Are your eyes irritated, dry, watery, blurry, seeing double or sensitive to light, and do your back and neck ache? If so, you are likely one of many people today who suffer from digital eyestrain, also called computer-vision syndrome.
Eyestrain is often related to the amount of exposure to screens, the distance from eyes to screens and the use of multiple screens simultaneously. However, studies have also shown that the blue light produced by digital devices today reaches further into the eyes than other kinds of light. This light actually assists attention during the day but can result in interrupted sleep patterns at night.
Scientists have also said that eyestrain is not a necessary evil, even in a modern world that revolves around technology. Changing some simple details about your relative position to screens, such as staying about 60 centimeters away, will help. Also, avoid overhead and other direct sources of light, and use shaded lamps and window blinds while looking at digital devices instead.
Beyond the way that relates to digital screens, there are also ways to change how you view screens that are helpful in combating eyestrain. To begin with, your computer screen should be high-resolution(高清的), at least 50 centimeters wide diagonally and may require a screen filter to decrease reflections. Also, be aware that “computer glasses”, which cut down glare and blue light, are available and those contact lenses can increase the risk of eyestrain.
Besides, to reduce your risk for computer-vision syndrome and neck, back and shoulder pain, take frequent breaks during your computer workday. Many workers take only two 15-minute breaks from their computer throughout their day. According to a recent study, discomfort and eyestrain are significantly reduced when computer workers take four additional five-minute “mini-breaks” throughout their workday. And these additional breaks don’t reduce the workers’ productivity.
Finally, many of us fall into bad habits while using digital screens that only worsen the effects of eyestrain. While viewing digital screens, many people blink one third less often than they usually do. Place a reminder on your computer to “blink” so that your eyes don’t dry out. Also, rest your eyes’ focusing muscles by using the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, focus on something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
1.What is Paragraph 2mainlyabout?
A. The dangers of eyestrain. B. The causes of eyestrain.
C. The symptoms of eyestrain. D. The effects of eyestrain.
2.Which of the following ways might not be helpful in relieving eyestrain?
A. Employing blue light. B. Breaking bad habits.
C. Adjusting your position. D. Changing your hardware.
3.It can be inferred from the passage that .
A. overhead lights make the eyes less tired
B. taking frequent breaks reduces eyestrain
C. people tend to blink more often at a computer
D. technology and eyestrain unavoidably go hand in hand
4.Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
A. 
B. 
C. 
D. 
This is a family story my father told me about his mother, my grandmother.
In 1949, my father had just returned home from the war. On every American highway you could see soldiers in uniform hitchhiking home to their families, as was the custom at that time in America.
Sadly, the thrill of his reunion with his family was soon overshadowed. My grandmother became very ill and had to be hospitalized. It was her kidneys, and the doctors told my father that she needed a blood transfusion immediately or she would not live through the night. The problem was that grandmother’s blood type was AB-, a very rare type even today, but even harder to get then because there were no blood banks or air flights to ship blood. All the family members were typed, but not one member was a match. So the doctors gave the family no hope; my grandmother was dying.
My father left the hospital in tears to gather up all the family members, so that everyone would get a chance to tell grandmother goodbye. As my father was driving down the highway, he passed a soldier in uniform hitchhiking home to his family. Deep in grief, my father had no inclination at that moment to do a good deed. Yet it was almost as if something outside himself pulled him to a stop, and he waited as the stranger climbed into the car.
My father was too upset to even ask the soldier his name, but the soldier noticed my father’s tears right away and inquired about them. Through his tears, my father told this total stranger that his mother was lying in a hospital dying because the doctors had been unable to locate her blood type, AB-, and if they did not do it before nightfall, she would surely die.
It got very quiet in the car. Then this unidentified soldier extended his hand out to my father, palm up. Resting in the palm of his hand were the dog tags from around his neck. The blood type on the tags was AB-. The soldier told my father to turn the car around and get him to the hospital.
My grandmother lived until 1996, 47 years later, and to this day no one in our family knows the soldier’s name. But he is always remembered by us.
1.The author’s father left the hospital .
A. to purchase basic necessities that grandmother needed
B. to ask the family members to have their blood tested
C. to pick up a solider whose blood type was the same as grandmother’s
D. to gather the family members to pay their last respects to grandmother
2.The word “inclination” in Paragraph 4 most probably means .
A. determination B. willingness
C. compromise D. motivation
3.What may be the best title for the passage?
A. A Friend in Need B. A Soldier in Hospital
C. An Angel in Uniform D. A Gift in Disguise
Where Is Spring Break
Where is Spring Break going to be? The options are endless. Do you want to get your blood pumping from thrilling travels? Look no further! These tours and destinations will keep you on your toes all week long.
Panama: This underrated destination is a little-known secret of the most travelers! Through this tour you’ll get to hike, snorkel (浮潜) and explore all the best sights this beautiful country has to offer! Eight days tours for $ 250 / day.
