“You have two ears and one mouth. Remember to listen more and speak less.” That was the advice I ____ from a communications expert before, which got me thinking about listening. It’s not ______ that most of us are good at. Even those of us who write for a living and are supposed to ______ how to do an interview and listen, often get it wrong and miss the rule: “Don’t interrupt or try to ______ other people’s sentences” and the rule: “Focus fully on the person speaking _____ focusing on your next comment.”
I found this out recently after following that communications expert’s ____. I was part of a group lobbying (游说) politicians about the importance of old buildings and main streets. One gentleman ______ a very large district made up of small towns complained that the main street was too ______ and there wasn’t enough parking and there was no ______ to widen the roads, which is exactly what our organization ______ for. We want walkable streets, not parking spaces. Instead of arguing the point, I just ______ for a change and let him talk. Before our time was up he was ______ how his son is a carpenter restoring a church, and how ______ building preservation was to him and his family. Had I not ______ practiced listening, we might have left his office earlier.
It has taken me a very long time to learn how to ______. I might have been more ______ had I listened more. Now that I write and teach, I have ______ often about how important hearing is to our connection with others, and what a ______ my hearing has made in my life. ______, hearing is different from listening, and, interestingly, there isn’t any hardware that can help you listen; you just have to sit down, shut up and ______ it.
1.A. gave B. received C. accepted D. ignored
2.A. nothing B. anything C. everything D. something
3.A. understand B. compare C. train D. master
4.A. begin B. finish C. form D. write
5.A. other than B. or rather C. rather than D. or else
6.A. nature B. advice C. decision D. belief
7.A. representing B. controlling C. starting D. directing
8.A. busy B. empty C. narrow D. dusty
9.A. right B. plan C. force D. room
10.A. votes B. quarrels C. searches D. fights
11.A. make up B. shut up C. get up D. pull up
12.A. describing B. communicating C. expressing D. adding
13.A. important B. absurd C. useful D. cheerful
14.A. constantly B. legally C. deliberately D. usually
15.A. look B. care C. listen D. react
16.A. fortunate B. successful C. energetic D. pleasant
17.A. remembered B. learned C. written D. read
18.A. imagination B. point C. scene D. difference
19.A. Therefore B. Anyhow C. However D. Besides
20.A. do B. make C. say D. take
There is no such thing as a “bad memory”. 1., as long as you are not suffering from memory loss as a medical condition. If you want to improve your memory, there are a number of things you can do.
Stop thinking that you have a “bad memory”. 2.. Too many people get stuck here and convince themselves their memory is bad. Erase those thoughts and vow to improve your memory. Celebrate even little achievements to keep yourself motivated.
Exercise your brain. Regularly “exercising” the brain keeps it growing and help improve memory. 3..By developing new mental skills -- especially complex ones such as learning a new language or learning to play a new musical instrument, you can keep your brain active and improve its physiological functioning.
Give yourself time to form a memory. Memories are very fragile in the short term, and distractions can make you quickly forget something as simple as a phone number. The key to avoid losing memories is to be able to focus on the thing to be remembered for a while without thinking about other things. 4..
5.. Often we forget things not because our memory is bad, but rather because our observational skills need work. One way to become more observant is to look at a photo for a few seconds and then describe as many details about it as possible. With regular practice you will find you’re able to remember more details with even shorter glimpses of the photos.
A. Practice your describing skills regularly
B. So when you’re trying to remember something, avoid distractions for a few minutes
C. Take better pictures
D. Everyone can improve their memory
E. A large portion (部分) of your brain is activated when it learns a new skill
F. So the more time you spend, the better your memory will be
G. Convince yourself that you do have a good memory that will improve
Plastic waste has polluted the Arctic. Two new studies have spied bags, fishing rope and tinier bits of rubbish in the Barents Sea. This sea sits north of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. It mixes with the Arctic Ocean, which is even farther north.
