The concept of “gap days”
Apart from “gap days”, other similar expressions have made
Some people think that these kinds of new phrases better cater to (迎合) people’s mindsets,
Others disagree, however, and think that it’s simply just a kind of “sugaring up”, satisfying one’s need for showing off. For example, “city walk” is the same as “taking a walk”
But no matter how we think of these phrases, they have taken root in our daily lives and have already gained wide
2 . It has long been believed that the smart phones in our pockets are actually making us dumb (迟钝的). Now there is evidence for it.
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin discovered that people are worse at completing tasks and remembering information if a smart phone is within sight. In two experiments they found phones sitting on a desk or even in a pocket or a handbag would distract (使分心) users and lead to worse test scores even when they were set up not to disturb test subjects.
The researchers tested 520 university students on their memory and intelligence when they were in the presence of a smart phone to see how it affected them. They were told to complete tests in mathematics, memory and reasoning with their smart phones either on their desks, in their bags or pockets, or in another room. Those who had their phones on the desk recorded a 10 percent lower score than those who left them in a different room. Those who kept their phones further out of sight in their pockets or their bags scored only slightly better than those whose phones were placed on desks.
The researchers found that the negative effect of having a phone within sight was greater among those who said they were dependent on their smart phones. It was also found that phones could distract users even when they were turned off or when they were placed face down.
The researchers said the effect arises because part of the smart phone users’ mind is trying not to think about distractions such as whether they have any messages when the smart phone is in their line of sight.
Similar research has previously shown that smart phones can lead a “butterfly brain effect” on users that can cause mental blunders (错误).
1. The researchers at the University of Texas carries out the study to test .A.where smart phones should be placed |
B.who were dependent on smart phones |
C.university students’ daily use of smart phones |
D.smart phones’ effect on students’ intelligence and memory |
A.Smart phones don’t affect students if put out of sight. |
B.Smart phones don’t distract students when turned off. |
C.Students got lower scores in the presence of smart phones. |
D.Students were distracted no matter where their phones were placed. |
A.The cause of the problem. | B.The butterfly brain effect. |
C.The mental blunders. | D.The future research. |
A.The harm of smart phones | B.Smart phones make us dumb |
C.Limit our use of smart phones | D.The problem of smart phone addiction |
1. What is the woman mainly talking about?
A.A foreigner. | B.A hobby. | C.A report. |
A.Around 15%. | B.Around 21%. | C.Around 35%. |
4 . I started a Facebook page in July, and it’s steadily growing! The best part isn’t the number of its “followers” but its comments — I love reading about what people do, their ideas and views and get some feedback (反馈) on what I’m doing too.
In April of this year, I was invited by a friend to join her Social Change group. We were eight women from all walks of life, but we had one thing in common — we live in a fantastic country and yet we can see homeless people on the streets asking for money. We have a generous welfare system and a social housing scheme — but it’s a problem that is getting worse. We asked ourselves: What happens to homeless women?
Therefore, we volunteered at shelters. We met with social housing providers, shelter managers and social workers, and began to think what else we could do. We researched on which programs were having success. We had guest speakers at our meetings and began to get a clear picture about what we needed to do.
As luck would have it, we have been gifted a building in the city center. It’s old and needs a lot of work to bring it up to the standard. We want to provide more than just shelter to women in need. We aim to have six self-contained apartments providing full social services for women to stay in for up to two years. Thanks to the building provider, we have got our project off the ground.
I’m an ordinary person. If I can do this, anyone can. You can change the world. Look for the opportunity and just do it.
1. What can we learn about the Facebook page?A.Its followers increase steadily. | B.It helps the author get feedback. |
C.It was set up to advertise their service. | D.Its main content is people’s comments. |
A.Its people are suffering. | B.Its system is getting worse. |
C.It still has a long way to go. | D.It is a place full of inequality. |
A.acquired a few communication skills |
B.discovered their ability to change the world |
C.had a better understanding of social problems |
D.were inspired to start a project to help the homeless women |
A.To share her story. | B.To introduce her job. |
C.To thank housing providers for their help. | D.To encourage people to improve the world. |
5 . The days of the bedroom fitting room are numbered. Online retail giant (零售巨头) Boohoo has become the latest in a string of retailers to start charging shoppers for returns.
