Whoever wrote the song “it’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” must have never experienced Holiday blues. Fortunately, psychological research suggests some effective ways you can beat the holiday blues. The key point is that sadness and other tough emotions are not what we should try to avoid. 1.. Here are four strategies to help you make your own happiness recipe this holiday season.
Don’t force cheer
At family gatherings with cousins you secretly can’t stand, you tend to put on a happy face. Indeed, that might even seem like the most mature response—no drama, no conflict. But a 2011 study followed dozens of bus drivers, looking to see when they gave forced or honest smiles at their passengers. The results showed when the drivers pretended to have a good mood, their actual moods got worse. 2.
Let off sadness
The results of the bus-driver study can be explained by researchers, who find that negative feelings like sadness or anger only increase when we try to control them. 3.. We don’t like contradictory behavior.
Respond cautiously
Recently, scientists have been paying special attention to the benefits of caution. When you respond cautiously to an emotional trigger (e.g. overcooking the holiday turkey), you pause rather than reacting at once. 4.. Besides, it is associated with less anxiety, and may even carry physiological benefits.
5.
Of course, the holidays will bring a mix of highs and lows, but the most important lesson to keep in mind is that this variety of emotions might be the best thing possible for your overall well-being. In other words, sadness, anger, and other difficult emotions are nothing to fear. Just make sure you’re balancing them with lighter experiences. And don’t forget to give yourself a break.
A. Relax your mind
B. Enjoy a mix of emotions
C. We tend to deny the important function emotions serve
D. Instead, they can help contribute to a healthy and happy life
E. So trying to force happiness seems to have the opposite effects
F. A cautious response to a negative event reduces sadness we experience
G. We feel bad when our appearance contradicts how we truly feel inside
With smart technology increasingly influencing all aspects of our lives, it is only a matter of time before someone invents “smart” shoes—ones that can be made based on personal needs. Called “ShiftWear”, the sneakers are the brainchild of a team of businessmen, and engineers led by New York-based designer David Coel.
The adaptable shoes can be customized by using a smart phone app. Shoe owners will have the option of selecting a design from a variety of HD pattern by famous artists or creating one themselves. The company’s founders imagine a marketplace where artists can not only share but also sell their designs to others. Despite being electronic, the designs are clearly visible even in the brightest sunlight. What’s even cooler is that by switching on a backlight, users can even show off their designs in the dark!
According to Coel, the sneakers will keep their charge “forever” if only images are displayed. Though they will need periodic recharging, active users have nothing to worry about. That’s because the shoes are equipped with special walk-n-charge technology that powers the shoes—with every step. Inactive users also have options of charging the sneakers without using wires.
The bottom part of the shoes is covered with Kevler fibers, a kind of strong material, reducing normal wear and tear. Even better? They are completely waterproof (not let water through) and can even be thrown into an ordinary laundry machine for a quick wash! The company predicts that the shoes will range the price from $150 to $1000 depending on the size of the E-panels where the designs are displayed.
This is not the first time that electronics and shoes have combined. Lithuania-based iShuh Technology has come up with a similar concept that connects e-reader panels to a smart phone app via the Bluetooth. Whether these smart shoes become as popular as our smart devices remains to be seen, though they surely are attractive.
1.What can we know about the smart shoes from the text?
A. The electronic designs can not be seen clearly at night.
B. The designers make sure every pair of sneakers are unique.
C. The bottom of the shoes can last longer due to special materials.
D. The shoes have to be washed by hand to protect the electronics.
2.What does Paragraph 3 mainly talk about?
A. How the sneakers are charged.
B. How the sneakers can work well.
C. What images the sneakers show.
D. What technology the sneakers carry.
3.The varied prices of the sneakers mainly depend on ________.
A. the length of the shoes
B. the size of their e-panels
C. the designers of the shoes
D. the materials of their bottoms
4.How does the author feel about the sneakers’ future market?
A. Negative. B. Anxious.
C. Uncertain. D. Confident.
Language learning apps are very popular now and offer opportunities to learn vocabulary and practice grammar. But there has been a discussion about just how effective such apps can be.
Among the most popular apps are Duolingo and Busuu. A previous research found positive results on the use of them. But it mainly concentrated on studies with learners who had signed up to language courses and these apps worked as an after-class support, so the results were not always reliable. A recent study of 4,095 Busuu users has been carried out aimed to find out if users can actually learn a language with an app.
Busuu provides learning materials for 12 different languages. It offers special model where some content is available for free while some content is not. We find that its users are an even mix of men and women. More than half consider themselves to be at the beginner level as there is a decrease in users as their language levels go up. Most people use the app because of personal interest, or because they want to study or live abroad. Female users tend to use it less often but for longer periods of time than male users.
Getting any feedback on Busuu depends on whether your answer is correct or not. While it is helpful, this is not the sort of feedback language teachers prefer, as it does not explain why the answer is right or wrong. In spite of this, feedback in the app is very highly rated.
More than 92% of respondents state that the app has met their expectations and 86% rate the app as very good or good. In fact, more than 80% of the users surveyed strongly agree that using the app has helped them improve their knowledge of the language they are learning.
