What would your life be like without phones?
In one of my classes today we discussed the question of how our lives would be without a mobile phone. I actually felt quite sad to hear how some kids cannot
It is true that everything
Another point was that phones are very handy for
All in all, this question is very interesting to
| A．affect | B．survive | C．succeed | D．perform |
| A．Personally | B．Specially | C．Entirely | D．Gradually |
| A．suffered | B．commanded | C．forced | D．advised |
| A．came up | B．came across | C．came down | D．came to |
| A．more than | B．less than | C．other than | D．rather than |
| A．appears | B．falls | C．works | D．grows |
| A．seconds | B．hours | C．days | D．months |
| A．customers | B．teachers | C．students | D．people |
| A．direction | B．close | C．necessary | D．kind |
| A．distant | B．wish | C．fact | D．suggestions |
| A．in person | B．in advance | C．with surprise | D．with joy |
| A．extreme | B．active | C．fair | D．important |
| A．style | B．communication | C．expression | D．argument |
| A．progress | B．compete | C．arise | D．settle |
| A．looking after | B．looking back | C．looking up | D．looking out |
| A．selflessly | B．quickly | C．hardly | D．slowly |
| A．grateful | B．peaceful | C．painful | D．helpful |
| A．textbook | B．dictionary | C．Internet | D．newspaper |
| A．forecast | B．consider | C．judge | D．select |
| A．benefits | B．skills | C．doubts | D．evidence |
Mozart was a genius, but he struggled like an average person during early twenties. He had to work to make ends meet. Underpaid and unsatisfied by his average performances, he felt a burning desire to devote more time and energy to his art. So after a period of doubt and thinking, that's exactly what he did. He quit his job and began what turned out to be the most creative period of his life.
Even if you never hope to reach Mozart’s level of mastery, you may relate to his need to break free from convention (传统). Maybe you’ve done everything right — stood out at school, and got a high-paying job — but you’re tired of being just like everyone else. Maybe you long to achieve something that is unmistakably you.
What, then, is holding you back? Rich Karlgaard, the publisher of Forbes magazine and author of Late Bloomers, argues that our culture’s obsession (痴迷) with early achievement discourages us from going after what we love. Instead of having varied interests, studying widely, and taking our time — essentials (要素) for self-discovery — we’re encouraged to pass tests, become specialists right away, and pursue safe and secure careers. As a result, most of us end up choosing professional excellence over personal achievement, and often we lose ourselves in the process.
As you move forward, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, it’s never too late to “become” yourself. Aristotle, for example, didn’t fully devote himself to writing and philosophy until he was nearly 50. There are also benefits to taking a long, winding path to achievement. Remember that age usually brings wisdom, self-knowledge, and creativity. This is one reason the average age of founders of high-growth start-ups is 45.
If you ever get stuck, think of Joanne, a talented and creative woman who bounced from job to job throughout her twenties. She felt like a total failure. But she took that feeling of hopelessness and chose to do what she’d always wanted to do: write fantasy novels for children. As she would later recount, “I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was.”
You’ve probably heard of her. Her pen name is J.K. Rowling.
Now get to work.
1．What does the example of Mozart (in the first paragraph) show?| A．Genius is nothing but labor. |
| B．Suffering makes a man wise. |
| C．You should stick to what inspires you. |
| D．You need to be different from others. |
| A．Desire for early achievement. |
| B．Too wide a range of interests. |
| C．A waste of time on self-discovery. |
| D．A wrong choice in professions. |
| A．Age can be an advantage in one's life. |
| B．Failure is of great value to success. |
| C．45 is the right age for one to start business. |
| D．The path to achievement is full of difficulties. |
| A．To share success stories of some famous people. |
| B．To stress the importance of professional excellence. |
| C．To analyze the reasons for failure to make early achievements. |
| D．To encourage people to become themselves whatever the age. |
It all began with a perfect gift. A couple of months before I started high school, my parents gave me the greatest gift any teenage boy could ask for: a smartphone. I lived on that phone all summer with my face buried in its screen. I held multi-day marathon messages with every friend to keep in contact with them. I ignored my family and my surroundings. Being connected was more important than being present.
So, I felt extremely displeased when I learned about my father’s travel arrangements for our family vacation that year. “This year,” my dad said, “we’ll be doing something special. We’re going camping.”
His excitement was met with a disappointed sigh (叹气). But I wasn’t too annoyed. It wasn’t my dream vacation, but it was still a vacation. I remained uninfluenced throughout the packing, planning and, of course, the instructions that went in one ear and out the other. I fixed my mind on the screen in my hands so much that the first time I raised my eyes was when we drove across a bridge on the way to our campsite.
I stared out the window and saw a fast-moving river. The air blowing into the car was hot and smelled of trees. But none of that mattered to me. The reason why I had looked up was for something far more serious. More shocking. My phone no longer had service.
Then my dad revealed that he had chosen a destination where there was no phone signal, and my phone — my lifeline — would be useless until we returned home. I would be trapped in the forest for four days with no way to contact the outside world.
