Children today spend less time outdoors than ever before and it may be harmful not only to their physical health, but also to their cognitive (认知的) development.
A year-long study, recently published in the Sciences, found that elementary school children who were exposed to more green space within or directly outside their school showed improved learning and memory. The findings reinforce (加强) that of a recent six-year study on 905 Massachusetts public elementary schools, which found that students in schools that had more “greenness” in their surroundings reported higher scores on standardized testing in English and math. “There is an expanding body of scientific evidence linking the human experience in the natural world to better physical and mental health and improved cognitive abilities,” journalist Richard Louv, co-founder of the Children & Nature Network, said in an email to The Huffington Post. “An increasing number of homeschoolers, nature preschools, independent primary and secondary schools, and forward-thinking public schools are incorporating (并入) nature experience into learning.”
The new study was conducted on more than 2,500 children in second, third and fourth grade at 36 primary schools in Barcelona, Spain. Researchers found that the students who attended schools with more green space showed a 5 percent improvement in the short-term memory that’s critical for reasoning, learning and comprehension. But their inattentiveness decreased slightly.
Spending time outside could have a number of benefits for children beyond improved memory and attention. Another recent study found that adventurous outdoor play such as climbing, rough and tumble (翻筋斗) play, and exploring alone improves children’s physical health while also help them develop creativity and social skills greatly.
Some schools are starting to take notice, creating more space for children to enjoy being in nature, including community gardens, outdoor playgrounds and small parks.
1.What did the study lasting a year find?
A. The cognitive abilities of children today decreased.
B. The findings of another six-year study were incorrect.
C. Being exposed to nature was beneficial to the learning of pupils.
D. Students had higher scores on testing in English and math than before.
2.According to the passage, what can we know about Richard Louv?
A. He discourages students from getting close to nature to gain experience.
B. He is one of the founders of the Children & Nature Network.
C. He conducted the study on 905 Massachusetts public elementary schools.
D. He often contributes articles to The Huffington Post.
3.Spending time in green space may have little effect on children’s __________.
A. inattentiveness B. creativity
C. communication D. learning
4.In which column of a newspaper can you see this article?
A. Entertainment. B. Travel.
C. Parenting. D. Education.
Blue whales are the largest animals ever known to have existed on the planet, and they can grow to a length of 100 feet and weigh more than 330,000 pounds. But recently researchers have found that these whales are on the move and they have migrated (moved) from California waters to areas off Canada and Alaska for the first time since commercial whaling ended in 1965.
The researchers identified 15 blue whales that have appeared off the coast of British Columbia and the Gulf of Alaska since 1997. Four of these whales were recognized as ones that were once sighted off California shores, suggesting that the whales are returning to an old migration pattern between the coasts.
Before commercial whaling began in the early 1900s, blue whales were found widely throughout the North Pacific and California waters. But from the 1920s to the 1960s, whaling severely reduced the whale populations. Blue whales never recovered in the Northern Pacific, making sightings in this area rare. However, much larger groups of whales have been observed close to California since the 1970s.
The scientists had previously thought that the California population was separate from the population that had historically lived in North Pacific waters. But the current study shows that whales off the coast of British Columbia and the Gulf of Alaska are likely part of the California population.
To identify the blue whales, the researchers looked at photos of cetaceans taken in the North Pacific Ocean and compared them with a library of blue whale pictures taken along the West Coast of the United States and Southern Pacific. Up to now, the researchers are not quite sure why the whales are changing their migration patterns, but they suspect that the whales may be following their food moving farther north by the changes in ocean conditions.
1.According to the passage, blue whales are __________.
A. following the fixed route of migration
B. dying out due to commercial whaling
C. rarely found in the Southern Pacific
D. moving from the south to the north
2.The whale population in the northern Pacific __________.
A. is different from the California population
B. has become the largest group since the 1970s
C. is probably part of the California population
D. has lived there since the 1960s.
3.The underlined word “cetaceans” in Paragraph 5 probably means __________.
A. whales species B. land creatures
C. ocean conditions D. migration patterns
4.What might make blue whales migrate according to the researchers?
A. Commercial whaling. B. Food resources.
C. Weather conditions. D. Life reproduction.
I was fairly new to this particular school since my parents only moved to the area. There was a boy, who, as it turned out, was an orphan and was living and working for a small farming family. He didn’t appear at first glance to ever be fully engaged(专注) in the school learning process；he would sit quietly, never seem to get any attention from the teacher, and would spend a lot of time staring out of the window just behind him.
Over the next few weeks, I got to know this boy while playing outside in the schoolyard playing baseball, or soccer. He was very athletic and very good at anything we played. I started to wonder why he didn’t seem to do well in school and why the teacher ignored him.
