1 . Getting less sleep has become a bad habit for most American kids. According to a new survey(调查) by the National Sleep Foundation, 51% of kids aged 10 to 18 go to bed at 10 pm or later on school nights, even though they have to get up early. Last year the Foundation reported that nearly 60% of 7- to 12-year-olds said they felt tired during the day, and 15% said they had fallen asleep at school.
How much sleep you need depends a lot on your age. Babies need a lot of rest: most of them sleep about 18 hours a day! Adults need about eight hours. For most school-age children, ten hours is ideal(理想的). But the new National Sleep Foundation survey found that 35% of 10- to 12-year-olds get only seven or eight hours. And guess what almost half of the surveyed kids said they do before bedtime? Watch TV.
“More children are going to bed with TVs on, and there are more opportunities(机会) to stay awake, with more homework, the Internet and the phone,” says Dr. Mary Carskadon, a sleep researcher at Brown University Medical School. She says these activities at bedtime can get kids all excited and make it hard for them to calm down and sleep. Other experts say part of the problem is chemical. Changing levels of body chemicals called hormones not only make teenagers’ bodies develop adult characteristics, but also make it hard for teenagers to fall asleep before 11 pm.
Because sleepiness is such a problem for teenagers, some school districts have decided to start high school classes later than they used to. Three years ago, schools in Edina, Minnesota, changed the start time from 7:25 am to 8:30 am. Students, parents and teachers are pleased with the results.
1. What is the new National Sleep Foundation survey on?| A．American kids’ sleeping habits. | B．Teenagers’ sleep-related diseases. |
| C．Activities to prevent sleeplessness. | D．Learning problems and lack of sleep. |
| A．7 hours. | B．8 hours. |
| C．10 hours. | D．18 hours. |
| A．They are affected by certain body chemicals. |
| B．They tend to do things that excite them. |
| C．They follow their parents’ examples. |
| D．They don’t need to go to school early. |
2 . Despite common concerns that the social is competitive, cooperation (合作) among strangers has gradually increased in the U.S. since the 1950s, according to the research published by the American Psychological Association.
“We were surprised by our findings that Americans became more cooperative over the last six decades because many people believe U.S. society is becoming less socially connected and less trusting,” said lead researcher Yu Kou, PhD, a professor of social psychology at Beijing Normal University.
The researchers analyzed 511 studies conducted in the United States between 1956 and 2017 with a total of more than 63,000 participants(参与者). Those studies included lab experiments measuring cooperation among strangers. The study found a small, gradual increase in cooperation across the 61-year period, which the researchers said may be linked to great changes in U.S. society. The increase in cooperation was related with increases in social wealth, income inequality and the number of people living alone.
Increased cooperation has been linked with market competitiveness and economic growth in former research. As more people live in cities and on their own, they may be forced to cooperate with strangers, said study co-author Paul Van Lange, PhD. He said, “U.S. society may have become more self-centered, but people have not.”
The researchers note that former studies have found that levels of cooperation do not differ by sex or race in the U.S. However, the studies were conducted in lab settings primarily with only college students as participants, so the findings may not be representative (代表性的) of real-life situations or of U.S. society as a whole.
1. How did the researchers draw the conclusion?| A．By doing street surveys. |
| B．By conducting lab experiments. |
| C．By analyzing collected examples. |
| D．By interviewing different strangers. |
| A．The finding was predicted. |
| B．The data before 1956 could not be found. |
| C．The cause for the increase in cooperation was not clear at all. |
| D．Increase in cooperation was connected with many fields of society. |
| A．A magazine. |
| B．A newspaper. |
| C．A diary. |
| D．A website. |
| A．Conducting more experiments in the real-life situations. |
| B．Finding the period when cooperation among strangers increased. |
| C．Making sure levels of cooperation may be different by sex or race in the U.S. |
| D．Discovering the connection between increase in cooperation and changes in U.S. society. |
California is burning.In recent weeks, hundreds of fires
Fire has always been a part of life California.
The forces working in concert to spark and spread wildfires pose
Our library offers different types of studying places and provides a good studying environment.
Zones
The library is divided into different zones. The upper floor is a quiet zone with over a thousand places for silent reading, and places where you can sit and work with your own computer. The reading places consist mostly of tables and chairs. The ground floor is the zone where you can talk. Here you can find sofas and armchairs for group work.
Computers
You can use your own computer to connect to the wifi specially prepared for notebook computers; you can also use library computers; which contain the most commonly used applications, such as Microsoft Office. They are situated in the area known as the Experimental Field on the ground floor.
Groupstudy Places
If you want to discuss freely without disturbing others, you can book a study room or sit at a table on the ground floor. Some study rooms are for 23 people and others can hold up to 68 people. All rooms are marked on the library maps.
There are 40 groupstudy rooms that must be booked via the website. To book, you need an active University account and a valid University card. You can use a room three hours per day, nine hours at most per week.
Storage of Study Material
The library has lockers for students to store course literature. When you have obtained at least 40 credits (学分), you may rent a locker and pay 400 SEK for a year’s rental period.
