1 . We tend to think of large cities as melting pots — places where people from all sorts of backgrounds can mix and interact. But according to new research, people in big cities tend to primarily interact with other individuals in the same socioeconomic bracket (阶层), but people in small cities and rural areas are much more likely to have diverse interactions.
The researchers used GPS data collected in 2017 from 9.6 million cellphones across 382 metropolitan (大都市的) areas in the United States to determine how often people of different socioeconomic ranks crossed paths during the day — essentially how many times people had the opportunity to interact, even briefly, with someone in a different income bracket. They collected data on almost 1.6 billion path-crossings.
This large amount of extremely precise data allowed the researchers to see what has been missed by similar studies in the past. People living in the 10 most populous metropolitan areas, which include cities like New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago, along with their surrounding areas, were significantly less likely to interact with people of different socioeconomic ranks than people in metropolitan areas with fewer than 100,000 residents.
The good news is that there are ways to build cities to promote more socioeconomic mixing. Looking at large cities, the researchers found that those that placed frequently-visited hubs (中心) in between different neighborhoods — instead of in the center of each neighborhood — were less separated.
“These big cities have managed to develop diverse interactions because the hubs that people visit the most — which turn out to be shopping centers, squares, and similar places — are between rich and poor neighborhoods,” said Hamed Nilforoshan, a doctoral researcher at Stanford University. “Those hubs act as bridges, allowing people to see each other and interact.”
1. What might be a conclusion of the new research?| A．Urban residents interact more. | B．Large cities act as melting pots. |
| C．Urbanization leads to different social ranks. | D．Big cities showcase socioeconomic separation. |
| A．By bridging the income brackets. | B．By studying the frequency of interaction. |
| C．By comparing residents’ behavior patterns. | D．By collecting data on people’s social ranks. |
| A．Position the hubs properly. | B．Construct more shopping centers. |
| C．Control the urban expansion. | D．Design unique residential neighborhoods. |
| A．Income Bracket: What to Do with It? | B．Diverse Interactions Count in Big Cities |
| C．Socioeconomic Separation: How to Fix It? | D．Metropolitan Cities Are Great Melting Pots |
注意：
1. 字数 120 字左右。
2. 结构：引入话题——介绍调查结果——简述个人立场。
3. 要求：主次分明，观点清晰，词汇地道，语法准确，卷面整齐。
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3 . Plenty of exercise improves the academic performance (学习成绩) of teenagers, according to new research.
The study, of about 5,000 children, found links between exercise and exam success in English, maths and science. It found an increase in performance for every extra 17 minutes exercise for boys, and 12 minutes for girls.
The study by the University of Strathclyde and the University of Dundee found physical activity particularly benefited girls’ performance in science. The authors said this could be a chance to find or reflect gender differences in the impact (影响) of physical activity on the brain.
Most of the teenagers’ exercise levels were found to be well below the recommended 60 minutes a day. The authors wondered what might happen to academic performance if children got the recommended amount.
They claimed that since every 15 minutes of exercise improved performance by an average of about a quarter of a grade, it was possible for children who carried out 60 minutes of exercise every day to improve their academic performance by a full letter grade — for example, from a C to a B, or a B to an A.
However, the authors admitted this was speculation given that very few children did this amount of exercise.
Dr. Josie Booth, one of the leaders of the study, from the University of Dundee said, “Physical activity is more than just important for your physical health. There are other benefits and those are something that should be especially important to parents, policymakers and people involved in education.”
The authors of the study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, said further research backing the findings could have implications for public health and education policy.
