Understanding Chinese Culture: The Challenge to the West
Late last year, a New Zealand newspaper reported that China was sending 120 doctors to a Pacific island to assist with their community health. A positive action, one might think, but the focus of the story was to ask what China was doing in the Pacific, and how we have failed to the extent that we have allowed this to happen. What are the Chinese doing on “our patch”?
In fact, the rise of China is to a certain degree promoted as a threat. The challenge to the West, then, is to improve an appreciation of what China is. How does China’s cultural heritage present a positive advantage to the world?
To understand this, it is important to consider the foundations of Chinese culture and society. China has more than 5,000 years of uninterrupted cultural development. We at least need to go back 2,500 years to study Taoism, for its cultural and philosophical roots, and Confucius for his social philosophy and influence on society.
Taoism provides us with many aspects of the special nature of Chinese culture and philosophy. The concept of yin and yang in Taoism, which brings us balance through the integration of opposites, is well-known but not fully understood in the West. Chinese medicine, which tends to take a longer time to take effect, with a focus to work in harmony with the body, is to restore imbalance causing diseases rather than targeting only the specific symptom or problem area.
Confucius’ contribution to Chinese society also provides a difference to Western society. Eastern society places the community as the most important component of society. In Western society, it is the individual that is considered to be the unit of society, compatible with an objective analysis of issues.
Considering a monkey, cow and banana, which is the odd one out? The vast majority of Chinese will choose the cow because the monkey eats the banana, which gives food to the monkey. Western people invariably choose the banana because they see the objective classification of the monkey and cow. The consideration of these two responses, and extension into deeper philosophical understanding, presents a major difference between Chinese and Western thought.
Therefore, the challenge to the West is to embrace an alternative perspective on issues. It is time for Western media to seek a balance in reporting affairs, and critiqu（e It is time for a Chinese voice to be heard in the West. 评判）the Western perspective.
1.The news report in the first paragraph _.
A. tells a story of Chinese doctors
B. demonstrates the concern of the West
C. stresses the decline of Western culture
D. shows the medical development of China
2.Why is Chinese medicine mentioned in the passage?
A. To help better understand Taoism.
B. To define the concept of yin and yang.
C. To emphasize the contributions of Taoism.
D. To express the author’s pride in Chinese culture.
3.We can learn from the passage that .
A. Taoism has a greater influence than Confucianism
B. Confucianism finds balance in integrating opposites
C. the West takes China’s cultural heritage as an advantage
D. Eastern society considers community the essential unit of society
4.The author’s purpose of writing the passage is to .
A. warn the West of the threat of China
B. introduce to the West what China really is
C. recommend the West to accept the rise of China
D. appeal to the West to have an objective attitude to China
How to Make Friends, According to Science
Friendship is one of life’s most important features, and one too often taken for granted.
The human desire for companionship may feel boundless, but research suggests that our social capital is finite—we can only handle a certain number of relationships at one time. Social scientists have used some creative approaches to measure the size of people’s social networks; these have returned estimates ranging from about 250 to about 5,500 people. Looking more specifically at friendship, a study using the exchange of Christmas cards to test closeness put the average person’s friend group at about 121 people. However vast our networks may be, our inner circle tends to be much smaller. The average American trusts only 10 to 20 people. Moreover, that number may be shrinking: From 1998 to 2017, the average number of trusted friends decreased from three to two. This is both sad and of important consequence, because people who have strong social relationships tend to live longer than those who don’t.
So what should you do if your social life is lacking? Here the research is instructive. To begin with, don’t refuse to consider the humble acquaintance（交情）. Even interacting with people with whom one has weak social ties has a meaningful influence on well-being. Beyond that, building deeper friendships may be largely a matter of putting in time. A recent study out of the University of Kansas found that it takes about 50 hours of socializing to go from acquaintance to casual friend, an additional 40 hours to become a “real” friend, and a total of 200 hours to become a close friend.
If that sounds like too much effort, renewing inactive social ties can be especially rewarding. Reconnected friends can quickly recapture the trust they previously built, while offering each other a dash of novelty（新奇）drawn from whatever they’ve been up to in the meantime. And if all else fails, you could start randomly to tell secrets to people you don’t know that well. Self-disclosure makes us more likable, and as a bonus, we are more likely to favor those to whom we have revealed our soul.
