With courses on David Beckham and Harry Potter on offer at famous universities, it comes as no surprise that students are now able to learn the art of the perfect selfie(自拍）.
The concept of taking selfies gained great popularity. It soon exploded on the Internet, and people started crazily to take images that had them as the primary item of focus. The trend became so popular that it even inspired a song,“SELHE” by the Chainsmokers, which racked up 267 million views on YouTube. In fact, Twitter declared 2014 as “the year of the selfie”.
Just like the art of photography can be studied and improved, City Literary Institute, a well-known college in London, felt it needed to educate people on the fine art of taking the perfect selfie and officially started to offer a first-ever course on that.
The four-session course will cost £132 (£106 for seniors), but the fee won’t even include a free selfie-stick, a tool that is rapidly gaining acceptance for serious selfie-takers. It is open to all enthusiastic and self-obsessed photographers.
As part of the new course, self-absorbed photographers will be taught “valuable life skills^ to prepare themselves to face a world which could present a photo opportunity at any point. Apart from offering the much-needed but seldom-sought guidance on the best angles and lighting, the course promises to improve your critical understanding of the “selfie”. There will also be a brief exploration into the concepts of “identity, self-hood and memory” as well as the opportunity to “develop new ideas to you’re your photography more relevant to your aims,'
But the selfie enthusiasts must be prepared to share their photos, as organizers said a critique(评论）of students’ work would form an important role in the learning process.
1.Learning to take selfies at universities isn't a surprise because .
A. taking selfies is popular nowadays
B. many people take photos crazily
C. the perfect selfie has exploded on the Intenet
D. courses on some famous persons have been offered
2.City Literary Institute offers courses on taking selfies to .
A. attract people to study there
B. teach people to master the art
C. follow the latest fashion
D. be the first to offer such courses
3.What can be inferred about the course in the passage?
A. It makes students get to know the concept of beauty.
B. It offers the steps on how to take photos.
C. Students taking the course are likely to take better selfies.
D. Students’ critical understanding of selfie is promised to improve.
4.Who can have access to the course on taking selfies?
A. Anyone who shows passion for taking selfies.
B. Anyone who is a full-time student of the college.
C. Only young photographers who are interested in it.
D. Only those who are good at taking photos.
Loneliness is like a disease, and what’s worse, it’s contagious. It can spread from one person to another, according to the recent research that stresses the power of one person’s emotions to affect even people they don’t know.
The new analysis, involving 4,793 people who were interviewed every two years between 2005 and 2015, showed that a friend of a lonely person was 52% more likely to develop feelings of loneliness by the time of the next interview. A friend of that person was 25% more likely, and a friend of a friend of a friend was 15% more likely.
''Loneliness is not just the property of an individual. It can be transmitted across people—even people you don’t have direct contact with,” said John T. Cacioppo, a psychologist of University of Chicago who led the study published in the December issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Loneliness has been linked to medical problems, including depression, sleep problems and generally poorer physical health. Identifying some of the causes could help reduce the emotion and improve health, experts said.
Although the study did not examine how loneliness spreads, Cacioppo said another research has provided clues. “Let’s say for whatever reason you get lonely. You then interact with other people in a more negative fashion. That puts them in a negative mood and makes them more likely to interact with other people in a negative fashion and they minimize their social ties and become lonely,” Cacioppo said.
According to Cacioppo, loneliness spread more easily among women than men, perhaps because women were more likely to express emotions.
Lonely people become less and less trusting others. This makes it more and more difficult for them to make friends—and more likely that society will reject them. Therefore, it is important to recognize and deal with loneliness. Cacioppo emphasizes people who have been pushed to the edges of society should receive help to repair their social networks.
1.It can be concluded from the first .paragraph that .
A. loneliness spreads in social networks
A. emotions are only transmitted between friends
B. more and more people are suffering from loneliness
C. loneliness is actually a kind of disease
2.According to Cacioppo, lonely people .
A. rely heavily on others
B. are more likely to trust others
C. are less likely to be rejected by friends
D. will probably be deserted by society
3.The word “ minimize” in Paragragh 5 is closest in meaning to .
A. increase B. reduce C. create D. keep
4.What should lonely people do to get rid of loneliness? '
A. Refuse the help given by others.
B. Admit and try to solve it.
C. Interact with others more negatively.
D. Express emotions more often.
● Cliffs of Moher, Ireland
Stretching for five miles along Ireland 5s western coast, the Cliffs of Moher are a sight more than 300 million years in the making. At their highest, the cliffs soar an impressive 702 feet above the Atlantic Ocean, offering the million visitors who visit each year incredible views sure to leave hearts racing both from the beauty and the height.
