More than a billion people around the world have smart phones, almost all of which come with some kind of navigation app such as Apple Maps or Amap. This raises the age-old question we meet with any technology: What abilities is our brain losing to these apps? But also, importantly: What abilities are we gaining?
Talking with people who are good at finding their way around or good at using paper maps, I often hear a lot of annoyance with digital maps. North/south direction gets messed up, and you can see only a small section at a time. I can really understand that it may be quite disturbing for the already skilled to be limited to a small phone screen.
But consider what digital navigation aids have meant for someone like me. Although being a frequent traveler, I'm so terrible at finding my way that I still use Apple Maps almost every day in the small town where I have lived for many years.
In many developed nations, street names and house numbers can be meaningful, and instructions such as go north for three blocks and──then west’’ make sense to those familiar with these rules. In Istanbul, however, where I grew up, none of those hold true. For one thing, the locals seldom use street names. Besides, the city is full of winding and ancient alleys(小巷) that cross with newer avenues at many angles. In such places, you’d better turn to the locals. In the countryside, however, there is often nobody outside to ask. In fact, along came Apple Maps, like a fairy grandmother whispering directions in my ear. Since then, I travel with a lot more confidence, and my world has opened up.
Which brings me back to my original question: While we often lose some skills after depending on new technology, this new equipment may also allow us to gain new abilities. Maybe when technology closes a door, we should also look for the doors it opens.
1.Why do people who are skilled at reading paper maps feel upset?
A.They are interested in reading paper maps,
B.They don’t know how to use navigation, apps.
C.They are limited to a single smart phone app.
D.They are confused by digital maps’ direction.
2.According to the text, which is the best way to find the destination in Istanbul?
A.Asking local people the way.
B.Following the navigation app.
C.Getting familiar with the city rules.
D.Looking for street names and house numbers.
3.What’s the author’s attitude towards the navigation apps?
A.Cautious B.Ambiguous
C.Favorable D.Critical
4.What could be the best title of the passage?
A.Benefits of Navigation Apps
B.Disadvantages of Navigation Apps
C.My World Opens Up by New Technology
D.Have Navigation Apps Worsened Our Brain?
Sea urchins(海胆) are small creatures , but what’s really remarkable about them is that they eat anything that happens to float by. They have really sharp teeth they use to rid rocks of algae(海藻)which makes them pretty valuable especially in places like Hawaii where algae are threatening the coral reefs. In the summer of 2019, 500,000 of them were used to deal with the algae.
The problem started when non-native algae were introduced to the ecosystem of Kaneohe Bay in the 1970s. Because they had no enemies, they ended up taking over the bay, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The algae blocked sunlight from reaching the coral, which in turn affected the local fish because they changed the chemistry of the water.
That’s when the NMFS turned to sea urchins that loved to devour the algae. But they had to grow to the size of a cherry tomato before they could be used. Since 2011, sea urchins have been grown and used to handle the algae problem. Some of the funds are available due to an unfortunate incident. In 2005, a ship was grounded on a shallow reef near Kaneohe Bay. When the ship was removed, 20 acres of reefs have been damaged. When there is environmental damage, the NMFS and other agencies receive funds from the wrongdoers and the funds are used to restore the damage. Some funds were spent on other projects like the sea urchins. The state of Hawaii began to grow the sea urchins. When they are large enough, divers carefully place them on the reef.
Algae isn’t the only thing that threatens the coral reefs. Climate change and the effects of fishing and tourism in the area also endanger the coral reefs. But turning to sea urchins instead of man-made solutions seems like the best way to go.
1.Why are sea urchins regarded as outstanding creatures?
A.They are tiny but have teeth.
B.They can keep the ocean clean.
C.They can remove harmful algae.
D.They grow on coral reefs with algae.
2.What happened after non-native algae arrived at Kaneohe Bay?
A.They helped the coral reefs to survive.
B.They spread to every corner of the bay.
C.They didn't fit in with the new surroundings.
D.They fought against other species to get food.
3.Which word can replace the underlined word “devour” in paragraph 3?
A.Eat B.Block
C.Attack D.Attract
4.What does the author suggest doing to save coral reefs?
A.Banning fishing and tourism. B.Relying on humans’ solutions.
C.Employing divers to handle algae. D.Letting nature take care of nature.
On Hoxton Street in East London there is a very special children’s writing and mentoring(辅导) center called the Ministry of Stories, which is fronted by its shop , Hoxton Street Monster(怪兽) Supplies, where you can expect to find monster food. The store raises funds for this very special program that fires children’s imagination.
