The Native American tribes (部落) are famed for their impressive totem poles (图腾柱), each of which is carefully carved and painted. Some may tell a tale about a tribe or a family.1.Constructing totem poles falls on the shoulder of skilled workmen. They spend hours selecting the right tree, cutting it down and carving it, and finally painting it with the proper colors before building it outdoors.
2.The people who desire to make one decide on the design they want. Based on their demands, the workman then selects the best tree. Cedar (雪松) trees are the most commonly used to make totem poles. They are tall and have large diameters (直径), but fewer branches than other trees.3.These characteristics combine to make cedar trees ideal for carving into large, wide totem poles. An additional benefit is that they are so durable that some totem poles are still standing more than a century after being carved and raised.
Once the selected tree has been cut down and had its branches removed, it must be carried to the workman’s workshop.4.The planned design is then carved into the tree trunk.
A typical totem pole is designed in three sections: the bottom, middle, and top. Following the completion of the design stage, the workman carves the designs by starting at the bottom.5.Many totem poles have unusual parts such as the wings of birds attached to their tops, so it is the final part to be done. After the carving is finished, the totem pole is painted. Finally, the person who required it raise it during a special ceremony.
A.And they have softwood.
B.Every totem pole begins with a plan.
C.The top section often requires extra labor.
D.They serve many purposes beyond their beauty.
E.Others may describe the deeds of a person or people.
F.Totem poles can be got from the largest online selection at e-Bay.com.
G.The workman and his assistants then remove the bark and smooth the large trunk..
When humans make friends, we often choose companions who share similar characteristics to us or enjoy participating in the same activities that we enjoy. Interestingly, it turns out that dolphins (海豚) may not be so different, according to a study which found that the animals form strong social ties with those who have similar interests. In some ways, this may not be surprising, if we know dolphins live in groups characterized by complex social activities. However, the latest findings are yet another powerful example of the intelligence that these creatures possess.
For the study, an international team of scientists studied a unique group of bottlenose dolphins, who live in the World Heritage area of Shark Bay, Western Australia. They are particularly interesting because the females are known to use sea sponges (海绵动物) as foraging (觅食) tools, a behavior that hasn’t been perceived anywhere else. The behavior known as “sponging,” helps the dolphins to find food in deeper waters and is socially-learned, being passed down from mother to baby.
Previous studies have shown that females in this group who use sea sponges to find food often like to hang out with other females who do the same. However, studies of this behavior in males are lacking, leaving a gap (空白) in our knowledge. To try and address this gap, the researchers collected data on 124 male dolphins in Shark Bay over a 9-year period between 2007 and 2015. Among these dolphins, some had the sponging behavior, while others did not. After analyzing their data, the team came to the conclusion that those males who used sponges for foraging associated significantly more often with other “spongers,” no matter how related they were to their companions. Interestingly, male spongers spent significantly more time foraging and less time resting than non-spongers.
According to the lead author of the study, Manuela Bizzozzero, the findings cast new light on the social ties between male dolphins at Shark Bay.
1.What can we learn form the first paragraph?
A.Dolphins are humans’ best friends.
B.Dolphins make friends like humans.
C.Dolphins can understand humans’ emotions.
D.Dolphins confuse humans with their lifestyles.
2.What does the underlined word “perceived” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A.Influenced. B.Prevented.
C.Observed. D.Accepted.
3.Why does the author mention previous studies in Paragraph 3?
A.To explain the intention of the latest studies.
B.To present their achievements in dolphin research.
C.To stress that dolphins have the socially-learned behavior.
D.To show how female dolphins use sea sponges to find food.
4.What’s the result of the studies on male bottlenose dolphins?
A.Few of them make use of sponges to find food.
B.A large quantity of them mainly feed on sponges.
C.Male spongers rest more often than non-spongers.
D.Male spongers enjoy staying with other spongers.
Amazon is opening its 12th high-tech convenience store Tuesday in New York. The spot will be the first of the chain to allow customers to pay with cash. The move comes with growing resistance against cashless stores, which critics say refuse to serve people who don’t have bank accounts.
At other locations of the store, shoppers enter by scanning the Amazon Go app. That's still the case for customers paying with a credit card, but people paying with cash will have an “entry associate” scan them through the turnstiles (旋转栅门). Once they’re finished, those shoppers will check out with an Amazon Go employee and receive a paper receipt. Cashless customers can still walk out by scanning a phone that has the Amazon Go app at the turnstiles. Customers using the Go app can exit without waiting and get a digitized receipt.
The 1,300-square-foot New York store-the first Amazon Go store on the East Coast-will offer prepared foods, such as sandwiches and salads, It will also have Amazon Meal Kits and locally made options.
Amazon says it will begin accepting cash at its other Go stores “over time.” A number of retailers (零售商) and restaurants, such as Sweetgreen and Dos Toros Taqueria, are facing roadblocks to their cashless recommendations.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy recently signed a law banning cashless stores in that state. Philadelphia also passed a law to prohibit cashless stores earlier this month, and officials in New York City, Washington and San Francisco are considering similar moves. The federal government does not require retailers to accept cash.
“While card-only may be convenient for some businesses, it can actually be discriminatory against poor communities that don’t have as much access to banks or lines of credit,” said New Jersey State Senator Nellie Pou, who sponsored the state’s new law. Not accepting cash could also be bad for business. Americans use it in 30% of all business deals, according to a 2017 report from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.
1.Why is Amazon opening a new store accepting cash?
A.To persuade those critics. B.To obey the local regulations.
C.To improve its retail service. D.To compete with cashless stores.
2.What will shoppers paying with cash do at the new store?
A.Exit in line with a digitized receipt.
B.Walk out by scanning a phone with the Go app.
C.Enter through the turnstiles by scanning a phone
D.Check out with an employee and get a paper receipt.
