I attended my 35th high school reunion r...

    When I commute (通勤) into London, there are certainly plenty of people conversing on their mobile phones—discussing and sharing personal details with a friend. 1. In fact, they don't even acknowledge the person who is actually sitting beside them.

Many of us spend part of each day surrounded by strangers, whether on our daily commute, or sitting in a park or a cafe. 2. However, new evidence has shown that gathering the courage to strike up a conversation might be good for our health.

Behavioural scientists Nicholas Epley and Juliana Schroeder looked at this silent relationship and whether solitude (独处) is a more positive experience than interacting with strangers. 3. Their research suggested that when we make an initial conversation, ''we consistently underestimate how much a new person likes us. '' It seems we carry a negative voice in our head telling us all the things that could go wrong and why someone wouldn't want to converse with us.

4. It found that ''every participant in our experiment who actually tried to talk to a stranger found the person sitting next to them was happy to chat.'' The conclusion is that connecting with strangers is surprisingly pleasant. It has a positive impact on our wellbeing. It's true that talking can make you feel happier and happiness can lead to better mental health.

It's good to talk. So maybe, if you're a loner, it's time to come out of your shell and make some small talk with a stranger. 5.

A.The experiment proved to be successful.

B.It could be the beginning of a new friendship.

C.But most of them remain just that—strangers.

D.They talk as though the person is sitting next to them.

E.Talking to strangers can change the communication skills and habits.

F.Their research involved an experiment with a group of Chicago commuters.

G.They found that many people feel uncomfortable and frightened talking to others.

    The COVID-19 pandemic has spread far and wide. Because of this, countries around the world have carried out containment measures to help stop the virus in its tracks. As more and more people stay inside to stay safe, the outside world seems to have become much quieter. In fact, scientists have seen this change in their research, too.

Seismologists—scientists who study earthquakes—have heard a lot less seismic (地震的) noise recently. Seismic noise is made from vibrations (震动) in the ground that are caused by things like ocean waves and human activity, such as construction work and traffic.

Thomas Lecocq, a scientist at the Royal Observatory of Belgium, located in Brussels, was the first to notice this phenomenon. According to Lecocq, the amount of seismic noise in Brussels has been reduced by about 30 to 50 percent since mid-March. Interestingly enough, this is around the same time Belgium started its containment measures.

Because of this reduction in background noise, scientists like Lecocq have been able to pick up on smaller earthquakes that some seismic stations—like the one in Brussels—wouldn’t have been able to before.

This phenomenon isn’t unique to Brussels, though. Once Lecocq shared his findings online, seismologists from all over the world echoed similar findings. Celeste Labedz, a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology, mentioned in a tweet that Los Angeles also experienced less background noise. “The drop is seriously wild,” she wrote. Researchers from the UK, France and New Zealand also noted a decrease in background noise since containment measures were put in place.

These global efforts to contain the COVID-19 virus have helped to shed light on seismic activity that may have gone unnoticed. It also shows that people are listening to health officials and following lockdown guidelines.

1.What did seismologists find out recently?

A.More smaller earthquakes are likely to happen.

B.Less seismic activity has been detected recently.

C.Reduced seismic vibration makes Earth quieter.

D.Seismic noise is caused by vibrations underground.

2.What can we learn from the text?

A.More seismic noise is being picked up.

B.More data on smaller earthquakes is being collected.

C.Scientists will shift their focus to smaller earthquakes.

D.Future big earthquakes can be more accurately predicted.

3.What does the underlined word “echoed” in paragraph 5 mean?

A.Questioned. B.Demanded.

C.Explored. D.Repeated.

4.What can we conclude from the last two paragraphs?

A.The drop in seismic noise is unique to Europe.

B.Seismic noise is mainly caused by human activity.

C.Many seismologists wanted tighter restrictions for their research.

D.The phenomenon proved that people are practicing social distancing.

    When you’ve finished your studies at school and college, do you feel like a well-earned rest? If you’re about to embark on a course at university, you’ll want to recharge your batteries and have some fun. But how long should you do that for? Now the idea of taking a year off before you move into further education seems to be the thing to do.

A year off—also called a gap year—is not a new concept, but there’s now a focus on making the most of this break from academic life. Long gone are the days of just hanging out on a beach or backpacking round the world. While that is still an option, a gap year is now more about gaining skills that will help you in later life. The BBC’s Smart Consumer podcast spoke to a student called Meg, who said “I just always had in the back of my mind I’d spend a year doing something productive and something that would just be good fun.”

Doing something productive is exactly what students are being encouraged to do because doing more purposeful things like work experience or charity work helps them acquire skills to use when competing for a place at university. It looks good on their CV and ultimately makes them more employable.

While the benefits of taking a gap year are clear to see, some students worry they can’t afford it. Another student, Tom, told the BBC that to him, a gap year was an ‘alien concept’. He said “it would have been far too expensive and it’s not something that I would have been able to rely on my parents or family members for.” But some experts say that it needn’t burn a hole in your pocket; you don’t need to travel far and you can even earn money by doing paid work.

For those who do have the funds, a combination of working, volunteering and travelling is undoubtedly an amazing opportunity. It increases confidence and independence, gives you a chance to learn new crafts, and gives you time to contemplate whether university is right for you.

