I have been dancing since I was 14 years old, when my best friend dragged me to an after-school dance class. I enjoyed that dance class so much that I have been dancing ever since. After every dance class, however, I always have to stretch out my legs and back to make myself relaxed! It feels like as much exercise as going to the gym---but dancing is not widely considered to be a sport. Does that dancing is expressive and artistic mean that it is not a sport?
Some dancers would argue that dancing is a sport, as it requires great physical stamina, strong muscles and impressive flexibility. No matter what style of dance you are participating in, you will always be using all of your muscles while dancing and this can often be for several hours a day. Additionally, in the more traditional dance style (like ballet), men often lift their female dance partners high in the air. That means the dancers are often just as athletic as footballers, runners or swimmers.
On the other hand, many people argue that dance is an art form. Dance often exhibit emotion, represent characters and tell stories. Dancing to music is creative and visually appealing to the eyes and ears, just like watching a play or a professional show. The shiny costumes, the stage make-up and the big hairstyles are artistic and imaginative. It is easy to see why many people consider dance to be an art form.
I personally believe that dance is both a sport and an art. I believe that a great dancer will be a mixture of an athlete and an artist. You could have the strongest muscles in the world but not necessarily be a great dancer. Likewise, you could be a great actress who can express emotions easily but you still might not be able to dance. However, whether you consider dance to be an art or a sport, the important thing is to enjoy it! Dancing is a great way to make new friends and it’s a really fun way to exercise!
1.Why does the author think having a dance class is like taking exercise?
A.Because she finds it also needs physical effort.
B.Because she takes interest in dancing as well as in sport.
C.Because she should do much exercise before dancing.
D.Because she finds dancing has hurt her legs and backs.
2.Which of the following can replace the underlined word “stamina” in paragraph 2?
A.activity B.shape
C.strength D.condition
3.How is the text organized?
A.Topic—Comparison—Opinion.
B.Opinion—Discussion—Effect.
C.Main idea—Argument—Discussion.
D.Introduction—Supporting Examples—Conclusion.
4.What is the main artistic feature of dancing?
A.Having a large amount of exercise.
B.Being creative and imaginative.
C.Requiring great physical strength.
D.Creating emotions accurately.
A typical child plays many roles, such as friend, neighbor, son or daughter. Simply reminding children of that fact can lead to better problem-solving and more flexible thinking, according to new research from Duke University.
Better problem-solving was just one positive finding of the study, said lead author Sarah Gaither, an assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke. After thinking about their own various identities, children also showed more flexible thinking about race and other social groupings—a behavior that could be valuable in an increasingly diverse society.
In a series of experiments, Gaither and her colleagues looked at 196 children, ages 6 and 7. In an experiment, one group of children was reminded that they had various identities，such as son，daughter, reader or helper. A second group of children was reminded of their multiple physical attributes，such as a mouth，arms and legs. All the children then needed to handle a few tasks
Children who were reminded of their various identities showed stronger problem-solving and creative thinking skills. When shown pictures of a bear staring at honey-filled beehive(蜂窝)high up in a tree，these children had more creative ideas for how the bear might get the honey, such as turning over a bowl so that it became a stool(凳子). In other words, they saw a new use for the bowl. Children who were reminded of their multiple roles also showed more flexible thinking about social groupings. When asked to categorize different photos of faces, they suggested many ways to Spso. They identified smiling faces such as unsmiling ones, and old and young faces. The other children，meanwhile, primarily grouped people’s faces by race and gender(性别).
The-study suggests ways to promote flexible thinking for the young, which could be especially valuable for teachers." Gaither said.
“We have this tendency in our society to only think about ourselves in connection with one important group at a time，” Gaither said. “When kids think that they have various identities，they show greater abilities. ’’
1.What are all the kids asked to do in the experiments?
A.Play different kinds of roles. B.Remind others of their roles.
C.Approach several tasks. D.Classify a group of tasks.
2.How does the author mainly clarify the conclusions of the study in paragraph 4?
A.By giving examples. B.By using experts’ words.
C.By listing a few figures. D.By showing cause and effect.
3.What can we learn from Sarah Gaither’s words?
A.Improving 5 kids flexible thinking ability is important teaching.
B.Kids tend to behave selflessly after thinking about their roles.
C.Kids’ creative thinking ability is easy to discover and develop.
D.Teachers are supposed to make the most of the kids’ flexibility.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.Kids' Social Abilities Are Consistent with. Their Education
B.Considering Their Various Roles Improves Kids’ Abilities
C.Kids Have a Variety of Identities in Their Daily Life.
D.Problem-solving Ability Is Necessary for Most Kids.
Like Indiana Jones (a fictional character), who undertakes daring adventures in his spare time, my father is a businessman by day and a thrill-seeker by night.
His enthusiasm rubbed off on me, and I have been lucky to be his companion on many adventures. We started out by riding America’s fastest, most twisted roller coasters. After that a whitewater rafting trip through the Grand Canyon（峡谷）on the Colorado River started our search for other extreme thrills across the globe.
Amazing thrills awaited us at every corner of the world. Skydiving was especially thrilling when performed from a helicopter over the breathtaking Swiss Alps. We have bungee jumped from the world’s highest platform, Bloukrans Bridge in South Africa. Most recently, in Interlaken, Switzerland, we attempted canyoning（溪降运动）.
