As I was leaving the gym last week, I greeted a friend who was coming in. He responded without looking up from his phone. I stood there for a few awkward seconds, hoping for eye contact. He finally looked up briefly, apologetically, before returning to the screen. I walked on, feeling shaken.
It turns out I was phubbed, which is a term for snubbing(冷落)someone in favor of a phone. And research has found that phubbing does have negative (消极的)impacts on personal relationships, reducing the quality of communication and level of satisfaction.
Recently I've noticed that it's impossible to go out with friends and have their attention for the whole time, There're always phones on the table, and they're constantly being checked. When the slightest pause in conversation arises, or if someone gets up from the table briefly, people seize their phones to check in with the rest of the world to see what else is going On.
It used to be that going out together was confidence-boosting solid reassurance(安慰)that another person enjoyed your company, otherwise they wouldn't accept but not now. Now, you're constantly attracting attention，competing with a portable supercomputer. When someone is looking at their phone, you're never sure if they actually want to be with you.
The modern-day equivalent of this is scrolling(滚屏)and texting. Although I didn't realize it at the time, I was trying for connection with the friend, who was attracted by it refusing to put away his phone and made me feel awful.
I don't want to be that person. I don't want my actions to make anyone feel the way I did that day. So from now on I'm going to make a point of not letting digital distractions damage the relationships I hold so dear. It's not worth it. Nothing on that screen is ever more important than the person standing right in front of me.
1.Why does the author describe his greeting with a friend in the gym last week?
A.To introduce what phubbing is. B.To show the misuse of phones.
C.To draw the readers' attention. D.To voice his opinion about phubbing.
2.What is the third paragraph mainly about?
A.Phones are bad for communication. B.Phones are used widely in the world.
C.Phubbing is making people suffer. D.Phubbing is a common phenomenon.
3.What will happen when you're snubbing someone according to the author?
A.People will enjoy your company. B.You will lose the trust of others.
C.You will damage others' confidence. D.People will feel truly connected.
4.What does the word "it" underlined in paragraph 5 refer to?
A.Being companied. B.Scrolling and texting.
C.The table. D.The phone.
Four Citizen-science Projects
Climate change is difficult to handle. but this doesn't mean people are just sitting on the sidelines waiting for the unavoidable. Everyone can join in fighting climate change. Scistarter and Zooniverse are two websites that list citizen-science projects in which you can take part. Here are some of them:
·MeadoWatch
This project, out of the University of Washington, is looking at how climate change is affecting wildflowers on Mount Rainier. Volunteers collect data along hiking tracks about when wildflowers bud. flower, fruit and produce seeds. The project is also collecting photos of wildflowers from across Mount Rainier National Park.
·Great Backyard Bird Count
For four days every February, volunteers around the world count birds in 15 minutes. These observations can be made anywhere, including your own backyard. The counts provide scientists snapshots of data on where birds are found and how many there are. Since the count has been going on for over 20 years, researchers can now answer questions about how these patterns may be changing with time.
·Water Monitoring in Minnesota
Residents(居民)of Minnesota can sign up to be a volunteer water monitor for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Volunteers are arranged to a lake or stream. Twice a month during the summer, they take measurements of water clarity. Those data let the government see whether water clarity has been changing over time as well as assess the health of those waterways.
·Redmap
Gretta Peel is a marine(海的)ecologist in Australia at the University of Tasmania in Hobart. She studies where marine species(物种)are moving in response to climate change. She set up a program called Redmap. It asks people to report "uncommon" marine species they've seen in Australian waters. "We wanted to have an early indication of what species were moving where they live,” she explains.
1.Which project should be most appealing to people interested in wildflowers?
A.Redmap. B.Meado Watch.
C.Great Backyard Bird Count. D.Water Monitoring in Minnesota.
2.What are you required to do if you take part in Water Monitoring in Minnesota?
A.Educate local people on bird behavior.
B.Explore causes of your local climate problems.
C.Collect relevant data and even report them.
D.Protect the local water from pollution.
3.What is the similarity among the four projects?
A.They are started by famous universities.
B.They aim to raise environmental awareness.
C.They are mainly open to environmentalists
D.They focus on fighting climate change.
假定你是李华，来自美国的文化交流团将来你所在的社区参观，你负责接待工作。请你用英语写一份欢迎辞，向他们介绍你们的社区生活。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：社区 community
Dear guests，
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阅读下列短文并回答问题。
Have you had a headache during a test? Have you ever been so worried about something that you have a headache or even can't sleep at night? If so, then you know what stress is. Stress is what you feel when you are worried about something. This worry in your mind can make your body feel bad. You may feel angry, sad, scared, or afraid — all these can give you a stomachache or a headache.
However, there are different kinds of stress. Some kinds of stress are good and others are bad. Good stress might happen when you're called to answer questions in class or when you have to give a speech. This kind of stress can help you to get things better done. For example, you may do a better job on your test if the stress pushes you to prepare better before the test.
On the other hand, bad stress can happen if the stress lasts too long. You may not feel well if your parents are fighting, if a family member is sick, if you're having problems at school, or if anything else makes you unhappy every day. That kind of stress isn't going to help you. And it can actually make you sick.
The best way to fight the stress is to have a balanced life. Make sure you keep yourself in mind: sleep, exercise, leisure (休闲), and food. If you get enough sleep and eat properly, and if you exercise and leave time for fun, you'll probably feel less stressed.
