When you think about creativity, it might be highly creative people like Mozart, da Vinci or Einstein who spring to mind. They were all considered to be "geniuses" for their somewhat unique talents that led to great achievements in their fields. Their type of creativity is what's known as "Big C creativity" and is not very common in everyday life. Not all of us can create works of art or music or scientific theories that are new to the world.
While we can't all be Mozart, DaVinci or Einstein, many people do enjoy creative activity—through hobbies such as painting or playing the piano. And these types of pursuits are often what people think of when asked what being creative looks like. Our finished pieces may not be comparable with the likes of the great masters, but often the process makes us feel happy, and the end result can be aesthetically pleasing.
On top of hobbies and interests, we all possess creative qualities that can help as we solve life's problems and make decisions. It is this type of creativity that enables us to plan different routes to get to the same destination, or fit in a trip to the supermarket when our schedule looks full. It might not sound very creative, but this aspect of creativity relies on our ability to consider options and assess their suitability. It also helps us make decisions based on personal experience or what we have learnt formally or informally. These examples are known as "Small C creativity" or "personal everyday creativity".
While Big C creativity is valued and celebrated, it is often Small C creativity that has allowed humans to develop over thousands of years. It sets us apart from other animals and it is also the type of creativity that can be developed through our educational system and workplace. Traditionally, creativity has been largely associated with the arts. Teachers are often able to give examples of creative activity in arts subjects, but find it harder to do so when asked to describe creativity in subjects such as science. But there is a growing realization that opportunities to be creative can be found across a broader range of subjects. For instance, engineering provides opportunities to be creative through problem solving, and history gives the opportunity to think creatively about why events happened and what motivated those involved
Research has shown that training teachers to ask particular types of questions can be one way to help encourage creativity across the curriculum. This is because looking for solutions to problems and explanations is a creative process. Our research also shows how it can be more helpful to talk about "thinking creatively" rather than “creativity". This is because people tend to see thinking creativity as independence of thought and a willingness to take risks and seek new perspectives. It is also seen as a way to perceive new relationships, make new connections, and generate new ideas.
The Durham Creativity Commission, set up by Arts Council England and Durham University, aims to find ways in which creativity, and specifically creative thinking, can play a larger part in our lives. We are working alongside people in education, as well as in arts and science communities, collecting their views on creativity and creative thinking. We will also be looking across these groups to determine whether or not there is a relationship between creativity and mobility, creativity and identity as well as creativity and well-being. We hope to be able to show that thinking creatively can not only be encouraged and furthered in a variety of fields, but also lead to positive outcomes on a personal, social and economic level.
In a rapidly changing world, creativity is important for people and society on many levels. It can help to generate personal satisfaction and be important for economic development. This is why creative thinking must be a key priority in educational environments. In the same way，creativity must also be recognized and encouraged in the workplace. Because, after all, it’s creative thinking that leads to problem solving and innovation in a range of areas.
1.Which of the following words can best describe "Big C creativity"?
A.Universal. B.Temporary.
C.Confidential. D.Extraordinary.
2.What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A.Few people are as creative as great geniuses.
B.Some of us can become great masters.
C.We seldom understand real geniuses.
D.We should not learn only from masters.
3.Why is "Small C creativity" important?
A.It is as rare as “Big C creativity".
B.It can turn our hobbies into careers.
C.It helps us produce great works of art.
D.It is fundamental to human development.
4.What can we learn from Paragraph 4?
A.Only geniuses have great creativity.
B.Artists are often more creative than scientists.
C.People can show their creativity in various fields.
D.It is almost impossible to think creatively in science,
5.What does thinking creatively mean?
A.Solving problems alone. B.Being open to alternatives.
C.Thinking in an artistic way. D.Making a difference to the world.
6.Which of the following might the Durham Creativity Commission agree with?
A.Creative thinking is beneficial both personally and socially.
B.People often overlook creative thinking in the workplace.
C.Courses on creativity will soon be offered in schools.
D.Your identity is usually decided by your creativity.
Wealthy people may be likely to be against redistribution of wealth, according to new research. The findings indicate that it is because people use their own neighborhoods and communities as a standard of how much wealth other people have, leading wealthy people to believe the bigger population as being wealthier than it actually is.
“If you're rich, there's good chance for you to know lots of other rich people and relatively few poor people； likewise, if you're poor, you're likely to know fewer wealthy people and more poor ones," says study co-author Robbie Sutton. "Even if people think objectively and follow rules of statistical inference, richer and poorer people may be led by the information available to them, to very different conclusions about how wealthy other people are, on. average, and how wealth is distributed across society. ”
"These results suggest that the rich and poor do not simply have different attitudes to how wealth should be distributed across society； rather, they subjectively experience living in different societies," adds Rael Dawtry, the study's lead author. "In the relatively richer America crowded by wealthier Americans, there is perhaps less need to distribute wealth more equally. " The findings suggest that attitudes toward wealth distribution come from more than just an economic motivation to protect one's self-interest or financially protective political ideologies （意识形态）----the information provided by our living environment also plays an important role.
