Many of us invest valuable time，energy and money planning our vacations. We do this because we know for sure that going on vacations must be good for us. Research proves this feeling without a doubt. Vacations help us perform better at work, improve our sleep quality and cushion us against depression.
Yet, despite these benefits, many of us return home with a feeling that our last vacation was OK - but not great. In order to change this, some mistakes should be avoided. A classic one for vacation planners is attempting to maximize value for money by planning trips that have too many components (组成部分)• Perhaps you’re planning a trip to Europe, seven cities in 10 days，and you realize it will cost only a little more to add two more destinations to the list Sounds fine in theory, but hopping from one place to the next hardly gives an opportunity to experience what psychologists call mindfulness - time to take in our new surroundings, time to be present and absorb our travel experiences. Another mistake is that we worry too much about strategic issues such as how to find a good flight deal，how to get from A to B，or which destinations to add or subtract from our journey. These issues may seem important, but our psychological state of mind is far more important.
Actually, vacation happiness is based on the following top rules. First, choose your travel companions wisely, because nothing contributes more significantly to a trip than the right companions. Second，don’t spend your vacation time in a place where everything is too expensive so as to maintain a positive mood. Third, shop wisely, for meaningful experiences provide more long-term happiness than physical possessions.
The behaviour of a building’s users may be at least as important as its design when it comes to energy use, according to new research from the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC). The UK promises to reduce its carbon emissions (排放）by 80 percent by 2050, part of which will be achieved by all new homes being zero-carbon by 2016. But this report shows that sustainable building design on its own — though extremely important- is not enough to achieve such reductions: the behaviour of the people using the building has to change too.
The study suggests that the ways that people use and live in their homes have been largely ignored by existing efforts to improve energy efficiency (效率)，which instead focus on architectural and technological developments.
‘Technology is going to assist but it is not going to do everything,’explains Katy Janda, a UKERC senior researcher，‘consumption patterns of building users can defeat the most careful design. ’In other words，old habits die hard, even in the best-designed eco-home.
Another part of the problem is information. Households and bill-payers don’t have the knowledge they need to change their energy-use habits. Without specific information，it’s hard to estimate the costs and benefits of making different choices. Feedback (反馈） facilities, like smart meters and energy monitors，could help bridge this information gap by helping people see how changing their behaviour directly affects their energy use; some studies have shown that households can achieve up to 15 percent energy savings using smart meters.
Social science research has added a further dimension (方面），suggesting that individuals’behaviour in the home can be personal and cannot be predicted 一 whether people throw open their windows rather than turn down the thermostat (恒温器) , for example.
Janda argues that education is the key. She calls for a focused programme to teach people about buildings and their own behaviour in them.
1.As to energy use, the new research from UKERC stresses the importance of________.
A.zero-carbon homes B. the behaviour of building users
C.sustainable building designD. the reduction of carbon emissions
2.The underlined word “which” in Paragraph 2 refers to”________.”
A. the waysB. their homes
C.developments D. existing efforts
3.What are Katy Janda’s words mainly about?
A.The importance of changing building users, habits.
B.The necessity of making a careful building design.
C.The variety of consumption patterns of building users.
D.The role of technology in improving energy efficiency.
4.The information gap in energy use _______.
A.can be bridged by feedback facilities
B.affects the study on energy monitors
C. brings about problems for smart meters
D.will be caused by building users’ old habits
5.What does the dimension added by social science research suggest?
A.The social science research is to be furthered.
B.The education programme is under discussion.
C.The behaviour of building users is unpredictable.
D.The behaviour preference of building users is similar.
In the mid-1950s, I was a somewhat bored early-adolescent male student who believed that doing any more than necessary was wasted effort. One day, this approach threw me into embarrassment
In Mrs. Totten’s eighth-grade math class at Central Avenue School in Anderson, Indiana, we were learning to add and subtract decimals (小数).
Our teacher typically assigned daily homework, which would be recited in class the following day. On most days, our grades were based on our oral answer to homework questions.
Mrs. Totten usually walked up and down the rows of desks requesting answers from student after student in the order the questions had appeared on our homework sheets. She would start either at the front or the back of the classroom and work toward the other end.
Since I was seated near the middle of about 35 students, it was easy to figure out which questions I might have to answer. This particular time, I had completed my usual two or three problems according to my calculations.
What I failed to expect was that several students were absent, which threw off my estimate. As Mrs. Totten made her way from the beginning of the class，I desperately tried to determine which math problem I would get. I tried to work it out before she got to me, but I had brain freeze and couldn’t function.
When Mrs. Totten reached my desk，she asked what answer I’d got for problem No. 14. “I…I didn’t get anything,” I answered，and my face felt warm.
“Correct,” she said.
It turned out that the correct answer was zero.
What did I learn that day? First, always do all your homework. Second, in real life it isn’t always what you say but how you say it that matters. Third，I would never make it as a mathematician.
If I could choose one school day that taught me the most, it would be that one.
1.What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 indicate?
A.It is wise to value one’s time.
B.It is important to make an effort
C.It is right to stick to one’s belief.
D.It is enough to do the necessary.
2.Usually, Mrs. Totten asked her students to _______.
A. recite their homework together
B.grade their homework themselves
C.answer their homework questions orally
D.check the answers to their homework questions
3.The author could work out which questions to answer since the teacher always _______.
A.asked questions in a regular way
B.walked up and down when asking questions
C.chose two or three questions for the students
D.requested her students to finish their usual questions
4.The author failed to get the questions he had expected because _______.
