Students in western Ohio(俄亥俄州) have to say “bye-bye” to snow days. Snow may fall, but students won’t be able to spend the days sledding(滑雪橇). Classes will continue online. Officials say that holding electronic workdays(e-days) will help students keep up with their studies. It will also prevent requiring students to make up schooldays later in June.
Which would you prefer: spending a cold day on a computer, or sitting in school in June when you should be on vacation? Jordan Dewar, a student reporter, holds the opinion that having online work on a snow day is the better choice. “You would be working on a day that you already planned on having schoolwork.”
“Having extra days of school in summer can interfere with(妨碍) families’ vacation plans. Besides, what if your school does not have air-conditioning? Imagine sweating through seven hours at school on a hot June day when you could have been relaxing by a pool with your family. Doesn’t an e-day sound better than that?” Jordan Dewar said.
For some students, it would be easier to concentrate(专注) on e-days than on makeup days. “You can do a little work online, go play, and then come back later,” says Rachel Meyers, 12. “But on June days you would just have to sit there for seven hours, thinking about how you could be outside, so you lose focus.”
There are some students arguing that it’s not fair to ditch snow days, however. They say that snow days give them a much-needed break. They also note that missing a day here and there is not enough to put them behind. Most students in Silver Valley School think one problem of e-days is that sometimes siblings(兄弟姐妹们) have to share computers at home. In addition, it punishes the students who don’t have computers at home. When school starts again after e-days, these students will be left behind and have to work double-time to catch up with others.
“School budget cuts(预算削减) across the country are expected to continue into the 2017-2018 school year.” the American Association of School Administrators(AASA) Web site states. “The school wouldn’t be able to afford both online classes and taking care of the school,” Austin Krewson, an eighth grader, says.
Moreover, electricity is likely to be cut off during snowstorms. If kids don’t have power at home, the money and the time in running the new program would be wasted.
1.What can we learn from Paragraph 1?
A. Officials suggest students should have more schooldays in June.
B. Officials believe snow days put students behind in their studies.
C. Students have to end snow days earlier than planned.
D. Students won’t have sledding classes at school.
2.The student reporter, Jordan Dewar, believes that _____.
A. siblings can help each other with their studies on e-days
B. students can learn better on e-days than on makeup days
C. having e-days in winter will save the cost of air-conditioning
D. students should study online when it snows heavily on weekdays
3.What does the word “ditch” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?
A. give up B. put off C. carry out D. pay for
4.The writer mentions the statements on the AASA Web site to _____.
A. explain the reason to hold the e-day program
B. show the difficulty of running the e-day program
C. suggest government should spend more money on education
D. stress why some students can’t afford computers for online classes
Songs help memories
The power of music
Most people can remember important news stories clearly, whether it was the murder of President Kennedy in the US or 9/11.But now psychologists Martin Conway and Catriona Morrison, from the University of Leeds in the UK, are investigating how music can create “autobiographical memories” of the main events in our lives. The study is online. People have to choose a song by the Beatles and describe the memories that they have when they listen to it.
Reminiscence bump
Morrison explained that they looked at different age groups and their memories. We often remember more from when we are teenagers and this is called “the reminiscence bump”. This is the time in your life when you form your idea of who you are. For older people who have memories related to the Beatles’ music, most of those memories are from when they were teenagers. But younger people also had clear personal memories from their past.
She loves you
This study was different from other memory studies, because people remembered events from their past with lots more details. Morrison explained: “It was like people had travelled back to the past, and they had very clear memories of things that had happened. When they heard a song like She Loves You by the Beatles, they could remember one night in autumn 1963.They remembered what they were wearing, what the weather was like and what their friend said to them. You get a lot more information than if you just say, ‘tell me about a night you remember’. ”
The study has found that music could be used with people who have problems remembering the past. “You could use music to help improve people’s ability to remember,” said Morrison. “In the future, we would like to do more experiments to see how useful music is in helping people to remember the past, and compare it to other things that might also help.”
1.Professor Conway and Dr. Morrison’s research aims to _____________.
A. see how music can help people remember the past
B. study old songs’ influence on people’s behavior
C. find out what influences people’s memories of the past
D. find ways to help people with memory difficulties
2.The example of She Loves You is used to show that ___________.
A. love songs can help people to have clearer memories
B. songs tell stories that are similar to our experiences
C. music can take people back to their teenage years
D. people can remember more details with the help of music
3.Morrison’s team’s future research is probably on ___________.
