Ways to Get Your Kids into Nature
Being in nature for kids has tremendous health benefits. There are many ways you can incorporate nature into your children’s lives, even if you live in the city.
Inspire curiosity by being curious yourself. A parent’s excitement can be spread to the children, and when you show respect for nature, your children follow suit. 1.. “I don’t know! Let’s find out together.” is a wonderful way to get the ball rolling. Be open to a mutual adventure and allow your curious inner child to come out while you explore nature with your children.
2.. If you have to carpool(拼车) in the morning, turn off the devices instead and encourage your children to look out of the window. The early morning fall skies are beautiful with color and migrating birds. After all, even views of nature from the car window are calming and beneficial.
Stop thinking about nature time as leisure time. Time in nature is an essential investment in your children’s health and wellbeing. If you view nature time as essential to good health, you will be more likely to engage in it. 3., nurturing creativity and wonder is part of your responsibility as parents.
Look at the stars. Visit your local observatory, and then drive out of the city some morning or evening for your own stargazing(天体观察) with a blanket and telescope. Observing the stars offers a deeper and wider understanding of the universe. 4..
Plant a small garden. 5.. Bean and pea plants grow quickly and can be eaten when mature, so teach your children about food and the wonder of growth.
A.Limit electronic devices while driving
B.Encourage questions you don’t know the answers to
C.If you want to raise your healthy, wellbalanced children
D.If you have the space, help your children plant a few vegetables
E.It will teach teamwork, pride in the community, and family togetherness
F.If your child is interested, encourage him to get involved in the community
G.Allow yourself to think about it, and talk to your children about that wonder
A new study has shown how computers and robots powered by artificial intelligence can read human eye movements to “read” human personalities.
The eyes, they say, are the windows to the soul. And if that is true, computers and robots powered by sophisticated(复杂的) artificial intelligence algorithms(算法) may soon have the ability to peer into your soul. That is the result of a new study on the connection between eye movements and personality, conducted by neuroscience researchers based at the University of South Australia and Published in the scientific Journal Frontiers in Neuroscience.
“Eye movements during an everyday task predict aspects of our personality,” wrote the researchers, led by University of South Australia neuroscientist Tobias Loetscher, whose team follows 42 study subjects around the university campus recording their eye movements, then determines their personality traits(特点) with “well-established questionnaires” for determining personality type, according to a summary of the study published by the site Science Daily.
The researchers fed the data into their AI algorithms and found that computers running the algorithms were able to record human eye movements and immediately determine a person’s major personality traits, such as “neuroticism, extraversion(外向), agreeableness, conscientiousness, as well as perceptual(感知的) curiosity”, the scientists wrote.
“The new findings could improve the way human beings interact with their computers and other high-tech devices, even robots, allowing for more natural and realistic social interactions with machines,” Loetscher said.
“People are always looking for improved, personalized services. Today’s robots and computers are not socially aware so they cannot adapt to non-verbal information,” Loetscher said in a statement quoted by Indian Express. “This research provides opportunities to develop robots and computers so that they can become more natural, and better at interpreting human social signals.”
The study revealed previously undiscovered relations between specific personality characteristics and specific eye movement tendencies, according to a summary in Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper.
1.What do the underlined words “peer into” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A.understand B.stare at
C.search for D.concern about
2.How did the researchers conduct the research?
A.It was carried out in a lab.
B.42 subjects’ eye movements were recorded.
C.The students’ daily movements were tracked.
D.Its subjects’ personalities were determined by computer.
3.According to Tobias Loetscher, what can we know?
A.Robots and computers are socially conscious.
B.People care less about improved, personalized services.
C.Today’s robots and computers can accustom to non-verbal information.
D.The discovery will improve the interaction between human beings and machines.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.Human Personality Traits
B.What Human Eye Movements Are
C.Tell Personalities by Eye Movements
D.How Humans and Machines Interact
Air pollution shortens human lives by more than a year, according to a new study from a team of leading environmental engineers and public health researchers. Better air quality could lead to a significant extension of lifespan(寿命) around the world.