● White Cliffs of Dover, UK
These famous cliffs along England’s south-eastern coast are as rich in history as they are in beauty. They stand tall along the Strait of Dover, separating England from France and continental Europe. During World War I, the first bomb to hit the UK fell in Dover, and it served as a prominent location during WWII as well. And nowadays, the city is the best known for the beauty of its chalky white cliffs.
● Mount Thor, Canada
The name Mount Thor may inspire fear or respect — as well it should, considering this is the steepest, tallest cliff in the world. Thor reaches an astonishing 4?101 feet above sea level, and the utter greatness of its vertical incline kept it from being successfully gone up until 1965. Today, it remains a challenging and popular place for rock climbers. '
● Cliffs of Etretat, France
Located along France’s Alabaster Coast, these cliffs offer more than just steep walls. Climb to the top and you’ll have views of arched rock formations, as well as scenery that inspired the famous painter Claude Monet. At various points along the cliffs5 80-mile stretch, you can spot natural sculptures that are said to resemble an elephant, among other things.
1.The purpose of the author is to ^
A. introduce some of the world’s most amazing cliff views
B. advise people to climb rocks in their free time
C. ask people to explore why the cliffs are so steep
D. call on people to protect our environment
2.If you want to challenge yourself as a rock climber, the t choice is
A. Cliffs of Etretat B. White Cliffs of Dover
C. Ckiffs of Moher D. Mount Thor
3.The beauty of the chalky white cliffs can be enjoyed by visiting .
A. the Atlantic Ocean B. Dover
C. Alabaster D. the Strait of Bass
4.We can learn from the passage that
A. Claude Monet got his inspiration partly from Cliffs of Dover
B. Thor soars an amazing 702 feet above sea level
C. visitors to Cliffs of Dover are impressed by its history
D. natural sculptures are commonly seen along most cliffs
Even after his death, Mitchell Whisenhunt has found a way to surprise and bring comfort to his wife and young daughter, with some letters he designated to be opened on certain dates.
Mitchell lost his battle with Marfan syndrome at 26. The rare genetic disorder affects the body’s connective tissue, which is used to hold together organs, cells and tissue.
Ashley Whisenhunt, 22, cared for her husband until his death but said she was astonished when she discovered the 30 letters he left for her, their 18-month-old daughter Brynleigh and the community.
The little girl will grow up with a letter every year from her second to 18th birthday from a man she didn’t get to spend much time with but who left no doubt that he loved her unconditionally. “Through his testimony, there is so much she is going to learn,” Ashley told ABC News.
One letter was also addressed to their Longview, Texas, community, thanking them for their support.
“It just blows my mind,” Ashley said of her husband’s secret gesture. “He thought about everybody else instead of himself.”
Ashley said she would respect her husband’s wishes and open each letter as he planned, however there was one special surprise left for her that she said hit her the hardest.
In a spiral notebook that Ashley used before she dropped out of college to care for her husband, he wrote a letter to her asking that she publish a book of poetry he had written.
Mitchell Whisenhunt even planned his own funeral, and the funeral director said he couldn’t tell Ashley because it was Mitchell’s plan and secret. Ashley said she couldn’t help but wonder what other surprises her husband had in store. “There are ones we still don’t know about it,” she said.
1.How many letters will Ashley Whisenhunt receive from her husband?
A. 30. B. 22. C. 12. D. 13.
2.The underlined word “ones” in the last paragraph refers to .
A. books B. poems C. notebooks D. surprises
3.What’s the best title for the passage?
A. Love from Heaven B. Fight against Diseases
C. Respect for Father D. Secrets in Store
书面表达
中国人出国旅游的不文明行为越来越受到广泛关注。请以表格中所列举的事实为依据，写一则英语短文，谈谈自己的看法。
不文明行为 | 你的看法 |
在公共场所： 随地吐痰、乱丢垃圾、大声喧哗 …… | 注意言谈举止、 爱护环境、维护中国人的形象 …… |
注意：
1. 文章必须包括表格中的提示内容，可以增加细节使行文连贯；
2. 词数100左右；
3. 开头已经给出，不计入总词数；
4. 参考词汇：乱丢 (垃圾) litter；吐痰 spit；形象 image；声誉 reputation
As more and more Chinese go traveling abroad, reports about their bad manners flood in.
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短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文， 请你修改你同桌写的一下作文。 文中共有10处语言错误， 每句中最多两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（︿），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词
注意：1、每处错误及其修改均限一词；
2、只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Dear Ms. J. K. Rowling,
It is great pleasure to write to you. I like reading all of your Harry Potter book. A few days before, I listened to a radio programme about you. Now I know that you teach English at home and in others countries before you started writing books. I also know that you could only write the first book while your baby daughter was asleep, so you worked on them for five years. That was a very much difficult job. Your son David and your daughter Jessica must be proud for you. I hope I can become as successfully as you when I grow up. Thank you for spending time read my letter.
Yours sincerely,
Michele
