Nowadays，people everywhere seem to find less and less time available to them, and more and more things to achieve. It’s quite common to find people running around like headless chickens meeting deadlines that they create. One doesn’t have to live this way, in stress and struggle. 1.
Breathing – I can’t stress enough the importance of learning how to breathe properly, and not only when you’re stressed, but at all times that you can. Learning how to breathe properly at all times is essential. You should try to deepen and lengthen your breath to lower the stress level and promote relaxation.2.
Relaxing – We often think that just going to the gym and working out is the right way to go to relax ourselves.3. A good hard workout is good from time to time, but you are still running at full steam ahead and not giving yourself time to relax. So lighting some fragrant candles, taking a slow hot bath or a shower, or meditating for even 10 minutes will do wonders to help you relax your mind and get out of the stress zone.
Let it all out –4.So calling or meeting up with a person who can listen and empathize with us, is often a great way to relax. It’s important that we don’t go into victim mode and get too negative. When we let out our frustrations, it should be done in a positive manner, and with lightheartedness, even joking about the stress we’re under.
5.– Probably one of the most difficult skills at first to master, but in the end one of the most rewarding to learn in our fast-paced society is the attitude of gratitude. We can do some gratitude list making right on the spot to get out of our heads and away from all that we wished we had but don’t, and to be thankful for all that we do have. I swear learning how to do this will relax you in a way that will change your life for the better.
Hopefully this article helped you to find an answer to your question about how to relax your mind from stress. Try these techniques and let us know, what works best for you.
A. Be thankful to your friends.
B. Be grateful
for what you have.
C. But this pace doesn’t do much for our mind or stress levels.
D. You can either lie down on the floor or sit comfortably to relax yourself.
E. In this article we will present a few tips on how to relax your mind from stress.
F. In addition, deeper breathes help to get rid of harmful substances in your lungs.
G. Sometimes we need to just let out our frustrations and worries to a close friend.
Our planet is home to about seven billion people. Since the 1990s, population experts have predicted the number would grow to nine billion before it begins to slow down and possibly decrease.
But a new report predicts the world’s population is likely to increase to almost 11 billion by 2100. Based on the most modern statistical tools, the new report makes use of government records and considers expert predictions, including death rates, birthrates and international migration, or people moving across borders. The report says during the rest of this century, Africa's population will grow from about 3.5 billion to 5.1 billion over the next 85 years
John is director of the United Nations Population Division. He says that in the past, researchers thought population growth in Africa would be similar to that of other areas. They expected slower growth rates as birth control use became more widespread. But he says those ideas were wrong.
“The level of contraception use has continued to increase but slowly — more slowly than expected, and birthrate therefore has been falling less rapidly than expected, and the population therefore continues to grow somewhat more rapidly than we expected.The new findings are based on a joint research project of the United Nations and the University of Washington.
The researchers believe the population of Asia will reach five billion by 2050. That is up from the current 4.4 billion. And then begin to decline. The researchers also believe that North America, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean area will have a total population of below one billion.
John says the pressure of feeding the rising population is likely to be less than that might be expected.
“The relatively good news is that the world has been winning the race between population growth and food production. If you look back historically over the last 50 years, certainly for the world as a whole and for many, most individual countries and regions, the increase in food production has outpaced the increase of population.‖”
1.Which area will experience the largest increase in population at the end of the century?
A. Asia. B. Africa. C. Europe. D. North America.
2.“Contraception use‖ in the fourth paragraph refers to ________.
A. a method of expert predictions
B. a way of avoiding growth in population
C. a joint research into the rising population
D. a potential technology for food production
3.Why is the pressure of feeding the rising population less than expected according to John?
A. Expert predictions are not exactly like what the facts happen.
B. Birthrates have always been falling less rapidly than we expected.
C. The population grows less rapidly than population experts expected.
D. The increase in food production has outpaced the increase of population.
4.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. The world’s population will increase constantly.
B. The population of Asia will rise by 5 billion by 2050.
C. John is optimistic about feeding the rising population.
D. Population growth in Africa was much slower than expected.
If you never read the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, now is your chance to catch up — by watching the latest film adaptation. Because if there’s one sentence to sum up the film, it would be, as Fox News says in its review, “It’s just like the book”
Director Baz Luhrmann’s main challenge was “either to find a visual equivalent(相等物) for Fitzgerald’s elegant essay--the open secret of the book’s staying power-- or to bend the material to his own exotic(异国的) strengths,a Time magazine review says. He tries it both ways, with varying degrees of success.
