On a recent spring morning. Susan Alexander, a retired government intelligence analyst, left her Maryland home, climbed into her Volkswagen Passat and drove about three miles to pick up two strangers. She battled rush-hour traffic on the Capital Beltway and George Washington Memorial Parkway before dropping them off at Reagan National Airport. She didn't earn a cent for her trouble, and that was the point.
Alexander is a member of the Silver Spring Time Bank— one of more than 100 such exchanges around the world trying to build community by exchanging time credits for services instead of dollars and cents. “I have time,” she said. “I like giving the gift of time to other people. ”
In Alexander's case, passengers Mary and Al Liepold were grateful for the ride, but it wasn't charity. Mary, a retired writer and editor for nonprofit organizations, used time credits she banked for editing work and baking. Senior citizens who don't drive, the Liepolds cashed in their credits to catch a flight to Montreal for a five-day vacation.
Without money changing hands or shifting between virtual accounts, the airport drop-off was more like a coffee party than a taxi ride. Driver and passengers chatted about projects they've completed for the time bank, and no one raised an eyebrow when Mary said she likes “to avoid the conventional economy. ”
“The beauty of this is that you make friends,” Mary Liepold said. “You don't just get services.”
The Silver Spring Time Bank formed in 2015 and has about 300 members, said co-founder Mary Murphy. Last year, she said, l,000 hours were exchanged for basic home repairs, dog walking, cooking and tailoring, among other services, without the exchange of money. “ You get to save that money that you would have spent,” she said. “You get to meet somebody else in your community and get to know that person. That's a bonus that's part of an exchange. ”
A deal performed partly to make friends would seem to go against classical economics and one of Benjamin Franklin's most memorable sayings: “Time is money. ” To those at the forefront of modern time-banking, that is the appeal.
1.What's the main purpose of the Silver Spring Time Bank?
A.To build community by exchanging time credits for services.
B.To help people get to know more friends.
C.To provide the elderly with timely financial help.
D.To better serve the local economy.
2.How did the Liepolds pay for their ride?
A.In cash. B.By credit card. C.By cheque. D.With time credits.
3.What is the suitable title for the text?
A.Time is money B.The more friends, the better
C.Swapping time credits for services D.Giving the gift of time
People like to post their selfies(自拍照) on social media. To know more about it, scientists at Syracuse University in New York recently did a research and came up with some surprising findings.
People who post selfies and use editing software to make themselves look better show behavior connected to narcissism(自恋), the researchers said. Makana Chock, a professor from Syracuse University, said because social media is mostly used by people to share unimportant information about their lives, it is a good place for people to “work towards satisfying their own vanity.” Those “likes” under their Facebook selfies make them feel good.
Besides, people who post group selfies show a need for popularity and a need to belong to a group, the research found. Some people feel “peer(同伴) pressure” to post selfies and some follow the popular belief that if there is no picture of an event or experience, it did not really happen. “Anyway, it shouldn’t be seen as negative. People get sense of satisfaction especially when they get likes. And it does no harm,” Chock said.
Other findings from the study include: There are no major differences on how often men and women post selfies and how often they use editing software. But men who post selfies showed more of a need to be seen as popular than women who posted selfies.
Chock said posting selfies on social media is not all that different from what people have done for many years. On trips and special events, our parents and grandparents used cameras instead of phones to take photos. They would bring back photos to show friends and family. You had no choice but to look at them. You probably commented about how nice everyone in the photos looked, especially children and the person showing the photos. They were happy to hear your comments. That was the old way of “clicking like”. On social media, however, people can decide not to look at photos --- even if they click “like”.
1.What is the research mainly about?
A.The ways of making people look better in selfies.
B.The reasons for people posting selfies on social media.
C.The differences between men and women in posting selfies.
D.The connections between posting selfies and mental health.
2.What does the word “vanity” in paragraph 2 probably mean?
A.A deep desire to know about something. B.A special need to be more popular.
C.Too much pride in one’s own appearance. D.Strong determination to improve oneself.
3.What is Chock’s attitude towards selfie posting?
A.Ambiguous. B.Cautious. C.Disapproving. D.Supportive.
4.From the last paragraph, we know that the older generations showed their photos to friends and family ______.
A.to win praise from viewers B.to show off their cameras
C.to improve relationships D.to share good moments
Many of us just laugh it away when they are told incredible (难以置信的) stories about other people, but I have a deep interest in these stories and I prefer to believe they are true. Here’s one I collected from a total stranger.
“Well, I was 11 when my family arrived at Fern Lake overlooking Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. It was so beautiful to look miles across the Rockies and thousands of feet below into the valley. My parents were busy getting lunch out of the trunk so I climbed over the wooden fence to get closer to the cliff edge in the hope that I wouldn’t miss any beautiful sight down there.
I started down a little hill but soon started sliding on loose pebble rocks(鹅卵石). I fell on my back, but kept going faster and faster to what seemed the edge of the world (a 2,000 foot drop). In seconds I knew I was going to die. My feet and legs went first over the edge at a high speed. Then suddenly I felt two hands push hard on my chest and stopped me dead. My heart was racing and I slowly inched my body back to where I finally could make it back up the hill.
My father was waiting there and screaming at me for doing such a dangerous stunt (特技). I tried to tell him and my mom about the hands that held me back, but to this day they don’t believe me. They thought I was just trying to get out of trouble with a made-up story.”
We parted ways, but I assured her that I believed every word of her story. I could see a little surprise and happiness on her face.
That’s why I always ask people to share their miracles (奇迹). Each real story makes my days full of hope and gratefulness.
1.The girl got closer to the cliff edge to .
A.take an adventure B.collect pebble rocks
C.better enjoy the view D.play a joke on her parents
2.In the writer’s eyes, the girl .
A.made up an exciting story B.was saved by a magical force
C.enjoyed doing dangerous stunts D.reached the bottom of the valley
3.The writer is interested in people’s miracle stories because they .
A.are often told in an amusing way B.seem unbelievable but actually true
C.prove that life is full of miracles D.help him stay positive about life
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What is the speaker mainly talking about?
A.An exercise activity. B.A dance party. C.A competition.
2.Who started the dance routine?
A.A student. B.The principal. C.A staff member.
3.What modern problems could the dances help fight according to the talk?
A.Weight problems. B.Learning problems. C.Discipline problems.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Which language does the man want to learn well?
A.French. B.Spanish. C.English.
2.Why is the man concerned about his language level?
A.He wishes to speak with his relatives.
B.He hopes to get better grades in class.
C.He wants to get into a specific university.
3.What does the man worry about?
A.Writing at a higher level.
B.Understanding the teacher’s instructions.
C.Having a general conversation with someone.
4.How does the man plan to improve in the short term?
A.By hiring a tutor.
B.By moving to another country.
C.By joining an online community.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What did the woman lose?
A.Her wallet. B.Her credit card. C.Her cell phone.
2.Where does the woman think she lost it?
A.In the theater. B.In the taxi. C.In the restaurant.
3.What did the person on the phone ask the woman for probably?
A.Her full name. B.Her password. C.Her receipt.