On the first day, I shouted. I bargained. I begged. However, nothing would add signal bars (信号条) to my phone service. I went to bed angry that night, thinking I would be bored to death the next day.
Without my phone, however, I found a totally different world the next morning.
The four days passed in a flash, full of fun activities.
Physical Education (PE) is a requirement for all kids in school.
At most traditional high schools, students can finish their PE course by
The learning center is specifically designed for junior and senior high students who are at risk of dropping out of
“The students come out and help them in sweeping leaves, pulling weeds, and
“The students aren’t
| A．Due to | B．In spite of | C．Rather than | D．Even if |
| A．allowing | B．obtaining | C．electing | D．predicting |
| A．arranging | B．having | C．managing | D．recommending |
| A．requirements | B．tasks | C．appetite | D．curiosity |
| A．unwilling | B．unaware | C．unable | D．unskilled |
| A．professional | B．summer | C．training | D．traditional |
| A．assessed | B．launched | C．approved | D．found |
| A．yard | B．classroom | C．field | D．repair |
| A．emotional | B．intellectual | C．remarkable | D．external |
| A．detecting | B．cutting | C．spreading | D．burning |
| A．results in | B．makes out | C．takes up | D．depends on |
| A．gradually | B．instantly | C．steadily | D．constantly |
| A．start | B．acknowledge | C．admit | D．postpone |
| A．patient | B．efficient | C．interested | D．generous |
| A．influence | B．attract | C．observe | D．help |
“If the self or person of today, and that of tomorrow, are not the same, but only like persons, the person of today is really no more interested in what will befall (降临到……头上) the person of tomorrow, than in what will befall any other person,“ Joseph Butler, a well-known philosopher wrote in 1736.
The theory caught the attention of a researcher called Hal Hershfield, who suspected that a disconnection from our future selves might explain many unreasonable elements of human behaviour including our unwillingness to exercise often.
To find out, Hershfield first had to find a way to measure someone’s ”future self-continuity”. He settled on a simple graphic that presented pairs of circles representing the current self, and a future self (see below).The circles overlapped (重叠) to varying degrees，and the participants had to identify which pair best described how similar and how connected they felt to a future self 10 years from now.
He then compared these responses to his participants’ real-life hehavior. Hershfield first looked at his participants’ real-life savings and he found that the more the participant felt connected to their future self, the more money they had already squirrelled away. What’s more, people who score highly on the future self-continuity measure have higher moral standards than the people who struggle to identify with their future selves.
Hershfield confirmed that someone’s (in) ability to identify with their future self can have long-term consequences for their overall wellbeing and that our sense of connection to our future selves can be strengthened. You might consider a simple imaginative exercise in which you write a letter to yourself 20 years from now, describing what is most important for you now and your plans for the coming decades.
It might seem strange to start a “conversation“ with an imagined person but once your future self becomes alive in your mind, you may find it much easier to make the small personal sacrifices (牺牲) that are essential to preserve your wellbeing.
1．What do we learn about the assumed person described by Joseph Butler?| A．He is a self-centered person. |
| B．He is curious about his future life. |
| C．He is bored with the same old routine day after day. |
| D．He is seldom worried about the long-term consequences of his actions. |
| A．Draw a simple graph. |
| B．Select a pair of circles. |
| C．Predict their overall wellbeing. |
| D．Compare their real-life behaviours. |
| A．Cost. | B．Taken out. |
| C．Donated. | D．Set aside. |
| A．Considering your future self. |
| B．Being grateful for what you have. |
| C．Reflecting on your previous behavior. |
| D．Making personal sacrifices to help others. |
Last Saturday evening, Mike, who has autism (自闭症), attended a concert with his grandfather, Stephen Mattin at Boston Symphony Hall. As the orchestra (交响乐队)
The music was over and there was no sound, but it suddenly was
The moment
Mattin expressed his
| A．practiced | B．considered | C．finished | D．delayed |
| A．account | B．appearance | C．statement | D．silence |
| A．surrounded | B．guided | C．followed | D．warned |
| A．message | B．voice | C．opinion | D．attitude |
| A．annoyed | B．astonished | C．disappointed | D．embarrassed |
| A．explaining | B．suggesting | C．promising | D．supposing |
| A．pretend | B．mean | C．decide | D．learn |
| A．casually | B．vividly | C．differently | D．safely |
| A．touched | B．puzzled | C．annoyed | D．frustrated |
| A．blame | B．find | C．defend | D．adopt |
| A．special | B．useful | C．important | D．popular |
| A．comment | B．agreement | C．suggestion | D．request |
| A．allow | B．remind | C．invite | D．require |
| A．arrange | B．delay | C．provide | D．advocate |
| A．satisfaction | B．confidence | C．regret | D．thanks |
Lushan National Park, in the south of Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province, is a well-known tourist attraction both in China and abroad. It has appealed
The national park covers an area of 500 square kilometers and has more than 90 mountain peaks (山峰). The tallest one of these is Hanyang Peak which has a
Wulao Feng,
Sandie Spring
At the end of a race，you'll often see runners reaching for bananas. Although people who only exercise at weekends might be more likely to reach for a sports drink，serious athletes know there are better choices. And a new study from Appalachian State University offers proof that bananas may be a better choice than sports drinks after exercise.
