If you are not reading this on a screen then you hold in your hands one of humanity’s world-changing inventions. Yet that power has not been matched by fame: paper delights in self-modesty, pointing you to the words on its surface and so acting only as a stage for ideas and arguments that have changed history.
Without that stage, the written and printed word would have attracted only a small audience.All the alternatives to paper commonly used throughout our pre-digital history have been too rare, too heavy, too expensive or too inconvenient to deliver words to a wide number of people,let alone a mass readership
Paper has enabled writers to reach unprecedented(前所未有) numbers throughout history.Among them were the Buddhist missionary translators from South and Central Asia who brought their religion to China almost two thousand years ago. The paper age has its outstanding personalities: Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, whose collected works when combined fill more than 200 volumes.
For many of us, it has only been the rise of digital media that has finally opened our eyes to papers striking existence everywhere. Of course, paper has found thousands of roles for itself,writing aside. Your bedside lamp glows through a paper cover and the cups in the office coffee machine are made from paper. It can be as common and practical as a bus ticket or it can be treasured and expensive as the carrier of the worlds best-loved painting.
It is clear that many predictions of paper's extinction have been premature-and greatly overstated. Much of the 400 million tons of paper produced annually is absolutely necessary to our way of life. The bigger question, of course, concerns the one role paper has had that has been transformative for the world. namely as the carrier of written or printed text. Already,it is leaving much of the difficult work of words to digital media, and many of its centuries-old roles have already been largely transferred to the screen. There is also a sense in which paper has itself become a subject, rather than simply a medium. This began to become clear in art several decades ago. as paper became not simply the backdrop (背景) for art but, in a few cases, the stuff of the art itself.
This doesn’t mean that papers uses as a vehicle for words will end, but it does signal a slowing down. More than that, it signals that paper's greatest virtues are no longer good enough.Those virtues enabled unprecedented periods of cultural expansiveness. just as they encouraged knowledge, beliefs and ideas to move further down the socio-cconomic ladder. Yet such transformative qualities are shared by paper's digital opponent(对手), and paper can no longer compete on speed of delivery, scale of information immediately available, or ease of access.
Paper's historic dynamism(活力)has received its first great challenge and, in many aspects,it appears to be losing Nostalgia(怀旧)simply dismisses paper to a museum piece. But there are reasons to think that the dynamism that paper has exhibited over some 20 centuries will not be transferred totally to digital media. There are a few practical reasons. Electric power is always needed for digital media, of course. More importantly, anything online can, potentially, be hacked into. Your own reading choices can be viewed from the other side of the world. Even what you write can be viewed and changed or deleted. But it is the ownership of knowledge that matters most. As Amazon recently reminded a kindle reader who had lost the text of a book he was reading. you do not "own" your books on Kindle, as you own a physical book. You simply have the right to access them.
The digital revolution certainly provides unprecedented access to knowledge. But it is access only. Text that you can hold, shelve and own, due to paper, will always have a magic all its own.
1.Why does paper not have well-deserved fame?
A. Much information is available on a screen.
B. It takes great delight in being modest.
C. Only a small crowd enjoys the benefits of it.
D. It always guides readers to focus more on itself.
2.The underlined part in Paragraph 4 implies that the digital media .
A. ignores the existence of paper
B. promotes the wide use of paper
C. replaces the functions of paper
D. helps us realize the roles of paper
3.One reason why paper won' t come to an end is that .
A. it is being mass-produced
B. it is more than a medium
C. it has a centuries-old role
D. it is a well-known invention
4.What’s the purpose of mentioning the best virtues of paper in Paragraph 6?
A. To show its fast development.
B. To prove its unchanged strength.
C. To indicate its loss of competitiveness.
D. To bring back its past brilliance.
5.What is the biggest problem the digital media face?
A. It depends on electric power.
B. Personal privacy is easy to leak.
C. Users only have the right to use.
D. The joy of reading is hard to feel.
6.What is the best title for the passage?
