Last year I came across a polar bear face to face. That day, we travelled for six hours there to watch the largest land predator in the world-the polar bear.
The bus suddenly came to a _______ and the engine wouldn't start. Then in the distance appeared a polar bear. _______ by nature, it was walking towards us. My pulse quickened. I could hear my heart _______ in my ears.
He came closer and his long nose moved back and forth, checking out the _______ on the bus door. He walked around the bus, then, without _______, jumped up suddenly on his legs and put his front feet _______ the bus, his sharp paws _______ on the white metal door repeatedly. With his head only four feet from the open windows, he looked up at the faces which stared _______ at him.
To get a good position to take a _______, I climbed up the outside metal balcony (平台)on the bus. The bear had moved towards my end of the bus, but his ____________ was under the balcony, leaving most of its back part outside.
Suddenly, I heard a loud noise from under my feet. I looked down. In a hurry, I had not ____________ the floor of the balcony was a see-through metal grid(网). The polar bear was ____________me. His wet nose almost touched my feet. He looked up at me with his brown eyes, ____________ he wanted to say something. ____________ , I was aware the fact that I was in this bear's territory.
I waited in the freezing Arctic wind, watching him walk away slowly. Just before disappearing behind the snowdrift, he ____________ and looked back at me for one final goodbye. And then I got a perfect photograph.
1.A.use B.life C.stop D.power
2.A.Patient B.Nervous C.Friendly D.Curious
3.A.flying B.beating C.burning D.struggling
4.A.smells B.tastes C.paints D.colors
5.A.effort B.shame C.warning D.doubt
6.A.beyond B.against C.behind D.beside
7.A.drawing B.resting C.focusing D.clicking
8.A.back B.forwards C.away D.around
9.A.research B.picture C.break D.walk
10.A.tail B.paw C.nose D.head
11.A.admitted B.noticed C.explained D.minded
12.A.attracting B.saving C.striking D.smelling
13.A.in case B.if only C.even if D.as if
14.A.Naturally B.Hopefully C.Carefully D.Strangely
15.A.swam B.welcomed C.paused D.shouted
The Dangers of Binge-Watching
The common use of Tik Tok and many other streaming services has created a new problem in today's society: binge-watching. This allows teens to spend huge amounts of time watching shows without a break. Some teens even spend the entire weekend glued to the screens. 1. When it becomes a regular habit, however, binge-watching can really create some problems.
If teens regularly head for their devices for binge-watching , they are more likely to experience loneliness and depression. It makes sense. Lonely or depressed teens will turn to mindless bing-watching to get their attention off those negative feelings. However, it doesn't really fix anything. It is a temporary band-aid that covers the real problem. 2.
The shows teens watch tend to directly affect their minds. Therefore, negative shows, or those with negative portrayals(描绘)of the world around them, can increase feelings of negativity and depression.3.Too many shows are filled with model-thin individuals who are still complaining that they don't look good in their clothes. This can lead a young girl to worry about her physical appearance.
Some teens don't have the self-control to their binge-watching habits on their own. 4. Parents need to be aware of how much time their teens are spending on their devices. Setting limits on screen-time can be easy to accomplish with a good parental control software.
Having regular conversations with your teens about this behavior is critical. Encourage them to tell you why they are binge-watching, what they're watching, and how they're feeling to help them develop healthier viewing habits. 5. By doing so parents have set a clear line that displays when binge-watching has to stop.
A.Worse still, it can merely cause the sense of loneliness to build up.
B.Sure, the occasional binge-watching doesn't sound too bad.
C.For this reason, what parents can do with the situation is critical.
D.They spend more time with screens than with their peers or parents.
E.Parents can also help schedule other activities to fill up the day.
F.Even body image can be linked to the shows that teens watch.
G.Instead, they can simply sit there, staring at the screen and no more effort is needed.
Amy Zhang, aged 21 , knows her parents have been pushing her to get her driver's license. Yet the college senior has no intention of getting it. A driver's license always struck her as a symbol that she was growing up. “I want to have independence and be an adult. But I didn't want to leave my childhood behind. ” she says. Contrary to the popular belief in the 1980s that a driver's license was a marker of independence, Zhang's viewpoint is increasingly common. When it comes to becoming an adult, more American adolescents now say “Don't rush me".