Rules to be Followed
Mobile phone conversations are not permitted anywhere in the library. Keep your phone on silent as if you were in a lecture and exit the library if you need to receive calls.
Please note that food and fruit are forbidden in the library, but you are allowed to have drinks and sweets with you.
1. The library’s upper floor is mainly for students to________.
| A．read in a quiet place |
| B．have group discussions |
| C．take comfortable seats |
| D．get their computers fixed |
| A．help students with their field experiments |
| B．contain software essential for schoolwork |
| C．are for those who want to access the wifi |
| D．are mostly used for filling out application forms |
| A．A group must consist of 8 people. |
| B．Threehour use per day is the minimum. |
| C．One should first register at the university. |
| D．Applicants must mark the room on the map. |
| A．can afford the rental fee |
| B．attends certain courses |
| C．has nowhere to put his books |
| D．has earned the required credits |
| A．Mobile phones. | B．Orange juice. |
| C．Candy. | D．Sandwiches. |
5 . Sustainability(可持续性), one of the biggest topics of the last decade, has become the ray of hope to protect the planet. It's a topic we can't ignore and we must act now in a more sustainable way.
What does that mean for the world of technology? E-waste is one of the planet's biggest contributing waste problems.
Not only e-waste, but the materials that go into tech products are part of the problem. Take the smartphone industry for example, dozens of metals, minerals which have to be taken from the earth(including 16 of 17 rare metals) go into making phones. And with demand for mobile phones bigger than ever, it's a problem that needs to be solved.
With a challenge comes an opportunity, and there's already some progress happening - great news for those of us wanting to be more sustainable with our tech. People used to turn their noses up at the idea of a second-hand product, but there's been a huge increase in demand for refurbished tech(翻新技术). For example, refurbished smartphone sales in the US have risen by 28% in the last 12 months while brand new sales have fallen by 21%.
Many communities are making an effort to deal with e-waste as well. Cities, schools, or churches will sometimes hold events to collect e-waste and send it to recycling centers. Some companies even offer buy-back programs where people will be given cash if they turn in old devices.
So the next time you want to deal with your e-waste, whether a smartphone, a laptop, an MP4 player or other, consider the more environmentally-friendly choices. It is possible to be sustainable with your tech after all.
1. What is the main purpose of paragraph 1?| A．To explain what is sustainability. |
| B．To introduce the topic of the text. . |
| C．To give us an example of sustainability. |
| D．To show different topics of sustainability. |
| A．E-waste is the biggest waste problem. |
| B．E-waste can't be dealt with in the end. |
| C．People act in a more sustainable way than before. |
| D．People would choose second-hand products in the past. |
| A．MP4 players | B．e-books |
| C．laptops | D．smartphones |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Unclear, |
| C．Negative. | D．Supportive. |
6 . These days, it's not unusual to see middle-aged men collecting Star Wars action characters, office workers wearing Hello Kitty decorations, or famous people like David Beckham playing with Lego bricks. It's becoming more and more common to see adult taking an interest in toys, books and the activities that are traditionally designed for children. This phenomenon has led to a new word: kidult.
What lies behind the phenomenon? One is that adults miss their happy days of childhood, and this is especially true with today's fast-paced, stressful lifestyles. Another is that adults have more time and money to spend on themselves. Some adults could only window-shop for their dream toys when they were kids, but now they can afford that radio-controlled car or high-priced doll they have always wanted.
Society traditionally disapproves of adults who continue their childhood interests, viewing it as a sign of irresponsibility. Those who agree with this view sometimes believe that kidults are suffering from Peter Pan Syndrome, a state of mind where people do not want to grow up.
From the view of kidults, though, this phenomenon is seen as nothing but harmless fun. Kidults think that having youthful interests keeps them young, happy and creative, and their refusal to meet with society's acceptable tastes shows independent thinking. Besides, they argue that being a kidult is not just a personal choice. The real causes include expensive housing, increased educational requirements for work and poor work opportunities.
1. According to the text, a kidult is________.| A．an adult who hasn't grown up | B．a kid who lives with an adult |
| C．an adult who has a simple mind | D．an adult who takes up childhood interests |
| A．Refuses. | B．Forgives. | C．Encourages. | D．Respects. |
| A．To introduce a rising phenomenon. | B．To complain about strange people |
| C．To encourage studies on kidult culture | D．To present reasons for the kidult culture. |
7 . Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020, public health and government officials have put social distancing rules in place and advised people to stay at home as much as possible. Many schools around the world started online learning.
Do teenagers have it easy being home all the time? Not necessarily. They can’t connect with teachers and friends in person and do outdoor activities. They are even concerned about the deadly disease. These have caused a rise in anxiety among young people.
