iPads vs Textbooks
What if you could have your whole backpack at the touch of your fingertips? In the first month of the Apple iPads release, 25million were sold! People all over the world use iPads for all sorts of different things, but one of their finest qualities is the ability to be a textbook. 1.
To begin with, iPads are less expensive. Textbooks become outdated and schools have to buy new books, but with an iPad schools can update them for free. 2. Schools don’t have to spend $500 every year for iPads because they last a while and can be updated.
3. Students usually have multiple classes, which results in multiple textbooks. Heavy backpacks filled with books can cause back problem. A solution to that is an iPad, which only weighs 1.33 pounds and can hold all of a student’s textbooks.
Third, schools should get rid of their textbooks and get iPads because they have more capabilities. Some might think all of the apps are distracting, but the apps actually make iPads more efficient. 4. Textbooks cannot do those tasks, but iPads can easily do them with just a tap of the fingertip.
Lastly, iPads are a better choice for schools instead of textbooks because these devices allow students to access their learning anywhere at any time. 5. With iPads, they find it easier to get their homework done.
In conclusion, schools should get rid of their clumsy textbooks and switch to iPads. iPads have allowed this generation to have their entire backpack in the palm of their hands.
A.Second, iPads cost less and are more popular.
B.These tablets are perfect for busy students.
C.Therefore, they can use the saved money for other programs.
D.Moreover, in high school, textbooks have an average of 4.8 pounds each.
E.iPads have already replaced textbooks in over 600 American counties.
F.Schools have every reason to do away with their school books and switch to iPads.
G.iPads absorb the need to buy calculators, dictionaries, and other items that are found within the device.
The different parts of a health-care system have different focuses. A hospital’s stroke unit monitors blood flow in the brain. The cardiac (心脏的) unit is interested in that same flow, but through and from the heart. The data is effective in its own field, but for the most part has little relevance to other bits of the body and conditions.
Apart from all this, the instruments that doctors use to monitor health are often expensive, as is the training required to operate them. That combined cost is too high for the medical system to scan regularly, for early signs of illness.
A research project called AlzEye, run from Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, may change this. It is attempting to use the eye as a window through which to detect signals about the health of other organs. The doctors in charge of it, Siegfried Wagner and Pearse Keane, are linking Moorfields’ database of eye scans, which offer a detailed picture of the health of the retina (视网膜), with information about other aspects of its patients’ health collected from other hospitals around England.
The data set includes every one of the 300,000 patients who visited Moorfields between 2008 and 2018 and was over the age of 40. The idea is to examine changes to people’s eyes within that ten-year period, and link these with, say, the appearance of Alzheimer’s disease in the same patient.
Drs Wagner and Keane are searching for patterns in the eye that betray the appearance of disease elsewhere in the body, and are focusing first on Alzheimer’s disease. They will seek such patterns with the help of algorithms (程序) that can spot far tinier variations. They may, it should be remembered, never find such patterns. Although there is evidence that the back of the eye does change as its owner develops Alzheimer’s, it may be that the changes are too small to be detected reliably enough for diagnosis (诊断). If such patterns could be recognized reliably, though, the potential impact would be huge. Even in rich countries, between 50% and 80% of Alzheimer’s cases go undiagnosed. Moreover, even if the technique does not work for Alzheimer’s, it might work for something else. Dr Wagner and Dr Keane therefore plan further searches for patterns related to strokes and heart disease. Even one relevant pattern would contain a remarkable diagnostic leap forward.
If it does work, the technique the two researchers are recommending will be cheap to carry out. An indication of how cheap is the project’s total budget of just £15,000. Also, the equipment and algorithms to perform an eye scan are available to anyone, through cloud-computing services like Google and Amazon.
1.What is the disadvantage of the traditional way to monitor health?
A.Doctors are only interested in their own fields.
B.It can’t find early signs of illness effectively.
C.It can’t offer all-around health information.
D.Hospitals can’t afford the equipment and training.
2.Drs Wagner and Keane use eye scans to _______.
A.decide whether the patients’ retinas are healthy
B.compare Moorfields’ database with other hospitals’
C.find the connections between eye changes and disease
D.explore the use of algorithms in detecting Alzheimer’s
3.The underlined word “betray” in Paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to _______.
A.change B.show
C.cause D.prevent
4.What do we learn about the AlzEye project?
