Most musicians agree that the best violins were first made in Italy. They were made in Cremona, Italy, about 200 years ago. These violins sound better than any others. They even sound better than violins made today. Violin makers and scientists try to make instruments like the old Italian violins. But they aren't the same Musicians still prefer the old ones. No one really knows why these old Italian violins are so special, but many people think they have an answer.
Some people think it is the age of the violins. They say that today's violins will also sound wonderful someday. But there is a problem here. Not all old violins sound wonderful. Only those from Cremona are special. So age cannot be the answer. There must be something different about Cremona or those Italian violin makers.
Other people think the secret to those violins in the wood. The wood of the violin is very important. It must be from certain kinds of trees. It must not be too young or too old. Perhaps the violin makers of Cremona knew something special shout wood for violins.
But the kind of wood may not be so important. It may he more important to cut the wood in a special way. Wood for a violin must be cut very carefully. It has to be the right size and shape. The smallest difference will change the sound of the violin. Musicians sometimes think that this was the secret of the Italians. Maybe they understood more than we do about how to cut the wood.
Size and shape may not be the answer either. Scientists measured these old violins very carefully. They can make new ones that are exactly the same size and shape. But the new violins still do not sound as good as the old one. Some scientists think the secret may be the varnish, which covers the wood of the violin and makes it look shiny. It also helps the sound of the instrument. No one knows what the Italian violin makers used in their varnish. So no one can make the same varnish today.
There may never be other violins like the violins of Cremona. Their secret may be lost forever. Young musicians today hope: this is not true. They need fine violins. But there aren't very many of the old violins left. Also, the old violins are very expensive. Recently, a famous old Italian violin was sold for about US $300, 000!
1.When and where were the best violins made?
_______________________
2.How many possible reasons about the old Italian violins does the writer mention?
_______________________
3.Does anyone know what the Italian violin makers used in their varnish?
_______________________
4.How much was the famous old Italian violin?
_______________________
5.What is the passage mainly about?
_______________________
Each country has its own secret to happiness. If "pyt", which means "don't worry about it and stuff happens" , explains the relaxed attitude of Danish people, "niksen" will reveal how Dutch people combat (对抗) stress and burnout in a fast-paced lifestyle.
The term "niksen" origins from the Dutch word "niks", which refers to "nothing". Mindfulness, another welcome subject to help people have a peaceful mind. But unlike mindfulness, niksen is not about concentrating on the present moment. It's about letting yourself do nothing, and allowing your mind to run free without expectation. In practice, this means "hanging around, looking at your surroundings, or listening to music as long as it's without purpose," according to Time Magazine.
Niksen sounds contrary (矛盾的) to the advice we were all given as kids. Nowadays, we're constantly told to stay busy and work harder than everyone else. But niksen opposes (反对) that mentality. It offers the chance to "deliciously do nothing", as Carolien Hamming, a coach at CSR Centrum, an organization devoted to fighting stress and burnout in the Netherlands, told Time. She thinks that niksen is essential (重要的) to staying healthy, since it's a form of mental relaxation and healing. Just as a wild animal lies in wait for their prey，niksen seems to be a natural state of being.
For some people, niksen can mean more than just stress reduction (减压). It's also a way to imagine new ideas or plans. As an early adopter of niksen, Jenny Holden, a communications expert in the UK, adds it to her daily lunch breaks. "Within 10 minutes of doing nothing--just staring and listening to myself-my head began to clear and sort out my work and home to-do lists," she told the MetroUK.
Above all, niksen is a suggestion for balancing work and rest. As Dutch-born writer Ogla Mecking wrote in US-based Whooly Magazine, niksen is the "thorough enjoyment of life's pauses".
Everyone is encouraged to embrace your niksen moments. They revitalize (使恢复元气) you and give you the strength needed to face everyday challenges.
1.What does niksen mean?
A.Living in the moment. B.Leading a healthy lifestyle
C.Using your wildest imagination. D.Being free and doing nothing
2.The writer mentions Jenny Holden in Paragraph 4 to show _________.
