On average, Americans spend about 10 hours a day in front of a computer or other electronic devices and less than 30 minutes a day outdoors. That is a claim made by David Strayer, a professor of psychology at the University of Utah. In his 2017 TED Talk , Strayer explained that all this time spent with technology is making our brains tired.
Using an electronic device to answer emails, listen to the news and look at Facebook puts a lot of pressure on the front of the brain, which, Strayer explains, is important for critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making.
So it is important to give the brain a rest. And being in nature, Strayer claims , helps get a tired brain away from too much technology. More than 15,000 campers from around the world attended an international camping festival in September. That is when friends and family take time off and escape to nature for several days. They take walks, climb, explore, swim, sleep, eat and play. Camping may be just what a tired brain needs.
Take Carl for example. He lives in West Virginia and enjoys camping. He says that staying outdoors makes him feel at ease. It also prepares him for the work he must do. Kate Somers is another example who also lives in West Virginia. She says she enjoys camping with her husband and two children. She calls it a “regenerative” experience.
At the University of Utah, David Strayer has studied both short-term and long-term exposure to nature. He found that spending short amounts of time in nature without technology does calm the brain and helps it to remember better. However, he found it is the long-term contact with nature that does the most good. He and his research team found spending three days in nature without any technology is enough time for the brain to fully relax and reset itself.
1.What is David Strayer’s opinion?
A. Americans dislike outdoor activities.
B. Electronic equipment should be quitted.
C. New technologies are a double-edged sword.
D. Electronic equipment brings great convenience.
2.Why does Strayer insist we go outdoors?
A. To refresh our brain B. To try another lifestyle
C. To make better decisions. D. To play with our family and friends
3.What does the underlined word “regenerative” mean?
A. Exhausting B. Ridiculous
C. Relevant. D. Reborn
4.Which is the proper title for the passage?
A. How to Use New Technologies. B. Good Rest Develops Good Memory.
C. Being in Nature Is Good for the Brain. D. Electronic Equipment Harms the Brain.
A study showed that the experiences children have in their first few years are important . These experiences affect the development of the brain. When children receive more attention, they often have higher IQs. Babies receive information when they see, hear and feel things, which makes connections between different parts of the brain. There are a hundred trillion (万亿) connections in the brain of a three-year-old child.
Researcher Judit Gervain tested how good newborns are at distinguishing different sound patterns. Her researchers produced images of the brains of babies as they heard different sound patterns. For example, one order was mu-ba-ba. This is the pattern “A-B-B". Another order was mu-ba-ge. This is the pattern “A-B-C”. The images showed that the part of the brain responsible for speech was more active during the “A-B-B” pattern. This shows that babies can tell the difference between different patterns. They also were sensitive to where it occurred in the order.
Gervain is excited by these findings because the order of sounds is the building block of words and grammar. “Position is key to language," she says. “If something is at the beginning or at the end, it makes a big difference: ‘John caught the bear.’ is very different from ‘The bear caught John.’ ”
Researchers led by scientist Patricia Kuhl have found that language delivered by televisions, audio books,the Internet, or smartphones－no matter how educational－doesn’t appear to be enough for children’s brain development. They carried out a study of nine-month-old American babies. They expected the first group who’d watched videos in Chinese to show the same kind of learning as the second group who were brought face-to-face with the same sounds. Instead they found a huge difference. The babies in the second group were able to distinguish between similar Chinese sounds as well as native listeners. But the other babies －regardless of whether they had watched the video or listened to the audio－learned nothing.
1.What makes connections in a baby’s brain?
A. Having a higher IQ. B. The connection with other babies.
C. The baby’s early age. D. Experiencing new information.
2.What did Judit Gervain and her team find in the experiment?
A. Word order is relevant to meaning. B. Babies identify different sound patterns.
C. A certain brain region processes language. D. Babies can well understand different words.
3.What does the underlined sentence mean in Paragraph 3?
A. Words have different sounds.
B. Grammar is important in learning languages
C. Different orders have different meanings.
D. Different languages have different grammar.
4.What is the main conclusion from the study led by Patricia Kuhl?
A. Babies shouldn’t watch a lot of television.
B. Social communication improves babies’ brain development.
C. Listening to different languages helps to develop babies’ brain
D. Foreign languages are beneficial to babies’ brain development
Judy Wright and her husband decided to move closer to their son, Chris, who lived in Georgia. About a month after the move, Judy fell ill, suffering from her ongoing (不间断的) battle against Parkinson disease.
Her condition worsened rapidly and she required medical care at home. The family hired a nursing aid who canceled at the last minute. Instead, a woman named TunDe Hector showed up in her place.
