A dance called “Subject Three” performed by waiters at the hot pot chain Haidilao in Shandong province has become an internet sensation .
The dance,
In Wuhan, Hubei province, customers can now request the dance by
However, the widespread adoption of the “Subject Three” dance has ignited debates on Sina Weibo. While many find it
Amid the fervor, concerns about potential health risks have also surfaced. In Huzhou, Zhejiang province, a young man
2 . From the day we’re born, curiosity becomes a primary driving force that motivates us to explore unknown ideas and territories in search of answers and stimulations. Human beings have an inborn desire to close the “curiosity gap” every day.
A recent study found that curiosity can be a highly effective way to lead people to make smarter and healthier lifestyle choices. Evan Polman, assistant professor of marketing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said, “Our research shows that fueling people’s curiosity can influence their choices by turning them away from inviting desires, like unhealthy foods or taking the elevator, and toward less inviting but healthier options, such as buying more fresh produce or taking the stairs.”
To prove the positive potential of the curiosity gap, Polman and his team conducted a series of experiments designed to test how curiosity affected the choices people made positively. In each study, arousing curiosity resulted in noticeable behavior change. For example, in one of the experiments, Polman increased the number of participants who chose to watch a video of academic nature by promising that they would reveal the secret behind a magic trick at the end of the video.
The results of the field studies on curiosity were particularly convincing to Polman. In one field study, the researchers created a 10 percent increase in the use of stairs in a university building by posting trivial (琐事) questions near the elevators and posting the answers in the stairwell. In another, they increased the purchase of fresh produce by placing a joke on the posters describing the fruit or vegetable.
Polman was surprised by the degree that taking advantage of the curiosity gap could motivate people to automatically make healthier lifestyle choices. He concluded, “Our results suggest that using interventions based on curiosity gaps has the potential to increase participation in desired behaviors for which people often lack motivation. It also provides new evidence that curiosity-based interventions come at an incredibly small cost and could help push people toward a variety of positive actions. ”
1. What did a recent study find about curiosity?| A．It fuels people’s desires. | B．It lowers people’s buying. |
| C．It benefits people’s health. | D．It determines people’s lives. |
| A．Supporting a finding. | B．Raising a research topic. |
| C．Arousing scientists’ interest. | D．Displaying negative evidence. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Unclear. | C．Approving. | D．Dismissive. |
| A．How to stay curious | B．The magic of curiosity |
| C．How to make health choices | D．The two sides of curiosity gap |
3 . The Age of Information is mushrooming, perhaps even bulging. If you tried to download all the data available today, you’d need more than 180 million years to do so. But you are wrong to assume that all this information would stimulate a boost of innovation to match the output of data. Indeed, the last time we found ourselves in a period of significant innovation, pursuing the ideas with the biggest spark, was more than 120 years ago, in a period called the Age of Insight.
Innovations, both big and small, start with a new idea. Often, these ideas occur as a moment of insight-the result of a novel connection in our brains made between existing and new information. Studies show insights involve quiet signals deep in the brain, just under the surface of awareness. Anything that helps us notice quiet signals, such as taking breaks between meetings, only adopting necessary learning approaches or avoiding distractions like social media, can increase the chance of insights. However, it’s becoming more challenging to find those quiet signals with the increasing use of technology, filling every moment with emergencies and an endless supply of content.
Besides, we also want to increase the quality of them-to be able to sort through big new ideas and find the ones that have real value, which can be hard to measure. Launched in 2015, the Eureka Scale(尤里卡量表) allows us to assess the strength of our insight experiences on a five-point scale, which is marked by intense emotions, motivation, memory advantage, aftershocks, and following ideas. The Scale combines these five variables into a single value and allows us to define the importance of a new idea. The level-5 insight, involving the richest emotion, motivation, and lasting impact, holds the greatest significance.
Because insights are one of the best ways to drive engagement, innovation, and behavior change, the Eureka Scale has broad applications for measuring and improving individual and organizational performance. More importantly, it can be used to measure the impact of different kinds of work environments and learning approaches on participants’ growth-both in the moment or afterward.
In order for organizations to benefit from another age of insight, it’s not enough to try to access more data or increase the number of insights we generate. Instead, it’s about making space for the biggest ideas to emerge from all the information. Using the shared language of the Eureka Scale as a way to measure how important ideas are, relative to each other, will enable better decision-making toward practical and competitive outcomes. And if we’re to enter a new age of insight, we must design our environments to allow for the best insight possible to surface.