A.the class didn’t begin as usual
B.several students didn’t come to school
C.he didn’t try hard to make his estimate
D.Mrs. Totten didn’t start from the back of the class
5.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A.An Unforgettable Teacher
B.A Future Mathematician
C.An Effective Approach
D.A Valuable Lesson
Want to improve your writing skills? New Writing South is directing the way!
·Towner Writer Squad (班组）for kids aged 13-17
Led by comedy and TV writer, Marian Kilpatrick, Towner Writer Squad will meet once a month at the contemporary art museum for 11 months, starting 12 October, 2014.
The FREE squad sessions will include introductions to a wide range of writing styles, from poetry to play writing and lyrics (抒情诗）to flash fiction, to support the development of young writers.
Application & Selection
If you would like to apply to be part of the Towner Writer Squad, please send a sample piece of your writing (about 500 words), responding to the title‘LUNCH,’with your name, age, address and e-mail address to: debo@newwritingsouth.com.
Once all applications are in, you will be invited to an open selection event on 17 September，4-5pm, at the gallery of Towner. This will be an informal opportunity to meet the Squad Leader, Squad Associate and other young people.
You will also have a chance to get to know the fantastic gallery space and get a taste of what’s to come.
Deadline for applications: 8 September, 2014
For further information go to: facebook.com/towner or towner.org.uk or newwritingsouth.com
Any questions 一 feel free to send your e-mail to Towner Writer Squad Associate: whame@towner.gov.uk
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·Beginner Writing Project for kids aged 10-13
Due to popular demand, a writing project will be started for eager beginners.
Start time: 6 September, 2014
Meet every other Saturday，2-4pm, at the Towner Study Centre.
Study and write at your own pace 一 you do not have to rush 一 as you have a year to go through the project. Practise under the guidance of some experienced writers and teachers who can help you with basic writing skills. Most importantly, build confidence and have fun while writing!
No previous experience or special background is required. Many others have been successful this way. If they can do it, why can’t you?
Fee: £179
For more information go to: newtowner.org.uk or generate.org.uk
1.Towner Writer Squad will be started _______.
A.to train comedy and TV writers
B.to explore the fantastic gallery space
C.to introduce a contemporary art museum
D.to promote the development of young writers
2.To join the Writer Squad，each applicant should first _______.
A.provide a piece of their writing
B.meet the Writer Squad Leader
C.offer their family information
D.complete an application form
3.Applications for the Writer Squad should be e-mailed no later than _______.
A.6 September, 2014
B.8 September, 2014
C.17 September, 2014
D.12 October, 2014
4.What is most important for the beginners?
A.Practising as much as possible.
B.Gaining confidence and having fun.
C.Studying and writing at their own pace.
D.Learning skills from writers and teachers.
5.More information about Beginner Writing Project can be found at _______.
A.facebook.com/towner
B.newwritingsouth.com
C.newtowner.org.uk
D.towner.org.uk
We can choose our friends, but usually we cannot choose our neighbors. However, to get a happy home life, we have to get along with 1. as well as possible.
An important quality in a neighbor is consideration for 2. . People should not do things 3. will disturb their neighbors unnecessarily. For example, television sets need not be played at full volume (音量） 4. loud pop music should not be played very late at night. By avoiding things likely to upset your neighbors, you can enjoy 5. friendly relationship with them.
An equally important quality is tolerance. Neighbors should do all they can to avoid disturbing other people， 6. there are times when some level of disturbance is unavoidable. 7. neighbors want to get along well with each other, they have to show their tolerance. In this way, everyone will live 8. peace.
The summer before I went off to college, Mom stood me in her usual spot behind the ironing board (烫衣板)and said, “Pay attention: I’m going to teach you to iron.”
Mom clearly explained her for this lesson. I was going to be and needed to learn this vital skill. Also, I would be meeting new people, and properly ironed clothes would help me make a good .
“Learn to iron a shirt,” Mom said, “and you can iron anything.”
But ironing shirts was not work. It didn’t make use of long muscles we used to throw a baseball，and it wasn’t a operation like ice-skating. Ironing was like driving a car on a street that has a stop sign every 10 feet, Moreover, an iron produced steam and it carried an element of .If you touched the wrong part of it, you’d get burnt. If you forgot to turn it off when you ,you might bum down the house.
As for technique, Mom me to begin with the flat spaces outward, always pushing the iron forward into wrinkled (有褶皱的）parts. Collars had to be done right. Mom said they were close to your face, where everyone would them.
Over the years, I’ve learned to iron shirts skillfully, which gives me a sense of Whatever failures I suffer in my life, an ironed shirt tells me I am good at something. ,through ironing I’ve learned the method for solving even the most troublesome problems. “ wrinkles one at a time,” as Mom might have said, “and before long everything will get ironed out.”
1.A. reasonsB. rules C. emotions D. methods
2.A. helpfulB. confident C. powerful D. independent
3.A. conclusionB. suggestion C. impression D. observation
4.A. usefulB. easy C. special D. suitable
5.A. directB. single C. smooth D. strange
6.A. doubtB. pressure C. surprise D. danger
7.A. went awayB. fell down C. jumped off D. looked up
8.A. taught B. chose C. forced D. sent
9.A. touchB. design C. see D. admire
10.A. honestyB. freedom C. justice D. pride
11.A. InsteadB. Besides C. Otherwise D. However
12.A. Make upB. Deal with C Ask for D. Rely on