1.What is stress according to the text? (No more than 15 words.)
2.Why are some kinds of stress good? (No more than 15 words.)
3.What’s the main idea of paragraph 3? (No more than 10 words.)
4.List four things that can keep you away from stress according to the text? (No more than 8 words.)
5.How do you solve it when you are very stressed? (No more than 15 words.)
Earlier this month, 6-year-old Isaac went on vacation to Fort Walton, Florida, with his family. While there, his mother Garrett learned about LuLu, a restaurant that offers food to customers with food allergies (过敏症).
At LuLu, Isaac could eat a salad and roast chicken with rice. ''Isaac looked at me as if he was asking me, 'Is this OK? ''' Garrett said. Once his mom gave the OK, Isaac enjoyed for the first time the experience of ordering and eating at a restaurant. ''That look on his face seemed to show that this was the coolest thing he had ever done. '' Garrett said.
Garrett and her family hardly go out to restaurants because of Isaac's food allergies. When they go out, she cooks something for Isaac at home before they leave and brings it with her to the restaurant. ''It's not fun and it feels unfair.'' Isaac said.
Their night at LuLu marked a celebration for Isaac. Isaac felt terribly fulfilled because of eating at the restaurant. Garrett shared the moment on the restaurant's Facebook page to thank them for helping her son. ''Thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving him this experience.'' she wrote in her post.
Barnett, the restaurant's manager said, ''When customers tell the staff that someone in their group has a food allergy, I help with the order by passing it to the kitchen, ensuring it's cooked in a separate station and offering the finished food to the guests. We have been improving this process over the last 10 years since our allergy program was started.''
On Garrett’s Facebook post, LuLu thanked Garrett for sharing her story. ''Thank you for sharing your experience with us. '' the restaurant wrote in a comment. ''We are excited to see your son so happy!''
Garrett is hoping her post's popularity will make other restaurants, especially the places near her family's home about 30 minutes away from Mashville, provide such a service. ''LuLu offers quality services to the guests with food allergies. Nothing would make us happier than that.'' She said.
1.Why do Garrett and her family hardly eat out at restaurants?
A.Because they are on a low income.
B.Because Garrett likes cooking herself.
C.Because Isaac easily suffers from food allergies.
D.Because they consider the food in restaurants unhealthy.
2.What does Garrett usually do when her family go to eat at a restaurant?
A.She leaves her son alone at home.
B.She orders some special food for her son.
C.She lets her son choose his favorite dishes.
D.She prepares some food for her son ahead of time.
3.What does the underlined word ''fulfilled'' in Paragraph 4 most probably mean?
A.Satisfied. B.Disappointed.
C.Moved. D.Embarrassed.
4.What will Barnett do when guests with allergies come to dinner?
A.He will help them order food.
B.He will offer services to them first.
C.He will provide private room for them.
D.He will introduce their allergy program.
5.What moved Garrett deeply?
A.LuLu's response to her post.
B.Her son's experience at LuLu.
C.LuLu's concern for the guests with allergies.
D.More restaurants' following in LuLu's steps.
A year ago, we bought our son a bike for his birthday. In this way he could stay more active. Plus, we didn't have to push a tricycle around the neighborhood.
I thought he even wanted to sleep with his bike. He got on, rode, and had a huge smile on his face. When we went out for a walk, he would ask me politely if he could ride his bike. I said yes. Then he would play for a long time and didn’t want to go home. He rode in every season: winter, spring, summer and fall.
This year, we had him join in a program called SprocKids started by our local mountain bike club. As you can imagine, my little mountain biker showed great interest in it. On the first night, he tried riding over the obstacles (障碍物), which made me worried and frightened. One obstacle was even taller than me, but he persisted.
Later, one day, he found an old bike in the storeroom. It was mine. He called me out and said, ''Mommy, will you go biking with me? '' I was surprised because I hadn’t biked since high school, but I decided to cycle with him.
I was highly rewarded for my efforts. On the one hand, I took part in an activity with my child. And I didn't have to do all the work by pushing or carrying him. It was an activity he loved and he told me about every path and every move excitedly. On the other hand, we developed a closer bond (关系).
In my opinion, it's very important for kids to stay active. And parents' encouragement is very important for them to stay active. But words of encouragement are not enough. It's better if parents can do a physical activity together with their kids.
1.Getting a bike for his birthday, the author's son ________.
A.loved it very much
B.wanted a better gift
C.just rode it for fun at times
D.spent much time learning to ride it
2.What does the underlined part in Paragraph 3 mean?
A.He never gave up.
B.He hardly succeeded.
C.He changed his mind.
D.He became frightened.
3.What do we learn about the author ?
A.She wasn't active in high school.
B.She hasn't ridden her bike for many years.
C.She bought a new bike to cycle with her son.
D.She once dreamed of becoming a mountain biker.
4.What does the author probably think of cycling with her son?
A.It takes her too much time.
B.It completely changes her.
C.It greatly benefits her.
D.It is very tiring.
5.What does the writer intend to tell us through this passage?
A.Kids love to spend time outdoors.
B.Encouragement is very important to kids.
C.Children should be encouraged to ride a bike.
D.Parents should do physical activities with their kids.