3.How did some states and cities react to cashless stores?
A.By making laws to stop them.
B.By requiring retailers to run them.
C.By learning from Amazon to improve them.
D.By following the federal government to accept them.
4.What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
A.It s necessary to make cashless stores easily accessible.
B.More banks should be built in poor communities.
C.Card-only payment is convenient for business.
D.Not accepting cash has its disadvantages.
When bicycle-sharing company oBike pulled out of Singapore abruptly last year, it left the city with unattended bicycles everywhere. Myanmar businessman Mike Than Tun Win saw the perfect opportunity to turn trash (垃圾) into treasure. “What if these bicycles could be distributed to poor students in villages so they can cycle to school?” he thought.
Mr Than, 33, grew up in Mandalay, where he used to walk to school as a student. While traveling through rural (乡村的) areas in Myanmar over the last few years he saw things had not changed. Long lines of children in rural villages continue to walk 30 minutes to an hour just to get to school. “I thought if we could just reduce the time they take, they could spend more time studying, gain more knowledge and increase their chances of getting out of poverty (贫困),” he said.
With that, he started a movement called Lesswalk with the intention of buying bicycles from bike-sharing firms oBike and ofo-which have stopped operations in Singapore — and shipping them to Yangon. He would renew the bicycles before distributing them to teenagers and families living in rural villages in Myanmar, beginning with villages in Mandalay and Sagaing areas.
Over the last three months, the businessman has bought 10,000 bicycles in Singapore and Malaysia. He paid for 5,000 of the bicycles out of his own pocket, with other sponsors paying for the rest.
Mr Than plans to modify (修改) the bicycles so that they can better suit the needs of the children in villages, most of the time they ride around with their little brothers and sisters. I’m planning to add an extra seat at the back so that they can go to school together,” he said. He also plans to remove the digital locks and give each a new one that works better in villages.
Including the cost of shipping, modification and distribution, Mr Than thinks each bicycle might cost him around US $35 to US $40. “I might have to spend more money, but it is better that these bicycles are going to help some people rather than going to waste,” he said.
1.What's the author’s main purpose of writing the first two paragraphs?
A.To show Myanmar’ s hard rural life.
B.To explain how to turn trash into treasure.
C.To call on more people to follow Mr Than.
D.To state the background of starting Lesswalk.
2.How does Mr Than plan to adapt the bicycles?
A.By painting them in a colorful way.
B.By adding a bright light to each of them.
C.By adding two extra seats to each of them.
D.By changing the digital locks into new ones.
3.What can we infer from Mr Than’s words in the last paragraph?
A.He has a high opinion of himself.
B.He feels regret about what he has done.
C.He is a man with strong social responsibility.
D.He has decided to keep on working with oBike.
4.What's the best title for the text?
A.More unattended bicycles are attracting big attention
B.Bicycle-sharing companies are forced to leave Singapore
C.Rural villages in Myanmar are sponsored out of poverty
D.Businessman donates recycled bicycles to poor students
Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness, by Rick Hanson and Forrest Hanson
Psychologist Rick Hanson believes that resilience (适应力) comes from developing positive inner strength. Resilient (co-authored with his son, Forrest Hanson) explores a dozen of these strengths, from gratitude (感恩) to calm to generosity. Based on Rick Hanson s stories, you get the sense that he has applied these techniques to overcome the wounds of his pas t, and wants to help readers do the same. This book offers not just a series of tips, but also a framework for learning and growth that can be applied to many things we want to improve.
When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, by Daniel Pink
Research shows that we all have peak (巅峰状态的) moments during the day when we are at our best, and Pink warns us to save tasks requiring concentration for those times of the day. Understanding how timing works can save us countless hours of low productivity. Pink s book provides lots of advice on when it s best to do different activities.
The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity, by Nadine Burke Harris
When Dr. Harris set up the Bayview Child Health Center in 2007, she immediately noticed an association between traumatic (痛苦的) experiences and health outcomes in the children she treated. Childhood trauma leads to more physical and mental illness in adulthood. Harris s book combines a huge amount of experience and research into an interesting story about the lasting consequence of childhood trauma — and how we might overcome it.
Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger, by Soraya Chemaly
Anger is an emotion associated with power and strength. But women aren’t always comfortable expressing it, in part because their anger is often misunderstood. Chemaly’s book provides tips for channeling anger in constructive ways, including accepting your anger, developing body confidence, being brave, and owning your power.
1.What do we know about the author Rick Hanson?
A.He is Forrest Hanson’s son. B.He suffered a lot in his past life.
C.His opinion came from research. D.His book focuses on women readers.
2.Whose book can give you advice on how to improve your work efficiency?
A.Daniel Pink’s. B.Rick Hanson’s.
C.Soraya Chemaly’s. D.Nadine Burke Harris’s.
3.Which book can help solve problems caused by painful childhood experiences?
A.When. B.Resilient.
C.The Deepest Well. D.Rage Becomes Her.
单词拼写
1.E________ is a process of gradual change that takes place over many generations, during which species of animals, plants, or insects slowly change some of their physical characteristics.
2.Emile invented a record player that used discs as a________ to tubes, so the modern record player was born.
3.No matter what c________, when the phone rings, everything stops so that the call can be answered.
4.The course has four main c________: business law, finance, computing and management skills.
5.The beautiful island is only a________ by boat.
6.Gravity is a natural p________ (现象).
7.A needle is used for letting liquid out of body parts which had ________ (肿胀) up.
8.Aspirin has the ________ (可能性) to reduce the risk of heart attacks.
9.This medicine has proved ________ (有益的) to mankind, because it has saved millions of people’s lives.
10.The kidney plays a ________ (极其重要的) role in the removal of waste products from the blood.