Anyone who loves a challenging thrill should try canyoning. Our adventure began with a 90-foot rope down a canyon wall into a rushing ice-cold river. Then we crossed the bone-chilling water toward the mouth of the river, our final destination, where the reward for the journey would be a whole view of the beautiful Interlaken basin. We slid over slippery rocks at one moment, jumped from waterfalls and swam through underwater tunnels the next. Back and forth we alternated, climbing rope ladders before going back into the fresh mountain water. Certainly, danger was waiting for us in each of these activities, but that very danger provided the rush. Canyoning was indeed one thrill after another, from beginning to end.
While canyoning is possible only in certain places, thrills and adventure can be found anywhere. Our beginnings in the U.S. showed us just that. We continue to seek the big thrills, but in doing so, we have learned to seek lesser excitement in daily life as well. After all, we can’t go canyoning every day, and small thrills are better than none for us thrill-seekers.
1.What do we know about the author’s father?
A.He is a very successful businessman.
B.He is doing a part-time job.
C.He likes Indiana Jones very much.
D.He enjoys experiencing adventures.
2.What does the underlined phrase “rubbed off on” mean in paragraph 2?
A.relate to B.keep off
C.affect D.confuse
3.What did the author and his father do when attempting canyoning?
A.Jumped down from waterfalls and swam across the icy water.
B.Jumped down a canyon river and crossed it.
C.Climbed over a rope ladder and swam through underwater tunnels.
D.Climbed down a canyon wall and swam across the rushing icy river.
4.What does the author want to tell us in the last paragraph?
A.Small thrills in daily life are worth a try as well.
B.We had better go abroad to experience canyoning.
C.Canyoning is not suitable for everyone.
D.America is the most proper place to experience adventures.
British people are famous for apologizing in almost every situation. Whether they are apologizing for asking a question, for their bad weather or because they sneezed, they are probably the number-one nation for apologies.
Brits pride themselves on their polite manners towards one another in public. As a result, they often use the word “sorry” quite a lot---even when they don’t really mean it! Usually, if they want to ask a stranger for the time, they would start by saying “Sorry to bother you. Do you know what time it is?” If they are five minutes late for an appointment, they would generally greet the person by saying “Sorry, I’m late!”
That they say sorry does not only mean they feel sad for someone else because of their problems or misfortunes. Another main dictionary definition of “sorry” is feeling regret because they have done something wrong. And now, think about this. Normally, when they want to ask a stranger a question, they start with “Sorry to disturb you”. In this situation, they aren’t saying sorry because they feel sad for that person or because they feel regret.
In the British culture, apologizing, in general, is a way to be polite, especially to people who they don’t know very well. Furthermore, it also can bring them other benefits in their daily life. In a recent experiment, an actor approached different strangers on a rainy day to ask if he could use their mobile phones to make a call. When he approached one group of strangers and asked them without apologizing first, he was only 9% successful in borrowing their phones. However, when he apologized to another group of strangers about the bad weather before asking if he could use their mobile phones, he was 47% successful.
1.Why do British people say “sorry” so much?
A.To respect others.
B.To show their politeness.
C.To express their regret.
D.To apologize for their mistakes.
2.What can we infer about the word “sorry” from the third paragraph?
A.It is used in more situations than before.
B.It is embarrassing to use sorry improperly.
C.It has different meanings in different situations.
D.It meaning is always hard to understand.
3.What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
A.The benefits of saying “sorry”.
B.The ways of borrowing a phone.
C.The secrets to dealing with strangers.
D.The keys to being a polite man.
阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇 60 词左右的内容概要。
Perhaps you’ve heard the old saying “curiosity killed the cat.” It’s a phrase that's often used to warn people - especially children - not to ask too many questions. Yet it’s widely agreed that curiosity actually makes learning more effective. In fact, research has shown that curiosity is just as important as intelligence in determining how well students do in school.
Curiosity can also lead us to make unexpected discoveries, bring excitement into our lives, and open up new possibilities. In science, basic curiosity-driven research can have unexpected important benefits. For example,one day in 1831, Michael Faraday was playing around with a coil and a magnet when he suddenly saw how he could produce an electrical current. At first, it wasn't clear what use this would have, but it actually made electricity available for use in technology, and so changed the world.
However, curiosity is currently under the biggest threat, coming from technology. On one level, this is because technology has become so advanced that many of us are unable to think too deeply about how exactly things work any more. While it may be possible for a curious teenager to take a toaster apart and get some sense of how it works, how much do you understand about what happens when you type a website address into a browser? Where does your grasp of technology end and the magic begin for you?
In addition to this, there’s the fact that we all now connect so deeply with technology, particularly with our phones. The more we stare at our screens, the less we talk to other people directly. All too often we accept the images of people that social media provides us with. Then we feel we know enough about a person not to need to engage further with them.
That means we end up inside our own little bubbles, no longer coming across new ideas. Perhaps the real key to developing curiosity in the 21st century, then, is to rely less on the tech tools of our age.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
假定你是李华，你的外籍朋友 Mr Brown 对中国文化很感兴趣，请给他写一封邮件，邀请他来参加浙江非物质文化遗产(non-material cultural relics)展览活动。内容包括:
1. 写信目的； 2.时间、地点； 3.活动内容。注意:
1. 词数 80 左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