1. What does the underlined word “bulging” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Stabilizing. |
| B．Exploding. |
| C．Shifting. |
| D．Collapsing. |
| A．By engaging in ongoing social media interactions. |
| B．By relying on technology to receive regular notices. |
| C．By stepping away from computers between meetings. |
| D．By participating in additional training and coaching sessions. |
| A．The Eureka Scale controls the influence of our insights. |
| B．Possessing minimal emotional responses is a level-5 insight. |
| C．Both the quantity and quality of insights are essential to innovation. |
| D．A breakthrough has been made in innovation due to a wealth of information. |
| A．Uncertain. |
| B．Optimistic. |
| C．Unconcerned. |
| D．Dissatisfied. |
4 . Recently, a coalition of business and advocacy groups from around Washington gathered to kick off a campaign to enact a carbon pricing program in the capital.Known as the Climate and Community Reinvestment Act of D.C., the plan would place a new tax on all fossil fuels bought or sold, with the hope of ultimately discouraging the use of these polluting energy sources.
The big-picture goal of this campaign is admirable: to address the ever-deepening crisis of climate chaos by dissuading the continued use of coal,oil and gas. But unfortunately, the approach —one based in a world of financial markets, trading schemes and encouraging new public revenue streams —is inherently flawed. Simply put, carbon pricing is a false solution to climate change and a distraction from real, effective climate solutions we must urgently pursue.
To date, there is insufficient evidence to indicate that carbon taxes lower greenhouse gas emissions. In fact,the opposite is true. Recently Food & Water Watch reviewed the British Columbia carbon tax program, often cited by advocates as an example of success. From 2009(the first full year of the tax)to 2014, emissions from taxed sources grew by 4.3 percent.And in the seven years after the carbon tax took effect, total gasoline sales increased by 7.37 percent.
Supporters of such plans like to focus on a deceivingly (貌似地) simple notion that increasing the price of a consumer good will automatically reduce its use. But this just isn’t the case when it comes to the purchase of necessities. People must heat their homes in winter, and they must commute to work, regardless of the cost.
Those backing the D.C.carbon pricing plan like to note that revenue from the new tax would go toward investment in clean energy sources. But only 20 percent of the generated funds would be allocated in this manner. The rest would be shared out in tax breaks for businesses and rebates (退还款) for consumers, another factor undercutting the belief that increased costs up front would change consumer behavior in the long run.
Regardless of what many well-inattention activists and community leaders want to believe, there is no convenient, market-friendly solution to our terrible climate condition. The latest science indicates that in order to avoid the worst effects of deepening climate chaos, society must transition completely to clean, renewable energy by 2035.
1. What did Food &.Water Watch find out about carbon tax program?| A．Carbon taxes could reduce greenhouse gas emissions |
| B．Carbon emissions grew at a lower rate than gasoline sales. |
| C．Carbon taxes program was generally regarded as a success. |
| D．Carbon tax program made little difference to carbon emission. |
| A．Funds gained will benefit clean energy sources. |
| B．Consumers will use less of a good when its price increases. |
| C．Increased cost will have little effect on the use of necessities. |
| D．Consumers’ reliance on fossil fuels will decrease dramatically. |
| A．ruining |
| B．weakening |
| C．highlighting |
| D．securing |
| A．The faulty Carbon Tax. |
| B．The Climate Change Myth. |
| C．The Call for Clean Energy. |
| D．The Causes of Carbon Tax. |
5 . Australian teenagers are missing important, basic kitchen skills and it’s having a negative influence on their health. It’s also leading our next generation towards increased rates of obesity (肥胖), according to the findings of a new survey.
A national survey of 1,006 parents found that close to half of all 12 to 18 years old teenagers can’t boil an egg; 1 in 5 only have kitchen skills that allow them to pour milk on cereal; 42%can’t boil noodles; 83.9%don’t know how to roast a chicken; 60.1 percent can’t bake a potato.
Research company Pureprofile asked parents to judge how well their kids could perform in the kitchen across some tasks. More than half (67.3%) of parents believe their children could do better when it comes to healthy food and lifestyle knowledge. Close to half of parents (42.5%) believe poor food choices are caused by lack of education at middle school, with 9 in 10 parents in support of schools doing more to encourage a healthy lifestyle.
Miriam Raleigh, an expert on the relationship between food and health, said she was already seeing a generation of young parents who had “no idea how to cook”. “They depend on convenience meals and easy snacks, and those foods often have a higher fat and salt content which can lead to obesity and a lot of health problems,” Ms Raleigh said.
