1 . Recently, after I gave a virtual presentation on my book Indistractable, a listener wrote something in the Zoom chat that drove me crazy, “This is great but wouldn’t work for me. I’m a Gemini (双子星座的人).”
Ironically, the Zoom listener is right. If she thinks she’s incapable, she’ll prove it correct — whether it has anything to do with the stars and moon or not. Her inflexible self-identification denies her the chance to improve her life. It’s incredibly self-limiting.
That’s why we should stop defining ourselves as fixed identities and nouns, and instead start describing ourselves using verbs.
Words are powerful. Linguistic research shows that language shapes people and culture; it can also give us insight into ourselves and our behavior. In a well-known study, researchers Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobsen had all students in the same elementary school take a standard IQ test. Then they randomly selected a group of students, regardless of their test results, and told teachers the group would show “dramatic intellectual growth”. Eight months later, those students scored significantly higher on an IQ test. The study concluded that teachers’ positive perception of students correlated to those students’ high performance on intellectual and academic tests. The labels the children received became a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy (预言).
That’s because language shapes expectations, which shape our reality. If we have experiences that lead us to label ourselves with specific nouns during our life, then we are likely to stick with those labels and the behaviors that go with them.
Using verbs to identify ourselves is an effective method for releasing “trapped priors”—a term in psychology for a perception of reality that’s affected or trapped by past experiences. Verbs are action words well suited to describing short-lived behaviors that can and do change. They don’t lay claim to our entire identity, but they acknowledge that we are people first and foremost, not whatever a singular noun may say we are. So, instead of saying, “I am a procrastinator (拖拉者)”, you should say, “I am a person who often procrastinates.”
By focusing on our behaviors, not fixed characteristics, we can release harmful perceptions of ourselves that hold us back from trying methods that might improve our lives — like those that can help us achieve the critical skill of being indistractable.
1. What does the author want to show through the example of the Zoom listener?A.The concept of flexible self-identification. |
B.His confusion about the way to self-identify. |
C.His understanding of proper self-identification. |
D.The negative effects of using nouns to define oneself. |
A.Self-fulfilling prophecies change over time. |
B.Encouragement promotes students’ improvement. |
C.Language usage will have an impact on teaching. |
D.IQ has little to do with students’ academic performance. |
A.By highlighting their behaviors. |
B.By focusing on their advantages. |
C.By analyzing their typical characteristics. |
D.By assessing their academic performance. |
A.Nouns are more powerful than verbs |
B.Your words can determine your future |
C.How we define ourselves really counts |
D.Our option of words reflects our identity |
注意:1.写作词数应为80左右;
2.请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
Hello, everyone!
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Thank you for your attention.
3 . Halloween candy could be in for a California big change. State lawmakers last month passed the California Food Safety Act, which bans four materials found in popular snacks and packaged foods - including candy corm and other Halloween treats. Set to take effect in 2027, the ban will lead candy and food producers to change their formulas for products sold both in California and elsewhere around the country.
The law bans the production and sale of some materials, which are used in processed foods including kinds of instant potatoes and sodas, as well as candies. The additives (添加剂) have been linked to increased risks of cancer and nervous system problems, according to the Environmental Working Group, which started the act, and are already banned in many other countries.
Food producers and their lobbyists (说客) opposed the law, arguing the conclusion that the four additives are unhealthy should be made by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They thought that evaluating the safety of food materials and additives should rely on the scientific accuracy of the FDA. But food safety advocates say the FDA has moved far too slowly in regulating food chemicals. It’s unacceptable that the U.S. is so far behind the rest of the world when it comes to food safety.
California’s act made headlines this year as a “Skittles (彩虹糖) ban” that would wipe popular candies off California shelves. But supporters of the act said the intention is simply to require changes in the materials, as has already happened in Europe. Perhaps the most standing-out material on California’s banned list is red dye No. 3. It is allowed only in candied and cocktail cherries in the European Union but more than 3,000 products contain the chemical in the U. S. The list includes items like frosted pretzels and scores of brand-name candies such as Peeps and Pez. It also includes items like fruit cocktail cups, protein drinks, and yogurts.