Many educators and parents view this slowdown with concern. They see a generation of young people growing up ill-prepared for life. Teachers say more students seem unable to function without their parents. And parents realize their 20-year-old hardly know how to do the laundry, and seems uninterested in driving anywhere.
But other researchers argue that the change in youth behavior reflects a reasonable adaptation to a culture and society changed from former generations. Instead of simply growing up more slowly, they are redefining what it means to transform into an adult. It is natural that people would start to grow up “slower".
Some researchers have noticed something more fundamental—a change in the definition of adulthood itself. For many young people today, becoming an adult has less to do with external markers—the house, the marriage, the job—than with how they feel internally. It's the acceptance of oneself, making independent decisions, and financial independence. Kelly Williams says in her best-selling book, “These individual actions add up to a generation that is different. ”
Members of this age group today tend to make decisions about work, education, parenthood with care, and when they are ready. They are more politically active, engage in more volunteer work and more connected globally than former generations. Indeed, many of the decisions young people make today are less about adulthood than about the world they are inheriting.
1.What can be concluded from Amy Zhang's case?
A.More American adolescents lack a broader vision.
B.American adolescents seem in no hurry to be an adult.
C.More young people don't accept American car culture.
D.American parents are too strict with their children.
2.What challenge are the young Americans facing according to Para 2?
A.Failing to express their concerns timely.
B.Losing curiosity about the world.
C.Lacking essential daily skills.
D.Being tired of traditional education.
3.What's the new marker of adulthood in some researchers' view?
A.How a person feels inside. B.A happy marriage.
C.A successful and highly-paid job. D.How much property they own.
4.What's the best title for the passage?
A.Where the new generation is to go? B.How Americans interpret adulthood?
C.What helps youth be independent? D.Why adolescents say “Don't rush me"?
People have got faster at typing text messages on their phones. But how fast are we at using a smart phone compared to typing words on a traditional keyboard? A team of researchers carried out an experiment.
The researchers used an Internet-based system to test the typing speed of over 37,000 volunteers on their smart phones. The volunteers spent about six hours a day using their phones. Most of them used two thumbs to type. Both Android and iPhone users were tested. They were given 15 English sentences to type out on their phones as quickly and accurately as possible.
The research team found that people wrote about 36 words per minute. It is slower than the average rate for people using a computer keyboard. In a 2018 University of Cambridge study, the average speed for computer typists was 52 words per minute. Noting the narrowing of speed rates between smart phones and computers, the team said we have become slower at typing on keyboards over the years. 75 percent of those taking part in the study had typing speeds below 44 words per minute. But the fastest phone typists reached speeds of 80 words per minute. People using two thumbs typed 38 words per minute. Those using only one finger 29 words per minute.
According to the findings, Anna Feit, a researcher at ETH Zurich, said it makes sense that younger people have higher typing speeds because they spend a lot more time on their devices. It was found that a phone's automatic correct tool can be helpful. Users were able to type faster with it. “The given understanding is that techniques like word completion help people”, Feit said. “But we found the time spent thinking about the word suggestions often outweighs the time spent typing the letters, making you slower.”
The difference between typing on a smart phone and a keyboard is called “the typing gap". They say this gap will further narrow in future as people get less skilled with keyboards and as smart methods for typing on devices continue to improve.
1.What is the purpose of the experiment?
A.To prove typing on keyboards is the fastest way.
B.To track over 37,000 volunteers' typing habits.
C.To promote people's typing speed on smart phones.
D.To find out how faster people type on their phones.
2.Which of the following groups type the fastest according to the passage?
A.People using two thumbs in the research.
B.Those using only one finger in the research.
C.75 percent of the volunteers in the study.
D.Computer typists in the 2018 Cambridge study.
3.What can we know according to Anna Feit?
A.Automatic correct tool isn't useful. B.Word completion can't help much.
C.The aged need word suggestions. D.Typing won't be needed on phones
4.What does the author predict about “the typing gap"?
A.It will become smaller and smaller.
B.It will be replaced by word completion.
C.It will make people less skilled at typing.
D.It will slow the development of smart phones.