The school’s Kitchen Garden program founder, Stephanie Alexander, said that if more was not done to improve the situation we would be heading towards a generation of fatter and more unhealthy kids. Ms Alexander also said she would introduce her Kitchen Garden program into middle schools so teenagers can learn the art of cooking food.
“I’m so proud of what we have achieved in the primary school and I really believe we can have the same success in middle schools,” she said.
1. What did the national survey find about Australian teenagers?| A．They eat unhealthy food. | B．They are poor at cooking. |
| C．They like convenience meals. | D．They are interested in cooking. |
| A．Explaining the reasons. | B．Providing the data. |
| C．Making comparisons. | D．Giving examples. |
| A．Her worry about the unhealthy lifestyle. |
| B．Her concern in young parents’ education. |
| C．The way to reduce obesity in young people. |
| D．The need to improve everyone’s cooking skills. |
| A．To teach teenagers cooking. | B．To care about teenagers’ health. |
| C．To improve school education. | D．To promote a cooking program. |
We’ve all seen the little kids—losing temper in the toy store, screaming in restaurants and generally making a scene in public. For their parents, giving in to a kid’s monstrous behavior helps to end the mess and gain some peace and quiet, and this is where overindulgence begins.
According to Kathy Webb, a psychotherapist in Brunswick, overindulgence is the result of parents’ beliefs. A lot of overindulging parents believe their children should be happy all the time, which is the reason why the parents try to avoid conflict at all costs. They also hold that overindulgence equals love, but experts insist that being overly permissive and indulgent is not a healthy kind of love.
Overindulgence can create a myriad of wrong attitudes and behaviors in children. When overindulged, children develop unrealistic expectations which do not serve them as they grow. Healthy parenting, Webb said, means giving children unconditional love, quality time, healthy discipline and respect for what is appropriate. “Healthy parents promote good values and use everyday life experiences to teach their children,” she said.
Many parents don’t intentionally overindulge, but fail to follow through on consequences. “Consequences help children develop their own self-guidance skills,” Webb said. “Without consequences, children never learn to discipline themselves.”
But parents who have overindulged shouldn’t just throw up their hands and walk away from the situation, feeling like failures. There are steps that can be taken to turn family life around. “All is not lost,” Webb said. “You just have to take it step by step.” Identifying problems and what can be done to correct them are the first steps. This is where parents might want to invest in some counseling or parent coaching and refer to some parenting books.
Such parents should also manage to regain proper parental power. In some families, overindulging parents are acting like peers, not parents. Consistency is also important—children often imitate the behavior they see from their parents. “Say what you mean and mean what you say,” Webb said. It seems that all it takes is one raised eyebrow and a very stern look to stop the misbehaviour. But Webb believes what really grounded her children is their inclusion in the family’s life, not just the fun stuff like vacations and outings. They should also be taught to clean house, cook, and do laundry.
1. What do overindulgent parents believe?2. What is healthy parenting according to Webb?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
To relieve overindulgence, parents can take certain steps such as acting like kids’ peers and ensuring consistency.
4. Share one parenting method that benefits your growth and explain why.(In about 40 words)
7 . Gather together a couple of good friends and take a leisurely stroll through the streets — this is what many youngsters in China enjoy doing when they visit a new city.
To them, Citywalk means “roaming around the city” on foot. Participants can follow a distinctive urban route, soaking up the atmosphere, exploring old buildings, browsing boutique shops, sipping a cup of coffee, or indulging in authentic local snacks.
Citywalk can be a special guided trip for a small group of people, or simply a leisurely stroll for one or two to explore new areas, sticking to the key point: avoiding famous scenic spots and big crowds to gain a more inclusive experience of the places you visit. Besides interacting with a city, Citywalk provides young people with a new social scene, where they who share the same interests and ideas can easily make friends.
In China, the Citywalk trend is spreading from first-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai to second and third-tier cities, encouraging more participants and event organizers to get involved. Some organizers invite folk culture researchers and enthusiasts to act as tour guides. Xiao Yiyi, a young entrepreneur in Changsha, recently launched six Citywalk routes in different cities on her social media account, with the aim of providing experiences for visitors to “walk in open-air museums”. Her Changsha route features more offbeat sights like historical architecture from the 19th century, artsy old alleys, and even a stop-off to sample the local spicy crayfish specialty.
