Two weeks earlier, my son, Ben, had got in touch, he’d moved to England with his mum when he was three and it had been 13 years since I’d _________ seen him. So imagine my _________ when he emailed me saying he wanted to come to visit me.
I was _________! I arrived early at Byron Bay where we were supposed to _________. The bay was _________ in sunshine, and there was a group of kayakers around 150m off the shore. Getting a little _________. I realized one kayak(皮划艇)was in _________. “Something’s not _________!” I took off my T-shirt and _________ into the water. I saw there were two instructors on board and a man lying across the middle. He was __________ violently. Linking arms with one of the instructors. I helped __________ the young man out of the water. He was unconscious and as I looked at his face, something __________ to me. Those brown eyes were very __________. “What’s his name?” I asked the instructor. “Ben,” he replied, and immediately I __________. That stranger was my son!
The instructors called for an ambulance. __________, after a brief stay in hospital, Ben was well enough to be allowed to __________ and later the family met up for dinner. We chatted about everything and then Ben __________ to me. “I just want to say thank you,” he said, “You __________ my life!”
I still can’t believe what a __________ it was. I’m just so glad I was there __________ to help my son.
1.A. also B. often C. even D. last
2.A. delight B. relief C. anger D. worry
3.A. scared B. shocked C. thrilled D. ashamed
4.A. talk B. stay C. meet D. settle
5.A. bathed B. clean C. deep D. formed
6.A. faster B. closer C. heavier D. wiser
7.A. trouble B. advance C. question D. battle
8.A. real B. right C. fair D. fit
9.A. stared B. sank C. dived D. fell
10.A. arguing B. fighting C. Shouting D. shaking
11.A. lead B. persuade C. carry D. keep
12.A. happened B. occurred C. applied D. appealed
13.A. sharp B. pleasant C. attractive D. familiar
14.A. agreed B. hesitated C. doubted D. knew
15.A. Fortunately B. Frankly C. Sadly D. Suddenly
16.A. return B. relax C. speak D. leave
17.A. joked B. turned C. listened D. pointed
18.A. created B. honored C. saved D. guided
19.A. coincidence B. change C. pity D. pain
20.A. on board B. in time C. for sure D. on purpose
If you are already making the time to exercise, it is good indeed! With such busy lives, it can be hard to try and find the time to work out. 1. Working out in the morning provides additional benefits beyond being physically fit.
Your productivity is improved. Exercising makes you more awake and ready to handle whatever is ahead of you for the day. 2.
Your metabolism(新陈代谢) gets a head start. 3. If you work out in the mornings, then you will be getting the calorie(卡路里) burning benefits for the whole day, not in your sleep.
4. Studies found that people who woke up early for exercise slept better than those who exercised in the evening. Exercise energizes you, so it is more difficult to relax and have a peaceful sleep when you are very excited.
5. If you work out bright and early in the morning, you will be more likely to stick to healthy food choices throughout the day. Who would want to ruin their good workout by eating junk food? You will want to continue to focus on positive choices.
There are a lot of benefits to working out, especially in the mornings. Set your alarm clock an hour early and push yourself to work out! You will feel energized all day long.
A. You will stick to your diet.
B. Your quality of sleep improves.
C. You prefer healthy food to fast food.
D. There is no reason you should exercise in the morning.
E. You can keep your head clear for 4-10 hours after exercise.
F. After you exercise, you continue to burn calories throughout the day.
G. If you are planning to do exercise regularly, or you’re doing it now, then listen up!
According to a new study, teens focus on rewards and have a hard time learning to avoid punishment or consider the consequences of alternative actions.
University College London researchers compared how teens and adults learn to make choices based on the available information. They tracked the way in which 18 volunteers aged 12-17 and 20 volunteers aged 18-32 completed tasks in which they had to choose between abstract symbols.
