By now it’s almost common knowledge that spending time in nature is good for you. Areas with more trees tend to be less polluted, so spending time there allows you to breathe easier. Spending time outdoors has been linked with reduced blood pressure and stress, and seems to motivate people to exercise more. So it’ll come as no surprise that there's research showing that spending time in nature is good, which has been known for thousands of years. There’s dozens of papers showing that.
University of Exeter Medical School researcher Mathew P. White said “We get this idea, patients are coming to us and they’re saying, ‘doctor, how long should I spend?’and the doctor is saying, I don’t really know.” So White and his team decided to find out by using data collected from nearly 20,000 people in England through the Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment Survey. And their answer? Two hours a week. People who spent at least that much time-either all at once or totaled over several shorter visits-were more likely to report good health and psychological well-being than those with no nature exposure. Remarkably, the researchers found that less than two hours offered no significant benefits.
So what’s so special about two hours? “ I have absolutely no idea. Really. We didn’t have an apriori（由因及果的）guess at what this would be. It emerged. And I’d be lying if I said we predicted this. I don’t know.” Even more noteworthy, the two-hour benchmark（基准）applied to men and women, to older and younger folks, to people from different ethnic backgrounds, occupational groups, socioeconomic levels and so on. Even people with long-term illnesses or disabilities benefited from time spent in nature—as long as it was at least 120 minutes per week.
While the findings are based on a tremendous number of people, nobody knows why or how nature has this benefit. “I want to be really clear about this. This is very early stages. We’re not saying everybody has to do 120. What research do we need to take this to the next step before doctors can have the true confidence to work with their patients? But it’ s certainly a starting point,” White said.
1.What is the first paragraph mainly about?
A.The benefits of spending time in nature.
B.The research of spending time in nature.
C.The characteristics of spending time in nature.
D.The common knowledge of spending time in nature.
2.What can we infer about the result of White and his team’s survey?
A.The time spent in nature should be 2 hours a week all at once.
B.2 hours a week at least in nature is beneficial to whomever you are.
C.The time spent in nature should be 2 hours a week, no more, no less.
D.2 hours a week in nature is too long for people with long-term illnesses.
3.What does White expect of the findings?
A.They will be in early stage.
B.They will be based on many people.
C.They will help all people go out in nature.
D.They will be improved and further research will be done.
4.Where is this text most likely from?
A.A diary B.A guidebook
C.A magazine D.A novel
Middle school is challenging for so many reasons — academics become more difficult, schedules fill up with activities, and, in what might be the most challenging region for kids and parents alike, friendships change. Friendships change over time, not just because our children evolve, but because the very nature of friendship evolves with them. The best parents should learn to let go so that their children can succeed in their tween friendships.
Early in childhood, our children’s friendships arise out of closeness and habit. We throw our kids into the sandbox with our friends’ kids, and this arrangement works for everyone. As kids get older, however, they begin to build emotional connections with friends based on similarity. Their shared interests, dreams, and goals begin to edge out mere convenience. When they become tweens, friendships become much more complex, and for good reason. Tweens use friendships as a way to try on an identity. They begin to build friendships based on new priorities.
All too often, the shifting sands of tween friendship result in broken hearts. Tweens feel abandoned and betrayed as friends move back and forth between comfortable old relationships and exciting new ones. As any parent knows, our own personal heartache hurts, but the secondhand heartbreak we experience through our children is much more painful, mainly because it’s out of our control. The urge to meddle, to save and heal, is powerful, and while meddling around in tween social contact may make us feel better, we must stay out of it.
Tweens move from relationship to relationship, adopting this detail of a friend’s personality,abandoning that characteristic of another, until they have collected the essential elements of their identity. Some relationships will survive this process, and some will not, but everyone is an important phase of the journey. We may not love every outfit our tweens try on, but it’s our job to be there when they emerge from the dressing room, when they do a little twirl and wait for us to tell them how grown up they have become.
1.What’s the main idea of the second paragraph?
A.Friendship become complex in every period of time.
B.Reasons for friendship building vary in different phases.
C.Tweens begin to build friendships based on the new priorities.
D.Important elements of friendship are needed in children’s life.
2.What does the underlined words in paragraph 3 mean?