Even though Citywalk is a relatively new phenomenon, it is offering a positive change to urban travelers as they can better choose the experiences based on their interests and needs. At the same time, Citywalk represents an opportunity for tour guides and travel service providers to offer a more tailored, professional service to meet with ever-changing market demands.
1. Why do young people choose Citywalk?| A．To enjoy a guided tour. |
| B．To cut down expenses. |
| C．To dig deeper into a city. |
| D．To make new friends. |
| A．Doing sightseeing on foot. | B．Avoiding hot scenic spots. |
| C．Taking a local tour guide. | D．Keeping a fixed urban route. |
| A．A tour guide | B．A culture researcher. |
| C．A Citywalk enthusiast. | D．An event organizer. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Dismissive. | C．Doubtful. | D．Unclear. |
8 . Have you ever read your horoscope (占星预言) and thought the predictions were extraordinarily accurate? If so, you’ve experienced the Barnum effect, also called the Forer effect. This psychological phenomenon refers to the tendency of people to believe that unclear, general statements are specific descriptions of themselves. The Barnum effect works exceptionally well for positive statements, as most people enjoy praise and reject criticism. It’s named after American showman P. T. Barnum, who’s strongly associated with the phrase, “There’s a sucker (容易上当的人) born every minute.” This announcement conveys humans are easily tricked by nature and desire to believe the good things they’re told about themselves.
This common cognitive bias (认知偏见) was demonstrated through an experiment conducted by American professor Bertram R. Forer in 1948. His students completed individual personality tests and were told that they would be analyzed and tailored feedback would be returned. Most students evaluated the feedback quality as very accurate. However, Forer had given each student the exact same results! General statements like “You have a great need for people to like and admire you” and “You have a tendency to be critical of yourself’ applied to almost everyone.
We’re used to identifying universally valid statements in astrology (占星术) and fortune-telling, but where else can we see the Barnum effect? Digital platforms like Netflix and Spotify generate content recommendations on our profile. These are partly based on our user history, but they’re also general lists suggested for many users at the same time. However, we’re more likely to consume content when we think it’s personally selected for us!
To avoid being fooled by the Barnum effect, be aware that it’s happening and stay skeptical. Look for specific statements, not general ones. While being fooled may not be detrimental sometimes, avoiding being controlled by the Barnum effect can help prevent us from making decisions that may not be rational or wise.
1. Why dose the Barnum effect work especially well for positive statements?| A．Because most people are born suckers. |
| B．Because most people prefer admiration. |
| C．Because positive statements are unclear. |
| D．Because rejecting criticism is a tricky business. |
| A．They analyzed their personalities precisely. |
| B．They have nothing but praise for Bertram R. Forer. |
| C．All of them have a tendency to be critical of themselves. |
| D．Most of them considered the general statements as tailored feedback. |
| A．Pleased. | B．Innocent. | C．Sensible. | D．Harmful. |
| A．To warn people of the Barnum effect. |
| B．To present solutions to a common bias. |
| C．To persuade people out of fortune-telling. |
| D．To define the meaning of the Barnum effect. |
9 . Social media does have its shortcomings, and one of those is that it can often seem like everybody is living and winning big — except you.
Someone could have +1000 likes on their pictures or a million views on their videos and still be unhappy.
There are couples that appear happy on social media but behind those photos, they suffer a lot in relationships.
You don’t know what some people go through to come out with the fantastic pictures you envy. The real key players mostly operate behind the scenes but make the most happen. They may look like nobody but they are building their kingdoms while others are getting high on likes and attention. Success is not what is presented on social media.
Be yourself and never give up on yourself. Don’t compare yourself to others. The real champions of social media are those who add value to others, not the ones who show their lifestyle to impress others.
| A．Those ones don’t get documented. |
| B．Some even think it’s a complete show-off. |
| C．Being popular on social media is not everything. |
| D．Self-worth is determined by the number of likes one gets. |
| E．There are couples who post nothing but are in loving relationship. |
| F．It takes tears, sleepless nights, and loads of failure to make it in life. |
| G．You are always flooded with strangers’ images that show the life you long for. |
1. 发表看法；
2. 阐明理由。
注意：词数100词左右。
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What do you think of celebrating festivals online?
Answer Follow · 18 Request
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Kathy·Follow
Updated Jan 10
Personally, I find it to be a practical solution. As a student studying abroad, I often rely on virtual celebrations to stay connected with my family...(more)
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Mike·Follow
Former Self Employed·Updated Jan 13
I understand the convenience factor, but I value face-to-face gatherings more, as nothing can replace the joy and warmth that come from being physically present with loved ones (more)
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