1. What does the passage mainly talk about?| A．The relationship between exercise and gender. |
| B．The relationship between exercise and academic performance. |
| C．The relationship between exercise and brain activity. |
| D．The relationship between exercise and health condition. |
| A．guess | B．contribution |
| C．advice | D．conclusion |
| A．Physical activity leads to good health. |
| B．Physical activity offers a lot of benefits. |
| C．Students should spend more time on exercise. |
| D．Physical exercise should be introduced to schools. |
4 . One night four college kids
The Dean listened to their sad story and got lost in deep
1) Your Name_______(1 Point)
2) Which tire burst?_______(99 Points)
Options—(a)Front Left (b)Front Right (c)Back Left (d)Back Right
5 . Charlotte Heffelmire was home in Vienna,Va.,for Thanksgiving break from the Air Force Academy when she saw that her father had gotten stuck under the pickup truck he'd been working on.
"I was on my back,face up,and I was trying to get some brake lines when apparently the jack（千斤顶）slipped and fell down on me,"her dad,Eric Heffelmire,told WUSA9.Gasoline spilled（溢出）and caught fire,and he knew he was in trouble."I thought they 'd be pulling out a dead body later in the evening."
After his struggling for 10 minutes,his barefoot teenage daughter came running into the garage."I felt the weight shift,and I said,'You almost got it.'and then it was just UGHHHRRR,and suddenly I'm pulled out,"Eric told NBC4.
Even Charlotte,120 pounds and 5-foot-6,isn't sure where her power came from."It was some crazy strength,"she told WUSA9.
Realizing the burning truck could set her house on fire at any moment,Charlotte jumped into the truck and drove it out of the garage."I didn't want the entire house to explode with the truck,so I started the truck,put it in four-wheel drive,and managed to drive it with three wheels,"she said.
Then she went inside the house to grab her baby sister and got her grandmother out of the house too."I just did what I had to do,so I don't feel like a big hero or anything,"Charlotte said.Her local fire department,Fairfax County Fire and Rescue,felt differently,awarding her the Citizen Lifesaving Award.
1. What did Eric Heffelmire do after he got stuck under the truck?| A．He put out the fire. | B．He tried to get out. |
| C．He shouted for help. | D．He waited for his death. |
| A．Because she remained low-key. |
| B．Because she was a lifesaving hero. |
| C．Because she did what they should do. |
| D．Because she had some crazy strength. |
| A．Brave and powerful. | B．Determined and patient. |
| C．Energetic and outgoing. | D．Considerate and cautious. |
“UNICEF’s Tap Project is really all about bringing attention to the fact that over 900 million people around the globe do not have access to good, clean, healthy drinking water,” says Cary Stem, who heads the US Fund for UNICEF. She adds that water-borne illness is the second-highest cause of preventable childhood death in the world.
“Each and every day approximately 4,100 children die just because they don’t have that access - 4,100 every single day.”
The public service campaign encourages people to help change that statistic with a simple, affordable action: paying a dollar to get a glass of tap water at a restaurant.
“One dollar buys enough good, clean water for a child for 40 days,” Stem says.
“The tap project has expanded since it began five years ago with 300 restaurants in New York City. This year, Stem says, about 3,000 restaurants across the country are participating in the campaign. We raised about $2.5 million over the last five years of this campaign,” says Stem. “Last year, we raised over $1 million for the first time. This year we’re hoping to top that.”
Stem credits the continued success of the campaign to an army of volunteers who support the tap project and raise money in their communities.
The UNICEF Tap Project is promoting its efforts with a simple motto: when you take water, give water. Currently, UNICEF works in more than 100 countries around the world to improve access to safe water and sanitation facilities in schools and communities.
Stem hopes that, by participating in the project, more Americans will realize that what they often take for granted is a precious and scarce resource in many other parts of the world.
1. Restaurants began to charge for tap water to _______.
| A．increase their profit |
| B．urge customers to save water |
| C．raise people’s awareness of the world water problem |
| D．collect money for those without access to safe water |
| A．began in New York City |
| B．was started by volunteers |
| C．is hoping to collect $2.5 million this year |
| D．provides help for 1,000 countries in the world |
| A．the Tap Project began in 2006 |
| B．America suffers a serious problem |
| C．4,100 children die of water pollution every year |
| D．water-borne illnesses are the biggest killer of children |
| A．Concerned | B．Hopeful | C．Disappointed | D．Angry |
