We all know that water is tasteless. But it happens from time to time: you pick up the bottle of water you didn’t finish yesterday, and it tastes strange. Most often, you tend to drop the bottle in the trash bin, believing that the water has gone bad. But is it true?
According to Time, of course not, taste has little to do with quality of water.
According to Time, when water is exposed to the air for 12 hours, carbon dioxide interacts with the H2O in the water, and the pH value lowers slightly. As a result, the water has a different taste.
“But it’s most likely safe to drink,” Norwegian expert Truls Krogh told Science Nordic. “If the water is covered and of good quality to start with, in principle it can last a thousand years. That’s because when water is fresh, it contains little organic matter. As long as water is held in clean glasses or bottles, no pollutants will enter it to harm our health.”
People in countries like the US, the UK and Australia usually drink tap water. According to Time, if tap water is drunk within six months, the chlorine (氯气) in the water will be enough to kill any bacteria and keep it safe to drink.
However, there are also some exceptions. If you accidentally put your fingers into water or store water in unclean containers day after day, microorganism (微生物) will enter the water.
With the help of surrounding temperature, and sunlight streaming through windows, these microorganisms multiply quickly. Sooner or later, the water will be in the charge of the unfriendly bacteria. And if you drink the water too often, then you’re more likely to be ill.
And what about water in plastic bottles? Heat and plastic are a bad combination, US researcher Kellogg Schwab stresses. When plastic bottles are used at high temperatures, they produce a chemical called BPA. BPA is something that affects hormones (荷尔蒙) and research has tentatively linked it to “several health damage, including heart disease and cancer”, Time reported.
Schwab suggests replacing disposable (一次性的) plastic bottles with the refillable containers made of metal or glass to deal with BPA.
1.The purpose of the first paragraph is to ________________.
A. show an example B. draw a conclusion
C. analyze a phenomenon D. introduce a topic
2.Which of the following may Truls Krogh agree?
A. If the water tastes different, we shouldn’t drink it.
B. The water held in a clean container is likely safe to drink.
C. Although kept fresh, water may still have much organic matter.
D. Covered water can last for a thousand years.
3.What can we infer from the passage?
A. BPA does little harm to our health.
B. Tap water is always safe to drink.
C. Microorganisms are easy to produce in the heat.
D. Disposable plastic bottles have been banned already.
4.What can be the best title of the passage?
A. Why Water is Tasteless B. How to Get Clean Water
C. Does Water Really Go Bad? D. Learn to Protect Water
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.
Must-read Books that Are Hitting the Big Screen This Year
The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman
Starring: Jessica Chastain and Johan Heldenbergh
Release Date: July 31, 2017
This true story is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. Ackerman artfully retells the story of Jan and Zabinski and how they used their zoo to save over three hundred people from the Nazis. After their zoo was bombed, they managed to hide people in animal cages, giving animal names to their guests and human names to their animals. This is one story we truly hope lives up to the hope on film.
The Lost City of Z by David Grann
Starring: Sienna Miller and Robert Pattinson
Release Date: August 14,2017
Looking for adventure? This story is just what you need. The book(and film) tells the tale of British explorer Percy Fawcett and how he ventured into the Amazon jungle in 1925, never to return. It's an enchanting mystery that we can’t wait to see play out on screen.
The Dinner by Herman Koch
Starring: Richard Gere and Rebecca Hall
Release Date: October 5,2017
We always say we'd do absolutely anything for our kids, right? The story begins with two couples politely, eating dinner together, avoiding a conversation about their children who have committed a horrific act. As the story goes on, you'll see just how far these parents will go to protect the ones they love.
The Circle by Dave Eggers
Starring: Emma Watson and Patton Oswalt
Release Date: November 28,2017
A young woman, Mae, is hired to work for a powerful Internet company and Feels like she's hit the job jackpot. The facility is very advanced, lively, and a bit wild. Mae's story begins as one of ambition but soon tums into a heart-racing story of suspense.
1.Why did Jan and Zabinski put people in animal cages?
A.To offer them living places B.To treat them as animals
C.To avoid being bombed D.To hide from the Nazis
2.Who plays the role of a modern white-collar woman?