A. The History of Paper
B. The Power of Paper
C. The Development of Paper
D. The Application of Paper
Alarming headlines suggest one in four teenage girls in the UK are self-harming, motivated by sex discrimination and pressures to look good in a selfie(自拍)society. These stories come from a report by UK charity The Children’s Society, based on an ongoing survey of 11,000 children aged 14. Among the girls, 22 per cent said they had self-harmed while boys 9 per cent.
But while the term self-harm improves images of teenagers cutting themselves, that may,thankfully, be only the most extreme end of a broader range. In this survey, participants were merely asked if they had"hurt themselves on purpose in any way.
Some could have answered yes for things like punching (击拳) a wall in dissatisfaction or deliberately getting falling-down drunk. Others could have thought the question included mental hurt. Such self-destructive behaviour would naturally be of concern to parents. but wouldn’t be that unusual for teenagers. Max Davie, a health promotion officer, does believe that self-harm among teens is somewhat on the rise--but thinks the question in this survey was not specif enough to reveal its real universality.
The latest headlines join an ongoing account about a mental health crisis in today’s youth.Some blame cutbacks in social services, while others point to a loosening of sexual standards teens at risk For those cautious of new technologies, it is social media or the latest popular computer games.
But such reports also deserve some skepticism. Claims of high rates of depression are usually based on surveys with very loose, non-medical criteria. Thankfully, clinical depression is still rare in this age group.
In fact, a different and regularly repeated survey has found no change in 11-to-15-year-old’s happiness with life as a whole between 1995 and 2016, Nor did their satisfaction with the appearance change, which makes it strange to blame the selfie culture for the apparent self-harm increase. This survey, called Understanding Society, even found improvement in happiness with family and schoolwork over that period. These more optimistic findings were also in the latest Children's Society report but were buried at the bottom of their press release.
Davie thinks the rise in self-harm may not be due to a rise in unhappiness, but simply that this age group now sees self-harm as a more culturally acceptable way to express extreme sufferings. "it may be that previously people didn’t know that this was something you could do. If people are talking about something and normalizing it, it's probably more likely that their peers will do it. "
If that is the case, it is all the more reason not to make self-harm seem more common than it really is.
1.In response to the survey reported by The Children’s Society, the author believes .
A. the survey is unscientific as it asked very specific questions
B. the self-destructive behavior for teens is worrying to parents
C. the number of self-harming teens is alarming because of selfies
D. the images of teens' self-harm are becoming more specific
2.What does Max Davie think of self-harm among teenagers?
A. The situation is too worrying.
B. The rise is somewhat beneficial.
C. The problem is actually widespread.
D. The phenomenon is not so universal.
3.What can we know from the survey called Understanding Society?
A. Teenagers in the past lived a happier life.
B. Selfie culture is responsible for the increase of self-harm.
C. There is no connection between self-harm and selfie.
D. With selfie teenagers are more satisfied with their appearance.
4.The last two paragraphs mainly imply that .
A. self-harm results from too much pressure
B. self-harm is the result of social development
C. teens need correct guidance from the outside
D. teens should avoid following peers examples
In Florida. a group of parents known as"the break moms"has been fighting to pass a law guaranteeing the state's elementary-school students at least 20 minutes of daily free play.
In a survey of school-district administrators, roughly a third said their districts had reduced outdoor play in the early 2000s. Disadvantaged kids have been the most likely to be shortchanged (克扣). According to a 2003 study, just 56 percent of children living at or below the poverty line had break, compared with 83 percent of those above the poverty line a similar disparity (差异) existed between black children and their white peers.
The benefits of break might seem obvious-time to run around helps kids stay fit. But a large body of research suggests that it also promotes cognition (认知). Many studies have found that regular exercise improves mental function and academic performance. And an analysis of studies that focused specifically on break found positive associations between physical activity and the ability to concentrate in class.
In one series of experiments. researchers controlled break start times. Some days children were let out at 10 am. and other days at 10: 30. The kids attentiveness decreased when they had to wait longer for break and refreshed themselves after they played. And when fourth-graders in a break-free school were given a weekly break. Another group of researchers found that they had an easier time staying on task and were much less restless. These experimental findings are supported by an analysis of 10,000 questionnaires filled out by third-grade teachers: Even a single 15-minute daily break was connected with more-positive ratings of classroom behavior.