The research covered over 600 US adults to complete an online survey in two studies. The participants were asked to estimate the distribution of household income for their social contacts and also for the whole US population in two studies—they estimated what percentage of people fell into each one of 11 income groups； then they estimated the average income of people within each income group. Then, the participants were asked how fair they thought income distribution in the US was and how satisfied they were with it. The participants also answered questions testing their attitudes toward redistribution.
To ensure that the findings were actually related to the individual s social circles and not some other psychological bias, the researchers then analyzed data from over 4,000 voters in New Zealand. The data showed that the relationship between voters' income and their perceptions of economic fairness in New Zealand was driven by the level of economic condition in their neighborhood.
"These results show the importance of examining ecological processes, in addition to political ideological or self-interest, for understanding economic preferences, says Dawtry. "Attitudes to redistribution and the economic position appear to be subject to informational biases in the environment as well as biases in the mind. " According to Sutton, the findings may also help to explain the political polarization （两极分化）observed in countries like the United States.
"As richer and poorer people increasingly live separated live, the information available becomes increasingly misunderstood, and increasingly different, he notes. "People are, effectively, living in an informational bubble, surrounded by people with incomes like theirs but unlike many other Americans."
1.What's the reason for incorrect conclusions on others' wealth?
A.The objective thoughts.
B.The improper information.
C.Disobeying rules of statistics.
D.The balance of wealth distribution.
2.What causes the difference in people's attitudes to wealth distribution?
A.Subjective judgment to societies they live in.
B.The biases against political ideologies.
C.The change of the surrounding environment.
D.Dissatisfying protection of self-interest.
3.What's the benefit of the research according to Sutton?
A.Making us understand economic preferences.
B.Giving us an explanation of the political polarization.
C.Making us consider political ideologies or self-interest.
D.Influencing our attitudes to wealth redistribution.
4.What's the title of the passage?
A.Wealthy People Are More Likely To Support Wealth Redistribution
B.Wealthy People Are More Likely To Have Right Information On Wealth
C.Having Wealthy Neighbors Keeps Beliefs On Overall Wealth Distribution
D.Having Wealthy Neighbors Misleads Beliefs On Overall Wealth Distribution
At the first Olympic marathon in 1896, athletes ran a shorter course than today's 42. 2-kilometer event. Even so, only the winner finished within three hours. However, runners have improved, and one expert predicted last year that the two-hour mark would be broken in 2028.
On Oct 12, Eliud Kipchoge came in ahead of schedule----literally.
The 34-year-old Olympic champion from Kenya became the first person to run a marathon in less than two hours, Clocking in at 1:59:40. Kipchoge pumped his chest and even sped up after crossing the finish line as he ran happily to his wife.
"No one is limited. This shows the positivity of sport," Kipchoge told the BBC after the race in Vienna, Austria," Together when we run. we can make it a beautiful world."
Apart from Kipchoge's strong willpower and outstanding physical condition, a few tricks of science and technology Helped him reach this milestone in human athletic achievement.
Hills and turns slow runners down, so Kipchoge's team picked the course in Vienna for its gentle curves (弯曲度）.
The city's cool and dry weather was also important," said Wired. The magazine talked to exercise physiologists, who think the weather helped keep Kipchoge's body running more efficiently throughout the race.
A special pair of shoes also played a big part. According to The New York Times, the shoes Kipchoge wore were designed to give a significant edge to anyone wearing them in a race.
One other key to this breakthrough was Kipchoge's pacing strategy.
He ran with a dream team of pacers. deployed (部署 ) by sports scientists. Five runners formed a V-shape ahead of Kipchoge, reducing drag, and two runners followed directly behind to push him forward. Kipchoge stayed in the center of the formation. The team rotated (轮换）members every five kilometers, and be stayed under a two-hour pace for almost the entire length of the race .There was also a pace car driving 15 meters in front of everyone, casting a laser line on the road to keep them on track.
"Few world records today are technology free,” noted The Telegraph. Hard work and dedication are still the core of athletic achievement, but science and technology are helping modern athletes maximize their potential.
1.What do we know about Eliud Kipchoge?
A.He will keep running marathons until 2028.
B.He began running marathons when he was a child.
C.He broke the two-hour mark in a marathon race.
D.He is the first Olympic champion Kenya.
2.What did Kipchoge's team do to help him?
A.They trained him to run in places with hills and turns.
B.They designed a pair of lightweight shoes for him.
C.They kept a special formation around him during the race.
D.They drove a car in front of him to give him food and drinks.
3.What is the author's main purpose in writing the article?
A.To recommend some effective ways to run marathons.
B.To stress the importance of teamwork in athletic achievements.
C.To prove that technology has become the core of athletic achievement.
