conversational ability. It’s more likely that none of us start a conversation because it’s embarrassing and challenging, or we think it’s annoying and unnecessary. But the next time you find yourself among strangers, consider that small talk is worth the trouble. Experts say it’s a valuable social practice that leads to big benefits.
It is easy to consider small talk as unimportant, but we can’t forget that deep relationships wouldn’t even exist (存在) if there weren’t casual conversations. Small talk is the grease (润滑剂) for social communication, says Bernardo Carducci, director of the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast. “Almost every great love story and each big business deal begins with small talk,” he explains. “The secret to successful small talk is learning how to connect with others, not just communicate with them.”
In a 2014 study, Elizabeth Dunn, professor of psychology at UBC, invited people to a coffee shop. One group was asked to interact with its waiter, the other, to speak only when necessary. The results showed that those who chatted with their server reported obviously higher positive feelings and a better coffee shop experience. “It’s not that talking to the waiter is better than talking to your husband,” says Dunn. “But interactions with peripheral (边缘的) members of our social network is important for our happiness and health.”
Dunn believes that people who reach out to strangers feel a greater sense of belonging, a link with others. Carducci believes developing such a sense of belonging starts with small talk. “Small talk is the basis of good manners,” he says.
1. What does the underline word “casual” in paragraph 3mean?| A．Addictive | B．Public | C．Personal | D．Informal |
| A．Showing good manners. | B．Making business deals. |
| C．Focusing on a topic. | D．Keeping in contact with other people. |
| A．It raises people’s confidence. | B．It makes people feel good. |
| C．It improves family relationships. | D．It matters as much as a formal talk. |
| A．Conversation Counts | B．Ways of Making Small Talk |
| C．Importance of Small Talk | D．Uncomfortable Silence |
2 . While scientists have many ideas, they are not certain why humans yawn(打哈欠). Still, there is one thing experts know—yawns seem to be contagious(传染)!
Have you ever caught a yawn from someone else? Most people have. In fact, a person is six times more likely to yawn after seeing someone else do so. Experts have done many studies into why yawns seem to pass from person to person. As a result, they have a few theories(理论) for the reason behind it.
One possible explanation has something to do with social mirroring, which is caused by mirror neurons(镜像神经元) in the brain. These mirror neurons help the brain notice useful behavior of others and then copy it. When one person sees another yawn, his mirror neurons observe the action and consider it to be beneficial. That may cause him to yawn, too.
Another popular theory is that yawns are contagious because of social relationships. Being social creatures, humans form friendships, families and live together in groups. That’s why many people mirror others, such as smiling when another person smiles. Yawning may be just another example of this. In fact, research has shown that one is most likely to catch yawns from another person if the two share a social relationship.
The answer could even be that yawns aren’t truly contagious at all. Instead, people yawn together simply because they’re in the same environment. Experts say many things may cause yawning, including temperature and time of day. Whatever the explanation is, experts do know that contagious yawns aren’t limited to humans. One study found that lions in South Africa also caught each other’s yawns.
1. What kind of behavior may be copied by mirror neurons?| A．Important and attractive. | B．Useful and beneficial. |
| C．Hard to understand. | D．Easy to copy. |
| A．Those who yawn a lot. | B．Those who like smiling. |
| C．Those closely connected with them. | D．Those sharing the same interest with them. |
| A．Tips on how to avoid yawning in public. |
| B．A real explanation for contagious yawning. |
| C．Other examples of animals yawning together. |
| D．Things that may cause yawning among humans. |
| A．Why yawns are contagious | B．What causes people to yawn |
| C．Who yawns more than others | D．Why humans yawn now and then |
3 . For a long time, I kept a selection of books on a shelf next to my bed that I called my “heart books”. To qualify for a place on the shelf, a book had to be not only one I loved, but one that mattered. There was one book that never made it onto that shelf, though I read it in high school: Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg.
I can still remember the day I bought it. It was summer and I must have been 14 or 15. Desperate to get out of my house, I rode my bike into town and walked into the bookstore. I was going through the shelf of books on writing and it caught my eye. I picked it up, read a few pages, and bought it. Then I took it with me to a park, read the first few chapters, and opened my notebook to write.