By offering free returns in the first place, companies, such as Boohoo, created entirely new behaviour around shopping. A 2018 study found that 9% of UK consumers buy clothes to post on social media, only to return them straight after. Almost one in five 35-to 44-year-olds admit to doing it, and men, apparently, do it more than women.
However, when clothes are returned, they’re likely to be thrown away rather than resold. This is because processing returns is time-consuming and costly. Buttons need to be rebuttoned, labels need to be reattached, products need refolding and rebagging, and then they must be put back into the system for sale. So it is clearly a cheaper and easier solution for businesses to send the whole lot to landfills (垃圾填埋场). It’s really a great waste of resources, not to mention an insult (冒 犯) to the skilled people who put their time into making each product, but it’s the reality of modern fashion.
When clothes don’t become rubbish, there’s still the impact of the extra shipping to consider, as well as the packaging waste. About 180bn plastic bags are produced every year to store, protect and transport clothes, and less than 15% of them are collected for recycling.
The impact of returns is a fairly well-kept secret, likely to keep people shopping guilt-free (没有负罪感地). But even if it was widely known, it wouldn’t guarantee people would stop treating returns thoughtlessly. After all, other environmental and human impacts of fast fashion are out there for all to see and yet the industry continues to thrive.
Hopefully, charging for returns is expected to change people’s behavior. Without free returns on the table, shoppers may think twice about buying 10 items when they know they’ll only keep five or buying clothes purely for social media content. And with the arrival of return charges, the clothes we already have might also start to look a little more appealing.
1. Why do retailers tend to throw away returned clothes?A.To keep up with the latest fashion. | B.To avoid a huge waste of resources. |
C.To let the skilled people feel honored. | D.To save the trouble of processing returns. |
A.They will feel guilty about shopping. | B.They will continue their shopping behavior. |
C.They will consider their shopping carefully. | D.They will keep their shopping behavior secret. |
A.It puts great pressure on customers. | B.It can influence social media content. |
C.It can do little to help reduce returns. | D.It will turn out to be an effective measure. |
A.It is necessary to charge shoppers for returns. | B.It is difficult to control the number of returns. |
C.Many retailers are struggling to process returns. | D.People have different opinions on the end of free returns. |
In order to make young people realize the
It was a hot day. The sun scorched (炙烤) down and everywhere you looked, you could see the heat waves blowing above the sand. John rolled over, realizing that half of his body was well and truly burnt. He had not meant to sleep in the sun but the heat and late nights studying for his examinations made him miserable. Stretching, he got to his feet, picked up his surfboard and looked around. The beach, which had earlier been crowded in the sun, was now comparatively empty. Seagulls flew down to clean up the food of people’s picnic lunches.
The ice-cream van had gone, and so were the lifeguards who were doing first aid on the beach. John looked up to where the sun was and estimated it was about five o’clock. Time to head home. It was “Mum’s Kitchen Rule” that had him moving homewards. If he did not get home in time for dinner, he would go hungry. Wandering along the water’s edge, he happened to glance out to sea. What made him look up at that particular moment, he never knew, but it was the right time for the swimmer he spotted. His hand was up, signaling distress (险情) and he was calling out something.
Quickly John glanced around the beach — no one else was close enough to help the man, and crucially, no one had noticed. Cupping his hands to his mouth, he shouted “Help” to get the attention of other people on the beach. Someone waved back to him and John pointed to the swimmer. “Get help,” he shouted. Then without hesitation, he jumped into the sea with his surfboard. John was a strong swimmer and had a good skill for distance swimming. His coach had tried hard to persuade him to go into competitions but he was not interested.
注意:1.续写词数应为150个左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Now he was swimming for more than enjoyment or medals.
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Fortunately, the sea was not rough and there was no wave.
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8 . Here are some charities for you. It’s a good time for you to give people love. If you are a loving person, go ahead.
Family Promise of NewRock
It is in need of household supplies including paper products, cleaning products, laundry detergent (洗衣粉), and dryer sheets. For more information on how you can donate, please call 770-262-7816. If you would like to make a financial donation please visit www.familypromiseofnewrock.org.