The youth aged 8 to 18 enter the Ministry, through a secret door that is designed to open a world of opportunity by encouraging a love for writing. The organization believes that, “Writing increases self-respect, improves communication and can change lives.” That’s because writing allows children’s voices to be heard.
This year, the workshop is celebrating 10 years of helping children discover a love for writing through creative programs. Founded by Lucy Macnab, Ben Payne and best-selling author Nick Hornby, the organization works with around 1,000 children per year participating in schools, and community programs across Hackney, Islington, and Tower Hamlets. It now has over 400 volunteers and runs its program free of charge for the youth of the areas.
“Through a range of creative writing programs, and one-to-one mentoring, we aim to help young people find their own qualities that can be developed,” Macnab told The Telegraph. “We build confidence, self-respect, and communication skills in both workshops for schools and out of school writing clubs.”
One 10-year participant, Nmeso, said that the weekly after-school club he attends at the Ministry has helped him grow his imagination and improve his academic performance. In fact, he was able to move up a grade in school. What’s even more remarkable is that Nmeso has had a story he wrote published ── along with other writers in the program ──titled Andre Has a Hard Time .This is Nmeso’s success story.
1.What is the function of Hoxton Street Monster Supplies?
A.Advertising the mentoring center.
B.Supporting the Ministry of Stories.
C.Attracting young children to come.
D.Arousing children's interest in food.
2.Why are some figures used in the paragraph 3?
A.To prove the program is popular.
B.To suggest writing is vital for children.
C.To attract readers’ attention to the center.
D.To show the value of running the program.
3.What is the program intended to do?
A.To give the children a better future.
B.To help discover the children’s potential.
C.To help the children express opinions.
D.To develop the children’s writing skills.
4.What does the author say about Nmeso?
A.He is ten years old this year.
B.He’s got his own book published.
C.He has benefitted a lot from the program.
D.He becomes very famous as a young writer.
We look ahead to London’s art and exhibition openings and select the must ─ see shows.
Double science
It’s a big month for the Science Museum, with a new gallery and an exhibition opening. The Science City gallery tells the story of London between 1550 and 1800 when major scientific breakthroughs were happening across the city──from Newton’s laws of physics to the birth of microscopes allowing us to see the tiny creatures that live among us. If that isn’t enough, there’s also an exhibition on how art and science have worked closely together over the centuries and continue to do so today.
Science City 1550──1800: The Linbury Gallery at the Science Museum. Opens 12 September──13 October, free.
The Art of Innovation: From Enlightenment to Dark Matter at the Science Museum. 25 September──26 January, free but ticketed.
Are you worried yet?
We all suffer from anxiety. Artists look into this through artworks that bring to light their own anxieties or how people living with anxiety manage. The exhibition also covers what anxiety would look like if it could be visualised in light or sound──something we imagine to be impossible.
On Edge: Living in an Age of Anxiety at Science Gallery. 19 September──19 January, free.
Climbing the walls
No artist has made a bigger career out of placing sculptures of human figures all over the place. Antony Gormley, the artist behind the Angel of the North and sculptures standing all over London, takes over the Royal Academy of Arts with a blockbusting(轰动一时的) exhibition. This is the hot art ticket in town.
Antony Gormley at Royal Academy of Arts. 21 October──3 December, £18──22.
1.What is on show in the Science City gallery?
A.Some of the greatest physicists.
B.The stories of the London development.
C.The prediction of the future science.
D.Some of the great achievements in history.
2.Which exhibition allows visitors to know about a negative mood in a new way?
A.The Art of Innovation. B.On Edge.
C.Royal Academy of Arts. D.Science City 1550 ─ 1800.
3.When can visitors see these four exhibitions altogether?
A.In January. B.In September.
C.In October. D.In December.
假定你是李华，近来有市民听信由于新冠疫情国内粮食将会短缺的谣言，到超市抢购并囤积大米。请你就此事向某中学生英语报社的读者写一封倡议书，倡导大家不信谣不传谣，并积极影响自己的家人和朋友。内容包括：
1.简述该现象；
2.指出谣言的危害；
3.你的建议。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
参考词汇：新冠疫情：the COVID-19 epidemic
Dear readers,
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧）并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线( \ )划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
When I was in middle school, I enjoyed reading science books, and they were really difficult to understand them. Whenever a problem beats me, I would turn to my physics teacher for help. Go through materials together page by page, we were tearing the mask of nature off. It was his guidance which encouraged me to study physics serious today. Now we’re in a period when science plays an important role on people’s lives. From construction workers who build laboratories to teachers who pass on knowledges, everyone contributes to science in their own unique ways. All in all, science is everlasting topic for mankind. Faced with it, we must make ourselves well preparing.