One day, TunDe shared a story with Judy and her family. She remembered a particularly difficult day in 2014, when a stranger had helped her with a kind gesture. She had run out of gas, and with only $5 in her pocket, was walking to a gas station. A man saw her walking and turned his car around. He paid for her gas and gave her all the cash left in his wallet. Upon hearing the story, Judy’s son, Chris, took off his hat and said ,“That was me!” He was the stranger that had helped TunDe on that difficult day.
During the care of Judy, the Wright family learned about TunDe’s family and her own dream. The nursing aid, TunDe hoped that one day she could become an OB-GYN nurse. Her tuition was past due (逾期) and she had a family to care for, but she was determined to achieve that goal for herself and her family.
Judy died on July 9,2017. Instead of flowers, her family asked mourners (悼念者) to donate to TunDe’s education, to assist her in paying for her nursing school. In less than a week, they raised more than $8,000 and presented her with the surprise check.
1.Why did Judy’s family choose TunDe in the end?
A. To help her with a kind gesture. B. To look after Judy in the hospital.
C. To replace another nursing aid. D. To give Judy the best medical care.
2.How might Chris feel when hearing TunDe’s story?
A. Thrilled B. Shocked
C. Puzzled D. Delighted
3.How did the Wright family help TunDe after Judy’s death?
A. They paid for her education. B. They helped care for her family.
C. They bought her a surprise present. D. They helped her realize her dream.
4.What does the whole story mainly tell us ?
A. Kindness comes full circle. B. Constant dropping wears stone.
C. The truth never fears investigation. D. Actions speak louder than words.
Hiking is a great way to get active and reduce stress while you are exploring the city. Visit our page to find some of the best free walking tours across New York City.
Greenbelt on the Go
Tuesday, August 14, 2018 10:00a.m.---11:30a.m.
Join us for relaxing walks through our parks. Enjoy the pretty views of them, as we point out a few of the distinct features that make each park special. The length of each hike will be determined by the pace of the group. Considering the environment, your foods are not allowed. Registration is required. To register, please email naturecenter@sigreenbelt.org before August 14.
Position: Greenbelt Nature Center in Blood Root Valley, 700 Rockland Avenue at Brielle Avenue Staten Island
Event Organizer: Staten Island Greenbelt Conservancy, Greenbelt Environmental Education Department
Phone Number: (718)351-3450
Contact Email: naturecenter@sigreenbelt.org
Adult Afternoon Hikes
Wednesday, October 10,2018 1:30p.m.---3:00p.m.
Get familiar with the Greenbelt and local parks by hiking with other adults! You’re encouraged to bring small meals and drinks for the break time.
Position: Greenbelt Nature Center in Blood Root Valley, 700 Rockland Avenue at Brielle Avenue Staten Island
Event Organizer: Staten Island Greenbelt Conservancy, Greenbelt Environmental Education Department
Phone Number: (718)351-3450
Contact Email: naturecenter@sigreenbelt.org
The South Pole at Wards Point
Thursday ,November 15,2018 7:00a.m.---7:00p.m.
The three miles of nearby natural shoreline are a sandy beach. Shells, rocks, and stones of every shape and size can be found here. Not to be missed are the park’s other attractions: four galleries, and five historic houses!
Position: Conference House Park Visitor Center in Conference House Park, 298 Satterlee Street ,Staten Island
Event Organizer: Conference House Park
Contact Email: john.kilcullen@parks .nyc.qov
Community Days at Conference House Park
Wednesda, September 19, 2018 12:00p.m.---2:00p.m.
Enjoy new gardens at the Visitor Center. Explore and help repair the three self-designed gardens: vegetable, native plant, and sculpture. Experience kids crafts, adult art programs, Tai Chi, Kung Fu, Peking Opera and more in this lovely setting.
Position: Conference House Park, 298 Satterlee Street, Staten Island
Event Organizer: Conference House Park
Phone Number: (718)227-1463
Contact Email: john.kilcullen@parks .nyc.qov
1.Which walking tour may attract people interested in Chinese culture?
A. Greenbelt on the Go. B. Adult Afternoon Hikes.
C. The South Pole at Wards Point . D. Community Days at Conference House Park.
2.What do we know about Greenbelt on the Go?
A. The length of the hike is settled. B. Visitors need to register in advance.
C. People will visit three distinct parks. D. It takes place in Conference House Park.
3.What do the four walking tours have in common?
