Most of us spend our lives seeking the natural world. We go fishing, sit in the garden, have a picnic, live in the suburbs or go to the seaside. The most popular leisure activity in Britain is going for a walk. When joggers jog, they don't run the streets. Every one of them tend to go to the park or the river.
But despite this, our children are growing up nature deprived. I spent my boyhood climbing trees. These days, children are robbed of these ancient freedoms, due to problems like crime, traffic, the loss of the open spaces and strange new ideas about what is best for children, that is to say, things that can be bought, rather than things that can be found.
The truth is to be found elsewhere. A study in the US: families had moved to better housing and the children were assessed for ADHD—attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Those whose accommodation had more natural views showed an improvement of 19%; those who had the same improvement in material surroundings but no nice view improved just 4%.
ADHD is one of the great problems of modem childhood. One study after another indicates that contact with nature gives huge benefits to ADHD children. However, we spend money on drugs rather than on green places.
The life of old people is measurably better when they have access to nature. The increasing concern for the growing population of old people is in quality rather than quantity of years. And study after study finds that a garden is the single most important thing in finding that quality. Even problems with crime and aggressive behaviour are reduced when there is contact with the natural world.
We need the wild world. It is essential to our well-being, our health and our happiness.
1.According to the author, people enjoy to seek nature.
A.running in the gym B.jogging on the street
C.shopping in the supermarket D.sitting in the garden
2.From the second paragraph, we can see that .
A.climbing trees will certainly do good to the children
B.children probably spend less time in nature nowadays
C.adults deprive the children of their rights to approach nature
D.children tend to be happier as a result of their material satisfaction
3.In what way do people benefit from their contact with nature?
A.Children with ADHD can be cured.
B.Children's performance at school is greatly improved.
C.A garden nearby improves the quality of old people's life.
D.Problems with crime and violent behavior will easily be solved.
4.What is the main idea of this passage?
A.Getting close to nature improves our life.
B.Nature can treat the children with ADHD.
C.Playing in nature reduces aggressive behaviour.
D.Human beings can not live without natural areas.
Nao, the first robot able to show feelings, has been created by a European research team. When Nao is sad, he lowers his head and looks down. When he’s happy, he raises his arms for a hug. Nothing is out of the ordinary, except that Nao is a robot.
“We’re modeling the first years of life,” says Lola Canamero, a computer scientist at the University of Hertforshire. “The feelings are shown through physical gestures and body movements rather than facial or verbal(言语的) expressions.”
In the future, says the scientist, robots are likely to act as companions, provide support for old people, and help people shop online. In such uses, the display of feeling will be important in making the interactions(交往) more natural and comfortable.
Nao has been programmed to copy the emotional skills of a one-year-old child. It can memorize faces, and knows the basic rules of good and bad. Based on these it can decide how to react to what is going on. The actions going with each feeling are pre-programmed, but Nao decides for itself when to display them.
Nao is also programmed to have different personalities. A more independent robot is less likely to call for help when exploring a room, while a more fearful robot will show distress if it finds something in the room that may be harmful.
Canamero’s team will take its emotional programming forward into medical applications. Part of the project will look at ways to use robots in hospitals to support the roles of doctors, nurses and parents. Children might find that a small, friendly-looking robot that can understand their emotional states makes them less anxious. “We want to explore different roles—the robots will help the children to understand their treatment and explain what they have to do. We want to help the children to control their anxiety.” she says.
1.According to the text, Nao_______.
A.displays different feelings in different situations
B.is able to imitate adult emotional displays
C.can remember people’s feelings
D.learns emotions from facial expressions
2.What can we learn from the text?
A.Scientists worked on facial and spoken expressions to create Nao’s emotions.
B.The time when Nao displays feelings has been pre-programmed.
C.Emotional programming is used in medicine production.
D.Robots with emotional skills can help children feel more comfortable.
3.What does the underlined word “distress” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?
A.Courage. B.Anxiety.
C.Anger. D.Satisfaction.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A.The relationship between humans and robots.
B.The roles that robots play in different fields.
C.The first robot able to show feelings.
D.The long history of robots.
My violin is like a soulmate that whispers words of wisdom to me. Together, we've gone through both tears and happiness.
About 12 years ago, I made acquaintance with it following an order from my mom. Many hours of boredom were spent practicing it. And to make things worse, the disappointment in my teacher's eyes as I played the wrong notes was like an invisible hammer, striking on my heart. One day, I finally decided: I hate it!
By chance, things changed when I was seven. I was at home lying on the sofa, wondering how those famous violinists dealt with this terrible dilemma(进退两难). I searched online for the E-minor Concerto, a well-known violin work by German composer Felix Mendelssohn, and listened to it.
A beautiful and mysterious sound came from the violin as the bow moved across it. It was like the music slid over the flowers, rose up, and started to fill the air. The violin's voice woke up the sun, made the trees green, and freshened the air. As the music changed, the sky turned back to gray. A gloomy shade covered the grass as all the sunshine disappeared. I could hear children crying and men shouting. It was like an invisible claw(爪子)had grabbed my heart tightly, making it unable to beat.
