The first time I went to a playground in Berlin, I was surprised. All the German parents were huddled together, drinking coffee, not paying attention to their children who were hanging off a wooden dragon 20 feet above a sand pit. Contrary to stereotypes(模式化观念)，most German parents I’ve met are the opposite of strict.1.. Those parents at the park weren’t ignoring their children; they were trusting them. Here are a few surprising things Berlin ’s parents do:
Don't push reading. Berlin ’s kindergartens don’t emphasize academics. In fact, teachers and other parents discouraged me from teaching my children to read.2.. But even in first grade, academics aren’t pushed very hard. Our grade school provides a half-day of instruction interrupted by two outdoor breaks.
3. A note came home from school along with my excited second grader. They were doing a project on fire. Would I let her light candles and perform experiments with. matches? Together we lit candles and burned things, safely. It was brilliant.
Let children go almost everywhere alone. Most grade school kids walk without their parents to school and around their neighborhoods. Some even take the subway alone.4.of course, but they usually focus on traffic.，not abductions(绑架).
Take the kids outside every day. According to a German saying, “There is no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.”The value of outside time is promoted in the schools.5.No matter how cold and grey it gets, and in Berlin it gets pretty cold, parents still bundle their kids up and take them to the park, or send them out on their own.
A.Encourage kids to play with fire
B.Inspire children to go out for leisure
C.German parents are concerned about safety
D.It's also obvious on Berlin ' s numerous playgrounds
E.Kindergarten was a time for play and social learning
F.They place a high value on independence and responsibility
G.I was told it was something special that the kids learn together when they start grade school
Back in 1975, economists planned rising life expectancy (预期寿命) against countries’ wealth, and concluded that wealth itself increases longevity. It seemed self- evident: everything people need to be healthy--from food to medical care- costs money.
But it soon proved that the data didn't always fit that theory. Economic booms didn’t always mean longer lives. In addition, for reasons that weren’t clear, a given gain in gross domestic product (GDP) caused increasingly higher gains in life expectancy over time, as though it was becoming cheaper to add years of life. Moreover, in the 1980s researchers found gains in learning were associated with greater increases in life expectancy than gains in wealth were. Finally, the more educated people in any country tend to live longer than their less educated fellow citizens. But such people also tend to be wealthier, so it has been difficult to make out which factor is increasing lifespan.
Wolfgang Lutz and his colleagues have now done that by collecting average data on GDP per person，lifespan, and years of education from 174 countries, dating from 1970 to 2010. They found that, just as in 1975, wealth associated with longevity. But the association between longevity and years of schooling was closer, with a direct relationship that did not change over time, the way wealth does.
Lutz argues that because schooling happens many years before a person has attained their life expectancy, this association reflects cause: better education drives longer life. It also leads to more wealth, which is why wealth and longevity are also associated. But what is important, says Lutz, is that wealth does not seem to be longevity, as experts thought- in fact, education is driving both of them.
He thinks this is because education permanently improves a person’s cognitive abilities, allowing better planning and self-control throughout the rest of their life. This idea is supported by the fact that people who are more intelligent appear to live longer.
1.Which of the following best describes economists ’conclusion in 1975?
A.Lifespan could be increased by wealth.
B.Economic growth didn’t always mean longer life.
C.Education influenced longevity more than wealth did.
D.A given growth in GDP caused higher gains in longevity.
2.What did Wolfgang Lutz and his colleagues find?
A.Wealth and longevity did not have any association.
B.Longevity and education were more closely associated.
C.Differences in wealth predicted differences in longevity.
D.Relationship between education and longevity changed over time.
3.What part does education play permanently according to Lutz?
A.It enables people to have better planning and self-control.
B.It always leads to a longer but not necessarily richer life.
C.It improves people’s imaginative and innovative abilities.
D.It helps people acquire time-managing and learning habits.
4.Which of the following is the best title for this passage?
A.Wealth influences longevity.
B.Education influences longevity.
C.Wealth has nothing to do with longevity.
D.The relationship between education and wealth.
It often seems that some people possess superhuman eating powers, allowing them to eat an entire pizza while remaining slim. Others only eat a slice but gain five pounds. Now one doctor says there' s evidence that genetics could be behind some of these differences. Regardless of how much you eat, your weight may be out of control.
Vann Bennett, a biochemist at Duke University and his team led a new study and discovered why this happens. They engineered mice to have several common modifications of the gene found in humans. They observed that mice who had mutations of ankyrin-B(锚蛋白B的变异) took more glucose(葡萄糖) into their fat cells, which in turn made more fat. Typically, the cell membrane( 膜) acts as a barrier to prevent glucose from entering these cells ; the change kept the gate open. The change may serve a useful purpose. “ Probably this is not always a bad thing,” Bennett told Newsweek. “It could help people survive hunger in the past. But today we have so much food that it probably is a bad thing.”
Dieters have long been told to watch their calories and exercise more, but this new finding suggests that a common approach doesn't work for everyone. Our metabolism( 新陈代谢) naturally slows with age, making it harder to maintain the weight of our 30-year-old selves when we' re 50. Now add an uncontrollable ankyrin-B gene, and it may seem impossible to stay slim.
The mice in the study gained more weight when on high-fat diets. Despite being studied in mice, the researchers believe further research on this gene could potentially create a field of customized diets and health plans based on genetics. Bennett imagines such assessments being performed at birth one day. For now, disappointed dieters can take comfort with one saying: It's not you, it's your genes.