A.Emma Watson B.Rebecca Hall
C.Sienna Miller D.Jessica Chastain
3.When can you go to see the film if you enjoy adventure stories?
A.In July B.In August
C.In October D.In November
4.Which of the following is related to parents' raising kids?
A.The Zookeeper's Wife B.The Lost City of Z
C.The Dinner D.The Circle
请认真阅读下列材料和图表，并按照要求用英语写一篇150词左右的文章。
Campus security has recently attracted wide public attention. In order to ensure the safety of teachers and students, our school prohibits strangers, students’ parents included, from entering the campus at will. This rule has aroused a strong response from parents. For this reason, our school has recently conducted a public opinion survey among students on whether parents should enter campus. The results of the survey are as follows.
（写作内容）
1.用约30个单词概括阅读材料的主要内容；
2.用约120个单词简要描述图中的信息(包括人数比率、观点及原因)；并就“家长该不该进校园”谈谈你的看法和理由。
（写作要求）
1.可以参照阅读材料的内容，但不得直接引用原文中的句子；
2.不必写标题；
3.作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。
（评分标准）
概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，语篇连贯。
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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。
Anxiety is a typical human reaction to stress. But too much anxiety can get in the way of living a healthy, happy life. If you feel caught up in your anxiety, try one or a few of the following exercises anytime and anywhere to find relief.
When you’re feeling anxious, you might notice that your heart rate and breathing get a bit faster. First, you should sit in a quiet and comfortable place. Put one of your hands on your chest and the other on your stomach.
Then take a slow and regular breath in through your nose. Watch and sense your hands as you breathe in. The hand on your chest should remain still while the hand on your stomach will move slightly. Breathe out through your mouth slowly. Repeat this process at least 10 times or until you begin to feel relaxed.
If it doesn’t work, try think of your ideal place that you find very calming, happy, peaceful, and safe. Think about how the place would smell, feel, and sound. Envision yourself in that place, enjoying it comfortably.
Once you have a good picture of your “happy place,” close your eyes and take slow and regular breaths through your nose and out of your mouth. Be aware of your breathing and continue focusing on the place you’ve imagined in your mind until you feel your anxiety lifting.
But it can be hard to think clearly when you feel anxious. Sometimes anxious thinking can make us believe harmful thoughts that are untrue or make us do things that make our anxiety worse. Here’s how to avoid so: ask yourself whether endless worry is a problem for you. If the answer is yes, it’s good to be aware of that. Then try different ways such as singing a silly song, , listening to music, reading a book or the like.
Counting is also a simple way to ease your anxiety. When you feel anxiety washing over you, close your eyes and slowly count to 10. If necessary, repeat and count to 20 or an even higher number. Keep counting until you feel ease.
Sometimes this relief occurs quickly, but other times it might take a while. Stay calm and patient. It’s a great tool to use in a crowded or busy space where you can’t do other anxiety exercises.
Choose an anxiety exercise and try it until you’re feeling relaxed. If one exercise doesn’t work, try a different one. But anxiety exercises may not work for those with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). If you have GAD, consult your doctor for more effective treatment options.
Anxiety exercises to help you relax | |
Introduction | Too much anxiety can 1. with your healthy and happy life. One or a few of the exercises can help you relieve yourself anytime and anywhere. |
Relax by 2. | Controlling your breath can help address your body’s stress 3., like increased heart rate and rapid breathing. *Find a quiet and comfortable place, and breathe in slowly and regularly through your nose, with one hand on your chest remaining still and the other on your stomach 4. slightly |
Relax by visualizing | Paint a mental picture of a place that makes your relaxed and happy. *Find an ideal place to relax and imagine enjoying yourself while thinking of the 5.. *Take slow and regular breaths through your nose and out of your mouth, with your eyes closed and your attention 6. on the happy place. |
Relax by interrupting your anxious thinking | Anxiety thinking can result in a bad 7.. It’s helpful to break it. *Identify the problem and try different ways like singing a silly song, , listening to music, reading a book and so on. |
Relax by 8. | When other anxiety exercises might be challenging to 9. out, counting may work. *Keep counting slowly until you find your anxiety decreasing. |
Conclusion | Choose one anxiety exercises and keep trying until you feel 10. anxious. However, it makes sense for those with GAD to consult doctors. |
The outstanding biography — from the same author who brought us Steve Jobs and Einstein —portrays the life of the complicated Renaissance (文艺复兴时期的) artist with details. We come to see da Vinci as not only an inventor of musical instruments and early flying machines, but also a notebook keeper and vegetarian (素食者), who had trouble finishing many of the projects and paintings he started.