A.It examines the lifelong changes to 300,000 patients’ eyes.
B.It can correctly diagnose Alzheimer’s cases by scanning eyes.
C.It may be applied in finding other diseases besides Alzheimer’s.
D.It provides cloud-computing services with Google and Amazon.
Small talk—the likes of “What do you have there? Popcorn?” or “The weather today is beautiful, isn’t it?”—is meaningless and a waste of time, according to some people. But scientists believe that it is actually more useful than it may appear to be.
One example comes when you are on a train or a plane. The thought of talking to the stranger sitting beside you can be scary, because you know the conversation is sure to be awkward. But a study by the University of Chicago in the US found that people who chat to strangers enjoy a better ride than those who sit in silence or occupy themselves with their phones.
In the study, researchers asked people at Chicago train stations to start conversations with fellow travelers. Most of them refused to do so at first because they expected not to get a friendly answer. But the result turned out to be just the opposite—most strangers were not only willing to be talked to, but also pleasant to talk to.
“Human beings are social animals,” Nicholas Epley, one of the lead researchers, told Live Science. “Other people are people, too. And it turns out that they’d like to get to know you.”
Apart from making you happier, small talk with strangers can also help you feel connected to your surroundings. Previous studies found that when people are frequently smiled at, made eye contact with and spoken to at coffee shops, they tend to have a stronger sense of belonging instead of feeling like they are being ignored and left out.
And if you are already comfortable enough to make small talk with strangers, you should try to develop it into something “bigger”.
A 2010 study proved that having a deep and meaningful conversation gives you even more happiness than small talk. Participants in the study—79 college students—reported after the four-day experiment that they were much happier when they had a third as much small talk and twice as many in-depth conversations.
But deep conversations can start with small talk, can’t they? So the first step is to start talking, no matter how casual the topic is. And who knows, maybe an opening line as simple as “I like your hat” could lead to a serious conversation in which you learn something new from a stranger.
1.Why are most people willing to have a talk during a trip, according to Nicholas Epley?
A.Most people are nice to strangers.
B.People are naturally curious about others.
C.People are afraid of loneliness or boredom.
D.People try to show their good side to strangers.
2.Which of the following is a benefit of small talk?
A.Wasting less time.
B.Developing useful contacts.
C.Disconnecting from phones for a while.
D.Feeling like being a part of your surroundings.
3.According to the 2010 study, in what way can people get more happiness from talking with strangers?
A.Starting with serious topics. B.Starting with casual topics.
C.Making it important and deep. D.Choosing pleasant surroundings.
4.What is the author’s attitude toward small talk?
A.Supportive. B.Negative.
C.Doubtful. D.Objective.
Open water swimming
I had only swum in open water a few times, and always in gentle lakes, so I wasn’t prepared for how rough Lake Windermere appeared on a cold day. A swimmer told me the water felt colder than it had been measured, and that the water was a bit rough. But I, along with 10,000 others, was about to complete the challenge.
Most of the people taking part were doing a one-mile race, and 10 races were planned over the weekend. There seemed to be a mix of open-water enthusiasts alongside complete beginners—which is precisely the aim of the swims, to get as many people as possible completing their own challenge. The oldest woman competing was 77, taking part in the two-mile race, alongside a man who last year had swum in every one-mile race.
I had chosen the third one-mile race of the day. There were over 600 people in my race. We were taken through an acclimatization area, a children’s paddling pool-sized part of the lake where we moved in to feel how cold the water was. “Not too bad” was everyone’s thought! Then we headed out towards the middle of the lake.
We’d been warned that the first 100 metres would be really rough. However, somewhere near the 750m mark I was still waiting for the calm; it felt more like swimming in the sea than a lake. I tried to focus on my breathing and technique, and just keep going. As I approached the 400m-to-go mark my lower right leg became painful. I recalled overhearing people talking about how they kept swimming through the pain, so I tried. But it didn’t work. I began to feel the entire leg tight and painful. I didn’t want to stop, so I bent my right knee and just kicked with the left leg.
Finally I saw the finishing post, and I just concentrated on getting there—still one-legged. My finishing time was 38 minutes 25 seconds but that didn’t matter—the atmosphere was fantastic and everyone felt a sense of achievement, whatever their time. I’m hooked, and want to give it another go. I’ve already signed up for my next open-water swim.