D.To show how science and technology help athletes break their limits.
Heart of Stone, Snowdonia
Route
Snowdonia boasts the UK's MOST DRAMIATIC MOUNTAIN LANDSCAPE south of Scotland, and though not all that high at just over 1,000 metres , the peaks seem bigger because they rise directly from the sea. This ride does the same. It starts in the small coastal city of Bangor and ends at the youth hostel at Llyn Ogwen, one of the spiritual homes of British mountaineering, a lake set in the mountains range of Carneddau and Glyderau. All those mountains might suggest a hilly ride in store, but it's a very gradual climb along the route of the old railway lines and trolleybuses that served the Penrhyn Quarry at Bethesda. When Welsh slate “roofed the world” this was once the world's largest man-made hole. The quarry also reminds visitors of the Welsh labour movement at the turn of the 20th century. Beyond the quarries lies the broad, steep sided valley of Nant Ffrancon, where the artist John Piper made his home, so he could paint and draw the landscape. The return to Bangor largely follows the ride up, but there's no harm in that as it's a truly spectacular route.
Where to stay
YHA Idwal Cottage (08453 719744) is the oldest youth hostel in Wales； beds from £22, private rooms from £24 pp camping from £13.
Where to snack
Fitzpatrick's (9 Ogwen Street, Bethesda) is a friendly, and bright green, cafe just off the route. Open. Open Thursday〜Friday 8 a.m. 〜3 p.m, Saturday 〜Sunday 8 a. m.〜5 p. m
Ogwen Snack Bar （Nant Ffrancon, 01248 600683） is a mountaineers' tea bar right by the mountain rescue base. Open daily 9 a. m.〜approximately 5 p. m. ; closed Monday 〜Thurs-day late December 〜end of Jan.
1.Snowdonia is famous for its .
A.beautiful mountain landscape
B.tall and dangerous peaks
C.long history
D.mysterious lake
2.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A.There are many modern buildings along the route to Snowdonia.
B.You can always have coffee and tea as you like while traveling to Snowdonia.
C.You can't enjoy the oldest hostels while traveling to Snowdonia.
D.Some peaks in the mountain landscape are over 1,000 meters.
It took about three weeks for me to become mute. In 2007, I visited a client as a financial adviser and _____ a virus. I had a sore throat. My doctor _____ me it would soon return to normal.
________ , it got worse, I could no longer make phone calls and started carrying a little whiteboard to write everything down； I tried to work with people I already knew, who were likely to be more ________ with me； but explaining financial details to _______ investors with marker pen was a big challenge.
At home? my wife and teenage sons _______ as best they could. Soon I was using a computer that read out phrases typed into it
My situation ______ when I was offered a tuition-assisted place at Iowa State University. I _______ myself by accepting a job in the student services office. Forced to _______ with people face to face, I started to have fun with computer voices.
In 2010, I read a news story about a waitress who'd had her voice _____ with the help of a doctor in Cleveland. It had to be worth a ______. Dr Milstein ______ me to do some vocal exercises to stretch the muscles in my neck and to my astonishment I started to make __________.It was the first time I'd heard my voice in three and a half years.
Then I did more exercises, my voice becoming more ______ ； Milstein asked me to go over to the window and ______ the friends across the street. I was afraid at first, ___I damaged my voice, but he kept _____ me. Friends at university heard my voice for the first time and even when I was alone, I talked to myself.
I don't regret those years of _______. I spent more time with my boys and had time to ______ where I'd gone wrong as a husband and parent. That time _____ my rough edges. I prefer who I am now.
1.A.picked up B.touched on C.went about D.brought in
2.A.shocked B.bothered C.convinced D.condemned
3.A.Therefore B.Moreover C.Eventually D.Instead
4.A.casual B.patient C.cautious D.satisfied
5.A.shallow B.potential C.explicit D.stubborn
6.A.withdrew B.resisted C.declined D.adjusted
7.A.worsened B.softened C.brightened D.ripened
8.A.challenged B.applauded C.abandoned D.sacrificed
9.A.correspond B.compete C.compare D.communicate
10.A.regained B.controlled C.registered D.modified
11.A.praise B.try C.bonus D.reward
12.A.instructed B.appointed C.allowed D.enabled
13.A.comments B.chokes C.sounds D.rhythms
14.A.aggressive B.offensive C.confident D.unique
15.A.head for B.yell at C.glance down D.shrink from
16.A.even if B.as though C.now that D.in case
17.A.dragging B.pulling C.pushing D.kicking
18.A.silence B.enquiry C.twist D.reform
19.A.reveal B.reflect C.classify D.confirm
20.A.sharpened B.maintained C.accumulated D.smoothed
—What's wrong? It seems that you are losing control of the situation.
—_____ Don't stick your nose into my business.
A.Let me alone! B.I have no idea.
C.Are you kidding? D.Take your time!
