Why people collect art
Many people through history have gone to great lengths to collect art. But what motivates these collectors?
One popular explanation for collecting is that they can have financial gain. Some resell works, earning enormous profit. 1.. Immorally, some ‘collectors’ buy art as a form of money laundering(洗钱), since it is far easier to move art than cash between counties without examination.
2.. For them, art is important for other reasons. The best way to understand the underlying drive of art collecting is as a means to create and strengthen social bonds, and as a way for collectors to communicate within these new networks.
Collectors are not only interested in creating social links; they are also motivated by the messages they can send once these social networks are created. We all know art is a powerful way for the artist to express thoughts and feelings. 3.. Displaying art can send a message about who the collector really is --- at least who she sees herself as.
4.. Through the collections, collectors convey messages not just about themselves, but about the world as a whole. For example, the kid with the shoebox of bird feathers might show others her collection not just to make friends, but also to convince them about the importance of protecting endangered species.
People collect art for various reasons. 5..
A. Some gain art works in an illegal way
B. But most collectors think little of profit
C. Artworks preserve the qualities of their makers
D. No doubt art collection is a hard addiction to overcome
E. Some get large tax reductions for donating art to museums
F. It also serves as an effective way to express collectors
G. Other art collectors see their collections as having a broader power
Modern lifestyles are generally quite different from those of our hunter-gatherer ancestors, a fact that some claim as the cause of the current rise in global obesity, but new results published July 25 in the open access journal PLOS ONE find that there is no difference between the energy expenditure(耗费) of modern hunter-gatherers and Westerners, casting doubt on this theory.
The research team behind the study, led by Herman Pontzer of Hunter College in New York City, along with David Raichlen of the University of Arizona and Brian M. Wood of Stanford measured daily energy expenditure among the Hadza, a population of traditional hunter-gatherers living in the open Savannah of northern Tanzania. Despite spending their days hiking long distances to seek for wild plants and game, the Hadza burned no more calories each day than adults in the U.S. and Europe. The team ran several analyses accounting for the effects of body weight, body fat percentage, age, and gender. In all analyses, daily energy expenditure among the Hadza hunter-gatherers was indistinguishable(难以区分的) from that of Westerners. The study was the first to measure energy expenditure in hunter-gatherers directly; previous studies had relied entirely on estimates.
These findings overturn the long-held assumption that our hunter-gatherer ancestors expended more energy than modern populations, and challenge the view that obesity in Western populations results from decreased energy expenditure. Instead, the similarity in daily energy expenditure across a broad range of lifestyles suggests that habitual metabolic(新陈代谢的) rates are relatively constant among human populations. This in turn supports the view that the current rise in obesity is due to increased food consumption, not decreased energy expenditure. It means we have more to learn about human physiology(生理学) and health, particularly in non-Western settings.
"These results highlight the complexity of energy expenditure. It's not simply a function of physical activity," says Pontzer.” Our metabolic rates may be more a reflection of our shared evolutionary past than our diverse modern lifestyles."
1.According to the new research, hunter-gatherers consume _________.
A. the same energy as Westerners B. more energy than Westerners
C. less energy than Westerners D. the same food as Westerners
2.How did the research team do the new research?
A. By comparing hiking distances. B. By identifying wild plants and game.
C. By estimating daily energy expenditure. D. By measuring daily energy expenditure.
3.People have long assumed that _________.
A. the rise in obesity is due to increased food consumption
B. decreased energy expenditure makes Westerners fat
C. daily energy expenditure stays the same in history
D. humans’ habitual metabolic rates are unchanged
4.Which of the following can reflect our shared evolutionary past?
A. Our physiology activity. B. Our energy expenditure.
C. Our metabolic rates. D. Our modern lifestyle.
Antarctica(南极洲)’s melting ice, which has caused global sea levels to rise by at least 13.8 millimeters over the past 40 years, was thought to primarily come from the unstable West Antarctic Ice Sheet(WAIS). Now, scientists have found that the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS)—considered largely unaffected by climate change—may also be melting at an unexpectedly rapid speed.
The WAIS, whose base is below sea level, has long been considered the most likely to break down. Besides gravity, a deep current of warm water slips beneath the sheet, melting it from below until it becomes a floating shelf at risk of breaking away. In contrast, extreme cold and a base mostly above sea level are thought to keep the EAIS relatively safe from warm waters.
But as greenhouse gases warm much of the planet, driving stronger polar winds, some scientists think warm water carried by a circular current will start to invade East Antarctica’s once unassailable ice. A cooperation of more than 60 scientists last year, published in Nature, estimated that the EAIS actually added about 5 billion tons of ice each year from 1992 to 2017.
Eric Rignot of the University of California, Irvine, and colleagues combined 40 years of satellite imagery and climate modeling and found that overall Antarctica now sends six times more ice into the sea each year than it did in 1979, with the majority coming from West Antarctica. But East Antarctica was responsible for more than 30% of Antarctica’s contribution to the 13.8-millimeter sea level rise over the past 40 years. “The more we look at this system the more we realize this is fragile,” Rignot says. “Once these glaciers become unstable there is no red button to press to stop it.”