A.Friendships are out of control.
B.Tweens feel abandoned and betrayed.
C.Friends move to exciting new relationships.
D.Friendships change from one to another among tweens.
3.What should parents do when tweens feel painful about their social contact?
A.They should blame them. B.They should help to bring their children under control.
C.They should be there and support them. D.They should meddle around in tween social contact.
4.Which is the best title of the passage?
A.Change of relationships among tweens B.Parenting in friendships among tweens
C.How to build friendships among tweens D.The nature of friendships among tweens
For generations, young people all over the world have taken an interest in social justice and found the courage to fight for their own rights and the rights of others. Here are four inspiring middle grade books that prove you’re never too young to stand up for what you believe in and make a difference.
This series follows 11-year-old Parvana, who lives under Taliban rule in Afghanistan. When her father is arrested and her family is left without someone who can work or even shop for food, Parvana, forbidden to earn money as a girl, disguises herself as a boy to help her family survive. The Breadwinner is an empowering tale with a sharp and brave heroine.
Stella lives in the separated south in 1932. Out, late one night, wandering around, Stella and her brother witness a Klu Klux Klan activity, starting an unwelcome chain of events in her otherwise sleepy town. With a compelling and courageous voice, Stella tells the story of how she and her community ban together against racism and injustice.
When Julian is sent to stay with his disinterested aunt and uncle for four months, he discovers that his Uncle’s corporation plans to cut down a group of redwood trees at Big Tree Grove and decides to take a stand to save the trees. Perfect for the young environmentalists in your life, Operation Redwood is an adventurous tale as Julian and his friends hatch scheme after scheme to save these giants of nature.
For more mature readers, this unforgettable autobiography tells the true story of Nujood Ali, a ten-year-old Yemeni girl married off at a young age, who decides to resist her abusive husband and get a divorce. A moving tale of tragedy, triumph, and courage, Nujood’s brave resistance has inspired generations of women and young girls.
1.What is the purpose of the four books?
A.To call for people to find the courage.
B.To show the definition of social justice.
C.To inspire young people to make a difference.
D.To prove young people can fight for the rights.
2.Who might be interested in the book Operation Redwood?
A.An adult who shows interest in human nature.
B.A college student who majors in human rights.
C.A middle school student who is interested in science.
D.A high school student who wants to protect the environment.
3.Which book is adapted from a real story?
A.I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced. B.Stella by Starlight.
C.The Breadwinner Trilogy. D.Operation Redwood.
假设你是李华，下周将是你校的英语阅读周，请写信邀请你班外教Dr． Phillips，内容包括：
1．阅读周的时间、地点；
2．阅读周设立的目的和活动安排．
3．邀请他参加．
注意：1．词数100左右．
2．可适当增加细节，使行文连贯．
3．开头结尾已写好，不计入总词数．
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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。
Paul, congratulation! I'm exciting to know your admission to Tsinghua University. I am going to take a very important exam the next year. I hope that you can share me some ways that was used in the preparation. For example, how did you reasonable spend your time? Sometimes I do not have enough time to finish your assignment. Besides, could you please tell me what I can deal with anxious and the lack of sleep? To be honest, I had been under great pressure for a long time, especially when my grades were low. Looking forward to your reply!
语法填空
Whether you see red， feel blue， or go green with envy may depend on what country you call home． And when they were given data on how 1. person associated colors with emotions， researchers could correctly predict where they 2.（ be） from． The scientists surveyed 711 people from China， Germany， Greece， and the United Kingdom． 3. （volunteer） read the word for 12 colors， such as "green" and "black．" 4.（them） then indicated what emotion the colors brought to mind， and how strongly the color was tied to the feeling． Across the board， the colors 5. inspired the most emotion were red， black， and pink， but brown and purple didn't have that strong associations． Black was associated with 6.（sad） across all countries， for example， and red with positive emotions 7. love and pleasure， along with negative feelings such as anger and hate． Still， there were some 8.（culture） differences． For instance， brown was a 9.（strong） association with disgust in Germany than in other countries． People from Greece were the only group to associate purple firstly with unhappiness． White 10.（consider） as more negative in China （people there traditionally wear white to funerals）， and yellow was positive in all countries except Greece．