Rockdale Emergency Relief (RER) Community Food Bank
It needs your help in donating food items to help those in need within the community. The most needed items are: canned meat. Hamburger Helper, instant mashed potatoes, pork & beans, and canned tomato products.
The RER Community Food Bank
It is also looking for part-time volunteers who can help this summer when some of our regular volunteers will be on vacation. If you have time available to work in the warehouse area where you would receive donations of food, we could use your help! Volunteers need to be at least 18 years of age and able to lift 20-25 pounds on occasion. Please call Susan Clark at 770-922-9210 for more information. We would love to have you help us serve our community this summer!
Refuge Pregnancy Center
It is a non-profit organization here in Old Town Conyers. Currently they are in need of baby car seats with base, baby food, diapers (尿布) and baby clothes.
If you are a part of a local charity and wish your immediate needs to be published on our website at www.emetrotimes.com/share-the-love, please email info@emetrotimes.com. We will update this list monthly.
1. If you want to donate money, you should ________.A.call 770-262-7816 |
B.email info@emetrotimes.com |
C.call Susan Clark at 770-922-9210 |
D.visit www. familypromiseofnewrock. org |
A.Refuge Pregnancy Center. |
B.Family Promise of NewRock. |
C.The RER Community Food Bank. |
D.Rockdale Emergency Relief (RER) Community Food Bank. |
A.To advertise products. |
B.To show what the community needs. |
C.To introduce some food and clothes to people. |
D.To provide some charities for people to give love. |
This is the year 2070. Today is my
I remember when I
I remember there were “Saving Water” warnings in many public places, but nobody
In the past, doctors suggested adults drink eight glasses of water a day. Nowadays, I am allowed half a glass only. Most people are weak and sick.
When my son asks me about my childhood, I tell him about how pleasant it was to fish in the rivers
I hope the people living in the 2020s
10 . College. It means that you are finally going to leave your parents’ nest and experience a lot of personal freedom and independence. You’ll wear whatever you want. You’ll make new friends. And you are definitely ready to enjoy your time in “paradise”.
However, college might be different than you have considered. When an English speaking contest was held in Beijing, about two-thirds of the 62 college students recalled their frustrations about their life in college.
Many of them said they didn’t know what they were supposed to do in college. “Most of the time, I lingered around in my dorm, idling hours and hours away, watching entertainment shows or soap operas on the Internet, or chatting with roommates, ”Huang Xuan, 23, from Guangxi University, said of his first two years of college life.
However, one day his mum asked him about his future plans after college. It was then that he realised his future would be ruined if he kept up such self-indulgence.
Li Yan, 20, from Shenzhen University, suffered a loss of not being one of the “marked” students. She was neither the chairman of the Student Union nor the one with the highest scholarship. Sun Tingting, 21, from Suzhou University of Science and Technology, dominated all the exams with the highest scores, but she felt confused because when she was free, she could think of nothing else to do and no one else to talk to. Zhang Xin, 19, from Beijing Foreign Studies University, began to re- examine what “college” means after she noticed many graduates from elite schools ending up in a job that does not pay well. “Our future is not guaranteed by our college, but rather by how we reshape ourselves in college.”
“Young people are experiencing ‘growing pains’,” said Li Fang, a mental health consultant. In the process of self-discovery, she thinks many Chinese young people suffer more than their peers in the West. Their independence comes much later. They are so used to relying on their parents that when independence suddenly comes in college, it can be difficult.
“Relax,“ Li advised. “This is part of growing up.”
1. The underlined expression “idling hours and hours away” in paragraph 3 can be replaced by “________”.A.killing time | B.making use of time |
C.saving time | D.valuing time |
A.They are no longer the “best” students. |
B.They have no friends to talk to in their spare time. |
C.They have trouble communicating with their parents. |
D.They realise that good college doesn’t guarantee a good job. |
A.They often abandon themselves to watching TV or shows on the Internet. |
B.They are accustomed to counting on their parents before coming to college. |
C.They have never left their parents’ nests. |
D.They are definitely ready to enjoy their time in college. |
A.Learn from their peers in the West. |
B.Consult a psychologist. |
C.Relax and consider this as part of growing up. |
D.Stop relying on their parents and learn to take responsibility. |