Besides, language learning apps also create an environment where mistakes are only known to the users, and this can address the performance anxiety that many learners suffer from when asked to speak a foreign language. So language teachers should encourage their students to use them to do the grammar work, leaving precious class time for more language communication.
1.The results of the former research weren’t always dependable because _________.
A. it was only carried out before class
B. it didn’t consider users in class
C. it just focused on positive results
D. it used out-of-date methods
2.What can we learn about the app Busuu from the text?
A. All the contents are free to use.
B. Most users consider it satisfying.
C. It’s used by more advanced learners.
D. It’s more popular with female learners.
3.Which of the following can probably replace the underlined word “address”?
A. deal with B. write down
C. turn to D. speak of
4.What is the main idea of the text?
A. Students won’t suffer anxiety in learning languages by using Busuu.
B. Language learning apps are effective and satisfactory to language learners.
C. Language learning apps are very popular with most language teachers.
D. Students should be required to use apps for homework after class.
On average, primary school children in England have at least three sugary snacks a day, Public Health England (PHE) found. This means that the sugar they consume is three times more than the recommended maximum.
Children between the ages of 4 and 10 consume 51.2% of sugar from unhealthy snacks. PHE has launched a campaign, Change4Life, to encourage parents to look for healthier snacks of no more than 100 calories, and to limit them to two a day. The campaign advises parents to give their children a maximum of two snacks a day, with each containing no more than 100 calories. The campaign will also offer parents special suggestions on a range of healthier snacks—ones with 100 calories or fewer—at selected supermarkets, PHE said.
PHE said it had also improved its app so that it could mark the content of sugar, salt and fat in food and drinks. Dr Alison Tedstone told the BBC she hoped the campaign would help parents to choose healthier snacks for their children. “If you wander through a supermarket, you can see much more goods being sold as snacks than ever before,” she said, “It’s a common phenomenon that kids’ lunchboxes are full of snacks, leading to a lot of calories for lunch. Our research shows that parents usually appreciate a rule of thumb (经验法则). However, they are surprised to know how much sugar their children are consuming in snacks now.”
Justine Roberts, founder of Mumsnet, said, “The intake (摄入量) of sugar that kids are getting from snacks and sugary drinks alone is pretty astonishing, and it can often be difficult to distinguish which snacks are healthy and which are not. The rule of thumb from Change4Life can help parents make their decision correctly and wisely. ”
1.In terms of snacks, the Change4Life recommends that children have at most ________.
A. one snack a day B. three snacks a day
C. 100 calories a day D. 200 calories a day
2.What can PHE’s improved app help parents do?
A. Test the calories of snacks.
B. Choose delicious snacks.
C. Know the exact content in snacks.
D. Save much money buying snacks.
3.Which of the following can be inferred from Justine Roberts’ words?
A. Most parents’ former experience about snacks is practical.
B. It is easy to tell healthy snacks and unhealthy snacks apart.
C. Children only take in lots of sugar from snacks and drinks.
D. Change4Life is meaningful for parents’ decisions on snacks.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A. Solve the Health Problems of Children
B. Change the Eating Habits of Children
C. Limit Children’s Intake of Calories
D. Ensure Children’s Healthy Lifestyle
1. TrueCar.com
Top dealers compete for your business by offering lower prices. TrueCar spends a lot of money and resources on making sure the entire car renting experience is simple and straightforward. If you’re in the market for a new car, give this site a try first.
TrueCar’s network checks many of the prices in your area and gets you the best price for the car you’re looking for.
2. Carvoy.com
It offers more control by allowing you to “build your car” and select your rental plan. The “build your car” option is one of the better options for those looking to add on features to their car. If you’re looking for cars with options like a sunroof or navigation (导航), it’s Carvoy that makes it very easy to get started with the process.
3. CarsDirect.com
They have a large collection of new and used cars, and also provide resources for car comparisons. In the business for many years, they are one of the first online car outlets. They have a staff that can usually help you if you give them a call. Their phone support is very good and they are mostly located in the United States.
4. CarRent.com
It delivers your rental car to the door, which is actually a huge selling point. Many people don’t like to go to a dealership or even drive somewhere to pick up a car. Imagine renting a car and having it delivered right to your doorstep, no driving necessary!
5. CostcoAuto.com
It offers member-only savings, many car selections and an easy sign-up process. The deals through Costco are great and unique. Many times they have deals with General Motors cars like Chevrolet. There are a lot of deals to be done, but the one thing that Costco does not do is negotiate the price.
1.What’s the selling point of TrueCar.com?
A. Its most reasonable prices for cars.
B. The diversity of its used cars.
C. Its delivery service to your door.
D. The special offers to its members.
2.What is the special service that Carvoy.com provides?
A. You can have other functions added to your car.
B. You can rent a car more easily than elsewhere.
C. You can design the whole car by yourself.
D. You can have better operation over your car.
3.If you are a good bargainer, it’s wise to avoid dealing with _______.
A. CarsDirect.com B. Carvoy.com
C. CarRent.com D. CostcoAuto.com
假定你是李华，你校英语文学社最近在招纳新人，你打算加入。请你用英语写一封自荐信，主要内容包括：
1.自身优势；
2.平时英语学习情况介绍；
3.加入文学社后的打算。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Sir,
I’m writing to you about joining the English literature club. __________________________________________
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Yours,
Li Hua
