Once Confucius（孔子）was passing by a village where he saw an old man with his young son pulling water from the well. Confucius was ______ to see this as at that time people harnessed（使用）horses or oxen to pull ______ from the well.
Confucius with ______ went to the old man and said, “Why are you unnecessarily ____ yourself and the young man, now that we have harnessed horses and oxen?”
The old man ______ to him, “Please speak _______ I don’t want my son to hear this. I can answer you, but please ______ when my son goes for lunch.”
Confucius was puzzled. He kept ______ and waited until the old man came to him alone at ______ time. Confucius questioned, “Why would you not let your son ______ what I said?”
The old man replied, “I am 85 years old and yet I have ______ to work side by side. If today I ______ horses to pull water, then my son will not be able to have the same strength at 85 as I have now. That’s why I ______ you not to speak about it in front of my son. It’s a question of his _______ We’ve heard that in towns people use horses or machines to pull water from the well. ______ if I use them now too, then what will he do? What ______ will it have on my son’s health? If he is saved from doing hard work now, then how will he be able to ______ his health? ”
What we do today will affect us _______. What we do on one hand has an immediate effect on the other. He who _______ during the daytime destroys his repose（休息）of the night. Rest has to be earned through______.
1.A.confused B.excited C.disappointed D.interested
2.A.stone B.juice C.water D.oil
3.A.anger B.concern C.anxiety D.care
4.A.relaxing B.enjoying C.tiring D.helping
5.A.pointed B.whispered C.listened D.walked
6.A.softly B.loudly C.slowly D.quickly
7.A.get away B.come back C.give in D.go over
8.A.calm B.cool C.quiet D.healthy
9.A.supper B.breakfast C.dinner D.lunch
10.A.understand B.hear C.imitate D.practise
11.A.strength B.courage C.intelligence D.confidence
12.A.obtain B.handle C.use D.fasten
13.A.allowed B.forbade C.invited D.asked
14.A.ability B.health C.weakness D.ambition
15.A.But B.And C.Or D.So
16.A.harm B.result C.purpose D.effect
17.A.support B.show C.survive D.maintain
18.A.tomorrow B.forever C.yesterday D.past
19.A.works B.dreams C.eats D.rests
20.A.study B.exercise C.labour D.sleep
Online courses have become popular in many countries. There are different kinds of online courses, but most show a video of a teacher and students in a classroom. Students watch the video online and take part in online activities. Some courses are free and open to anyone. 1. Of course, watching videos on a screen is not the same as taking part in a real class.
2. In Singapore, eight schools have been chosen to try new ways of using technology in the classroom. The schools have tablets(平板电脑)and touchscreens instead of books and blackboards in the classrooms. 3. Through them, students can communicate with each other and work on projects together.
In South Korea, some students have been taught English by teachers in the Philippines and other countries since 2011. The teachers are in their home countries and are connected to the Korean classrooms via the Internet. Instead of looking at a screen, the students interact with a robot in the classroom. The robot is controlled by the teacher. 4.
Thanks to technology, more and more ways of teaching and learning are being developed.
5. But one thing is for sure – there has never been a more interesting time to be a student.
A. E-learning can be successful.
B. There are also social media platforms(平台).
C. Other kinds of e-learning are being tested around the world.
D. They give students anywhere the chance to study at any time.
E. Nobody knows what the classroom of the future will look like.
F. And it can move around the classroom and talk with the students.
G. The courses that are taught via the Internet are called online courses.
In this digital age, people measure their popularity by the number of likes and followers they get on social media. But as it turns out, people are happiest when their friends are high quality – not high quantity.
Scientists from the University of Leeds, UK, studied data from two online surveys of nearly 1,500 people. Those who took the survey gave details about their age, social interactions, and how satisfied they were with their social lives. The researchers found that those who had a small number of close friends generally tended to be happier than those who had a large number of superficial(关系浅表的)friends.
“Loneliness has less to do with the number of friends you have, and more to do with how you feel about your friends,” said Wandi Bruine de Bruin, one of the researchers.
Bruine de Bruin found that older people tended to have smaller social circles than young people, but the people in these circles tended to be closer to them.
Younger people, on the other hand, tended to have bigger circles that were made up of “peripheral(次要的)others” – people who are not true friends, but just people they know. These people had no influence on the younger interviewees’ happiness.
The results of the study show that the opinion society has about old people being sad and lonely might not be accurate.
“The research shows that older adults’ smaller networks didn’t prevent social satisfaction and happiness. In fact, older adults tend to report better well-being than younger adults,” said Bruine de Bruin.
1.According to the study, people tend to be happier when they _____.
A.have a small circle of close friends
B.are satisfied with their work and lives
C.have a lot of followers on social media
D.make friends with people who are older
2.What do we know from Paragraphs 4 and 5?
A.Older people’s friends seem to be of higher quality.
B.Young people don’t need to make peripheral friends.
C.Older people’s happiness has nothing to do with their friends.
D.Both old and young people find it hard to make close friends.
3.Which word might Bruine de Bruin use to describe older adults?
A.Sad. B.Happy.