A.how niksen improves one's mental heath
B.niksen is closely related to stress reduction
C.niksen can help people come up with new thought
D.niksen can offer the chance to do something more important
3.The word "thorough" in Paragraph 5 probably means "_________".
A.long B.full C.fast D.quiet
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A.An introduction to the Duteh lifestyle.
B.Suggestions on how to balance work and rest.
C.The importance of allowing time to pause life.
D.An explanation of some Danish words about life attitudes.
We take showers and use the toilet every day to get rid of badly waste. Our brains also need to take a bath every day. How can they do it?
A 2013 study found the answer. Researchers at the LS University of Rochester studied the brains of mice and discovered that they cleaned themselves while the mice slept. A kind of fluid in the brain, called cerebral spinal fluid (CSF, 脑脊液), was found to increase dramatically (显著地) during sleep, washing away waste proteins that had been building up between brain cells in waking hours.
"This study shows that the brain has different functional stales when asleep and when awake," Maiken Nedergaard, the lead researcher, told NBC News. It also explains why we can't seem to think clearly after a sleepless night while a good night's sleep leaves us feeling sharp and refreshed.
Now a new study, published on Oct 31 in Science, digs a little deeper into our brains' self-cleaning procedure. Instead of mice, this time humans were the test subjects.
Researchers at Boston University, US, monitored (监测) the brain waves of 13 healthy adults who were sleeping, using accelerated MRI, which is capable of recording faster changes inside the brain than a regular MRI machine. They found that every 20 seconds, blood flowed out of the brain, making room for a large amount of CSF to come in and "clean". This cycle coincided with(与……一致) the rhythm of the brain's slow waves-an electrical activity that happens when we're in deep sleep.
It's still unknown how these brain activities are connected. But the mere fact that they are connected is exciting enough, since it allows researchers to piece together (拼凑出) possible new explanations for misunderstood diseases.
For example, slow-wave sleep has been proven to play a role in strengthening our memories. This may explain why people with Alzheimer's often have fewer and weaker slow brainwaves. Based on this new study, there could be one more explanation for diseased brains: They are not clean.
Nedergaard, leader of the 2013 study, is also excited about the new findings. "Maybe the most important take-home message is that sleep is a serious thing," she told Scientific American. "You really need to sleep to keep a healthy brain because it links electrical activity to a practical 'housekeeping' function."
1.When the researchers studied the brains of mice, they found __________.
A.CSF in their brains went down when the mice slept
B.CSF carried away waste proteins in their brain during sleep
C.more waste proteins were produced in their brains when asleep
D.the more CSF was in their brains, the fewer waste proteins were
2.What did the researchers discover when they monitored human brain waves?
A.The rhythm of the brain was slower than that of CSF.
B.The brains worked more slowly when asleep.
C.Brains were cleaned when blood flowed out.
D.It took 20 seconds for CSF to clean brains.
3.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.Connecting Brain Activities B.Cleaning in Your Dreams
C.Having a Good Sleep D.Explaining Diseases
Love on the Phone Line
Most of us want to know what we mean to those who mean everything to us, but how do we know if we don't tell each other? I want to share an experience of mine to tell you when you really love someone, tell them directly.
When I was growing up, I never heard the words "I love you" from my father. If your father never says them to you when you are a child, it gets more and more difficult for him to say those words as you get older. In fact, I never said those words to him, either.
A few years ago, I decided to make the first move. After some thought, I called my father on the phone and said: "Dad, 1 love you!" There was a moment of silence at the other end of the line. "Well, same back at you!" he replied quietly.
"Dad, I know you love me. When you're ready, you'll say it, too," I said with a smile. Then I hang up the phone. But fifteen minutes later, my mother called and asked if everything was "OK", She seemed nervous. "Your father seems to have something to say after answering your call". 1 didn't tell my mother about the call. I just told her it was a secret between us.
A few weeks later, Dad called and ended our phone conversation with the words: "Son, I love you," I was at work during this conversation and tears came to my eyes as I finally "heard" the love. This special moment took our father-son relationship to a new level. Later, we got used to saying "I love you" to each other.