When my husband and I moved back to the United States years ago, we had been living an adventurous life on a boat overseas. We moved to Maine and fell in love with a piece of land. It came with a huge farmhouse much larger than we needed. We went rapidly from living in an extremely small space on the water with only two bags to a life on land as a family of four in a big house jammed with stuff.
How did we end up with so much stuff? We just didn't see things piling up so quickly. It's an embarrassment of riches. It's an overabundance. And it's burying us.
A couple of weeks ago, going through a pile of books I’d organized, I found my late mother's now-twenty-year-old copy of “Simplify Your Life" by Elaine St. James. I’d read it a number of times, adding my own penciled notes and folding down more pages.
Wondering if St. James wrote other books on the topic, I began an Internet search that led me deeper and deeper into simplicity, and a concept that was new to me, zero waste. I sensed that what was missing from our life, from our home, was emptiness. My house can't breathe, it's no wonder I feel like I can't either.
Now, my husband and I have undertaken an experiment that we hope will lead to a major lifestyle shift for our whole family. I first started to declutter and downsize by cleaning my kitchen. I emptied out my cupboards and drawers. I put everything needed on our dining-room table. Everything else went into a huge bin for sale. My drawers are beautiful now and I’m content to take this step.
Like any new beginning, there are hesitations. But in a few months, we will move into a new house less than half the size of the one we have. Can my two kids adjust to the idea of reducing their two separate rooms to one small shared bedroom with just a few toys? I can see I'm still thinking about what I will lose. But what I hope becomes clearer is what we will gain by letting go.
1.How did the author feel about the life back to the United States?
A.She enjoyed the new spacious house.
B.She loved the abundance of materials.
C.She complained about owning too much.
D.She desired a much richer life.
2.Why did the author mention Elaine St. James and her book?
A.To show what a great influence James had on her.
B.To advise more people to read James's book.
C.To indicate how her late mother liked reading.
D.To explain why a simple life counts to everyone.
3.What does the underlined word “declutter" mean in Para 5?
A.recover B.remove
C.prepare D.escape
4.What is the author doing according to the last paragraph?
A.Persuading her kids to live simply.
B.Reflecting her hesitations about letting go.
C.Questioning her sudden change on life.
D.Missing her life on the boat.
Harvard Summer Programs for High School Students
Are you a high school student aged 15 to 18? Then consider spending your summer at Harvard, where you can explore a variety of college-level courses, live and learn alongside a diverse set of peers, thus paving the way for a successful college experience you desire before your real college life. It is also an opportunity to expand your worldview, meet new people from all over the globe, and gain valuable knowledge and skills.
Pre-College Program
A two-week experience featuring noncredit courses
Join other curious high school students on campus at Harvard, and explore topics as wide ranging as American law, philosophy, public speaking, the sciences, and writing. The program features:
★On-campus housing with fellow pre-college students.
★Structured days with weekday class meetings and pre-college activities.
During your two weeks at Harvard, you attend class for three hours a day and participate in college readiness workshops or team-building events. In the evenings, you eat in the dining hall, finish homework in your room, and attend social activities.
Secondary School Program
College courses for credit in a seven-week session
This is your test-drive of college. At Harvard, you are fully involved in college life— balancing time between classes, homework, and after-school activities.
The program features：
★College courses you attend alongside current college students from around the world.
★Credit you can transfer to a college in the future.
★The choice to live on campus, commute, or study online.
★The freedom to schedule your days.
You may choose to enroll in one or two courses. Outside the classroom, you can attend workshops, take trips to nearby colleges, and join in activities like sports and musical pursuits. A healthy balance of organized events and free time allows you the independence you will find in college.
1.What will the Summer Programs help the participants to do?
A.Adapt to the college life in advance. B.Become a would-be college student.
C.Get an admission to Harvard. D.Change high school courses.
2.What does the Pre-College Program allow the participants to do?
A.Organize events as assistant teachers.
B.Study together with current college students.
C.Get credit needed for college courses.
D.Live on campus with other pre-college students.
3.What feature does the Secondary School Program have?
A.Some job opportunities are offered.
B.Students can take courses in a flexible way.
C.It provides chances to explore the world.
D.Specially-designed tests are included.