In a study of about 1,500 teens last spring, 70% kids said that they were struggling with anxiety and 45% had felt more stressed than usual. Poncin, a professor of clinical child psychiatry (精神病学), said that it’s difficult to show exactly what is causing the increased stress. Some factors focus on our communities and families, while others are individual (个别的). “There are many stress factors that teens are worried about, like their parents losing jobs, family members getting sick, parents not being home, not talking with friends, and more,” Poncin said. “Teens need to learn how to be together and how to talk and be with people.”
Thinking about something over and over also builds stress. To help ease (缓解) their worries, teens can bike, walk the dog or even pick up a new hobby.
In my home state of North Carolina, Roy Goode, head of the local educational agency, is especially concerned about students who don’t have the resources they need to learn at home. “Today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders,” he said. “We need to make sure they all have a chance to succeed so we can overcome any challenge that comes our way.”
1. Why does the author list the numbers in paragraph 3?| A．To tell the reasons leading to anxiety. | B．To stress the importance of being together. |
| C．To show teens’ increased mental problems. | D．To stress the need for dealing with sadness. |
| A．He believes chatting online helps. | B．He thinks teens should learn at home. |
| C．He thinks there are different reasons for teens’ stress. | D．He believes government is responsible for Covid-19. |
| A．Stay at home alone. | B．Develop new hobbies. |
| C．Play computer games. | D．Have a walk with friends. |
| A．A diary. | B．A magazine. | C．A guidebook. | D．A novel. |
Bemidji high school senior Jaxon Anderson is
“I
Spiderman’s pictures are just the
High school seniors no longer want to graduate with a regular yearbook picture.
The goal for many seniors — especially the girls — is to end up with an
Instead, they receive their elementary(初等)and high school education by working at home on computers.The Center for Education Reform says the United States has 67 public “cyberschools.”and that is about twice as many as two years ago.
The money for students to attend a cyberschool comes from the governments of the states where they live. Some educators say cyberschools receive money that should support traditional public schools. They also say it is difficult to know if students are learning well.
Other educators praise this new form of education for letting students work at their own speed. These people say cyberschools help students who were unhappy or unsuccessful in traditional schools. They say learning at home by computer ends long bus rides for children who live far from school.
Whatever the judgement of cyberschools,they are getting more and more popular. For example, a new cyberschool called Commonwealth Connections Academy will take in students this fall. It will serve children in the state of Pennsylvania from ages five through thirteen.
Children get free equipment for their online education. This includes a computer,a printer,books and technical services. Parents and students talk with teachers by telephone or by sending emails through their computers when necessary.
Students at cyberschools usually do not know one another. But 56 such students who finished studies at Western Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School recently met for the first time. They were guests of honor at their graduation.
1. What do we know from the text about students of a cyberschool?
| A．They have to take long bus rides to school. |
| B．They study at home rather than in classrooms. |
| C．They receive money from traditional public schools. |
| D．They do well in traditional school programs. |
| A．Their equipment costs a lot of money. |
| B．They get little support from the state government. |
| C．It is hard to know students' progress in learning. |
| D．The students find it hard to make friends. |
| A．they are less expensive for students |
| B．their students can work at their own speed |
| C．their graduates are more successful in society |
| D．they serve students in a wider age range |
| A．unprejudiced in his description of cyberschools |
| B．excited about the future of cyberschools |
| C．doubtful about the quality of cyberschoois |
| D．disappointed at the development of cyberschools |
10 . Psychologists take opposing views of how external (外部的) rewards, from warm praise to cold cash, affect motivation and creativity. Behaviorists, who study the relation between actions and their consequences, argue that rewards can improve performance at work and school. Some other researchers who study various aspects of mental life, state that rewards often destroy creativity by encouraging dependence on approval and gifts from others.
The latter view has gained many supporters, especially among educators. But the careful use of small monetary rewards inspires creativity in grade-school children, according to a study in the June Journal Personality and Social Psychology.
“If they know they're working for a reward and can focus on a relatively challenging task, they show the most creativity,” says Robert Esenberger of the University of Delaware in Newark. “But it's easy to kill creativity by giving rewards for poor performance or creating too much expectation for rewards.”
Esenberger holds the view that a teacher who continually draws attention to rewards or who hands out high grades for ordinary achievement ends up with uninspired students. As an example of the latter point, he notes growing efforts to tighten grading standards and restore falling grades at major universities.
In earlier grades, the use of so-called token economics, in which students handle challenging problems and receive performance-based points towards valued rewards, shows promise in raising effort and creativity, the Delaware psychologist claims.
1. Psychologists are divided about their attitudes toward ________.| A．the appropriate amount of external rewards |
| B．the effects of external rewards on students' performance |
| C．the study of relationship between actions and consequences |
| D．the choice between moral encouragement and monetary rewards |
| A．Students’ grading standards. | B．The performance of problems. |
| C．Students’ expectation for rewards. | D．The careful use of rewarding system. |
| A．Giving them rewards they expect. |
| B．Giving them rewards they really deserve. |
| C．Assigning them tasks which require inventiveness. |
| D．Assigning them tasks they have not dealt with before. |
| A．Opposed | B．Supportive | C．Objective | D．Doubtful |
