We've all heard the saying: practice makes prefect! In other words, acquiring skills takes time and effort. But how exactly does one go about learning a complex subject such as tennis, calculus, or even how to play the violin? An age-old answer is: practice one skill at a time. A beginning pianist might rehearse scales(音阶) before chords(和弦). A young tennis player practices the forehand before the backhand. Learning researchers call this “blocking”， and because it is common and easy to schedule, blocking is dominant in schools, training programs, and other settings.
However another strategy promises improved results. Enter “interleaving”， a largely unheard-of technique that is catching the attention of cognitive(认知) psychologists and neuroscientists. Blocking involves practicing one skill at a time before the next (for example, “skill A” before “skill B” and so on, forming the pattern “AAABBBCCC”), while in interleaving one mixes practice on several related skills together (forming for example the pattern “ABCABCABC”).
Over the past four decades, a small but growing body of research has found that interleaving often outperforms blocking for a variety of subjects, including sports and category learning. Yet there have been almost no studies of the technique in unplanned, real world settings-until recently. New research in schools finds that interleaving produces dramatic and long-lasting benefits for an essential skill: math. Not only does this finding have the potential to transform how math is taught, it may also change how people learn more generally.
Researches are now working to understand why interleaving produces such impressive results. One important explanation is that it improves the brain's ability to tell apart between concepts. With blocking, once you know what solution to use, or movement to do, the hard part is over. With interleaving, each practice attempt is different from the last, so rote(死记硬背) responses don't work. Instead, your brain must continuously focus on searching for different solutions. That process can improve your ability to learn critical features of skills and concepts, which then better enables you to select and produce the correct response.
A second explanation is that interleaving strengthens memory associations. With blocking, a single strategy，temporarily held in short-term memory, is sufficient. That's not the case with interleaving-the correct solution changes from one practice attempt to the next. As a result, your brain is continually engaged at regaining different responses and bringing them into short-term memory. Repeating that process can strengthen neural connections between different tasks and correct responses, which improves learning.
Both of these accounts imply that increased effort during training, either to discriminate correct responses or to strengthen them, is needed when interleaving is used. This corresponds to a potential drawback of the technique, namely that the learning process often feels more gradual and difficult in the beginning. However, that added effort can have better, longer-lasting results.
1.What can we learn from the new strategy of “interleaving”？
A. Studying related skills together has many impressive results.
B. Learning relevant skills together contributes to people mastering skills quickly.
C. Focusing on different skills at a time saves people time and efforts in the beginning.
D. Mixing up skills distracts people's attention, thus lessening efficiency.
2.Why does interleaving produce impressive results?
A. It can be scheduled easily.
B. It focuses on rote responses.
C. It is temporarily held in short-term memory.
D. It enables you to learn critical features of skills and concepts.
3.What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. Blocking involves practicing one skill at a time before the next.
B. Correct solution often changes from one practice attempt to the next.
C. Practising one skill at a time plays an important role in learning a complex subject.
D. Studying related skills or concepts together is an effective way to train your brain.
Over the past few years, smart home tech has become more and more accessible and it's increasingly easy to find that you've bought a product that includes smart home features. So what does a modern smart home look like, and how can you start building one? You could get to start making your home smarter by the following gadgets.
Ecobee 4
*Measuring both occupancy and temperature, its sensors signal your Ecobee to automatically switch to the right mode.
*It only takes about 30 minutes, thanks to an easy-to-follow installation guide and an in-app step-by-step walkthrough.
*Easily adjust temperature using your voice with built-in Alexa or from wherever you are using your mobile devices.
Amazon Smart Plug
*Amazon Smart Plug works with Alexa to add voice control.
*Schedule lights, fans, and appliances to turn on and off automatically, or control them remotely when you're away.
*It's simple to set up and use. Plug in, open Alexa app, and start using your voice.
The Philips Hue White Smart Bulb
*It works with Amazon Alexa to support dimming through voice control.
*Schedule your own custom lighting scenes. Set the smart bulbs to turn on and off at a pre-set time.
*To install, simply screw(拧) the smart bulbs into your desired light location.
*Control smart-bulb-equipped lamps and overhead lights via the Philips Hue App.
August Smart Lock Pro
*It works with Alexa for voice control(Alexa device sold separately).
*Control keyless access. It locks automatically behind you, and unlocks as you approach.
*Install in about 10 minutes with just a screwdriver(螺丝刀).
1.What do the four gadgets have in common?
A. Useful Philips Hue App. B. Beautiful lighting scenes.
C. Easy installation and simple set-up. D. Pleasant temperature.
2.This passage is intended to ________.
A. introduce the gadgets of smart home B. provide advice for home decoration
C. compare the gadgets with others D. show the popularity of the gadgets
Last summer I went on a two-day river rafting trip with my teenage daughter as the river guide. I was proud to see my baby girl ________ and confidently moving our raft through a variety of ______ white-water conditions. I also found it________to have my daughter giving commands and barking ______ as to when and how to paddle(用桨划船).
As we approached the largest ______ on the river I could feel my heart beating faster. Upon ______ the turbulent(湍急的) water, our boat got ________ on a large rock. I was in the front of the boat and reached ______ with my paddle, thinking I would help ______ us away from the rock. In the next instant I could feel myself falling out of the boat and into the river. I did have my moments of ______ and terror.
This resistance disappeared quickly, ______ I landed in the cold, powerfully turbulent water. ______ my high-quality flotation vest, I was pulled underwater, ______ thankfully, within seconds I popped(冒出) back up to the ______. A few moments later one of the other trip leaders called for me to ______ toward his boat, where I was quickly pulled up and in. I was shaken, out of breath, and quite ______to be out of the turbulent water.
An equivalent of this experience happens all the time in our lives. This is life. You cannot count on things going ______. When we do, we often ______ disappointed and unhappy. Resisting ______， which often arrives suddenly and unexpectedly, keeps us from ______ the scenario(可能要发生的事) unfolding before us clearly, and it can keep us from acting in ways that are smart and effective and that lead to results that make us feel good and proud of ourselves.
1.A. painfully B. gradually C. extremely D. skillfully
2.A. freezing B. challenging C. fascinating D. thrilling
3.A. ashamed B. annoying C. unbearable D. troublesome
4.A. opinions B. lectures C. orders D. lessons
5.A. rapid B. rock C. gap D. target
6.A. pouring B. pumping C. entering D. covering
7.A. occupied B. stuck C. rescued D. damaged
8.A. backward B. down C. forward D. across
9.A. scare B. hide C. pull D. push
10.A. excitement B. performance C. suffering D. resistance
11.A. before B. while C. because D. as
12.A. With B. Despite C. In D. Below
13.A. but B. therefore C. so D. or
14.A. boat B. surface C. water D. terror
15.A. wander B. flow C. float D. swing
16.A. shocked B. relieved C. disturbed D. embarrassed
17.A. potentially B. randomly C. smoothly D. quickly
18.A. wind up B. hurry up C. think up D. come up
19.A. change B. temptation C. pressure D. effort
20.A. assessing B. seeing C. appreciating D. minding
-Who do you think is able to finish the job in two days?
-It's hard to say. This would appear to be ________ for the relatively efficient.
A. a sacred cow B. a Herculean task C. a Pandora's box D. a child's play
I wish you wouldn't be so________； you make faces at everything I say.
A. weird B. polite C. reluctant D. serious
Nicholas was very kind, merciful and generous. This is ________ Father Christmas is based on.
A. where B. how C. what D. why