A. why some people have memory problems
B. what methods can best help people bring back memories
C. how music can help people in their studies or work
D. how to help older people remember more details about the past
“Joe, did you book your ticket yet?” I asked. “No. I changed my mind. I’m not going to go.”“What? You aren’t going to Australia? We’ve been planning this vacation for months!”“Yeah, I don’t feel like it. We’ll go some other time.”
Over the coming weeks, I tried to get my friend to reconsider, but failed. Our trip to Australia was off. And none of my friends wanted to replace him. If I wanted to travel, it would have to be on my own.
It’s taught me that if I wait for others, I’ll never go anywhere. But there are places I want to visit, people to see, experiences to have, and food to try—and only so much time to achieve it all. So I refuse to wait. I won’t let others keep me from realizing my dreams. It can be scary travelling alone, especially then you’ve never done it before. But, to me, growing old without experiencing everything you want from life is more frightening.
If you’re been putting off a trip because you’re waiting for someone to go with—stop. Just go. Don’t let others hold you back from your dreams. Trust me, along the way you’ll make plenty of friends. More than that, travelling alone gives you real freedom. You wake up and it’s just you—what you want, where you want, when you want. In that freedom and great space of possibility, you meet yourself.
It’s sink or swim and you have to learn how to survive—who to trust, how to make friends, how to find your way around alone. That’s the greatest reward（奖赏） of travelling alone. Each time you go away, you learn to become a little more independent and confident.
Travelling alone is not for everyone. Some people return home soon after starting off, some cry for weeks before accepting it, and others just accept it right away. But you’ll never learn that if you don’t travel once by yourself. Whether a weekend away, a two-week vacation, or a trip around the world, try it at least once.
1.What does the writer think is more frightening?
A. Travelling alone for the first time.
B. Changing your mind all the time.
C. Waiting for others during a long trip.
D. Failing to experience life in your growth.
2.The underlined words “hold you back from your dreams” in Paragraph 4 probably mean“______”.
A. get you out of trouble B. stop you from travelling
C. keep you waiting for them D. wake you up from your dream
3.According to the writer, the best reward of travelling alone is _____.
A. the experience of travelling
B. the freedom to go anywhere
C. the chance to taste delicious food
D. the possibility of meeting new people
4.The passage is mainly about__________.
A. where to travel B. when to travel
C. how to travel safely D. why to travel alone
Next time you hear yourself wishing for something better in your life, remember the word “SMART”. When you’ve decided to take action, read the following first.
S is for specific (具体的): For example, instead of setting a goal (目标): of “I want to lose weight”, set yourself a specific goal like “I want to lose five kilograms”. If you want to climb a high mountain, start your research, set a date and train for the climbing fitness.
M is for measurable (可测量的): Don’t try to “become healthy”, instead, set a goal that can be measured while carrying out an improved eating, exercise or lifestyle plan. For example, try to go to the gym for an hour three times a week, to visit your grandma once a week for an evening meal, or to eat no more than 200 grams of chocolate a week.
A is for achievable(可完成的): If you’ve never exercised in your life, don’t try to take part in the 2020 Olympics. Rather, get walking with a specific goal of how many steps to take a day. No need to try for the stars—baby steps are good.
R is for relevant (恰当的): Many of us choose goals that seem right, but are in fact wrong. They may go on for a few weeks before they fail. Try to avoid making the same mistake—rather choose goals that really speak to you.
T is for time-conscious (心中有数的): Finally, be very clear in your mind about how much time you are giving yourself to achieve the goal. That way, you know when you’ve succeeded, failed or whether you need to work harder to finish it before the last day.
1.According to the passage, the writer tells us how to_______.
A. lose weight B. take exercise
C. set a goal D. spend time.
2.What does the word “SMART” mean in the passage?
A. Five exercise plans. B. Five suggestions.
C. Five training steps. D. Five big letters.
3.Which of the following is not true according to the passage?
A. Specific numbers should be included in the goals you set.
B. You should begin with small steps while achieving a goal.
C. In order to make the goal fit for you, you should be careful.
D. More time should be given for you to achieve your goal.
Nowadays, many teens are badly addicted to using phones. It probably won’t surprise you that teens are texting more than ever before.
Instead of sleeping, Kenny Alarcon, 16, often texts with his friends through the night. Frances Garcia, a high school senior, sends and receives about 1000 texts each day. Both Frances and Kenny wake up several times during the night to text. Kenny even sleeps with his phone under his pillow.