1.What is the new focus of “taking a gap year”?

A.Hanging out on a beach.

B.Backpacking round the world.

C.Spending time trying challenges.

D.Gaining useful skills for future life.

2.Why are students encouraged to do something productive?

A.To make them capable in later life.

B.To get the best result in the competition.

C.To enrich the experience of doing voluntary work.

D.To gain the sense of achievement during the participation.

3.What’s the attitude of some experts towards a gap year?

A.They approve of it. B.They are against it.

C.They are indifferent to it. D.They think it unworthy.

4.What can we infer from the text?

A.You must go to university after taking a gap year.

B.A gap year makes sense if you have the fund to take.

C.All students can afford a gap year if they prefer to.

D.Fund is the most important factor for taking a gap year.

    Sasha Olsen, a fourth-grader at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, is working on releasing a book this summer to illustrate how the state of the oceans affects children.

The 10-year old went on a trip last summer with her family to Vietnam and Japan. She was horrified at the ocean’s pollution levels and dying sea animals. Back home she grew even more disturbed learning about the ocean conditions in South Florida. She sought the help of her cousin Narmina Aliyev. Together, they started a nonprofit, Iwantmyoceanback, in October.

Originally, the group started small, with friends coming together on the weekends to clean the beaches in Bal Harbour. Recently, however, it has hosted events to raise funds for beach cleanups and donate to conservation groups. The nonprofit is also trying to broaden its base by tapping into YouTube and other social media.

Sasha has started a YouTube channel where she posts videos from events and has begun a web series called Table Talks. In it, she interviews people from different professions about the oceans. After the interview, she and her guest will create a painting, signed by the guest, that will be auctioned (拍卖) off to raise money to donate to conservation-based organizations.

Jencarlos Canela, a popular Cuban American singer and telenovela star, was one of Iwantmyoceanback’s first followers and Sasha’s first guest. Canela, who has 3.4 million followers on Instagram, posted about the experience. “Sasha, you can count on me from now on for anything and congratulations on the work you’re doing to keep our oceans clean. You are so special and very talented!” he wrote.

Sasha and Aliyev hope to extend their work to neighboring cities such as Hollywood and Miami Beach. “We really want to make ourselves visible and accessible to all,” said Aliyev, the nonprofit’s vice president.

1.What do we know about Iwantmyoceanback?

A.It was set up by Sasha’s cousin.

B.It aims at ocean protection.

C.It was inspired by Sasha’s domestic travel.

D.It organizes cleanup activities in the neighborhood.

2.How does Sasha raise money on social media?

A.By calling on friends and relatives to donate.

B.By starting a YouTube channel and Table Talks.

C.By interviewing people from different professions.

D.By selling paintings created and signed by her guests.

3.What can we infer from Canela’s post on Instagram?

A.He is proud of being Sasha’s first guest.

B.He is one of Iwantmyoceanback’s first followers.

C.He is willing to make contributions to Sasha’s project.

D.His followers on Instagram posted about their cleanup experiences.

4.What is the best title of the text?

A.Sasha: a popular girl on the social media

B.Fourth-graders: devoted to beach cleanups

C.A 10-year old: making a difference to a better beach

D.A 10-year old: working on releasing a book this summer

    If you've gone through all your jigsaw puzzles and are looking for a real challenge, Kodak just released what it calls ''the world's largest puzzle'' that you can buy.

Putting your patience and jigsaw solving skills to the test will cost you both real money and a lot of space. Featuring images of symbolic landmarks shot by professional photographers, Kodak's new product will set you back between $409.99 and $599.99, and will probably take up a decent-sized room when completed.

Matching over 51,000 jigsaw puzzle pieces is sure to be a time-consuming affair, but to make it less stressful for those willing to give it a go, Kodak split the puzzle into 27 images of different international landmarks, from the Great Wall of China to the Statue of Liberty and the Taj Mahal.

They've actually made it too easy, if you ask me, packaging the pieces for each of the 27 different images in different bags, allowing you to finish them one by one before putting them together. So you're basically getting 27 smaller puzzles that you can then fix into the world's largest puzzle. Kind of tricky, if you ask me… The only real challenge will be finding somewhere to display the completed puzzle, as at 28.5 feet by 6.25 feet, it's probably going to need its own room.

Despite its subjective faults, Kodak's gigantic jigsaw puzzle is in high demand. It's already sold out on Amazon, where it was priced at $410, leaving interested parties with the option of acquiring it for at least $500 from two other retailers (零售商) listed on the official Kodak website.

1.What makes the Kodak jigsaw puzzle special?

A.It is made up of the most pieces.

B.It has the most beautiful images.

C.It is giant and takes up much space.

D.It can be bought by various means.

2.What makes it easier to complete the Kdak jigsaw puzzle?

A.Various choices of getting it.

B.Skills of professional photographers.

C.Players' patience and jigsaw solving skills.

D.Separately packaged images of world famous landmarks.

3.How much will it cost you at least to buy one jigsaw puzzle from retailers?

A.$ 409.99. B.$410.

C.$500. D.$599.99.