Researchers analyzed the blood of 20 competitive cyclists after they were given water and bananas，water only，or a 6 percent sugar drink (a sports drink) every 15 minutes during a 47一mile bike ride. The study found that the carbohydrates(碳水化合物）in bananas work as well as sports drinks to fuel athletes and help them recover. But the researchers found an additional benefit. Bananas also provide greater anti—inflammatory which benefits than sports drinks.
“Consuming bananas with water during exercise has several advantages for athletes above those linked to regular sports drinks，” Dr. David Nieman said in a statement. “Banana metabolites(代谢物)that increase in the blood have a similar effect to aspirin that inhibits (抑制） COX—2 activity. This makes bananas close to the perfect athletic food.”
“Although aspirin and other anti-inflammatory drugs (AIDs) help athletes with post exercise pain，they are often discouraged because they can cause cell damage，” Nieman tells Men's Health. “For this reason，we tell athletes not to take them，”he says. “To our pleasant surprise, we found something natural in bananas is working like these painkillers but without the risks. ”
Sports drinks are still a choice，but Nieman and his team believe bananas offer more.
“There’s no question that sports drinks work，” he explains. “But bananas also have other nutrients—vitamin C，B6 and these unique metabolites — that you don't get with a sports drink. ” Next up, the research team is looking at other fruits as exercise companions. “We're starting to look at blueberries，because we think with bananas they might work even better,” Nieman says.
1．What is the aim of the study described in paragraph 2?| A．To test for the effects of bananas. |
| B．To the best way to recover. |
| C．To prove sports drinks are useless. |
| D．To find out if sports drink are anti-inflammatory. |
| A．Bananas are full of nutrients. |
| B．Bananas can be easily digested. |
| C．Bananas can be of some medical value. |
| D．Bananas are similar to regular sports drinks. |
| A．Why bananas are better than A IDs |
| B．How bananas can help ease pains. |
| C．What can be caused by eating bananas. |
| D．Whether we should replace AIDs with bananas. |
| A．People shouldn’t replace sports drinks with fruits. |
| B．Bananas offer more to sportsmen than sports drinks |
| C．Blueberries are better for sportsmen than sports drinks. |
| D．People shouldn’t eat or drink too much when exercising. |
Erika and the Necklace
Erika and her little sister Beth sneaked into their mommy’s room. “I’m just going to try on some jewelry,” said Erika. She took a necklace and tried to put it on her neck. “Oh, no,” said Beth. “Mommy doesn’t like us playing with her stuff.” “Okay, you be the lookout,” instructed Erika. “Stand by the door and let me know if Mommy comes up the stairs.”
Before Beth got to the door, Bouncer, the family’s Bernedoodle dog, bounded into the room and almost knocked Erika down. The necklace went flying. It had barely hit the floor when Bouncer bit it and raced off.
“Bouncer! Bouncer!” yelled Erika. “Beth, help me get the necklace back.” The girls were hot on Bouncer’s tail. “Stop!” they yelled. Bouncer dashed down the stairs and into the living room. He stopped just long enough for the girls to get close to him. Then of he went. “Stop!” yelled Erika. “Beth, you go the other way. We’ll corner him in the dining room.”
Erika met Beth in the dining room. Sure enough, Bouncer was there waiting for them. He was down low on his front legs with his tail in the air, ready to play. “Grab him!” screamed Erika.
Just as Beth was about to grab him, Bouncer took off. He whizzed (嗖地移动) by Beth and Erika. “Stop, you troublemaker!” yelled Erika as she raced after him. The girls were getting close again, but Bouncer zoomed down the basement stairs. The girls raced after him. “I don’t see him,” said Beth. Erika scratched her head. “He’s got to be down here. He’s hiding.”
Just then Mom called to the girls. “Erika, what’s all the noise? What’s wrong? I heard you from the yard.” “Uh, oh,” whispered Erika. “Uh.. nothing’s wrong,” she shouted.
Beth dashed up the stairs. Erika heard her telling Mom everything. “That blabber mouth (多嘴的人),” said Erika under her breath.
“ERIKA!” said Mom. “Up here right now.” Hurrying upstairs, Erika could feel her blood rushing to her face. While she was trying hard to find an excuse, Mom’s voice broke in. “Where is he now?” asked Mom, with arms crossed. Not daring to look into Mom’s eyes, Erika just pointed to the basement as a reply. The three remained silent, wondering how to get the necklace back. Suddenly, an idea flashed across Erika’s mind. She went straight to the kitchen counter and took some snacks. “I know what to do. Just come with me,” she smiled.
Mom and Beth followed her into the basement (地下室) , Erika carrying the snacks.
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