It’s a fairly straightforward writing book. Goldberg’s method is simple: you choose a topic, set a timer, and write for 10, 15, or 20 minutes without picking up your pen. Free writing, timed writing, writing topics: anyone who has taken a creative writing class may have encountered these things. It’s not earth-shattering. There was nothing particularly new or unusual about the book so I can’t say why it attracted me so much. But it changed everything. I went from being someone who enjoyed writing to being a writer.
During my teen years and early twenties, following Goldberg’s method was at the core of my identity. No matter where I was or what I was doing, I filled notebooks. When I eventually started writing fiction, I did the same thing. The “I” in my notebooks became someone else, but I held to the same practice.
This writing practice led me to a writing group in Boston. It led me to my current career. It led me, in so many ways, to myself. Becoming a writer allowed me to become so many other things: an activist, a business owner, a farmer, a baker... Writing is where I found my confidence. It was where I became curious about the world. From that, everything else has followed.
1. How did the author encounter Writing Down the Bones?| A．By following a selection of “heart books”. |
| B．By referring to a book list about writing. |
| C．By recommendation of Natalie Goldberg. |
| D．By seeking writing books on a bookshelf. |
| A．Trivial. | B．Remarkable. | C．Appropriate. | D．Amusing. |
| A．It inspired the author to be a writer. |
| B．It was the first novel the author read. |
| C．It made the author start to love writing. |
| D．It is one of the books the author reads most. |
| A．What is the author’s life like right now? |
| B．What did the author do in the writing group? |
| C．How has the writing practice shaped the author? |
| D．Why did the author give up the writing practice? |
4 . Location
St Helena is one of the remotest islands on Earth. The subtropical (亚热带的) British Overseas Territory sits in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean, 1,200 miles from the west coast of Africa and 1,800 miles from the east coast of South America.
Size Population
St Helena is only 16 km long and 9 km wide and the population is 5,000. This is 1/3 the size of the Isle of Wight, and the same size as Disney World Orlando. This is also the same size as San Francisco-yet the island has just 0.5% of San Francisco’s population. With an extremely low-crime community, you can freely explore the island’s natural and built attractions in peace.
Climate
As a subtropical island, St Helena’s temperature is 15-28℃ all year round. While the four seasons are not recognized on St Helena, the “cooler months” are generally June to September and the “hotter months” are December to March. St Helena is free from extreme weather events, with even thunderstorms only occurring perhaps once a decade.
Accessibility
Until 2017, St Helena did not have an airport and was only accessible by sea. Reaching the island meant a five-day ship voyage from Cape Town, South Africa. However, since October 2017, the island’s first and only airport has enabled passengers to reach the island in just a six-hour flight.
1. In what aspect are St Helena and San Francisco alike?| A．Climate. | B．Population. | C．Crime rate. | D．Area. |
| A．Tropical. | B．Mild. | C．Dry. | D．Extreme. |
| A．By plane. | B．By car. | C．By ship. | D．By train. |
From October 4 to October 6, the National English Speaking Competition
During the three-day event, young
When
6 . Marine life (海洋生物) in Florida Keys is negatively influenced by two forces: human activity and climate change. The former involves fishing, tourism and diving while the latter causes a large increase in intense hurricanes. Fortunately, when the researchers of Florida Museum of Natural History started looking for sea urchins (海胆) on the ocean floor off the coast of Florida Keys in the summer of 2020, they uncovered their population had relatively been stable since the 1960s.
The researchers visited 27 sites along a 20-mile stretch of coast near Florida Keys looking for tracks that reflected the presence of burrowing echinoids (穴居海胆类动物).“The findings that burrowing echinoids have been highly resilient (有适应力的) against climate change and environmental pollution over the last 60 years was a huge discovery for us.” said study co-author Tobias Grun.
Grun said, “However, we know little about their current distribution, population size, and health. The reason is not the lack of interest by the scientific community but lies in that fieldwork is very expensive.” As the climate crisis progresses, it’s important to understand why some marine creatures are more resilient in bearing the impacts of a worsening environment than others. Grun said, “Evolution may be at play. Some marine animals are very opportunistic. They can tolerate a wide range of abiotic factors like pH, temperature, and salinity, to name a few.”
Grun added, “At this point, our data show that burrowing echinoids are more resilient than many other marine species and are doing comparatively well. That does not mean that we can push our luck and keep going the way we are right now. Our study provides some hope that these creatures are resilient, but much more work is needed to translate our findings into a larger scale. The reasons for their resilience are also widely unknown.”
