Our 13-year-old son won a local “Hoop （篮...

    Family conflict (冲突）affects everyone.1., you may want to mediate (调解)to make everyone's life easier. It's worth it to try to smooth things over.

* 2. . It can be difficult to look at family situations objectively, so before trying to mediate disagreement, make sure you look at all sides of the argument. While you shouldn't take sides when trying to mediate, you don't want anyone to think you're overlooking their point of view. Take some time to think about why every one feels wronged or hurt in the situation

*Encourage everyone to control their feelings. It's not uncommon for tensions to run high when discussing family conflict3.. Try to control the emotional outbursts as much as you can. While everyone has a right to their personal feelings, make it clear their feelings must be expressed in an appropriate, productive way.

*Try hard for forgiveness. Even if you were not directly involved in the argument, you were probably affected by the atmosphere in some way. Choose forgiveness. Remember, you can't control someone else's actions but you can control your own response. You can also encourage other family members to forgive.4..

*Work on fixing the relationships. 5.. you can offer suggestions how family members could better treat one another in the future. Think about what has been said during mediation. Look for areas where change is needed. You should also agree to work actively on letting go of the conflict. For example, "For the next couple of months，lets agree not to bring this up."

A.Have a healthy discussion

B.Think about everyone's view

C.Though it's not your job to offer exact courses of action

D.There may be times when people get sensitive and angry

E.If there is an ongoing argument between family members

F.If a family member reacts very violently to an unimportant affair

G.However, remember you cannot force someone to feel a particular way

    In a world where nearly 6 million fingerprint records of government employees are stolen in one computer hack, and where millions of people are victims of identity theft every year, the next step in cyber security may well be mapping your brain.

Researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York arc working on a biometric （生物特征 识别的）system that records how your brain reacts to certain images. With a little more polishing, the scientists' brainchild could become the way you get into a safe deposit box, your office or past scanners at the airport. It could replace the password for your online banking, your email or your social media accounts.

They started their project by measuring the brain waves of 30 subjects. The subjects were fitted with a cap that had 30 electrodes （电极）attached to it, and then shown various images and symbols — celebrity faces, words, pictures of food --- on a computer screen in 200-millisecond bursts. The brain\ reaction was recorded.

The idea is that every time a person needs to use a “password", he or she goes through the same procedure, and the results are matched with their first-time reaction. If the "brainprint" is compromised --- like what happened with the fingerprint records --- then the system is merely reset by running another set of images and collecting a different set of brain waves。. "Even if that was stolen, you could just cancel it and record one to something else", says professor Laszlo.

Laszlo and her team have shown that their system can be 100 percent accurate. So one of the more difficult parts of making the system practical already has been overcome. Now, they're spending much time recording accurate brainprints with as few as three electrodes, which could make recording in the future as easy as wearing a pair of special glasses. They're also working with cheaper materials and different methods to see if they can bring the cost down.

1.What does the underlined word "brainchild" in paragraph 2 refer to?

A.The brain function. B.The fingerprint record.

C.The online password. D.The biometric system.

2.Why were the images and symbols shown to the subjects?

A.To check the brain's reaction.

B.To create their brainprints.

C.To match brainprints with pictures.

D.To connect brain waves to electrodes.

3.What will happen when a brainprint fails?

A.A new one will be set

B.A spare one will be made ready beforehand.

C.The users' identity will be stolen.

D.The fingerprint record will replace it.

4.What are the researchers doing with the program now?

A.Improving its accuracy.

B.Recording more brainprints.

C.Making it user-friendly.

D.Increasing the number of electrodes.

    Unexpected connection between sleep and academic performance has been recently discovered.

Researchers have found that insufficient sleep and tiredness increase a person's risk of developing severe medical conditions, such as obesity （肥胖症），high blood sugar levels, and heart disease. Now, a new study has found that getting sufficient sleep is also the key to improving academic performance.

Jeffrey Gross, the university science professor who led the research, was not trying to find the relationship between sleep and grades when he handed out smartwatches to the 100 students in his chemistry class. Instead, the professor hoped the wrist-worn devices, which track a personas physical activity, would show a connection between exercise and academic achievements.

While Grosses data showed no relationship between these two factors, the study found something surprising. As the researchers were analyzing their data, they noticed that there was a linear （线性的）relationship between the average amount of sleep the students got and their results in the course's 11 quizzes, three midterm tests, and the final exam.

Even more interesting, it was not sufficient for students to just head to bed early the night before a test Instead, it's the sleep you get during the days when learning is happening that matters most.

When students went to bed each night was similarly important. Those who went to bed in the early hours of the morning performed poorly, even if the total sleep time was the same as a higher-performing student. "When you go to bed matters," Gross says. “If you go to bed at 10, or 12, or 1 at night, and sleep for seven hours, your performance is the same. But if you go to bed after 2, your performance starts to go down even if you get the same seven hours' sleep. So, quantity isn't everything."

Perhaps the most interesting was the huge impact that small differences in sleep patterns had on the students' grades. The overall course grades of students averaging six and a half hours of sleep each night were 25% lower than students who averaged just one hour more sleep. Similarly, students who varied their bedtime by even one hour each night had grades that dropped 45% below those with more regular bedtime.

Who knew getting straight AM just required some extra sleep?