It is the first time that data on air pollution and the lifespan has been studied together in order to check how air pollution affects overall life expectancy.
The researchers looked at outdoor air pollution from particulate matter (PM)(颗粒物) smaller than 2.5 microns. These particulates can enter deep into the lungs, and breathing PM 2.5 is associated with the increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and cancers. PM 2.5 pollution comes from power plants, cars and trucks, fires, agriculture and industrial emissions(排放物).
Led by Joshua Apte, the team used data from the Global Burden of Disease Study to measure PM 2.5 air pollution exposure and its consequences in 185 countries. They then quantified the national impact on life expectancy for each individual country as well as on a global scale.
“The fact that air pollution is a major global killer is already wellknown,” said Apte. “And we all care about how long we can live. Here, we were able to systematically identify how air pollution shortens lives around the world. What we found is that air pollution has a very large effect on survival — on average about a year globally.”
In the context of other significant phenomena negatively affecting human survival rates, Apte said this is a big number. “For example, it’s considerably larger than the benefit in survival we might see if we found cures for both lung and breast cancer combined,” he said. “In countries like India and China, the benefit for elderly people of improving air quality would be especially large. For much of Asia, if air pollution were removed as a risk for death, 60yearolds would have a 15 percent to 20 percent higher chance of living to age 85 or older.”
1.What do we know about PM 2.5?
A.It has a bad effect on human health. B.It will be controlled in the future.
C.It only comes from industrial emissions. D.It spreads to the world from Asian countries.
2.What did the researchers do to study how air pollution affects the lifespan?
A.They collected accurate information from all the Asian countries.
B.They employed the research data to calculate the effect.
C.They studied the disease and lifespan together time and time again.
D.They measured particulate matter much more carefully than before.
3.What can be inferred from the text?
A.The key to people living longer is good air quality.
B.People think air pollution is the most dangerous killer to them.
C.Apte will agree that people should take action to deal with air pollution.
D.Factories should decrease the production of cars to stop air pollution.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.The Way Human Beings Enjoy a Longer Lifespan
B.The Importance of Getting Rid of Air Pollution
C.Asian People Are Suffering from Serious Air Pollution
D.Air Pollution Reduces the Lifespan by More than One Year
I realized something this morning. I have been writing now for 34 years. It all started when I was just 18 years old. As a boy I had read literally(毫不夸张地)hundreds of books. I had a thirst for knowledge that seemingly could never fade. Then suddenly I found I had something I wanted to share. I tried to ignore it, but as any writer will tell you once the ideas awaken inside of you they won't leave you alone until you write them down. I didn't have a computer, word processor, or even a typewriter. Still, I grabbed a pen and lined notebook paper and wrote everything that was burning inside of me.
When I was done I didn't know how to share it. There was no internet back then, no smart phones, and no social media. I sought out the editor of my local county newspaper and asked him to print what I had written. He was a good man full of both wisdom and kindness. He not only printed my first story but agreed to publish anything else I was willing to write. I continued to write new articles each week and shared them first with other local papers and later online as well. Years later at the urging of my readers I even self-published two collections of my stories in book form.
Through my writing I slowly became more than I was. In my writings I encountered my highest self. In my writings I discovered the goodness and light that lies in us all. In my writings I found great love and joy and encouraged others to choose love and joy as well. I also found that we all are writers whether we put pen to paper or not. With every choice we make, with every thought we hold, and with everything we do we are writing our own life story.
Lance Wubbels once wrote: "I hope you realize your life is truly your life. It belongs to you. It is your story to write with love. Day by day, line by line, write it well."
1.As a boy, when the author found he had something to share, ________.
A.he wrote it down
B.he ignored it
C.he shared it on social media
D.he told it to a writer
2.How did the author begin his writing career?
A.He was hired as a newspaper editor.