1.How did the author feel before the race?
A.Scared of the most challenging race.
B.Disappointed by the difficult conditions.
C.Concerned about the other swimmers in the race.
D.Determined to be as tough as the people around her.
2.Why does the author mention the two people in Paragraph 2?
A.To stress the importance of the race.
B.To praise the experienced swimmers.
C.To show the wide range of the participants.
D.To introduce the various events of the race.
3.The author suggests in Paragraph 4 that ______.
A.the race would cause breathing problems
B.the race became harder than she had expected
C.it was really necessary to prepare for tough swims
D.it would have been easier if she had taken others’ advice
4.What does the author talk about in the last paragraph?
A.Her confidence in her own ability.
B.Her pride in having swum so quickly.
C.Her eagerness to repeat the experience.
D.Her surprise at having managed to finish.
Monster Zoo
Monster Zoo is one of the largest zoos in the world, covering more than 15 km squares. It is home to more than 50 species of rare and native animals. The zoo is located 70 km from the city New South Australia.
Monster zoo was founded in 1983 as a breeding area (繁殖区). Officially open to the public in October 1993, Monster Zoo is now home to more than 500 animals.
Opening Hours
Monster zoo is open daily from 9: 30 am to 5: 00 pm with last entry at 3: 00 pm. The zoo is open every day of the year, including Christmas Day and all public holidays. The exception to this is if the forecast temperature for Monster Zoo is 40 degrees or above, it will be closed.
To get the most out of your visit we recommend setting aside a minimum of four to five hours to fully enjoy the Monster zoo.
Tickets
Child (4-14 years old) : AU $ 28. 50
Adult (15 years old and over) : AU $ 51. 75
Family / Mini Group: AU $ 132. 75
Meet the Keeper
Monster zoo offers various daily zoo keeper talks and animal feeds that give guests the chance to interact (互动) with our friendly workers and learn about the zoo’s unique residents.
Looking for a more unique animal experience? Consider booking a Behind the Scenes Animal Experience to come face to face with some of our special animal residents.
Café
Ketabi Café is open from 9: 30 am to 5: 00 pm daily and offers a variety of tasty treats, small snacks and hot meals.
Picnics
For those who prefer to bring their own meals, special picnic areas are available close to the Visitor Center. Please note that due to fire risk, the zoo does not allow for the use of BBQs.
1.What can we learn about the zoo from the text?
A.It is the largest zoo in the world.
B.It is open daily all year except Christmas Day.
C.It is open to the public ten years after it was founded.
D.It is home to more than 500 species of animals.
2.If three young men aged 12, 14 and 19 visit the zoo, how much will they pay?
A.AU $ 155. 25. B.AU $ 108. 75.
C.AU $ 85.25. D.AU $ 132. 75.
3.Where does this text most probably come from?
A.A health newspaper. B.An animal book.
C.A travel website. D.A fashion magazine.
阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。
In 1971, China’s first subway line in Beijing was formally put into operation. By December 2017, there were 171 subway lines stretching over 5,083 km in 35 cities on the Chinese mainland. Currently, China has the longest urban railway network in the world, which is predicted to surpass 6000 km by 2020.
The rapid development of China’s urban railway system reflects the country’s growing economic strength. The system has experienced the fastest growth over the past 15 years due to the investment of wealth accumulated from the reform and opening up in urban infrastructure construction. An urban railway system is expensive to build, with one kilometer of subway costing approximately 700 million yuan ($110 million). A city without economic strength cannot develop such an expensive system.
The progress in urban railway construction technologies has also contributed to the fast expansion of the infrastructure. Subway construction involves building underground tunnels, laying rails, manufacturing trains and the operation and management of subways. It is a systematic project which not only covers traditional infrastructure building but also modem electronics and information technology. China s railway construction technologies are the best in the world, with Chinese subway trains now exported to developed countries including the United States.
The expansion of Chinese cities has made it necessary to develop urban railway systems. Since the start of the reform and opening up, a large number of people have migrated to cities and the number of private cars has increased dramatically, resulting in serious traffic congestion. Building subways has become an important way to solve this problem.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the launch of China’s reform and opening up, and the rapid development of China’s urban railway system exemplifies the achievements made by the policy. As China furthers its opening up, it will continue to maintain steady and rapid economic growth and railway systems will be available in more and more cities.
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