1. Which has a bad effect on the marine life in Florida Keys?| A．Wildfire. | B．Farming. | C．Fishing. | D．Flood. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Important. | C．Subjective. | D．Outdated |
| A．The aims. | B．The members | C．The cost | D．The usage |
| A．It’s necessary to do further research. |
| B．It’s right to keep going the present way. |
| C．The reasons for sea urchins’ resilience are well known. |
| D．Fish are more resilient than other marine species. |
7 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Plant lovers believe that talking to plants helps them grow. Scientists have discovered there could be real
The research
8 . Here are this year’s four scientific discoveries that could lead to new inventions.
Discovery 1—To survive in the ocean, some animals hide themselves from the light, hoping not to be found by a predator (捕食者). However, their eyes reflect (反射) light, creating shine that can give away their location. Some tiny crustaceans (甲壳类动物) have developed a way around this disadvantage. Their eyes are covered with a sheet of special glass that effectively matches their eyeshine to the color of surrounding water. In this way, they become invisible (看不见的). This discovery might help researchers improve relative technologies in remote sensing and communications.
Discovery 2—Brown bears seldom suffer from blood clots (血栓). To find out how they do it, scientists tracked down brown bears in Sweden. They discovered one protein (蛋白质) in brown bears showed a significant seasonal change. The discovery could provide ways for preventive treatment for cancer patients and those likely to develop blood clots.
Discovery 3—Asp caterpillar venom (毛虫毒液) contains an unusual protein. When it reaches the outer surface of a cell (细胞), this protein makes a hole through the cell wall. By researching such nature, engineers could develop medicine delivery ways to get drugs (药物) inside cells where they need to work.
Discovery 4—This year, scientists found two special proteins in bowhead whales. The proteins called CIRBP and RPA2 play a role in DNA repair, making the animals unlikely to develop cancers. As a scientist says, we probably have the solution to cancer medicine out there in nature already.
1. What can we know about the tiny crustaceans?| A．Their eyes reflect light and create shine. | B．They can carefully hide themselves. |
| C．Their eyes do not shine while reflecting light. | D．They are easily found by their predators. |
| A．Discovery 1. | B．Discovery 2. | C．Discovery 3. | D．Discovery 4. |
| A．They provide an inspiration for new ideas or ways of doing things. |
| B．They might bring about a breakthrough in communication. |
| C．They are all good for environmental protection. |
| D．They are all concerned with endangered animals. |
9 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。
People in Victoria have often been admired as they enjoy the year-round good climate of Canada’s “banana belt”. So when the unusual snowstorm struck the area this December, Victorians weren’t prepared.
Before Christmas holiday was over, Victorians wished they would never see snow again! However, between December 21st and 29th, so much snow fell. The little city that seldom sees snow was covered by snow that was over I meter deep.
I called my 87-year-old mother, who lived in a downtown nursing home. She was in poor health, but her mind was active and unaffected. “Mum,” I said, “we’re completely snowed in. It may be a few days before I can get out to see you.”
I was worried. My mother had caught a bad cold. And because of the storm, drugs were not being delivered.
On the morning of December 31st, the phone rang. It was Mother’s nurse in charge. “The bad cold has seriously influenced your mother’s lungs,” she said. “She’s quite in low spirits, and she’s extremely eager to see you. Your coming may raise her spirits and increase her body’s ability to fight against the disease. Is there any way you can get here?”
I felt hopeless because I knew there was no way I could get there. Like thousands of others in the city, we were trapped.
Friends suggested I turn to C-FAX, one of the local radio stations. Since the heavy snowstorm struck Victoria, C-FAX had canceled its regular programming and was now a communication center for news updates, volunteer coordination (协调) and health and safety tips. In fact, it had become Victoria’s lifeline.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
I picked up my phone and asked anxiously, “Can you help me?”
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Later, I eagerly got on a truck heading for the nursing room.
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Recently, many netizens posted videos on social media claiming that Harbin has launched a “photo shoot with a white fox” project to entertain tourists. The white fox in the video
For this project, some people believe it is
Mr. He, the person in charge of Harbin Songhua River Ice and Snow Carnival, said that the scenic area has introduced this project to
Mr. He said that due to the continuous