Yet what is most thrilling is getting to know da Vinci the scientist. Isaacson explains how loving science and applying the scientific method to observing the world was really what made da Vinci a great artist and, Isaacson argues, a genius.
Da Vinci was fascinated with observing and understanding phenomena in nature, from the proportions of the human body to how the muscles of the lips moved. He wanted to know about everything around him, in minute detail, Isaacson writes. He wondered about questions “most people over the age of ten no longer puzzle about”— for instance, how the tongue of a woodpecker works.
To learn about the world, da Vinci combined his own observations with experimentation. Never formally schooled, “he preferred to induce from experiments rather than deduce from theoretical principles,” Isaacson explains. He recorded his observations, looked for patterns among them, and then tested those patterns through additional observation and experimentation.
When he became fascinated with the idea that he could invent flying machines, three and a half centuries before the Wright brothers flew the first airplane, he observed various birds and filled notebooks with the function and speed at which their wings flapped. That’s why Isaacson calls da Vinci an exemplar of this scientific method.”He goes on:“Galileo, born 112 years after Leonardo, is usually credited with being the first to develop this kind of approach and is often regarded as the father of modern science,” the historian Fritjof Capra wrote. “There can be no doubt that this honor would have been bestowed (赐予) on Leonardo da Vinci had he published his scientific writings during his lifetime, or had his notebooks been widely studied soon after his death.”
Da Vinci’s emphasis on empirical observation also helped him improve his art. First, he was able to use what he learned from looking at nature to paint and draw. His studies of the body, animals, motion, shadow and light, perspective and proportion helped him better understand what he was seeing in front of him, and render it in art more accurately and finely than anyone else of his time. He also used his observations of nature to make connections among phenomena. A recorder (竖笛) was like a larynx (喉管) in the throat. Here’s Isaacson again: What Leonardo probably began as four distinct elements ended up woven together in a way that illustrates a fundamental theme in his art and science: the interconnectedness of nature, the unity of its patterns, and the similarity between the workings of the human body and those of the earth.
Most importantly, his curiosity-driven explorations, and ability to connect art and science, helped him innovate in his work. They helped him think differently, Isaacson argues. Da Vinci made surprisingly diverse series of discoveries, including conceptualizing the helicopter and solar power and advancing knowledge about everything from the reproductive organs to botany. This genius is also what drew Isaacson to Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs as subjects: They’re all innovators who were inspired by and drew connections between art and science.
“Leonardo da Vinci is the ultimate example of the main theme of my previous biographies: how the ability to make connections across disciplines — arts and sciences, humanities and technology — is a key to innovation, imagination, and genius,” Isaacson writes. And this wonderful book is a reminder, in a time of increasingly narrow specialization and focus, that the methods of Renaissance men like da Vinci are as relevant as ever.
1.What is the highlight of da Vinci’s biography?
A.His unfinished paintings.
B.His preference for vegetables.
C.His spirit of exploring science.
D.His opposition to formal education.
2.What made da Vinci’s thinking different from others?
A.He was used to skipping school.
B.He kept his childhood’s sense of curiosity.
C.He was filled with ambition to become an artist and inventor.
D.He developed a fascination with historical novels.
3.Why does Isaacson mention Galileo in the book?
A.To introduce his important findings.
B.To memorize the father of modern science.
C.To show the prejudice faced by da Vinci during his lifetime.
D.To illustrate the significance of da Vinci’s research method.
4.The underlined word “render” in Paragraph 6 can be replaced by“_____”.
A.express B.mix C.confirm D.associate
5.What does Isaacson think of the methods of Renaissance men?
A.They are too complicated to understand.
B.They focus on the workings of the human body.
C.They are more accurate than modern methods.
D.They still apply to contemporary scientific research.
6.What might be the best title for the passage?
A.How a Genius Changed the World
B.The Features of Renaissance Art
C.How Science Shaped His Art
D.The Comparison between Induction and Deduction