Longing for closeness and connection is common and everywhere, which suggests that most of us are stumbling（跌跌撞撞）through the world, expecting companionship that could be easily provided by the lonesome stumblers all around us. So set aside this article, turn to someone nearby, and try to make a friend.
1.From Paragraph 2, we can know that .
A. a strong social relationship can guarantee a long life
B. real friendships are based on the exchange of presents
C. people’s inner circle is decreasing despite large social networks
D. people’s social networks depend on their desire for companionship
2.What does the author suggest to improve one’s social life?
A. Sharing secrets with close friends.
B. Choosing likable people as friends.
C. Avoiding the humble acquaintance.
D. Spending time for deeper friendships.
3.What is the passage mainly about?
A. The tips on how to develop friendship.
B. The reasons for seeking companionship.
C. The benefits brought by a good social life.
D. The relationship between friendship and happiness.
4.The author helps readers better understand his idea mainly by .
A. using research results
B. making comparisons
C. giving some examples
D. telling personal stories
Printable Tags Turn Everyday Objects into Smart Devices
Engineers have developed printable metal tags (标贴) that could be attached to everyday objects and turn them into smart Internet of Things devices.
The metal tags are made from copper foil (铜箔) printed onto thin, flexible, paper-like materials to reflect WiFi signals. The tags work essentially like “mirrors” that reflect radio signals from a WiFi router. When a user’s finger touches these “mirrors”, it disturbs the reflected WiFi signals in such a way that can be remotely sensed by a WiFi receiver like a smartphone.
The tags can be nailed onto objects that people touch every day, like water bottles, walls or doors. These objects then become smart and connected devices that can signal a WiFi device whenever a user interacts with them. The tags can also be shaped into thin keypads or smart home control panels that can be used to remotely operate WiFi-connected speakers and other Internet of Things devices.
Xinyu Zhang, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, named the technology LiveTag. He pictures people using LiveTag technology to track human interaction with everyday objects. For example, LiveTag could potentially be used to assess the recovery of patients who have suffered from stroke (中风). “When patients return home, they could use this technology to provide data based on how they interact with everyday objects at home, whether they are opening or closing doors in a normal way, or if they are able to pick up bottles of water, for example. The amount, intensity and frequency of their activities could be recorded and sent to their doctors to evaluate their recovery,” said Zhang. “And this can all be done in the comfort of their own homes rather than having to keep going back to the clinic for frequent testing,” he added.
The researchers note several limitations of the technology. LiveTag currently cannot work with a WiFi receiver further than one meter away, so researchers are working on improving the tag sensitivity and detection range. Ultimately, the team aims to develop a way to make the tags using normal paper and ink printing, which would make them cheaper to mass produce.
1.When people touch a printable metal tag, .
A. they are actually touching a mirror
B. the WiFi router will stop sending signals
C. the reflected WiFi signals will be disturbed
D. their fingers can be sensed by a WiFi router
2.LiveTag can probably be used to .
A. precisely locate everyday objects
B. remotely control a WiFi-connected TV
C. easily block signals from WiFi devices
D. greatly improve one’s physical condition
3.LiveTag helps stroke patients by .
A. evaluating the process of their recovery
B. sending data of their activities to doctors
C. connecting their smartphones with doctors’
D. recording doctors’ assessments of their recovery
In December 2017, I attended a conference. Five successful women delivered speeches on the topic “Bouncing Back after Setbacks.” As I sat there listening to their many personal and professional mistakes and setbacks, I felt fortunate that I hadn’t made that many mistakes in my own life.
Those women had lost thousands in investments, started companies but failed, sold companies that later ended up being worth millions, and lost partners in the name of business. Despite knowing that they had, in fact, bounced back and were again doing very well, I was starting to feel sorry for them.
Then, as if someone whispered in my ear, I heard the words: “Don’t be so proud of yourself. You haven’t made any mistakes because you haven’t lived at all. Look how boring your life is.” Whose voice was this, and how dare it speak to me like that?
I think, for the first time, I heard my own heart speak. It shook me to my core, and it took all I had to keep from crying. I started thinking of the mistakes I had made. The voice was right. There weren’t many at all. I had followed a straight path for 38 years. I went to school, earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees with honors, and stayed at every job I’d had far longer than it was professionally beneficial for me to do so. In fact, at 38, I had only had three jobs. “The devil(魔鬼) you know is better than the one you don’t ” was my motto.