Plastic waste in the Arctic could harm wildlife and may hint that large volumes of human rubbish are collecting there, says Melanie Bergmann. She is one of the scientists who spotted the waste. She studies Earth’s oceans at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven, Germany. She first started counting bits of plastics in the Barents Sea because she kept spotting signs of the stuff there in images taken with deep-sea cameras.
Bergmann and her colleagues counted pieces of plastic from an icebreaker, a boat designed to break through large blocks of ice in very cold waters. They also tracked plastic pieces they saw during helicopter rides over Arctic waters. The team found 31 pieces of plastic. “That doesn’t seem like much, but it shows us that we’ve really got a problem, one that extends even to this remote area, far from civilization,” Bergmann says. She and her colleagues described their findings October 21 in Polar Biology.
Another team has also been counting plastics in the area. Those scientists took water from the Barents Sea and counted the number of smaller bits of plastics, called microplastics.
Plastic in the ocean is dangerous to animals. Some may get caught in rope or bags. And wildlife may swallow bags and other plastic bits. That makes them feel full. But some may eventually starve because they are not getting the nutrients they need to live. Sometimes plastics also may break down in an animal’s body and release poisonous chemicals. If another animal later eats the one that swallowed plastic, it too can end up with poisonous chemicals in its body. This, in turn, can travel up the food web, endangering predators (肉食动物) — even people.
1.What can be learned from Para 1?
A. Europe is surrounded by the Arctic Ocean.
B. The Barents Sea is to the north of the Arctic.
C. The Arctic Ocean is polluted by plastic rubbish.
D. European countries are to blame for the pollution.
2.What has brought Bergmann’s attention to plastic waste in Barents Sea?
A. Human rubbish dumped in the sea.
B. Pictures taken by deep-sea cameras.
C. Sea water taken to the laboratory.
D. Wildlife spotted by helicopter.
3.What concerned Bergmann according to Para 3?
A. Plastic is found in the remote sea.
B. The sea is covered with plastic.
C. Advanced tools are in great need.
D. People suffered from bad weather.
4.Why is plastic dangerous to animals?
A. Animals may get choked by bags or plastic bits.
B. Animals may die of hunger if they swallow bags.
C. Plastic can release harmful gases to kill animals.
D. It is hard for plastic bags and bits to break down.
Women in northern European nations are closest to equality with men on wages, education, health and education. That is the finding of a report by the World Economic Forum. The United States ranked 28th. On Friday, President Barack Obama announced the government will require large businesses to report how much they pay men and women. The data will be used to target companies that pay women less to do the same jobs.
According to the World Economic Forum report, women worldwide continue to lag behind men on wages. Based on current trends, they will need 126 years to catch up, according to the report. Women are making progress. But they still only earn what men did 10 years ago, say the report’s authors. The report measures the gender gap for women in 145 nations for health, education, economic opportunity, and political power. Women have not achieved equality in any of the 145 nations included in the survey, says the report.
Women came closest to equality in four Northern European nations – Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden. Ireland ranks No. 5. At the bottom of the women’s gender ratings are Yemen, Pakistan, Syria, Chad, Iran and Jordan.
More women than men are attending colleges in 97 nations. But women make up a majority of skilled workers in only 68 nations. Women control the majority of government and political positions in only four.
At last week’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer at Facebook, spoke about gender equality. “The reason to work towards equality – whether woman or man – is that it is better for you,” Sandberg said. “We should be doing this not because it’s the right thing, but because it’s the smart thing. Do it because it will help you.” The World Economic Forum completed its worldwide 2015 gender gap survey in November.
1.Why were large businesses required to report on salaries?
A. To help more women in America get paid.
B. To compete against northern European nations.
C. To target companies not paying women equally.
D. To suggest that America is where equality matters.
2.What can be learned from Para 2?
A. Women worldwide are making less money.
B. Men now earn ten times more than women.
C. Little attention is paid to equality of women.
D. The survey was conducted in many fields.
3.In which country can women probably get paid equally?
A. Yemen. B. Iceland. C. Syria. D. America.
4.What’s Sheryl Sandberg’s attitude towards gender equality?