1. How will Halloween candy in California change?A.It will change its recipes. | B.It will transform its shapes. |
C.It will move out of California. | D.It will disappear completely. |
A.FDA’s conclusion on the materials is wrong. |
B.Four materials are allowed all over the world. |
C.The materials’ safety needs to be reassessed. |
D.FDA moves too fast in regulating food chemicals. |
A.They demand a complete ban on Skittles. |
B.They wish the “Skittles ban” to be headlines. |
C.They want to apply European policies to Skittles. |
D.They hope more red dye No. 3 is used in Skittles. |
A.California candy ban. | B.Food safety in California. |
C.The responsibility of FDA. | D.Change of Halloween Candy. |
High school years are a large part in shaping
Peer pressure is the influence from members of one’s peer group. This can include influencing another to drink, smoke, cheat on a test, lie, skip class, and etc. The list is
Despite the fact that peer pressure is most commonly seen as a very negative issue, it can
5 . Across the gardens of Britain, in cities and suburbs, people are building sheds (工棚). “We have never seen such an increase in orders,” says Paul Deary of the Garden Shed Company, whose family has been in the business for 35 years. “People have gone shed crazy.” The Timber Trade Federation reports that last October imports of softwood were 34% higher than a year earlier. With stocks (存货) running low, whatever wood is available is quickly sold out.
“A garden shed used to be mostly a place to store farm tools, or a place to discuss plants and drink tea when the rain fell outside,” said Michael Rand, an expert gardener. But the creative brainworker has long put it to more productive use. Roald Dahl and Dylan Thomas wrote in sheds. George Bernard Shaw had one in his garden that faced the sun.
The structures now being built are also often intended for work, although they are grander than the ones those pioneer shed-writers used. Green Retreats, which mostly builds garden offices but also garden gyms and the like, says that overall sales grew by 113% between 2021 and 2022. Larger, fancier structures with things like white walls are especially popular.
This has an important effect on cities. Urban scholars like Richard Florida and Edward Glaeser are busy trying to work out whether the rise in home-working that has occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic will continue when the virus begins to ebb. If it does, many service jobs in cities, from waiters to taxi drivers, will disappear. Public transport systems will struggle. The value of city-centre property will drop.
The shed boom makes that outcome more likely. A white-collar worker who has tried to work from the kitchen table for the past 9 months might be keen to return to the office. A worker who has a pretty garden shed with Wi-Fi will be less so. Joel Bird who builds personalized sheds, is certain that his clients imagine a long-term change in their working habits. “They don’t consider it to be temporary,” he says. “They’re spending too much money.”
1. Why did Britain import more softwood from abroad?A.Softwood was cheaper this year. |
B.Demands for sheds were on the rise. |
C.Britons prefer softwood in making sheds. |
D.Softwood suppliers were fewer than before. |
A.Famous shed-writers. | B.Development of shed-offices. |
C.Different functions of sheds. | D.Improvement on shed-building. |
A.Spread. | B.Continue. | C.Strike. | D.Decline. |
A.Refusal of office jobs. | B.Shifts in working habits. |
C.Poor qualities of services. | D.Development of public transport. |
6 . Suppose that we lined up about 14 million United States businesses in order of size, starting with the smallest, along an imaginary road from San Francisco to New York. There will be 4,500 businesses to the mile or a little less than one per foot.
Suppose further that we planted a flag for each business. The height of the flagpole represents the yearly volume (额) of sales — each $10000 in sales is shown by one foot of pole.
The line of flagpoles is a very interesting sight. From San Francisco to about Reno, it is almost unnoticeable, a row of poles about a foot high. From Reno eastward, the poles increase in height until, near Columbus, Ohio — about 4/5 of the way across the nation-flags fly about 10 feet in the air.
But as we approach the eastern terminus (终点), the poles suddenly begin to rise. There are about 300,000 firms in the country with sales over $500,000. These firms take up the last 75 miles of the 3,000-mile road. There are 200,000 firms with sales over $1 million. They take up the last 50 miles. Then there are 1,000 firms with sales of $50 million or more. They take up the last quarter of a mile before the city limits, flags flying at cloud height, 5,000 feet up.
At the very gate of New York, on the last 100 feet of the last mile, we find the100 largest industrial firms. They have sales of at least $1.5 billion, so that their flags are already miles high. Along the last 10 feet of the road, there are 10 largest companies. Their sales are about $10 billion and up: their flags fly 190 miles in the air.
1. What is the author’s main purpose in writing this text?A.To illustrate the size of the US businesses. |
B.To show the locations of the US businesses. |
C.To explain the largest firms are in New York. |
D.To describe how the US businesses are arranged. |
A.To support an idea. | B.To describe a fact. |
C.To make a comparison. | D.To introduce a topic. |
A.The last 50 miles. | B.The last quarter of a mile. |
C.The last 75 miles. | D.The last 100 feet of the last mile. |
(S=San Francisco; R=Reno; C=Columbus; N=New York; H=Height; F=Feet)
A. | B. |
C. | D. |
7 . “Shuan Q” is a meme(网络流行语)which can be used as a popular way to say “I’m speechless” with a matching emoji(表情包)at ached behind. No-one can deny the power of the Internet. Some believe it makes language weaker but some see a brighter side, believing it makes online communication easier between strangers.