Perhaps most important, break allows children to design their own games. to test their abilities,to role-play and to settle their own conflicts-activities that are key to developing social skills and managing complicated situations. Initial results from an ongoing study in Texas suggest that elementary-school children who are given four 15-minute breaks a day are significantly more sympathetic toward their peers than are kids who don,t get break.
1.What causes "the break moms" to start a fight?
A. Pupils lack of outdoor play. B. Poor school management.
C. Absence of education laws. D. Inequality among students.
2.In one series of experiments,researchers find that .
A. children behave better when let out earlier
B. kids waiting longer are unable to stay focused again
C. third-graders have difficulty in focusing on task
D. fourth-graders are more concentrated without a break
3.What can we infer if we can ensure children a certain amount of daily break?
A. They escape from life conflicts
B. They may strengthen dependence
C. They are more considerate towards others
D. They are eager to manage complicated situations.
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1.Who does the best in combining the authors own life experiences in writing?
A. Gabriela Pereira B. Steven James
C. Jordan rosenfeld D. Chuck Wendig
2.How much may be saved if a student buys one book online to improve his completed work?
A. $11. B. $9.
C. $7.2 D. $4.8
You did it! You survived the passage of time and ______ it to another year. Please enjoy the moment of ____, because before you know it, 2019 will become just as exhausting and weird
____ ,there ARE some fascinating, significant, entertaining and promising things coming down the road that are ____ to be bright spots no matter what 2019 ______. Let's enjoy them together.
Every year, the Cleveland Clinic ______ the most important medical advancements for the coming year, and at the top of list for 2019 is pain ______ therapies(疗法). So, expect more of these breakthrough.
First came love, then ______, and now Prince Harry and princess Meghan are ______ their first baby. WE can look forward to a beautiful ______ to the royal Windsor line sometime in the spring when the ______ date comes.
Also expect 2019 to be the year when 3D printing really, really comes into the ______.We’re talking about 3D bio printing in the ______ field, advanced 3D metal printing and even more accessible 3D printing at home.
Japan will be making history when Emperor Akihito ______ in April. His son, Crown Prince Naruhito, will immediately take up the throne (王位) in May.
If movies are your ______, " Avengers: Endgame" will be one of the most _____ films of the year, and it's _____ to drop in April. But don't forget about Captain Marvel, another hot Disney/Marvel property that will ______ in theatres in March.
Are you ready to have your soul absolutely ______ by some amazing television? The final season of"Game of Thrones" ______ in April, so any GOT fan you know is going to be a wreck(失去健康的人) for a few months.
1.A. made B. managed C. got D. took
2.A. appreciate B. creation C. relaxation D. determination
3.A. However B. Therefore C. Besides D. Otherwise
4.A. adequate B. bound C. desperate D. reluctant
5.A. adopts B. advocate C. brings D. blesses
6.A. releases B. relieves C. reveals D. reserves
7.A. assessment B. judgement C. management D. development
8.A. friendship B. marriage C. admiration D. closeness
9.A. educating B. delivering C. expecting D. raising
10.A. attraction B. attention C. addiction D. addition
11.A. due B. sure C. done D. final
12.A. minimum B. margin C. majority D. mainstream
13.A. magical B. historical C. education D. medical
14.A. stepped down B. took down C. let down D. broke down
15.A. matter B. thing C. issue D. topic
16.A. applied B. attached C. anticipated D. medical
17.A. driven B. adapted C. set D. advised
18.A. launch B. shoot C. land D. film
19.A. reserved B. rocked C. quaked D. honoured
20.A. drops B. approaches C. appeals D. returns
－Should I ask the boss if he's upset at my coming in late in the mornings?
－If he hasn't t said anything about it, just .
A. let sleeping dogs lie. B. strike while the iron is hot.
C. put yourself in her shoes. D. kill two birds with one stone.
