At 9: 30 a. m. on a Wednesday morning, I received a notification (通知) that I’d already picked up my phone 30 times that day! “11 left until you go over your goal of 41 pickups,” my screen read. “Put your phone down until 9: 52 a. m. ! Enjoy your time living in the moment.”
These updates were sent via Moment, an app that tracks my screen time, created by Kevin Holesh in 2014 to fight his own device addiction. He was working as an independent app developer, spending hours each day staring at screens. After work, Holesh found that he was looking mindlessly online instead of talking to his wife or taking his dogs for a walk.
“I wanted a way of seeing how much time I was sinking into my phone,” he said. “So I came up with something that could monitor my screen time.” Holesh found that he was spending 75 minutes on his phone a day. He added a function to the app that informed him whenever his screen time was more than 40 minutes. “My phone would make a sound like a bee, and I’d go and do something else. It was like a little angel on my shoulder pushing me in the right direction,” he said. Holesh figured that if the system worked for him, it would work for others, and later that year he made Moment a free app. To date, it has been downloaded 8 million times.
Beside, Moment also has a “coach” function, offering guided programs to help users focus and be more productive, for $ 7. 99 a month.
“I am so much happier, I sleep better, I read more, I take better care of myself, and most of all I am present in my day-to-day life,” Jack, a user said. Similar comments on Moment reflect a growing consciousness around “digital wellness”, the name given to lifestyle practices that encourage healthy device use.
1.What does the inspiration of Moment come from?
A. The creator’s own experience.
B. The sound made by honey bees.
C. Complaints from family members.
D. The widespread digital addiction.
2.What does Moment do at the expected screen time?
A. Monitor the screen and keep a record.
B. Make a noise to remind the user.
C. Turn off the phone immediately.
D. Force the user to take a rest.
3.What does the author intend to do in Paragraph 4?
A. Persuade readers to buy the app.
B. Provide readers with some advice.
C. Recommend a coach to the readers.
D. Introduce more information of the app.
4.In which part of a website will you find this text?
A. Fashion and Business. B. Sports and Entertainment.
C. Health and Lifestyle. D. Art and Design.
The boy sat on his chair, with his hand above the keyboard. He thought about what to write.
He recalled that the competition deadline was merely a week away. But he still had not even started on his piece. He looked at the brochure again. “ WRITING COMPETITION!” the title read. His mom had encouraged him to enter the writing competition, and now he was taking it on as his personal task for the holidays.
As the boy reflected on his previous writing efforts, he realized how hopeless his task of winning was. Every story he ever wrote was based on other stories. He had little imagination, and unfortunately, imagination was the key to writing.
Suddenly, he had a brainwave. This time, he came up with an original and imaginative story.
The words shot towards him like a storm of leaves. Words were coming easily, flowing through him, faster than he could type. He typed faster than he ever had before. He continued to type, amazed at how easy writing this story was. The boy could not stop writing. He looked at the word count and saw the number “ 248 ” staring right back at him. He was not even halfway yet.
Then he heard the call of his mother saying time for bed. He continued writing the piece, ignoring her. He had to make up for the time he had lost thinking about a topic to write.
Finally, he finished. The word count now read “498”.
“Perfect,” he thought, “just under the word limit.” He knew this was the story that would win.
He went onto Google and searched for the competition. He found the page but there was no “Enter” button.
1.What caused the boy to take part in the writing competition?
A.A new computer. B.The prize money.
C.His own interest. D.His mom’s advice.
2.How did the boy finish his earlier writing?
A.His mom helped him. B.He copied others’ ideas.
C.His friends assisted him. D.He used his imagination.
3.Why did the boy delay his writing?
A.Because he was terribly lazy. B.Because he didn’t know what to write.
C.Because he wasn’t confident. D.Because he read too many stories.
4.Which might be the maximum word limit for each entry?
A.100. B.250.
C.500. D.1000.
While smartphones stand accused of a variety of crimes, these pocket computers can certainly be a force for good. Your phone is always with you, making it the perfect device to push you into a more beneficial way of living. Here are some of the best apps that can help.
Habitica
Habitica turns the goal of forming good habits into a game, with its own characters and scoring. It’s a lot of fun，and the app also lets you build habits with friends and family. In addition to regular repeating habits, you can add a more general to-do list, and the rewards you get can be customized too — you could treat yourself to a meal out or an extra hour of games.