He told me he had been in several foster (收养) homes since he was a little boy and that most of his time in the last few years had always been on farms. He said he was made to work before he went to school and as soon as he got home until it was time for bed. He was never given a chance to go out and play, nor was he allowed to have any friends although he told me he really didn’t have any friends anyway, because he was an orphan and they did not want anything to do with him.
I had never before been acquainted with prejudice of any kind. Here was one characteristic of a human being who through no fault of his own carried a label that prevented him from even having friends as a child. His potential was also being ignored by the teacher. It wasn’t that he couldn’t learn, or didn’t want to — it was because he wasn’t encouraged or in some cases, allowed to.
We may all meet people through the years that we tend to apply labels (标签) to without really taking the time to get to know them, to discover their real potential because our vision is clouded by how we always put people into pigeon holes that we are used to or comfortable with.
1. What was the first impression that the boy gave the author?
A. He was a troublemaker in class.
B. He was not drawn into learning.
C. He often played outside in the schoolyard.
D. He tried to get his teacher’s attention.
2.The main idea of the third paragraph is .
A. how the boy became homeless
B. that the boy’s family was very poor
C. why the boy didn’t have any friends
D. who made the boy work day and night
3.The boy’s potential was ignored because .
A. He worked hard. B. He liked playing baseball..
C. He was athletic. D. He was an orphan.
4.What does “pigeon holes” in the last paragraph refer to?
A. specific categories B. a group of friends
C. special schools D. animals’ homes
Lying within, the inner London Borough of Southwark, this hugely improved non-selective Secondary Academy School is looking to recruit (招募) and appoint a talented Science Teacher in April 2016 or sooner.
POSITION：Science Teacher | KS3 —5| All Science specialists welcome
DEPARTMENT：Popular & Ambitious Science Department
LOCATION：Borough of Southwark — Zone 2 — Inner London
PERSON：Qualified Science Teacher required — experience in UK or overseas trained
START DATE：April 2016 or sooner — full time & permanent contract on offer
SALARY：Inner London Pay Scale — £29,270 ～£37,862 a year
PERSON REQUIREMENT：
All applicants will need to be suitably skilled, trained and qualified to be considered for this Science Teacher position. Applicants should feel confident across Key Stage 3, 4 and 5, in addition to having a real desire to make a difference and provide pupils under their care with a first class education .
SCHOOL & TRAVEL INFORMATION：
This is a typically diverse inner city school, suitable for a broad range of pupils aged 11 to 18 years old. The school has made huge steps and progressed from a satisfactory to a good school. Results are constantly improving, thanks to the staff in place, who are responsible for creating and delivering a broad curriculum. The school site is a short walk away from the nearest underground and rail stations, positioned within inner London, Zone 2. Those living in South and Central London are perfectly positioned for this position.
If you are a hardworking Science Teacher, hoping to become part of an improving Inner London Secondary, get in touch today. Please apply and submit your up-to-date CV using the form . One of the Clarus Education Team will be in touch within 48 hours if shortlisted (入围).
1.What is a must for the recruited teacher?
A. Being trained in England.
B. Experience in UK.
C. Diploma of Higher Education.
D. Being qualified for all grades.
2.What should the applicant be able to do ?
A. Teach KS3-5 pupils well.
B. Be very confident across Key Stage 3 and 4.
C. Be good at using traditional methods.
D. Put advanced ideas into practice every day.
3. Which is true according to the last two paragraphs?
A. The school was well-known at first.
B. All the staff must be natives of London.
C. Applicants must sign up within 48 hours.
D. The transport system is convenient.
书面表达
假定你是李华，你在网上看到你所在城市的一个英语培训中心拟招收暑期助教，请根据以下要点写一封英语申请信。内容包括：1．申请原因；2．自我优势（口语能力，组织能力，沟通能力）；3．希望获准。
注意：1．词数100左右：
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3．信的开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
参考词汇：助教 teaching assistant
Dear Sir/Madam,
I’m glad to see your advertisement on the Internet.
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Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
短文改错
假定英语课上英语老师要求同桌之间互相修改作文，请你修改你同桌的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在该词下面写出该加的词。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及修改均仅限一词。
2．只允许修改10处，多者（从11处起）不计分。
My list of favorite books are long. I read a lot and I just keep finding new favorites. In my family, we often talk about the books we are reading and passing around our favorites. It benefits a whole family.
I discovered how share favorite books can help strength a friendship long ago. When I was a kid, my friend Liz became very sicker and was going to miss a lot of school. I fill a big bag with some of my favorite books for her read. She never forgot that. Today, she lives thousand of miles away from me, but she sometimes e-mails with me about the books she is reading.