Canada: This diverse country is full of options. Explore the East of Canada and visit cities such as Montreal, Quebec or Toronto. If you’re feeling adventurous, explore the Western part of the country with a Canadian Rockies Tour. During this twelve days tour you will hike a glacier to beautiful scenery and wander through postcard-worthy villages. Tours to Canada for $200 / day.
Iceland: Check off one of the seven wonders of the world with a tour of the Northern Lights and Golden Circle. Spend seven days full of adventure like hiking glaciers, snowshoeing through Thingvellir National Park, relaxing in the Geysir Hot Springs and of course experiencing the glory of the Northern Lights! Seven days tours for $ 300 / day.
South Africa: Discover the diverse culture and wildlife that makes up South Africa. Your tour plan includes a journey along the coast known as “Rainbow Nation.” Here you will enjoy beautiful scenery, a hunting travel through Addo Elephant National Park and the wildlife in Tsitsikarnma National Park. Nine days tours for $230 / day.
1.What is the common characteristic of the travels mentioned in the text?
A. Exciting. B. Risky.
C. Educational. D. Environmental.
2.According to the text, Panama is a destination which .
A. is not as famous as the other three
B. you can go to for enjoying surfing
C. offers an option to hike in the park
D. takes the most time of the four tours
3.Which destination costs tourists the most money?
A. Panama. B. Canada.
C. Iceland. D. South Africa.
4.What can be learned from the text?
A. Tourists can take a hot shower only in Iceland.
B. Tourists can hike glaciers in both Canada and Iceland.
C. Canada offers Rockies Tour for tourists to explore the East.
D. Tourists can enjoy a hunting travel through Tsitsikamma National Park.
阅读下面短文，并按照要求用英语写一篇 150 词左右的文章。
Science and technology have developed more rapidly in the past 100 years than in any period of human history.
One of its results is an excessive growth of information. The era of information has already come, and our life has changed in a subtle way. The development and popularization of the Internet, along with cell phones and all kinds of electronic devices have influenced our habits a lot.
Some people state that with the explosion of information, it is much easier and more convenient for us to find out anything we would like to know, which can help us to develop our creativity.
However, many people argue that information explosion is not the equivalent of knowledge explosion. Moreover, with the continuously growing number of information, the world becomes a confusion to us with both useful news and unwanted messages, which is far from helping stimulating our creativity.
（写作内容）
1.用约 30 个单词写出上文概要；
2. 用约 120 个单词，就“信息爆炸是否会破坏我们的创造力”发表你的观点，内容包括：
(1) 结合实际谈谈你的感受。
(2) 你认为信息爆炸是否会破坏我们的创造力？
（写作要求）
1. 写作过程中不能直接引用原文语句；
2. 作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称；
3. 不必写标题。
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请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。
A brief course of brain exercises helped older adults hold on to improvements in reasoning skills and processing speed that could be detected as long as 10 years after the course ended, according to results from the largest study ever done on cognitive training.
The findings, published on Monday in the Journal of theAmerican Geriatrics Society, offer welcome news in the search for ways to keep the mind sharp as 76 million baby boomers in the United States advance into old age.
The federally-sponsored trial of almost 3,000 older adults, called the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly study (ACTIVE), looked at how three brain training programs --- focusing on processing speed, memory and reasoning ability --- affected cognitively --- normal adults as they aged.
People in the study had an average age of 74 when they started the training, which involved 10 to 12 sessions lasting 60 to 75 minutes each. The training course was designed to improve specific cognitive abilities that begin to decline as people age. It did not aim to prevent dementia(痴呆) caused by underlying disease such as Alzheimer’s. After five years, researchers found that those with the training performed better than their untrained counterparts in all three measures.
Although gains in memory seen at the studyˈs five-year mark appeared to drop off over the next five years, gains in reasoning ability and processing speed lasted 10 years after the training.
"What we found was pretty astonishing. Ten years after the training, there was evidence the effects were durable for the reasoning and the speed training," said George Rebok, an expert on aging and a professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, who led the study.
The participants in all three training groups also reported that the training made it easier for them to do daily activities such as managing their medications, cooking meals or handling their finances than those who did not get the training. But standard tests of these activities showed no differences between the groups.
"The speed-of-processing results are very encouraging," said study co-author Jonathan King, program director for cognitive aging in the Division of Behavioral and Social Research at the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, which helped fund the research.
King said the self-reported improvements in daily function were interesting, but added, "We do not yet know whether they would truly allow older people to be independent for a longer time." However, the researchers said even a small gain would be likely to ease the burden on caregivers and health care providers.
"If we delay the attack of difficulties in daily activities even by a small amount, that can have major public health implications in terms of helping to control healthcare costs, delaying entry into institutions and hospitals," Rebok said.