B.He put his stories online by himself.
C.He self-published two books.
D.He was helped by a local newspaper editor.
3.What does the author think of writing?
A.Writing takes practice and efforts.
B.Writing can benefit oneself and others.
C.Writing helps people tell right from wrong.
D.Only with a pen can one write his life story.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A.A Way to be a Writer
B.A Way to Share Ideas
C.Living is Writing
D.Writing is the Source of Love
1. TrueCar.com
Top dealers compete for your business by offering lower prices. TrueCar spends a lot of money and resources on making sure the entire car renting experience is simple and straightforward. If you’re in the market for a new car, give this site a try first.
TrueCar’s network checks many of the prices in your area and gets you the best price for the car you’re looking for.
2. Carvoy.com
It offers more control by allowing you to “build your car” and select your rental plan. The “build your car” option is one of the better options for those looking to add on features to their car. If you’re looking for cars with options like a sunroof or navigation (导航), it’s Carvoy that makes it very easy to get started with the process.
3. CarsDirect.com
They have a large collection of new and used cars, and also provide resources for car comparisons. In the business for many years, they are one of the first online car outlets. They have a staff that can usually help you if you give them a call. Their phone support is very good and they are mostly located in the United States.
4. CarRent.com
It delivers your rental car to the door, which is actually a huge selling point. Many people don’t like to go to a dealership or even drive somewhere to pick up a car. Imagine renting a car and having it delivered right to your doorstep, no driving necessary!
5. CostcoAuto.com
It offers member-only savings, many car selections and an easy sign-up process. The deals through Costco are great and unique. Many times they have deals with General Motors cars like Chevrolet. There are a lot of deals to be done, but the one thing that Costco does not do is negotiate the price.
1.What’s the selling point of TrueCar.com?
A. Its most reasonable prices for cars.
B. The diversity of its used cars.
C. Its delivery service to your door.
D. The special offers to its members.
2.What is the special service that Carvoy.com provides?
A. You can have other functions added to your car.
B. You can rent a car more easily than elsewhere.
C. You can design the whole car by yourself.
D. You can have better operation over your car.
3.If you are a good bargainer, it’s wise to avoid dealing with _______.
A. CarsDirect.com B. Carvoy.com
C. CarRent.com D. CostcoAuto.com
阅读下面短文,根据所给情节进行续写,使之构成一个完整的故事。
Robert and Henry were two friends in the same class. They always played together and went home together. One day Robert and Henry were going home from school, when, on turning a corner, Robert cried out, “A fight! Let’s go and see!”
“No,” said Henry. “Let us go quietly home and not meddle with(插手) this quarrel. We have nothing to do with it and may get into mischief(trouble). Also our parents are expecting to have dinner with us together at home and I don’t want them to worry about me. ”
“You are a coward, and afraid to go,” said Robert, and off he ran. Henry went straight home, and in the afternoon went to school as usual.
But Robert had told all the boys that Henry was a coward, and they laughed at him a great deal. From then on, they looked down upon Henry and didn’t want to play with him together.
Henry was sad but he wasn’t angry with Robert for his rude behavior, because he learned that true courage is shown most in bearing misunderstanding when it was not deserved, and that he ought to be afraid of nothing but doing wrong. Thus, he just ignored the other boys’ laughter and continued to go to school and study as well. However, Robert didn’t invite Henry to go home with him anymore. Instead, he had some other boys who also thought Henry was a coward. Every day after school, they didn’t go home directly but went to the river or somewhere to play games and had a lot of fun.
A few days later, Robert was bathing with his new friends in a river, and got out of his depth. He struggled, and screamed for help, but all in vain. The boys who had called Henry a coward got out of the water as fast as they could, but they did not even try to help him.
注意:
1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右;
2.应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语;
3.续写部分分为两段,每段的开头语已为你写好;
4.续写完成后,请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
Robert was fast sinking. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
Thus, Robert’s life was saved.
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