Smoke Free
If you’ve got a specific habit in mind，then you’ll usually find specific apps to help, like Smoke Free. If you’re determined to give up smoking, then this is one of the most comprehensive apps for giving you that extra push you need to make a permanent change. The app offers a host of useful features for people wanting to go smoke-free ： The ability to see your progress over time，charts showing how your health is improving，day-by-day encouragement， and some advice on techniques for giving up smoking.
MyFitnessPal
You can find a ton of health and fitness apps for your phone, but MyFitnessPal stands out not just because it is easy to use, but because it makes practical suggestions for you. It can take in a host of data, from the calories (卡路里)you’re taking in to the number of swims you’re doing per week, and offer reports on calorie consumption and macronutrient (大量营养素） breakdown.
1.What can Habitica help you to do?
A.Win a tough game. B.Start a lasting friendship.
C.Find a fancy restaurant. D.Develop a pleasant habit.
2.Which of the following can Smoke Free provide?
A.The freedom to smoke. B.The ability to make progress.
C.Advice on how to quit smoking. D.Charts about your excellent health.
3.What can we learn about the three apps mentioned in the text?
A.They’re cheap. B.They’re practical.
C.They’re free. D.They’re interesting.
阅读下面材料, 根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段, 使之构成一篇完整的短文。
The Meredith family lived in a small community. As the economy was in decline, some people in the town had lost their jobs. Many of their families were struggling to make ends meet. People were trying to help each other meet the challenges.
Mrs. Meredith was a most kind and thoughtful woman. She spent a great deal of time visiting the poor. She knew they had problems, and they needed all kinds of help. When she had time, she would bring food and medicine to them.
One morning she told her children about a family she had visited the day before. There was a man sick in bed, his wife, who took care of him and could not go out to work, and their little boy. The little boy -his name was Bernard-had interested her very much.
“I wish you could see him,” she said to her own children, John, Harry, and Clara. “He is such a help to his mother. He wants very much to earn some money, but I don't see what he can do.”
After their mother left the room, the children sat thinking about Bernard. “I wish we could help him to earn money,” said Clara. “His family is suffering so much.”
“So do I,” said Harry. “We really should do something to assist them.”
For some moments, John said nothing, but, suddenly, he sprang to his feet and cried, “I have a great idea! I have a solution that we can all help accomplish(完成).”
The other children also jumped up all attention. When John had an idea, it was sure to be a good one. “I tell you what we can do,” said John. “You know that big box of corn Uncle John sent us? Well, we can make popcorn(爆米花), and put it into paper bags, and Bernard can take it around to the houses and sell it.”
注意:
1. 续写词数应为150左右:
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
When Mrs. Meredith heard of John's idea, she thought it was a good one, too.
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With everything ready, Bernard started out on his new business.
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假定你是李华, 上周日你校举办了5公里越野赛跑活动。请你为校英文报写一篇报道, 内容包括:
1. 参加人员:
2. 跑步路线:从校门口到南山脚下:
3. 活动反响。
注意:
1. 写作词数应为80左右:
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
A Cross-Country Running Race
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阅读下面短文, 在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Many people have the hobby of collecting things, e.g. stamps, postcards or antiques. In the 18th and 19th centuries, 1. (wealth) people travelled and collected plants, historical objects and works of art. They kept their collection at home until it got too big 2. until they died, and then it was given to a museum. The 80,000 objects collected by Sir Hans Sloane, for example, 3. (form) the core collection of the British Museum 4. opened in 1759.
The parts of a museum open to the public 5. (call) galleries or rooms. Often, only a small part of a museum’s collection 6. (be) on display. Most of it is stored away or used for research.
Many museums are lively places and they attract a lot of visitors. As well as looking at exhibits, visitors can play with computer simulations (模拟) and imagine 7. (they) living at a different time in history or 8.(walk)through a rainforest. At the Jorvik Centre in York, the city’s Viking settlement is recreated, and people experience the sights, sounds and smells of the old town. Historical 9. (accurate) is important but so is entertainment. Museums must compete 10.people’s spare time and money with other amusements. Most museums also welcome school groups and arrange special activities for children.