Considered to be Fitzgerald's representative work, The Great Gatsby explores themes of idealism, resistance to change, social change, and excess, creating a portrait of the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties that has been described as a cautionary tale regarding the American Dream.
Nick, the narrator, moves to New York for the summer to visit his cousin Daisy. His next-door neighbor is Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), who rarely contacts with others and is rumored to be a hero of the Great War. Gatsby claims to have attended Oxford University, but 
the evidence is suspe
ct. As Nick learns more about Gatsby, every detail about him seems questionable, except his love for the Daisy. Though Daisy is married, Gatsby still adores her as his ―golden girl.They first met when she was a young lady from a wealthy family and he was a working-class military officer. Daisy promised to wait for his return from the war. However, she married Tom, a classmate of Nick’s. Having obtained a great fortune, Gatsby sets out to win her back again.
”All of Fitzgerald’s original creation finds its way into this film, even going as far to include quite a bit of the original dialogue,US film critic Justin Taroli writes in his review. “The cast is beautiful as is the script, and the scenes are a visual feast.Taroli adds.
DiCaprio does a good and professional job as the socialite by re-creating Fitzgerald’s description of Gatsby’s charm. “He can look at someone for an instant and understand how, perfectly, he or she wants to be seen,David Denby, a film critic for The New Yorker, says in his review.
The use of music is almost reason enough to see the film. “Luhrmann is at his best mixing visual and musical styles together to create something wholly original, the Fox News review said.
For example, in one of the most outstanding scenes in the film, the first party scene, Nick walks quickly from one party guest to another party guest trying to explain all the gossip about Gatsby until he is finally introduced to the man himself, while the most stirring version of Rhapsody in Blue (composed by American musician George Gershwin in 1924) is played in the background.
1.What did Baz Luhrmann do to make the film a success?
A. He adapted the story in the novel as he wished.
B. He made the film more powerful than the book.
C. He mixed his style with the elegance of the essay.
D. He showed the elegance of the pictures in the film.
2.What is Taroli’s attitude towards the film?
A. Favorable. B. Sceptical.
C. Amazed. D. Unconcerned.
3. What are the characteristics of Gat
sby?
A. Faithful and warm-hearted.
B. Charming and professional.
C. Selfish and stubborn.
D. Mysterious and devoted.
4.Why does the author give the example of the first party scene in the last paragraph?
A. Unfold the fact that Nick wants to know more about Gatsby.
B. Show the version of Rhapsody in Blue matches the film well.
C. Prove that the director is good at combining visual and music.
D. Convince us that the first scene is perfectly shot by the director.
Brooke Martin’s golden retriever(金毛猎犬) Kayla hated being left alone or separated. She would howl, pace, and chew on things. Brooke learned that other people had the same problem with their pets. She wondered: ―What if you could talk to your dog if you were gone?
Working with her father in their garage, the 16-year-old came up with several ideas. Finally, she invented a device that allowed pet owners to video chat with their pets! She calls the device iCPooch. ―The dog doesn’t have to answer the call,explains Brooke. ―It comes up immediately on the screen on their end. It’s a two
-wa
y audio and video—you can see and hear each other.With a click of a button you can even send the dog a treat!
Her invention has earned her a spot competing against nine other finalists in a young scientist competition for middle-school students. These finalists, selected based on their short video presentations, are working with mentors over the summer before heading to the final competition in St. Paul, Minn.
After Martin’s video put her among the 10 finalists in the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge, she was paired with Delony Langer-Anderson, a product development scientist in 3M’s consumer health care division. ―I just lead her down the product development path,Langer-Anderson told Live Science. This path includes guidance on how to test the potential product, which combines a video chat device that answers immediately on the dog’s end with a dog treat device the owner can remotely activate.
One thing I have thought about a lot is, what happens if while the device is on the floor, what if your dog knocks it over, or scratches the screen? Martin said. She and Langer-Anderson discussed this, and Martin is now testing materials at a local dog shelter by taping them to the dog house floors to see how well they withstand sharp teeth and claws.
