Reasons you should make time for the sunset
Here's why you should consider making time to watch the sunset.
1. It can slow down time.
Seriously. By witnessing the beauty of the sunset, you can slow down your perception (感知)of time. 1. Amazingly, by taking the time to look at the vast sky, we're actually empowering ourselves to regain control of the clock.
2. It can provide energy for you.
Even if you have to go back to the office after you watch that last sliver disappear below the skyline, taking a few minutes out of your day to experience some of the golden hour will be worth it. 2.Often when we feel exhausted we reach for a cup of coffee, but research suggests a better way to get energized (给予能量)is to connect with nature.
3. It will force you to put your phone down.
When we regard the experience of sunsets as special occasions, we feel the urge to document and save them——as if keeping photos of their beauty will help us remember that wonder ful feeling. 3..
4. It will inspire you.
There's a reason sunsets are a timeless and constant inspiration to poets, writers and romantics.
5. 4..
All of us are drawn to sunsets, but people in a few special places really regard the sunset as a daily opportunity to give thanks；5., Crowds gather to cheer and applaud it, reinforcing (加强)the idea that we should celebrate and be thankful for each day.
A. Nature is fuel for the soul.
B. It will help you appreciate life's gifts.
C. Do you draw inspiration from the sunset?
D. It will allow you to exercise in a healthy way.
E. Do you feel like there aren't enough hours in the day?
F. But if you experience the sunset more regularly, you'll no longer see it through a screen.
G. In places like Santorini, Greece, and Maui, Hawaii, the sunset is regarded as a nightly celebration.
I read a newspaper article about a new concept. The idea is simple, but revolutionary: combining a residential home for the elderly with a nursery school in the same building. The children and the residents (住户) eat lunch together and share activities such as music, painting and gardening. In the afternoons, the residents enjoy reading stories to the children and, if a child is feeling sad or tired, there is always a kind lap to sit on and a hug.
Nowadays there is less and less contact between the old and the young. There are many reasons for this, including the breakdown of the extended family, working parents with no time to care for aging relations, and smaller flats with no room for grandparents. But the result is the same: increasing numbers of children without grandparents and old people who have no contact with children. It’s a major problem in many societies.
That’s why inter-generation (代际的) programs are growing in popularity all over the world. There are examples of successful actions. Using young people to teach IT skills to older people is one obvious example. Using old people as volunteer assistants in schools is another. One successful scheme in London pairs young volunteers with old people who are losing their sight. The young people help with practical things such as writing letters, reading bank statements and helping with shopping, and the older people can pass on their knowledge and experience to their young visitors. For example, a retired judge may be paired with a teenager who wants to study law.
But it isn’t only the individuals concerned who gain from inter-generational activities. The advantages to society are huge too. If older people can understand and accept the youth of today, there will be less conflict in a community. And we can use the strengths of one generation to help another. Then perhaps getting old won’t be so sad after all.
1.Why does the author mention the newspaper article he read?
A. To argue for a new concept. B. To introduce the topic of the text.
C. To show his interest in the topic. D. To draw our attention to a social problem.
2.What is the purpose of the inter-generational programs?
A. To ask the old to care for the young.
B. To teach the young to respect the old.
C. To bring the old and the young together.
D. To provide a good job opportunity for the young.
3.What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?
A. The examples of inter-generational activities.
B. The inter-generational programs all over the world.
C. The inter-generational programs’ benefits to individuals.
D. The reasons why inter-generational programs enjoy popularity.
4.What may be the best title for the text?
A. Being old is no more sad.
B. Offer a warm home for the young.
C. A new concept in caring for the old is born.
D. Build bridges between the old and the young.
Parents in the U.S. are claiming the popular children’s TV show Peppa Pig has caused their kids to start speaking in a British accent. The cartoon follows the life of a pig, Peppa, and her family as they go about their day-to-day life in a fictional U. K. town made up of various animal families.
And now parents of children who love the show are noticing that Peppa’s southern British accent and vocabulary seem to be rubbing off on those watching the show. One parent wrote online: “My 4-year baby girl loves watching Peppa Pig and I have noticed her accent and grammar is extraordinary. I’d like to thank Peppa Pig for the slight yet adorable British accent my toddler (幼儿) is acquiring.” added by another parent. A third parent wrote: “The most entertaining aspect of my life right now is that my toddler now speaks with a British accent.”
Writer Janet Manley called it the “Peppa effect”. Janet revealed that immediately after her daughter’s first time watching the show two years ago, she started calling her “mummy”. Her daughter also began snorting at the end of her sentences, just like the cartoon pig. And the “Peppa effect” isn’t anything new. Parents have been discussing about it for a number of years. Since the show first aired, there have been a total of 241 episodes created as the show surged in popularity.
1.What’s the background of the cartoon?
A. A made-up U.K. town. B. A traditional U.K. town.
C. An ancient U.K. town. D. A fictional U.K. city.
2.What’s the most obvious influence of Peppa Pig on kids according to some parents?
A. Dressing preference. B. Diet preference.
C. Emotions. D. Accent.
3.What’s the attitude of parents toward the show?
A. Critical. B. Doubtful.
C. Positive. D. Indifference.
4.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Peppa Pig is a popular U. S. cartoon.