A. Casual. B. Cautious. C. Sympathetic. D. Favorable.
A Swiss airplane powered only by energy from the sun left from Abu Dhabi early on March 9. Its creators hope the plane will make the first around-the-world journey without any fuel. The plane is called Solar Impulse 2. It has one seat and is made from carbon fiber. The plane weighs only as much as a car but its wings are wider than a Boeing 747. The plane’s wings stretch 72 meters across. Those wings include 17,000 solar units, or cells, which capture the sun’s energy. The energy allows the plane to fly day and night.
Two Swiss scientists built the plane. Bertrand Piccard is also an explorer who made the first non-stop flight around the world in a balloon. Andre Borschberg is an engineer and trained fighter pilot. The scientists say they are not trying to alter the airplane industry. Instead, they want to show that new energy sources and technologies can achieve what some say is impossible.“We want to show we can fly day and night in an aircraft without a drop of fuel.” Mr. Piccard said.
Some parts of the trip will require the pilots to be in the tiny plane for five to six days and nights in a row. So it is good that the pilot’s seat is also a toilet.
The plane’s route begins in the United Arab Emirates. The pilots also plan stops in Oman, India, and China. They will cross the Pacific Ocean, stop in the United States, and continue over southern Europe or North Africa. They plan to arrive back in the United Arab Emirates in late July or early August.
Internet viewers can go to the Solar Impulse website to see the plane’s location and listen to broadcasts from the pilots.
1.Why does the plane have wider wings?
A. It can fly faster and land safely.
B. It can get the sun’s energy easily.
C. It may look like a Boeing 747.
D. It will make the plane appear larger.
2.What does the underlined word “alter” in Para 2 probably mean?
A. Improve. B. Change. C. Rebuild. D. Destroy.
3.What do we know about the trip made in the plane?
A. It will take five to six days and nights.
B. It is a non-stop flight around the world.
C. It is broadcast live on the Internet.
D. It doesn’t include North America.
4.What does the text mainly talk about?
A. A solar-powered plane will travel the globe.
B. A good way to save energy has been found.
C. A newly-built plane consumes no energy.
D. Solar energy waits to be fully explored.
At first glance Esther Okade seems like a normal 10-year-old. She loves dressing up, playing with Barbie dolls and going to the park or shopping. But what makes the British-Nigerian youngster stand out is the fact that she’s also a university undergraduate.
Esther, from Walsall, an industrial town in the UK’s West Midlands region, is one of the country’s youngest college freshmen. The talented 10-year-old enrolled at the Open University, a UK-based distance learning college, in January and is already top of the class, having recently scored 100% in a recent exam.
“It’s so interesting. It has the type of maths I love. It’s real maths-theories, complex numbers, all that type of stuff,” she smiles. “I want to finish the course in two years. Then I’m going to do my PhD in financial maths when I’m 13. I want to have my own bank by the time I’m 15 because I like numbers and I like people and banking is a great way to help people.” she adds.
Esther has always jumped ahead of her peers. She sat her first Math GSCE exam, a British high school qualification, at Ounsdale High School in Wolverhampton at just six, where she received a C-grade. A year later, she got the A-grade she wanted. Then last year she scored a B-grade when she sat the Math A-level exam.
Not content with breaking barriers to attend college at just 10 years old, Esther is also writing a series of math workbooks for children called “Yummy Yummy Algebra.”
“It starts at a beginner level-that’s volume one. But then there will be volume two, and volume three, and then volume four. As long as you can add or subtract, you’ll be able to do it. I want to show other children they are special.” she says.
1.Why does Esther Okade want to have her own bank?
A. To make more money.
B. To set up a maths school.
C. To help the people in need.
D. To publish her maths books.
2.What can be inferred about Esther Okade from the text?
A. She is not good at taking maths exams.
B. She fails to get along well with her peers.
C. She is determined and strict with herself.
D. She was not admitted to Ounsdale High School.
3.What makes Esther Okade special according to the text?
A. Her natural talent in maths.
B. Her love for big challenges.
C. Scoring 100% in every exam.
D. Writing a series of math books.