Each symbol was consistently associated with a fixed chance of a reward, punishment, or no outcome. As the trial progressed , participants learned which symbols were likely to lead to each outcome and adjusted their choices accordingly. Teens and adults were equally good at learning to choose symbols associated with reward, but teens were less good at avoiding symbols associated with punishment. Adults also performed significantly better when they were told what would have happened if they had chosen the other symbol after each choice, while teens did not appear to take this information into account.
“From this experimental lab study we can draw conclusions about learning during the teen years. We find that teens and adults learn in different ways, something that might be relevant to education," said lead author Dr. Stefano Palminteri. " Unlike adults, teens are not so good at learning to adjust their choices to avoid punishment. This suggests that incentive systems based on reward rather than punishment may be more effective for this age group. Additionally, we found that teens did not learn from being shown what would have happened if they made alternative choices."
To interpret the results, the researchers developed computational models of learning and ran simulations (模拟)applying them to the results of the study. The first was a simple model, one that learned from rewards, and the second model added to this by also learning from the option that was not chosen. The third model was the most complete and took the full context into account, with equal weight given to punishment avoidance and reward seeking. For example, obtaining no outcome rather than losing a point is weighted equally to gaining a point rather than having no outcome.
Comparing the experimental data to the models, the team found that teens" behavior followed the simple reward-based model while adults" behavior matched the complete, contextual model. “Our study suggests that teens are more receptive to rewards than they are to punishments of equal value, ” said senior author Dr. Sarah-Jayne Blakemore. “As a result, it may be useful for parents and teachers to frame things in more positive terms.”
1.It can be learned from the study that .
A.adults made choices faster than teens
B.adults understood rewards better than teens
C.teens reacted better to reward than punishment
D.teens were aware of the outcome of each choice
2.What do we know about the three computational models?
A.They reflected people’s strong desire for punishment avoidance.
B.They gave circumstances different degrees of consideration.
C.They paid equal attention to reward and punishment.
D.They shaped the behavior of people at different ages.
3.The underlined word “receptive" in the last paragraph probably means .
A.accustomed B.opposed
C.sympathetic D.responsive
4.According to the writer, which of the following statements works best for teens?
A.“If you insist on doing things in this way, you will lose ten points. "
B.“If we had talked about this earlier, you wouldn’t have made the mistake. "
C.“ If you hand in your assignment ahead of time, you will get an extra bonus."
D.“If you want to approach a problem differently , you can talk to your parents. "
Teens and younger children are reading a lot less for fun, according to a Common Sense Media report published Monday.
While the decline over the past decade is steep for teen readers, some data in the report shows that reading remains a big part of many children’s lives, and indicates how parents might help encourage more reading.
According to the report’s key findings, “the proportion (比例) who say they ‘hardly ever’ read for fun has gone from 8 percent of 13-year-olds and 9 percent of 17-year-olds in 1984 to 22 percent and 27 percent respectively today.”
The report data shows that pleasure reading levels for younger children, ages 2—8, remain largely the same. But the amount of time spent in reading each session has declined, from closer to an hour or more to closer to a half hour per session.
When it comes to technology and reading, the report does little to counsel(建议) parents looking for data about the effect of e-readers and tablets on reading. It does point out that many parents still limit electronic reading, mainly due to concerns about increased screen time.
The most hopeful data shared in the report shows clear evidence of parents serving as examples and important guides for their kids when it comes to reading. Data shows that kids and teens who do read frequently, compared to infrequent readers, have more books in the home, more books purchased for them, parents who read more often, and parents who set aside time for them to read.
As the end of school approaches, and school vacation reading lists loom(逼近) ahead, parents might take this chance to step in and make their own summer reading list and plan a family trip to the library or bookstore.
1.What is the Common Sense Media report probably about?
A. Children’s reading habits.
B. Quality of children’s books.
C. Children’s after-class activities.
D. Parent-child relationships.
2.Where can you find the data that best supports “children are reading a lot less for fun”?
A. In paragraph 2. B. In paragraph 3.
C. In paragraph 4. D. In paragraph 5.
3.Why do many parents limit electronic reading?