I think if I had not taken the first step, I would have never heard the love from my father.
1.What did the writer do when he decided to show love to his father?
A.He spoke out his love to his father on the phone.
B.He told her mother about his love to his father.
C.He bought some flowers to show love.
D.He made a love card for his father.
2.How did the writer's mother feel when she called him?
A.Happy. B.Exited. C.Nervous. D.Confident.
3.According to the passage, the writer wants to tell us that it's necessary _________.
A.to speak out our love B.to call our parents C.to go home often D.to keep love secret
Best Ways to Improve Online Experience
Zhao Yuchen, Beijing To me, the biggest headache about studying online is my poor internet connection. During one online class, 1 couldn't hear my English teacher's voice and I had to reconnect. It wasted lots of time. Since then, I have checked my network before class every day and asked other family members not to use the internet while I'm in class. |
Qiu Ziyin, Shenzhen During the first day of studying online, I was excited and listened carefully. But I soon realized that my self-discipline (自律) was weak. I've set screen time for all of my electronic devices. At night, I do preview (预习) work for the next day instead of playing with my mobile phone. |
Zhao Jiawen, Shanghai It's important to know how to choose wisely when we pick online courses. For example, I had difficulty understanding certain English grammar points, so I searched for key words on our national cloud learning platform and watched several videos from teachers across China. It's good for us to get different teachers. |
Zhang Penghui, Heilongjiang Online learning takes strong self-discipline and willpower. There are lots of distractions (分心) while studying at home. My mom likes to offer me snacks and drinks, which sometimes distracts me from listening during my classes. A quiet room and clean desk can help us stay focused. |
1.Who does preview work for the next day a night?
A.Zhao Yuchen. B.Qiu Ziyin. C.Zhao Jiawen. D.Zhang Penghui.
2.Zhao Yuchen __________ while having class online.
A.has asked other family members not to use the internet
B.watches several video from teachers
C.likes to have snacks and drinks
D.plays with the mobile phone
3.Zhang Penghui thinks that __________.
A.students' self discipline is weak
B.it's good for students to get different teachers from China
C.a quiet room and clean desk can help students stay focused
D.the biggest problem about studying online is the poor internet connection
Changing Makes You More Confident
I used to hate being called upon in class mainly because I didn't like attention drawn to myself. And unless otherwise assigned (指定) a seat by the teacher, I always _______ to sit at the back of the classroom.
All this changed after I joined a sports team. It began when a teacher suggested I try out for the basketball team. At first I thought it was a _______ idea because I didn't have a good sense of balance, nor did I have the _______ to keep pace with the others on the team and they would laugh at me. But for the teacher who kept insisting on my "going for it", I wouldn't have decided to give it a try.
When I first started _______ the practice sessions, I didn't even know the rules of the game, much less what I was doing. Sometimes I'd get confused and take a shot at the wrong _______ - which made me feel really stupid. Fortunately, I wasn't the only one "new" at the game, so I decided to focus on learning the game, do my best at each practice session, and not be too hard on myself for the things I didn't know "just yet".
I practiced and practiced. Soon I knew the _______ and the "moves". Being part of a team was fun and motivating (激励, 动力). With time, I learned how to play and made friends in the process-friends who respected my efforts to work hard and be a team player. 1 never had so much fun!
With my improved self-confidence comes more _______ from teachers and classmates. I have gone from "_______" in the back of the classroom and not wanting to call attention to myself, to raising my hand-even when I sometimes wasn't 100 percent sure. I had the right answer. Now I have more self-confidence in myself.
1.A.hoped B.agreed C.meant D.chose
2.A.good B.crazy C.common D.bright
3.A.ability B.night C.chance D.patience
4.A.enjoying B.preparing C.attending D.watching
5.A.direction B.decision C.competition D.discussion
6.A.steps B.rules C.orders D.games
7.A.praise B.advice C.comfort D.courage
8.A.dreaming B.talking C.fighting D.hiding