Brain Training Courses Keep 1. Sharp | |
Basic information about the study | ●The study was 2. by the federal government. ●3,000 participants aged 74 on average were 3. in the training course. ●They were given cognitive training, whose 4. were processing speed, memory and reasoning ability. |
Results of the study | ●The training enables the participants to give a better 5. in all three measures. ●Older adults enjoy 6. of the training especially in processing speed and reasoning skills even 10 years after the training. ●According to the participants, they had less 7. dealing with their daily activities. |
8. of the study | ●The findings help in looking for ways to keep the mind sharp with76 million baby boomers 9.. |
Opinions of the researchers | ●It is unknown whether the brain training would make it possible for older adults to live independently longer. ●However, even a small gain could reduce the burden of 10. to the elders. |
No one has a temper naturally so good, that it does not need attention and cultivation, and no one has a temper so bad, but that, by proper culture, it may become pleasant. One of the best disciplined tempers ever seen, was that of a gentleman who was naturally quick, irritable, rash, and violent; but, by taking care of the sick, and especially of mentally deranged(疯狂的) people, he so completely mastered himself that he was never known to be thrown off his guard.
There is no misery so constant, so upsetting, and so intolerable to others, as that of having a character which is your master. There are corners at every turn in life, against which we may run, and at which we may break out in impatience, if we choose.
Look at Roger Sherman, who rose from a humble occupation to a seat in the first Congress of the United States, and whose judgment was received with great respect by that body of distinguished men. He made himself master of his temper and cultivated it as a great business in life. There are one or two instances which show this part of his character in a light that is beautiful.
One day, after having received his highest honors, he was sitting and reading in his sitting room. A student, in a room close by, held a looking-glass in such a position as to pour the reflected rays of the sun directly in Mr Shermanˈs face. He moved his chair, and the thing was repeated. A third time the chair was moved, but the looking-glass still reflected the sun in his eyes. He laid aside his book, went to the window, and many witnesses of the rude behavior expected to see the ungentlemanly student severely punished. He raised the window gently, and then—shut the window blind!
I can not help providing another instance of the power he had acquired over himself. He was naturally possessed of strong passions, but over these he at length obtained an extraordinary control. He became habitually calm and self-possessed. Mr Sherman was one of those men who are not ashamed to maintain the forms of religion in their families. One morning he called them all together as usual to lead them in prayer to God. The "old family Bible" was brought out and laid on the table.
Mr Sherman took his seat and placed beside him one of his children, a child of his old age. The rest of the family were seated around the room, several of whom were now grown-ups. Besides these, some of the tutors of the college were boarders in the family and were present at the time. His aged mother occupied a corner of the room, opposite the place where the distinguished Judge sat.
At length, he opened the Bible and began to read. The child who was seated beside him made some little disturbance, upon which Mr Sherman paused and told it to be still. Again he continued but again he had to pause to scold the little offender, whose playful character would scarcely permit it to be still. At this time he gently tapped its ear. The blow, if blow it might be called, caught the attention of his aged mother, who now with some effort rose from the seat and tottered across the room. At length, she reached the chair of Mr Sherman, and in a moment, most unexpectedly to him, she gave him a blow on the ear with all the force she could gather. “There,” said she, “you strike your child, and I will strike mine.”
For a moment, the blood was seen mounting to the face of Mr Sherman. But it was only for a moment and all was calm and mild as usual. He paused; he raised his glasses; he cast his eye upon his mother; again it fell upon the book from which he had been reading. Not a word escaped him; but again he calmly pursued the service, and soon sought in prayer an ability to set an example before his household which should be worthy of their imitation. Such a victory was worth more than the proudest one ever achieved on the field of battle.
1.The following sentence should be put at the beginning of Paragraph _______.
The difference in the happiness which is received by the man who governs his temper and that by the man who does not is dramatic(戏剧性的，巨大的).
A. Five B. Four
C. Three D. Two
2.How is the passage mainly developed?
A. By analyzing reasons. B. By listing arguments.
C. By giving examples. D. By comparing facts.
3.What was Roger Shermanˈs attitude towards his aged mother?
A. Tolerant. B. Skeptical
C. Grateful. . D. Sympathetic.
4.What can we learn about Roger Sherman?
A. He came from a distinguished family background.
B. He was not good at displaying his true inner feelings.
C. He severely punished a student who didnˈt behave himself.
D. He was a man conscious of the consequences of his behavior.
5.What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?
A. Mr Sherman was ashamed of his motherˈs behavior.
B. Mr Sherman was then on the point of exploding.
C. Mr Shermanˈs face was covered with blood.
D. Mr Sherman was seeking strength in prayer.
6.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A. Treasure your Bible.
B. Save your self-esteem.
C. Mind your manners.
D. Control your temper.