Rignot hopes the study brings greater attention to a part of Antarctica that has traditionally been understudied. Helen Fricker, a glaciologist (冰川学家) in California, agrees. “We need to monitor the entire Antarctica and we just can’t do that without international cooperation.”
1.What is the new finding of scientists?
A. The east Antarctica is losing ice at an increasing rate.
B. The west Antarctica is melting six times faster than in 1979.
C. 5 billion tons of ice is added to Antarctica each year.
D. The sea level has risen by 13.8 mm over the past 40 years.
2.Which factor leads to the EAIS’s melting fast?
A. A base mostly over sea level. B. The force of gravity.
C. The invasion of a warm current. D. Extremely low temperature.
3.Which of the following best explains “unassailable” underlined in Para. 3 ?
A. Fragile. B. Unattackable.
C. Mild. D. Unstable.
4.Which way does Helen Fricker specially advocate?
A. Satellite imagery. B. Global monitoring.
C. Worldwide climate modeling. D. Worldwide combined efforts.
Recently, many e-commerce platforms, including Didi Taxi, Ctrip, Fliggy, JD ad Taobao, have been uncovered that they are cheating their frequent customers. Their ways are pretty clever. When there are new users or conservative old users, they will give a quite appealing price to attract them into registering and buying goods. However, their big data is not that friendly to the stable users and frequent visitors. The system always offers them higher price for the same products or service. How does this happen? According to the data analysis, the system knows clearly that although they feel the price is high, they will finally pay the bill. By collecting and analyzing users’ profiles, buying habits and other information, big data recommends the same products to different users with different prices.
Companies also try other ways to make money, making online consumption far more worrying. For example, video websites always offer 120 seconds’ advertisements, which drives people crazy. And even if you pay for the membership to get rid of the ads, you have to “enjoy” 15-second “private” ads. By broadcasting them, companies make huge profits --- second to the membership fees. Also, owning 100Mbps network, you still put up with the slow speed when you are downloading a song. You have no choice but to become a VIP when you seek high quality services. Users seem to be lambs(羊羔) among wolves. Even though they say,” Since you have money, I’ll charge you more”, we can’t do anything about it.
It pains us that we haven’t figured out a way to deal with the problem. The only thing we can do is replacing our iPhones with Android phones if we want to buy a membership card, and applying for new accounts if we want cheaper hotels. Not finding a way to fight back, we can’t do anything but accept them passively.
1.How does big data serve companies according to the text?
A. By being kind to all users.
B. By giving a discount to stable users.
C. By attracting new users by analyzing their shopping habits.
D. By recommending the same products with higher prices to regular users.
2.What do we know from the third paragraph?
A. Membership can rid you of all the ads.
B. Only by being a VIP can you get a better service.
C. The slow download speed is due to your poor network.
D. Advertising income is the biggest income for video websites.
3.What is the author’ attitude towards the chances of finding a way to fight back?
A. Uncertain. B. Casual.
C. Negative. D. Positive.
4.What is the main idea of the text?
A. The big data provides helpful information to users.
B. We have to accept online consumption as it is.
C. There exist many online consumption traps.
D. Regular customers are richer.
Temples have existed for thousands of years. They are the proof of cultures and civilization that existed many years ago.
Gobekli Tepe, Turkey
Located on a hilltop in southwestern Turkey where it snows a lot in winter, the Gobekli Tepe is considered the world’s oldest temple. It is nearly 11,000 years old. There are carvings on the rock statues, mainly of lions, foxes, snakes, cranes and wild ducks, as well as scenes of people hunting. Because heavy snow makes it hard to get to the top of the hill, visitors are not recommended to go there in winters.
White Temple, Thailand
Immediately upon entering White Temple, you will realize this contemporary, unconventional temple stands out, even in a country dotted with temples. The White Temple is incredibly different and unique in its architecture, art and design. In fact, it is designed in a very modern way. This temple is all white. It is very hot in summer in Thailand, so going to White Temple in other three seasons is a wise choice.
Sagrada Familia, Spain
This symbolic Barcelona building is famously unfinished. It is said to be finished by 2026, but no body believes it. However, visitors believe its incompleteness is part of its charm, which sets it apart from other temples in the world. You will have to wait in a long line if you visit Sagrada Familia in summer holiday. Visitors are not that many in spring and winter.
Kinkaku-ji, Japan
This temple is absolutely the most popular one in Japan. Whether you visit during the fall when there are red leaves against the golden wall, in winter when the gold is topped with pure white snow, in spring with cherry blossoms, or in summer allowing you to smell the earthy smell after rain – there is never a bad time to visit this beautiful temple.
1.Which temple will you choose to go if you are a fan of modern architecture?
A. Gobekli Tepe. B. White Temple.
C. Sagrada Familia. D. Kinkaku-ji.
2.What makes Sagrada Familia special according to the passage?
A. It is unfinished. B. It is all white.
C. It is the oldest temple. D. It is untraditional.
3.Which temple is favorable to go all year round?
A. Gobekli Tepe. B. White Temple.
C. Sagrada Familia. D. Kinkaku-ji.
假定你是李华，你们学校的外教Jerry寒假不回国，你写信邀请他去你家一起过除夕，内容要点如下：
1. 时间：2月4日；
2. 活动安排。
参考词汇：The New Year’s Eve
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Jerry,
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Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