An elementary school teacher in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, says that the evolution of Internet slang is not all fun and carefree. From his daily observations, he believes the “geographic boundary” between Internet slang and formal language is disappearing. On many occasions, the composition she has received from pupil have been flooded with abbreviated slangs(网络梗).
During last year’s Two Sessions, several representatives put forward proposals such as “regulating online language” and “banning vulgar(粗俗)words”, specifically to address this issue, expressing the need to reduce online language misuse and strengthen the protection of Chinese.
However, many experts and scholars of linguistics and communication including Feng Zhiwei disagree. Feng, believes that Internet language is a natural product of the dynamic development of language, and it is not necessary to ban it.
1. What made the meme “Shuan Q” become popular?A.The power of internet | B.The protection of Chinese |
C.Geographic boundary | D.Strangers’s communication |
A.They are formal. | B.They are funny and carefree. |
C.They are flooded among pupils. | D.They were supported by all people. |
A.They are natural. | B.They are misused. |
C.They should be banned. | D.They are disappearing. |
A.Doubtful | B.Objective | C.Indifferent | D.Favorable |
In April, the planting season
Being ecological, the farm doesn’t use chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, reducing pollution and carbon emissions as much
The
“In the past century, some agricultural production methods
Shi has been heavily reported during the past decade for
With CSA, farmers and a community of individuals provide mutual support and share the risks and
1. 简述刷短视频的利与弊;
2. 你的观点。
注意:1. 词数80左右;
2. 开头与结尾已给出,不计入总词数。
参考词汇:刷短视频 watch short videos
Good morning, everyone.
I’d like to
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10 . Did you watch the popular TV series Meet Yourself during your winter vacation? In the TV series, the heroine Xu Hongdou travels to a village in Yunnan province and volunteers at a local cafe. She gets free meals in return. As the show finds a growing audience, volunteer travel - an old-yet-modern form of travel similar to Xu*s type of work - has attracted more attention.
Volunteer travel refers to taking a trip where all or part of the purpose of the trip is to participate in an arranged service opportunity to help others, according to Wise Tour, an online provider of tourist information.
These volunteer trips are usually arranged by church organizations, human interest groups or nonprofit organizations, and they take form of equal exchanges. During the trip, volunteer travelers often provide services like teaching, cooking, animal caring, and cultural activities. In exchange for their help, the volunteers may get free or discounted accommodation, meals and laundry (洗衣服务 ),activities, or classes.
It seems as if these long journeys could only be made possible in recent years by modern transportation. Nevertheless, volunteer travel dates back to the 1960s, when Alec Dickson and his wife Mora from the UK founded Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), an international volunteer organization.
Traditionally, the volunteer activities take place in a foreign country. However, just as what Meet Yourself describes, more volunteer trips have taken place within the same countries or regions the volunteers originate from in recent years. Sanlian Lifeweek magazine commented that volunteer projects in rural areas are now attracting more urban visitors as a break from the fast and stressful pace of urban living. Yang Yan, a founder of a volunteer platform, told the magazine that it has indeed been a growing trend for urban residents to volunteer in rural areas.
People try volunteer travel for several reasons. By working voluntarily while traveling, travelers may make a real, positive impact on the world. The services volunteers provide can be through charities with lower costs for the communities they serve. Another benefit of volunteer travel is that it helps urban dwellers(居民)to get a taste of rural life. For those who are sick of urban pressure but can’t make up their minds whether to move permanently to the countryside, volunteer travel can be a solution. In this way, as Yang comments, travelers can catch some relief from their busy lives, while rural communities also benefit by receiving more customers for local tourism industries and temporary high-quality labor.
1. Why does the author mention Meet Yourself in the beginning of the article?A.To introduce a new way of travel. |
B.To raise readers’ interest in the TV series. |
C.To show the popularity of this TV series. |
D.To lead up to the topic of volunteer travel. |
A.It dates back to the 19th century in the UK. |
B.It combines travel with meaningful work to help others. |
C.It requires travelers to be highly educated. |
D.Travelers can earn money on their trips. |
A.A new trend of volunteer trips. |
B.Different views on volunteer trips. |
C.The significance of volunteer trips. |
D.The current development of volunteer trips. |
A.To follow a new trend. | B.To support the rural tourism industry. |
C.To give back to society. | D.To get away from the worries of city life. |