A. They all charged no fees. B. They are all open to adults.
C. They’re held by the same organizer. D. They require visitors to bring food.
请认真阅读下面短文，并按照要求用英语写一篇 150 词左右的文章。
The Palace Museum, as known as the Forbidden City, began selling souvenirs and other peripheral ( 周边的 ) products on Alibaba’s Taobao in October 2010. The latest statistics show sales reached 1.5 billion yuan in 2017, said Shan Jixiang, the Former museum curator (馆长). Meanwhile, the number of cultural and creative products available for sale at the Palace Museum increased from 195 in 2013 to 9,170 in 2016. “The income from the cultural and creative industries made it possible for the Palace Museum to hold 62,000 educational activities in 2018, bringing more visitors to our museum,” Shan added. | The Number of Visitors (million per year)
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（写作内容）
1. 用约 30 个单词概括图表及文字的内容；
2. 用约120个单词发表你的观点，内容包括：
（1）故宫推出文化创作产品的意义（不少于两点
（2）你想为故宫文化创作推出一款什么样的产品（上图仅供参考）并作简要说明。
（写作要求）
1.表明个人观点，同时提供理由或论据；
2.阐述观点或提供论据时，不得直接引用原文中的句子；
3.文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称；
4.不必写标题。
（评分标准） 内容完整，语言规范，语篇连贯，词数适合
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请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的 单词。注意：请将答案谢在答题纸上相应题号的横线上，每个空格只填一个单词。
On the surface, one would be hard-pressed to find many similarities between German chancellor Angela Merkel, Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina, and Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf --- except for the fact that they are all female leaders of nations. Merkel, for example, spent more than a decade as a chemist before going into politics, while Hasina, the daughter of Bangladesh ’s first president, served as her father’s political assistant while at college, and Johnson Sirleaf worked at multiple financial institution s before running for vice president. Is there something deeper than they share?
The researcher Susan R. Madsen of Utah Valley University interviewed women in some countries about their paths to leadership. She was surprised by the similarities among the women when they spoke about how they became leaders. “Every single one of them talked about finding their voices and their confidence at dinner-table conversations with their families. Their parents talked about politics, about what was happening in the community, and when the women had something to say, their parents didn't stop them,” Madsen said.
As part of a series of interviews on women and leadership, I spoke to three women from different countries who have each become leaders in their respective fields: Agnes lgoye of Uganda, who works with her government to counter human trafficking; Ikram Ben Said, the founder of Tunisian women’s rights organization Aswat Nissa; and Sairee Chahal of India, who started a digital platform that helps women get back into the workforce.
All three of my interviewees pointed to the family environment they had been raised in --- particularly a father figure who taught and empowered the women in the family to learn, ask questions, and form their own opinions. Also, mothers broke convention by displaying leadership within the family.
Igoye, for example, credited her father with having the foresight to send his daughters to school despite opposition from others in their village. Her mother went back to school as an adult to improve her career as a teacher, which lgoye described as being a big influence on her. Similarly Ben Said talked about how her father encouraged political debate among the family when she was growing up, even when her opinions contradicted his. Meanwhile, Chahal said that even in her younger days, her parents went against the general convention of expecting their daughters to aim only for a good husband.
Another conclusion from Madsen's work is that women's leadership development doesn't look like men's. “Men tend to follow a more straight path to becoming a leader. Women's paths are much emergent. They tend to not necessarily look ahead and think, ‘I want to be on top.’ Women would point to a number of experiences--- motherhood, or working with a non-profit, or sitting on a board, as shaping their path to becoming leaders,” she said.
Actually, women leaders tend to be held to higher standards than their male counterparts. lgoye has felt this in Uganda. “Women who take up leadership positions in my country have to be tough, it's not easy at all,” she said. “You are always aware that you are representing all women. You have to work extra hard to deliver, to perform, because if you do something wrong, they will say, ‘Ah, you see, women!’ ”
Therefore, merely having women leaders can change the opportunities available for generations of women in a country. What leadership looks like in their country, how much of a voice the women leaders are having, influences what leadership is and what it means to its women.
What do women leaders have in common?
Introduction | These female leaders come from different cultural and political backgrounds, but do they share any 1. ? |
Findings of Madsen’s research | In their early years, these female leaders were enabled to express themselves 2. and develop their confidence at dinner table. They got more chances to be 3. to politics. ⚫ Different from men, their previous experiences help them work their way to the 4. of their career ladder. |
Findings of the author’s research | All these female leaders 5. their success to their family environment. ◇Unlike other children in her village, Igoye received 6. with her sisters. ◇Ben Said was encouraged to debate among the family even when her opinions went 7. her father’s. ◇Despite the general convention of 8. well, Chahal was brought up otherwise. ⚫ Women leaders have to work 9. than men
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Conclusion | Female leadership 10. a lot to a nation and its women as well. |