1.Based on his original objective, which best describes Professor Gross's research findings?

A.Convincing. B.Complete.

C.Accidental. D.Doubtful.

2.Who were the people taking part in the study?

A.Middle school chemistry students.

B.Volunteers from different universities.

C.University student athletes.

D.Professor Gross's own students.

3.How did Professor Gross's team measure students' academic performance?

A.Making the students wear special watches.

B.Using the students' normal test and quiz grades.

C.Giving the students regular quizzes after class.

D.Using students' university entrance test results.

4.Based on the study's fin dings, who is likely to perform best academically?

A.A student who has a good night's sleep the night before an important test.

B.A student who sleeps from 11 pm to 6 a.m. each day.

C.A student whose normal bedtime varies between 9 p.m. and 12 p.m.

D.A student who sleeps for a total of 7 hours each night.

    A newly-married Sweden couple on a four-month honeymoon were hit by a series of natural disasters, such as the Australian floods, Christchurch earthquake and Japanese tsunami.

Stefan and Erika Svanstrom left Stockholm, Sweden, on December 6 and were immediately trapped in Munich, Germany, due to one of Europe’s worst snowstorms. Traveling with their baby daughter, they flew on to Cairns in Australia which was then struck by one of the most fierce cyclones（龙卷风）in the nation's history. From there, the couple were forced to shelter for 24 hours on the cold floor of a shopping centre with 2500 others.

“Trees were being knocked over and big branches were scattered across the streets,” Mr Svanstrom told Sweden’s Expressen newspaper. “We escaped by the skin of our teeth. It was so close an encounter with death.

They then headed south to Brisbane but the city was experiencing massive flooding, so they crossed the country to Perth where they narrowly escaped raging bush fires. The couple then flew to Christchurch, New Zealand, arriving just after a massive magnitude（震级）6.3 earthquake destroyed the city on February 22.

Mrs Svanstrom said, “When we got there the whole town was a war zone.”

“We could not visit the city since it was completely blocked off, so instead we traveled around before going to Japan.”

But days after the Svanstroms arrived. Tokyo was rocked by Japan’s largest earthquake since records began. “The trembling was horrible and we saw roofs fly off the buildings,” Mr Svanstrom said. “It was like the buildings were shaking back and forth.”

The family returned to Stockholm on March 29 after a much calmer visit to their last destination -China. But Mr Svanstrom - who also survived the destructive tsunami that hit southeast Asia in 2004 -said the marriage was still going strong. He added, “I know marriages have to endure some trials （考验）,but I think we have been through most of them. We’ve certainly experienced more than our fair share of disasters, but the most important thing is that we're together and happy.”

1.Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

A.The couple went to Perth because of the bush fire in Brisbane.

B.Christchurch, New Zealand was in ruins when the couple arrived.

C.The couple experienced the worst earthquake in Japan's hi story.

D.The couplet visit to China was comparatively uneventful.

2.Which of the following expressions can replace the underlined sentence?

A.We ran away in fear.

B.Our teeth were broken when we ran away.

C.We escaped with others' help.

D.We narrowly escaped death.

3.What is the real meaning of what Mr Svanstrom said after the honeymoon?

A.He dared not travel again in a period of time but would face any difficulty in his marriage.

B.He regarded the disasters as tests in their marriage and he felt they survived.

C.He thought they should share the suffering and would provide disaster relief to the affected areas.

D.He believed the horrible experience a sign that they should not be together.

4.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A.A Series of Natural Disasters

B.An Indifferent Journey

C.A Close Look at Disasters

D.The Unforgettable Honeymoon From Hell

    September is the month for fashion, with four international cities hosting the fashion week. All eyes will turn to New York, London, Milan and Paris this month to see which city puts on the best show.

New York

New York Fashion Week （NYFW） Spring 2020 kicked off on September 4th, 2019 and ran for approximately eight days. NYFW is considered the most commercial and casual of the four. It is also the only event to allow some fashion school students to participate, bringing a fresh look to the runway.

London

London Fashion Week （LFW） Spring 2020 came on the heels of NYFW Spring 2020, starting on September 12th, 2019 and running through September 17th, 2019. Once considered a minor player among the “Big Four”, LFW can now command a list of big names as well as promising new designers. London fashion houses have a reputation for being very experimental and open to new ideas.

Milan

Fashion Week Spring 2020 moved to Milan on September 17th, 2019. This beautiful Italian city is home to some of the biggest fashion houses and designers in the fashion world, including Armani and Prada. Milan's fashion houses arc known for offering glamorous （富有魅力的）yet practical options.

Paris

The month of fashion made its way to France as Paris Fashion Week Spring 2020 began on September 23rd, 2019. Saving the best for last, Paris never fails to offer some of the most exciting shows of the season. World-famous brands like Chanel and Dior try to outdo one another with their latest designs. The word that best describes Paris Fashion Week is “elegant”.

1.When did New York Fashion Week Spring 2020 probably end?

A.September 4th. B.September 8th.

C.September 12th. D.September 13th.

2.Which city is likely to attract new designers who are fresh out of school?

A.Paris. B.New York.

C.London. D.Milan.

3.What can we learn from the four fashion weeks?

A.Each is open to school students.

B.Each shows its biggest brand.

C.Each offers practical options.

D.Each has its own characteristics.