1.How did a mouse gain weight with mutations of ankyrin-B?
A.The ankyrin-B could make the mouse eat more.
B.The fat cells in the mouse would take more glucose to create more fat.
C.The glucose could function as a barrier to prevent the fat from reducing.
D.The cell membrane in the mouse could open the gate of fat into the mouse.
2.What was the effect of the change in the past in paragraph 2?
A.It could help people to avoid fat food.
B.It could help people to absorb more nutrition.
C.It could help people to get through the starvation.
D.It could help people to enjoy more delicious snacks.
3.Why is it more difficult to stay slim when we are older?
A.Because we all lack exercise. B.Because we have ankyrin-B genes.
C.Because we watch our calories less. D.Because our metabolism weakens.
4.What can be expected from further research?
A.It may help people to maintain the weight.
B.It may provide more comfort for the depressed dieters.
C.It may change many new-born babies’ gene arrangement.
D.It may present human beings with a series of health plans.
Keeping your teenager out of the social media world is impossible. Whether we like it or not, our kids are growing up in a digital era- -and although that creates major opportunities, it also comes with some pretty big risks. We saw this firsthand when we asked a group of tweens and teens to give up their phones and social media for a week; it was as though we’d asked them to part with a limb.
A recent study of more than 10 ,000 six- to twelve-grade girls carried out by a nonprofit organization Ruling Our Experiences found that high school girls spend an average of six hours a day on social media. And the effect of too much logged-on time is clear. The study found kids who spend eight hours or more on technology per day are five times more likely to be sad or depressed. Adding to the pressure is that2 out of 3 high school girls report being asked to send a revealing photo to another person, and most of them report that they do send sexual texts and photos to each other.
Another study, carried out by Common Sense Media, found that girls use social media more than boys and are also more likely to experience negative consequences. Most of the girls investigated admitted that content posted online often makes them worry about their appearance or social status, while just a quarter of the boys said the same. An earlier study from the Pew Research Center’s Internet came to a similar conclusion: A third of 12- to 13-year-old girls who used social media believed their peers were mostly unkind to each other online , while only 9 percent of the boys agreed.
Of course, these differences don' t mean we shouldn’t have concerns about boys and the impact of digital overload or online bulling. In fact, other studies have shown that boys and girls can be equally damaged by social media. The most important thing is for teens to feel safe, online and in the real world alike.
1.What is the second paragraph mainly about?
A.The pressure of the high school girls logging-on.
B.The influence of too much logged-on time on high school girls.
C.Too much time spent on social media for high school girls.
D.The increasing population of the high school girls logging-on.
2.Which of the following can replace the underlined word “revealing” in paragraph 2?
A.Exposed. B.Interesting.
C.Funny. D.Romantic.
3.Why are the girls more likely to experience negative effect online than boys?
A.Because the girls' social status is low.
B.Because the girls are mostly unkind to each other.
C.Because the girls use social media more than boys.
D.Because the girls pay more attention to their appearance.
4.What can be inferred from the passage?
A.Parents should keep teens out of the social media.
B.Parents keep teens feel safe online and in the real life.
C.It is time to worry about your teens and social media.
D.Boys and girls can be equally damaged by social media.
Start a summer company : students
How it works
Through a program called Summer Company, you can get:
* start-up money to kick-off a new summer business
* advice and guide from local business leaders to help get the business up and running
Learning how to run your own student business is one of the best summer jobs you can have. You get to be your own boss while learning what it takes to manage a business. Sales ，marketing, bookkeeping, customer relationship management and networking are just a few of the highly useful skills you’ll develop.
Who is eligible( 具备条件的)
You could be eligible, if you :
* go to high school, college or university
* live in Ontario
* are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
* are between 15-29 years old( if under 18: a parent or guardian must sign the agreement for the applicant)
* are not already running a business
* are not working at another job or going to school for more than 12 hours a week during the program
* are returning to school after the program ends
You cannot apply again if you have received a Summer Company grant in the past.
Award amount
Maximum award: $3 ,000.
Successful Summer Company applicants get: .
* up to $1,500 to help with start-up costs
* up to $1,500 when you successfully complete the program requirements and hours
How to apply
The program for 2020 is open through May 19. Here are the steps to apply:
* Check to see if you’re eligible for the program
* Complete the online application inquiry
* Select your local program provider
* Assign yourself a password
* Submit your application inquiry
1.The following skills can be developed through the program except_____.
A.sales B.marketing
C.relationship D.networking
2.If you want to start a summer company, which of the following conditions is not suitable?
A.You are between 18-29 years old.
B.You are not already running a business.
C.You are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
D.You will attend school for over 12 hours a week during the program.
3.When can you apply for the program?
A.May 18, 2020. B.May 20, 2020.
C.June 18, 2020. . D.June 20, 2020.
假定你是李华，你的美国笔友Ann给你发来了电子邮件，说她在新学校与朋友相处遇到了一些问题。因此向你求助。请你根据以下提示给她回一封e-mail:
1. 表示理解 2. 提出建议 3. 表达祝愿
注：1、字数120字左右，开头和结尾已给不计字数；
2、可以适当增加细节，使行文连贯。
Dear Ann,
I am sorry to hear that ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours truly,
Li Hua