Dr.Elizabeth Dowdell, a professor at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, says that it’s common for teens to be interrupted by texts while sleeping. “If they often lose sleep,” Dr.Dowdell says, “teens may become angry, or depressed. A lack of sleep can lead to weight gain and even obesity because many people turn to junk food for quick energy when they are tired.”
Some experts are worried about how texting is affecting teenagers’ lives. One concern is that students might not learn correct grammar and spelling if most of the writing they do is made up of text messages. Some people also worry that teens don’t spend enough time talking with others face-to-face, which could be hurting their relationships with friends and family. Moreover, all that texting takes away hours that could be spent studying, exercising, taking up a hobby, or just relaxing.
According to Dr. Dowdell, teens need to learn that they can and should turn off their phones sometimes. She had Kenny and Frances do an experiment. These were the rules: No phone for 48 hours. No computer or Internet either, unless it was for schoolwork.
After 48 phone-free hours, Kenny and Frances were interviewed. “Wow, it was pure torture(折磨),” Kenny joked. Kenny missed his friends, and he was sad at times. But he also felt relief from the constant texting. He spent time reading books and talking with his family, which he really enjoyed. Frances had an even happier result. “I loved it!” she said, “I was going to the gym and hanging out with friends and playing basketball. I had a wonderful experience.” Frances decided to continue the experiment for a while. “I think I’ll be so much smarter and healthier,” she explained, “everybody in the world should try it.”
1.If teens keep waking up to text while sleeping, they may _____.
A. get overweight B. become happier
C. disturb their parents D. feel more relaxed
2.What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?
A. Mistakes in teens’ text writing.
B. Time wasted on meaningless texting.
C. Worries about how texting affects teens.
D. Encouragement to teens’ talking face-to-face.
3.The writer mentions the experiment on Frances and Kenny to _____.
A. advise people what to do without phones
B. show teens can live well without phones
C. explain phones are important in teens’ lives
D. introduce how they make good use of phones
Zoos are hugely popular attractions for adults and children alike. But are they actually a good thing?
Those people who are against zoos, would argue that animals often suffer（遭受痛苦）physically and mentally by being enclosed. Even the best man-made environments can’t come close to matching the space, diversity（多样性）, and freedom that animals have in their natural homes. This causes many zoo animals to become sick. Catching animals in the wild also causes much suffering by separating with dolphinh family. Some zoos make animals behave unnaturally. For example, ocean parks often force dolphins and whales to perform. These sea animals may die years earlier than their wild relatives.
On the other hand, by bringing people and animals together, zoos can educate the public about animal protection and encourage people to save animals and their homes. Some zoos provide a safe environment for animals which have been mistreated in circuses, or pets which have been given up and no longer wanted. Zoos also carry out important research into subjects like animal behavior and how to treat illness.
One of the most important modern functions of zoos is supporting international breeding（繁衍）programs, especially for endangered species（物种）. In the wild, some of the species have difficulty in finding mates and breeding, and they might also be hurt or even killed by people. A good zoo will enable these species to live and breed in a safe environment. In addition, as numbers of some wild species drop, there is an increased danger of populations becoming too genetically（基因上） similar. Breeding programs provide a safeguard: zoo-bred animals can be put into the wild to increase genetic diversity.
However, those people who are against zoos say that many zoo-bred animals are not put back into the wild. A lot of animals are sold not only to other zoos but also to circuses in the US or wild parks in South Aften, these some people are willing to pay a lot of money for the chance to kill a helpless animal. Often, where animals are familiar with humans and have very little chance of escaping.
So, are zoos good for animals or not? Perhaps it all depends on how well zoos are managed, and the benefits of zoos can surely outweigh their harmful effects. However, it is understandable that many people believe enclosing animals for any reason is simply wrong.
1.According to Paragraph 2, some sea animals may die earlier than wild relatives because _____.
A. they were born in the ocean park
B. they don’t have enough living space
C. they are forced to behave unnaturally
D. they suffer from family separation
2.What is the main purpose of international breeding program?
A. To increase genetic diversity.
B. To protect mistreated animals.
C. To free enclosed animals.
D. To do research on animal behavior.
3.What’s the author’s opinion for zoos?
A. He doubts the value of zoos.
B. He is a true supporter of all kinds of zoos.
C. He is against the idea of having zoos around.
D. He sees the importance of the zoo management.