The finalists create models they can test, with the guidance from a mentor. Their projects include a fuel cell that transforms cut grass into electricity and an app that rewards drivers for not texting or calling. Langer-Anderson tries to help the students work through the scientific method, testing their hypothesis, in a determined way, ―so the kids don’t get buried in data.she said.
1.Which of the following would be the best title of the text?
A.“iCPooch” wins in a young scientist competition.
B. A 16-year-old girl invents a device for dog hunger.
C. A man-made device lets people chat with their pets.
D. A kid-invented device calm dogs’ separation anxiety.
2.“iCPooch”calms pet dogs by ________.
A. allowing video chat
B. making dogs sleep
C. answering the call
D. giving them food
3.What is the probable meaning of the underlined word “mentor”
A. competitor B. assistant C. instructor D. companion
4.What do the inventions of the finalists have in common?
A. They are all new inventions dealing with pets.
B. They are possible solutions to everyday problems.
C. They cope with the problems related to computers.
D. They are all accomplished through individual work.
Oxford’s Department for Continuing Education runs over 1000 courses per year, offered on a part-time basis. Programmes include Oxford awards and degrees at undergraduate and postgraduate level, online short courses, weekly classes, day and weekend events, continuing professional development and summer schools.
Oxford awards & degrees
Over 50 undergraduate and postgraduate Oxford qualifications: certificates, diplomas, advanced diplomas, Master’s and Doctoral degrees, offered part-time, in the arts, social sciences, diplomatic studies, human rights law, health care and biomedical sciences, which involve overseas students. Course duration ranges from one year to several years part-time. The Department also runs a Graduate School to provide the support and guidance needed by those following part-time graduate programmes.
www.conted.ox.ac.uk/qualifications
Online & distance learning
Choose from over 90 courses across a range of disciplines. Most are short courses of 5-10 weeks, accredited (officially approved). A few longer courses result in Oxford qualifications.
www.conted.ox.ac.uk/online
Weekly classes
Approximately 500 part-
time accredited classes, open to all, and held in Oxford, Reading and other locations. Topics are studied in depth over a period of 10 or 20 weeks.
www.conted.ox.ac.uk/weekly
Day & weekend events
Courses of 1 or 2 days, usually held at weekends and taught by lecturers and speakers who are noted authorities in their field of research. Many courses are offered in combination with national organizations. Over 150 offered per year.
www.conted.ox.ac.uk/dayweekend
Professional development courses
200 courses per year, ranging from day schools to short refresher courses to full degree programmes. Subjects include health sciences, public policy, diplomatic studies, nanotechnology, electronics, historic conservation, environmental sciences, public administration, higher education leadership and more.
www.conted.ox.ac.uk/cpd
Summer schools
Accredited and non-accredited courses of between one and three weeks, with over 120 to choose from. Most are designed for the general public; others are designed to allow professionals to update skills. www.conted.ox.ac.uk/summerschools
1.What type of writing is this text?
A. A course guide.
B. A book review.
C. An advertisement
.
D. An official report.
2.Which programme will you choose if you want to learn from the famous top experts in your field?
A. Summer schools
B. Online&distance learning.
C. Day&weekend events.
D. Professional development courses.
3.Which website is useful to foreign students?
A. www.conted.ox.ac.uk/cpd
B. www.conted.ox.ac.uk/qualifications
C. www.conted.ox.ac.uk/dayweekend
D. www.conted.ox.ac.uk/summerschools
2015年4月5日上午10点到11点，全国亿万学生阳光体育活动在各地大中小学校同时进行， 1100万学生积极参与了这项活动。
教育部倡导学生：
1） 每天锻炼一小时 2） 健康工作五十年 3） 幸福生活一辈子
请你根据以上提示，用英语准备一份发言稿，向同学们讲述一下阳光体育活动的有关情况，并就高三学生（students of Senior Three）是否需要每天花一小时锻炼，谈谈你的看法及理由。
注意：发言稿应包括以上所有信息，要有适当发挥。
词数：120左右。
发言稿的开头和结尾已经写好，不计入总词数。
参考词汇：阳光体育活动——a national student sports program;
教育部——the Ministry of Education
Good afternoon, everyone,
The national student sports program was waged by the Ministry of Education and aimed at improving students’ health.
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So every one of you, join the program now!
Thank you!