A quick review of my life made me realize that it was the actions I hadn’t taken that I was suddenly regretting. I hadn’t studied abroad. I hadn’t risked love. In fact, I was perpetually single. I hadn’t started a business. I hadn’t traveled enough. I had said “no” far more than “yes”.
The voice that whispered to me continued to the New Year. It was like it laughed at me. The thought of turning forty frightened me. It’s one thing to be unhappy and unsettled in your twenties, and perhaps even in one’s thirties. But was I going to start a new decade with the same boredom? I needed something to pick me up, some activity I could look forward to.
1.How did the author feel when first hearing stories from the 5 speakers?
A. Regretful. B. Surprised.
C. Lucky. D. Guilty.
2.The author felt like crying during the conference because she realized .
A. she hadn’t lived her life to the fullest
B. she was deeply touched by the women
C. she had nothing to be proud of in her life
D. she had made a lot of mistakes in her life
3.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A. The familiar devil is more frightening. B. Saying “no” is better than saying “yes”.
C. It’s better to stay within the comfort zone. D. You’d better change your job more frequently.
4.From the passage, we can learn that the author .
A. felt afraid of ageing
B. traveled abroad a lot
C. was married in her thirties
D. decided to do something new
Father’s Example
At the age of 16, my father sat beneath the street light to study until exhaustion kicked in. Sometimes, if he was lucky, the school guard would let him slip into the empty corridors to ______ the cold. Other nights, the guard shooed him away. The __________ of electricity in the home he shared with six family members was one of the easier roadblocks to overcome on his path to becoming a _______.
Despite poor conditions, supporting the whole family after Grandpa’s death, and the 60% illiteracy（文盲）rate of his country, Pakistan, my father defeated the odds to establish his own clinic.
However, he decided to ____________ this comfortable lifestyle and move to America to ______ limitless opportunities for his family.
Because of his __________ , I strive to take advantage of every opportunity. I transferred from my familiar suburban middle school, where I stood out, to the _________ International Baccalaureate（IB）
Diploma Program. Although I also made sacrifices, like my father, by switching schools, I have no ______ . At my current high school, I have endless __________ to excel and interact with students from many backgrounds. Leaving my friends and the __________ of living five minutes from school was a small price to pay after I put my life into perspective. Changing schools gave me the ______ to pursue rigorous (严格的) courses. My academic future challenges and pushes me.
For the rest of high school, I hope to keep my grades ________ , excel on standardized tests, and participate in summer programs. I understand that grades do not define a person, but I am motivated to study, like my father, _________ I reach success.
I firmly believe that to develop our society we must first assist the less __________ . I hope to choose a career that lets me do this. My motivation to become a doctor results from my desire to ease the _______ of others. Also, I realize that ________ is the groundwork of my future and that I must ______ a solid foundation in it to achieve my goals.
______ my father’s sisters, who married young and never graduated from high school, I enjoy my life in America with infinite possibilities, and I must work to __________ from all of them. My father worked his entire life to secure my future. I ________ it to him, and to myself, to make something of my education.
1.A. keep B. escape C. defend D. fight
2.A. lack B. danger C. delivery D. power
3.A. lawyer B. writer C. doctor D. professor
4.A. lead B. adopt C. leave D. continue
5.A. check B. appreciate C. predict D. seek
6.A. sacrifice B. talent C. instruction D. preparation
7.A. enjoyable B. admirable C. developing D. challenging
8.A. ideas B. regrets C. concerns D. excuses
9.A. gifts B. wishes C. opportunities D. decisions
10.A. relief B. honor C. result D. comfort
11.A. drive B. award C. duty D. turn
12.A. consistent B. average C. typical D. common
13.A. though B. if C. until D. since
14.A. energetic B. friendly C. ambitious D. fortunate
15.A. burden B. pain C. worry D. stress
16.A. freedom B. interest C. health D. education
17.A. build B. follow C. shake D. give
18.A. Against B. With C. Unlike D. Beyond
19.A. withdraw B. benefit C. struggle D. recover
20.A. offer B. owe C. give D. send
It was almost midnight, but Mary couldn’t fall asleep. “One sheep, two sheep…” She 1. (start) to count sheep. But did it really work? Actually, some 2. (scientist) believe this may not be a very good way to fall asleep. Some people try so hard to count that they can be more clear-headed. Instead, they can try taking a bath to fall asleep. They can also think about a quiet beach or a walk in the woods, 3. can make them relaxed and fall asleep more 4. (quick).