A. E-books are of poor quality.
B. It could be a waste of time.
C. It may harm children’s health.
D. E-readers are expensive.
4.How should parents encourage their children to read more?
A. Act as role models for them.
B. Ask then to write book reports.
C. Set up reading groups for them.
D. Talk with their reading class teachers.
Many of us love July because it’s the month when nature’s berries and stone fruits are in abundance. These colourful and sweet jewels form British Columbia’s fields are little powerhouses of nutritional protection.
Of the common berries, strawberries are highest in vitamin C, although, because of their seeds, raspberries contain a little more protein (蛋白质), iron and zinc (not that fruits have much protein). Blueberries are particularly high in antioxidants (抗氧化物质). The yellow and orange stone fruits such as peaches are high in the carotenoids we turn into vitamin A and which are antioxidants. As for cherries (樱桃), they are so delicious who cares? However, they are rich in vitamin C.
When combined with berries of slices of other fruits, frozen bananas make an excellent base for thick, cooling fruit shakes and low fat “ice cream”. For this purpose, select ripe bananas for freezing as they are much sweeter. Remove the skin and place them in plastic bags or containers and freeze. If you like, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice on the bananas will prevent them turning brown. Frozen bananas will last several weeks, depending on their ripeness and the temperature of the freezer.
If you have a juicer, you can simply feed in frozen bananas and some berries or sliced fruit. Out comes a “soft-serve” creamy dessert, to be eaten right away. This makes a fun activity for a children’s party; they love feeding the fruit and frozen bananas into the top of the machine and watching the ice cream come out below.
1.What does the author seem to like about cherries?
A.They contain protein. B.They are high in vitamin A.
C.They have a pleasant taste. D.They are rich in antioxidants.
2.Why is fresh lemon juice used in freezing bananas?
A.To make them smell better. B.To keep their colour.
C.To speed up their ripening. D.To improve their nutrition.
3.What is “a juicer” in the last paragraph?
A.A dessert. B.A drink.
C.A container. D.A machine.
4.From which is the text probably taken?
A.A biology textbook. B.A health magazine.
C.A research paper. D.A travel brochure.
Summer Activities
Students should read the list with their parents/careers, and select two activities they would like to do. Forms will be available in school and online for them to indicate their choices and return to school. Before choices are finalised, parents/careers will be asked to sign to confirm their child’s choices.
Activity | Description | Member of staff | Cost |
Outdoor Adventure (OUT) | Take yourself out of your comfort zone for a week, discover new personal qualities, and learn new skills. You will be able to take part in a number of activities from canoeing to wild camping on Dartmoor. Learn rock climbing and work as a team, and enjoy the great outdoor environment. | Mr. Clemens | £140 |
WWI Battlefields and Paris (WBP) | On Monday we travel to London. After staying overnight in London, we travel on Day 2 to northern France to visit the World War I battlefields. On Day 3 we cross into Belgium. Thursday sees us make the short journey to Paris where we will visit Disneyland Paris park, staying until late to see the parade and the fireworks. Our final day, Friday, sees us visit central Paris and tour the main sights. | Mrs. Milson | £425 |
Crafty Foxes (CRF) | Four days of product design centred around textiles. Making lovely objects using recycled and made materials. Bags, cushions and decorations...Learn skills and leave with modern and unusual textiles. | Mrs. Goode | £30 |
Potty about Potter (POT) | Visit Warner Bros Studio, shop stop to buy picnic, stay overnight in an approved Youth Hostel in Streatley-on-Thames, guided tour of Oxford to see the film locations, picnic lunch outside Oxford’s Christchurch, boating on the River Cherwell through the University Parks, before heading back to Exeter. | Miss Drake | £150 |
1.Which activity will you choose if you want to go camping?
A. OUT B. WBP
C. CRF D. POT
2.What will the students do on Tuesday with Mrs. Wilson?
A. Travel to London.
B. See a parade and fireworks.
C. Tour central Paris.
D. Visit the WWI battlefields.
3.How long does Potty about Potter last?
A. Two days. B. Four days.
C. Five days. D. One week.