C.Lonely. D.Superficial.
4.What is the focus of the story?
A.Different types of friends.
B.Changes in people’s happiness levels.
C.Interactions between old and young people.
D.The relationship between happiness and number of friends.
Do you live in a city? You’ve probably noticed how noisy and crowded life in a city can be. What if you could live next to a calm lake instead?
As it turns out, living near bodies of water – lakes, rivers, ponds, even oceans – can help us feel both happier and healthier. Those who live less than a kilometer from the coast are around 22 percent less likely to have mental health problems than those who live 50 kilometers or more away, according to a study by researchers from the University of Exeter, UK. People who visit the coast at least twice a week tend to experience better general and mental health as well.
So how does “blue space” make us feel better? For one thing, aquatic environments tend to have less pollution and more sunlight, both of which are linked to better mental and physical health. People who get more sun tend to be happier than those who do not.
There’s also the air above the sea. After spending time near the ocean, you might find that you feel more relaxed than usual. This is because sea air is filled with negative ions（负离子）. These ions balance our levels of serotonin（血清素）, a chemical that affects our moods. With balanced serotonin levels, we feel more calm and relaxed, according to Daily Mail.
Finally, people who live near water tend to be more physically active, according to the Guardian. Water sports like swimming and rowing can help us stay in shape, which in turn keeps us healthy.
1.What did the researchers from the University of Exeter find?
A.Living near water can improve our mental health.
B.An increasing number of people don’t like living in cities.
C.Living near water has more advantages than living in cities.
D.People with mental health problems mainly come from cities.
2.The underlined word “aquatic” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to “_____”.
A.natural
B.outdoor
C.oceanic
D.clean
3.What do we know about negative ions?
A.They are chemicals in our bodies.
B.They can only be found in sea air.
C.They can help people reduce stress.
D.They increase serotonin in our bodies.
4.In which column can you find this passage?
A.Health.
B.Travel.
C.Environment.
D.Entertainment.
There was once a famous scientist who made several important discoveries. Once he was asked how he could be so creative. He replied that it all came from an experience he had with his mother when he was 2 years old. He was trying to take a bottle of milk out of the refrigerator. But the bottle was too slippery（滑的）and he dropped it. The kitchen floor was covered in milk.
Instead of shouting at him or punishing him, his mother said, “Robert, what a great and wonderful mess you have made! I have never seen such a huge puddle of milk. Would you like to play in the milk for a few minutes before we clean it up?”
So he did. After a few minutes, they cleaned it up together. Then his mother said, “This was a failed experiment in how to carry a big bottle of milk with two tiny hands. Let’s fill the bottle with water and see if you can find a way to carry it without dropping it.”
The little boy learned that if he held the bottle at the top near the lip with both hands, he could carry it without dropping it. What a wonderful lesson!
The scientist then added that it was at that moment that he knew he didn’t need to be afraid to make mistakes. He learned that mistakes are just opportunities to learn something new.
1.Robert made a mess on the kitchen floor by _____.
A.doing an experiment
B.dropping a bottle of milk
C.throwing bottles around
D.drinking a bottle of milk
2.What did Robert’s mother do after he made the mess?
A.She showed him a huge puddle of milk.
B.She shouted at him and punished him.
C.She asked him to clean the kitchen.
D.She allowed him to play in the mess.
3.Which of the following words best describes Robert’s mother?
A.Hardworking.
B.Careful.
C.Smart.
D.Protective.
4.With this story, the author tries to _____.
A.tell readers how much he loved his mother
B.suggest that we should treat life as a big experiment
C.show that scientific discoveries come from everyday life
D.tell readers that they should keep an open mind about mistakes
Barbican Art Gallery
A world-class arts and learning center, the Barbican pushes the boundaries（界限）of all major art forms including dance, film, music and theater.
Tickets
Adult: £10 online/£12 at the door
13–17 years old: £6 online/£8 at the door
Children aged 12 and under: Free
Opening Times
Sat – Wed: 9 am–6 pm
Thu – Fri: 10 am–9 pm
Reviews
By Steven Ashmore
When traveling, I always look for museums and sites that have evening hours. We went to the Barbican Gallery on a Thursday evening and caught their recent Lee Krasner exhibition. It was fabulous. The gallery is two levels with numerous smaller spaces, making the exhibition an interesting and enjoyable experience.
By Laura Miller
I have just watched To Kill a Mockingbird here. The play and actors were fantastic. Nice and clean ladies’ toilets with hot water. During the break, they were selling the usual ice cream and drinks. Not all staff were friendly, but most were. I would come again to watch another show or even the same one.
1.How much would a couple with two kids aged 11 and 14 pay for the online tickets of Barbican Art Gallery?
A.£20.
B.£26.
C.£32.
D.£36.
2.You can visit Barbican Art Gallery at _____.
A.9 am on Thursday
B.8 pm on Sunday
C.10 am on Monday
D.9 pm on Tuesday
3.What did Miller like most about Barbican Art Gallery?
A.Drinks they sold.
B.Its staff service.
C.Its opening hours.
D.The show they put on.