B. Peppa Pig is popular with children of all ages.
C. Children who love the show are influenced in every aspect of their life.
D. Parents have been concerned with the ‘Peppa effect’ for a long time.
Tiredness, coughing, a runny nose and a sore throat—among all sicknesses there is probably none more common than the flu (流感), which we all get now and then. However, bird flu is a completely different story.
In 2003, the H5N1 bird flu swept across 15 countries, including China, with sufferers reporting chest pain, difficulty breathing, fever and severe coughing. More than 600 people were infected, and about 60 percent died. Now, another type of bird flu hit Shanghai and three neighboring provinces, and this time the virus is called H7N9. By the afternoon of April 11, the new virus had taken nine lives out of 35 infected, according to Xinhua News Agency.
The “H” and “N” in the virus’ name refer to two kinds of proteins (蛋白质) on the surface of the virus. Any change of the numbers of the two proteins indicates a new mutation(变异). Most of the mutations only affect birds, such as chickens and pigeons, and don’t normally spread to humans. But once they do, the results can be disastrous.
“Any time an animal influenza virus crosses to humans, it is a cause for concern, ” Malik Peiris, virologist (病毒学家) at the University of Hong Kong, told Nature magazine. Take the SARS epidemic (传染病) in 2003 as an example. The virus behind the disease is thought to have jumped to humans from animals. The virus was a complete “stranger” to human bodies, which hadn’t developed an immunity (免疫力) against it.
But there is something more about the new H7N9 bird flu. Unlike the H5N1 bird flu, which causes severe sickness in birds, the H7N9 has been evolving under the radar(悄悄地) since it travels between birds without causing noticeable illness. That makes it difficult to keep track of the disease.
The good news is that there’s so far no sign that the virus is spreading from person to person. But since there is no vaccine (疫苗) for the disease yet, the World Health Organization recommends that you wash your hands after meeting with sick people and before and after you eat or prepare food, and they also suggest avoiding contact with birds or their eggs.
1.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?
A. The H5N1 bird flu turned out to have something to do with the SARS epidemic.
B. More than 600 people across the world died from the H5N1 bird flu in 2003.
C. Most of the mutations of the proteins in the bird flu virus are harmful to both birds and humans.
D. The name, H7N9 bird flu, shows that there have been new mutations of the proteins in the virus.
2.With the example of the SARS epidemic in Paragraph 5, the author intends to .
A. introduce where the SARS virus came from
B. inform us of the harmful effects of the SARS epidemic ten years ago
C. show the horrible effects an animal influenza virus can have once it spreads to humans
D. compare the differences between the SARS epidemic and the H7N9 bird flu
3.What makes the H7N9 bird flu more frightening than the H5N1 bird flu according to the text?
A. It can cause severe sickness in birds.
B. It can spread from person to person.
C. It affects a greater number of birds.
D. It doesn’t sicken birds and thus can spread unnoticed.
4.What are people advised to do to protect themselves against the H7N9 bird flu?
a. To get vaccinated for the disease. b. To keep away from birds and their eggs.
c. To stop eating chickens and ducks. d. To avoid meeting with sick people.
e. To wash hands thoroughly and regularly.
A. a, b B. c, d C. b, e D. a, e
Anyone wanting to throw away their mobile phone can do it in style（时尚地）and may even win a medal－at the Mobile Phone Throwing World Championship.
Originally a local event in a small town close to the Russian border，the fifteenth annual contest drew many throwers from as far as Canada，Russia and Belgium.
Founder Christine Lund describes the event as a good source of light exercise with an environmentally-friendly activity. “There are a lot of mobile phones on the second-hand market，and we are recycling them（before they become poisonous waste），”she said.
The inventive Finns had already given the world the Sauna World Championships and the Wife Carrying Competition before coming up with a new way to make mobile phones even more mobile.
This year’s gold medal went to Finland’s Lassi Etelatalo，who threw a waste Nokia unit a forceful 89.00 meters. “I prepared by javelin（标枪）throwing，I haven’t really practiced throwing mobile phones，”Etelatalo said.
Lund says competitors all have their favorite throwing brand. “People choose by size，by color or by how it fits in the hand……Some believe a heavy model will ensure a long throw，some want a light one.”
1.According to the passage，we can infer that _______.
A.the contest originated in Russia
B.the contest it held every four years
C.the contest started from the year 2000
D.this year’s gold medal was gotten by Finland’s Lassi Etelatalo
2.Which of the following mentioned in the passage is NOT the basis to choose the throwing mobile phones？
A.The material of the mobile phones.
B.The color of the mobile phones.
C.The size of the mobile phones.
D.The weight of the mobile phones.
3.The contest was founded because _______.
A.there are too many second-hand mobile phones
B.the contest is good for people’s health and environment
C.Finns are inventive
D.the mobile phone throwing activity is popular with a lot of people
假设你是李华，你的美国老师Miss Morgan要求你们明天下午去听一个美国历史的讲座。你因故不能参加。请你根据以下要点，写一封短信向Miss Morgan请假。
内容要点: 1. 表示歉意； 2. 理由:去机场接从法国回来的舅舅；
3. 询问:是否有录音，以便补听讲座。
注意:1. 词数:100词左右；
2. 可根据内容要点适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Miss Morgan，
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