That glorious day set off my passion and interest in violin — I grabbed mine and never let it go. Before the memories faded, I stared at my instrument. Without hesitating, I picked it up, rosined the bow, and began to play. Peace filled my heart.
My violin has been by my side for 12 years. When I feel happy, an energetic tune makes it even better; when I'm deep in sorrow, a peaceful tune washes it away； when I'm walking on air, feeling especially pleased with my achievements, solemn tunes calm me down. Gradually, it has become a part of my life.
My violin, shall I compare you to a summer's day?
1.What further contributed to the author's dislike of violin-playing?
A.Orders from mum. B.Boredom of practice.
C.Disappointment in the teacher's eyes. D.Loss of passion for violin.
2.What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?
A.The weather actually changed because of the tune.
B.The scenery outside the room was quite attractive.
C.The sudden change made the author's heart unable to beat.
D.The author's feeling was continuously influenced by the music.
3.Why did the author pick up the violin again?
A.The invisible hammer and claw are gone.
B.A famous tune aroused his interest and passion.
C.The beautiful imagination changed his attitude.
D.He was crazy about Felix Mendelssohn, s works.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A.Musical Soulmate —Violin B.My Dislike and Like of Violin
C.An Inspiring Story of Violin D.Deep Love for Violin Music
If you're planning on hitting up a festival this summer, make sure you check out the latest packing guide to camping music festivals.
Quebec City Summer Festival
When: July 4-14
Where: Toronto, Quebec
300 shows, 10 places and 11 days of music make this festival one of Canada's biggest music festivals. Every year, this festival attracts over one million festivalgoers to Quebec City's historic district for concerts by international superstars and top new talents.
Center of Gravity
When: July 28-30
Where: Kelowna, British Columbia
Canada's hottest beach festival is back! Now in its 10th year, the biggest and exciting festival to hit the Okanagan includes three days packed with extreme sports, sandy beaches, and some of the biggest DJ names in the world.
Future Forest
When: August 5-7
Where: Fredericton, New Brunswick
Future Forest is an outdoor camping festival with a focus on electronic music. The festival originated in 2012 as a fundraiser for a brilliant DJ, Jay Hamilton, who was diagnosed with cancer. Future Forest proudly shows the idea that there are no audience at the event but rather participants who in some way contribute to the overall experience.
Shambhala Music Festival
When: August 9-10
Where: Salmo River Ranch, British Columbia
This is Canada's earliest electronic music festival. Cutting edge talent, lights and sound come together to give life to this event. Seeing it for yourself is the only way to understand exactly what is Shambhala.
1.What can people do in the Quebec City Summer Festival?
A.Enjoy the performances of superstars. B.Learn about Quebec City's history.
C.Do some extreme sports. D.Play on the sandy beaches.
2.What was Future Forest set up for at first?
A.To honor brilliant Jay Hamilton. B.To raise money for a cancer patient.
C.To provide outdoor camping activities. D.To promote electronic music.
3.Which festival is Canada's earliest electronic music festival?
A.Quebec City Summer Festival. B.Center of Gravity.
C.Future Forest. D.Shambhala Music Festival.
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。续写的词数应为150左右。
There was something in the elderly woman’s grace that caught my eye. Although slow and unsure of her steps, the woman moved with deliberation(从容), and there was no hesitation in her gestures.
It was a few years ago, and I had taken a part-time holiday-season job in a video store at the local shopping mall. From inside the store, I could see the people outside rushing by.
The elderly woman entered the store, along with her daughter, who was displaying a serious case of impatience, rolling her eyes, sighing and checking her watch every few seconds. I guessed if she had possessed a rope, she would have fastened it to her mother to drag her along to keep step with the rush of other shoppers.
The elderly woman separated from her daughter and began to seek through the DVDs on the nearest shelf. After the slightest hesitation, I walked over and asked if I could help her find something. The woman smiled up at me and showed me a title written on an old piece of paper.
Rather than rush off to locate the DVD for the woman, I asked her to walk with me so I could show her where she could find it. Looking back, I thought I wanted to enjoy her company for a moment. Something about her deliberate movements reminded me of my own mother, who’d passed away the previous Christmas. I missed my mom and still felt regretful about the moments when I’d used my impatience to make her life unhappy.
As we walked along the back of the store, I introduced its floor plan: old television shows, action movies, cartoons, science fiction. The woman seemed glad of the unrushed company and casual conversation.
We found the DVD and she thanked me, saying that it was the one she’d enjoyed when she was her daughter’s age. Unwillingly, I accompanied her to the cash register, realizing I had to return the elderly woman to her daughter, who was still tapping her foot at the front of the store.
假定你是学生会主席李华。学校将举办一次以“校园生活·创意无限”(Innovations on Campus)为主题的创意作品展评活动。请你根据以下图示，以短文
形式用英语写一份书面通知。
注意: 1.词数100左右;
2.可以适当发挥，以使行文连贯;
3.开头及结尾已为你写好，不计人总词数。
参考词汇: 校园campus 创意作品innovation 颁奖prize-giving
