When it comes to creativity，one of our biggest concerns is usually how we can be more creative, or how to come up with better ideas. I've gathered some of the most practical studies to help improve creativity.1.
Many people think that happiness is the ideal state to create something. Recently a study on creativity made a great conclusion. 2.I don't want you to put yourself in a bad mood to create something, but next time you're in strong feeling, try to sit down and focus that energy on creating something.
3.Reading or feeling absurd ( or dreamlike) things can help boost( 促进) pattern recognition and creative thinking. Because the mind is always seeking to make sense of the things that it sees, and such objects put it in"overdrive" while the mind tries to work out exactly what it is looking at or reading. I like reading interesting short stories like The Last Question when looking for inspiration.
You can also get moving, because it's suggested that exercise can actually improve creative thinking as well, due to its ability to get the heart pumping and put people in a positive mood. 4. I's not necessarily the act; it's the change in moods. f you’re stuck in a creative job and want to take a break, try exercise while your brain is subconsciously at work. 5. I tend to jogging outdoors in this case，and it's truly helpful for me.
A.Why not stick to reading?
B.Experiencing something unreasonable works.
C.It may help to speed up your " Aha!" moment.
D.Creativity increases when whatever feelings run high.
E.Try a few out for yourself and see which ones work best.
F.It can produce more creative thoughts just like thinking about love.
G.We are in two very different states of mind when trying to create something.
Crude oil (原油) taken from fields in Alaska's North Slope near Prudhoe Bay is carried by tube to the port of Valdez. From there it is shipped by tanker to the West Coast of the United States. Just after midnight on March24, 1989,the Exxon Valdez, a tanker more than three football fields long, went off course in Prince William Sound near Valdez and hit rocks underwater. About 42 million liters of oil poured out from several slices in the ship, creating the worst escape of oil ever in the U. s. waters.
In 1990，the National Transportation Safety Board NTSB) found the captain of the tanker guilty of drinking before sailing and of leaving the bridge and turning over the ship to an inexperienced and tired third mate. The NTSB ruled that the accident was the result of drinking of the captain, an overworked crew member, and inadequate traffic control by the Coast Guard.
In the early 1970s, conservationists said that a large, damaging oil escape would occur in these dangerous waters containing hidden rocks and frequented by icebergs and violent storms. They urged that Alaskan oil be brought to the lower 48 states by tube over land to reduce potential damage.
Officials of Alyeska, a company formed by the seven oil companies taking oil from Alaska's North Slope, said that a tube would take too long to build and that a large escape of oil was " highly unlikely". They assured Congress that they would be at the scene of any accident within five hours and have enough equipment and trained people to clean up any spill. However, when the S4-ilion Valdez leak occurred, Alyeska and Exxon officials did too little too late.
In the early 1970s, Secretary of the Interior Rogers Morton told Congress that all oil tankers using Alaskan waters would have double hulls( 船体). Later, under pressure from oil companies, the requirement was dropped. After the disaster,the oil industry had much to answer for. The accident led to an international push for double-hulled oil tankers.What if the Exxon Valdez had a double hull?
1.What is the second paragraph mainly about?
A.The consequence of drunk sailing.
B.The cause of the Valdez accident.
C.The responsibility of the captain.
D.The role of the Coast Guard in the accident.
2.We can infer that conservationists advised
A.building an oil tube to save delivery time
B.stopping shipping oil in dangerous waters
C.bringing Alaskan oil to the lower 48 states
D.making full preparations for any oil escape
3.What did the author indicate in the end?
A.The Exxon Valdez had a double dull.
B.Morton worked for an oil company.
C.The accident might be preventable.
D.Oil companies favored the requirement.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.Valdez: The Predicted Oil Leak
B.Alyeska: Lessons Not Learnt
C.The Oil Accident: Who to Blame
D.The Valdez Disaster: What to Remember
Our dog Sandy is a golden retriever( 寻回犬). Once we performed an experiment to see how keen his nose was.There was one particular pile that must have had hundreds of sticks. We picked up one stick carved an X on it, walked away from the pile and then threw it back into the pile, not once but a dozen times into the pile. It was impossible for us to tell with any certainty which stick we had originally chosen. Each time he brought back that stick. It wasn't the shape or the size or the look of the stick that he used to pick it out from all the others. It was the smell we left on the stick. It is hard to imagine, but for dogs every living creature has its own distinctive smell.
The noses of people have about 5 million cells that sense smell. Dogs' noses have anywhere from 125 to 300 million cells. Moreover, these cells are closer to the surface than cells in our noses, and more active. It has been estimated that dogs such as Sandy have noses that are a million times more sensitive than ours. Clothes that we haven't worn for week,and places we've only touched lightly indicate our presence to dogs.
His ears are also remarkable. He can hear sounds that humans can't and at distances which are astonishing. It is over our head to know and understand that world. Yet we have the advantage of being able to imagine what his experience is like, though he probably doesn't think too much about how we see the world.
The environment is the world that all living things share. Living creatures are born into the environment and are part of it. Yet there is no creature who perceives (感知到) all of what is and what happens. For a dog like Sandy a book isn't much different than a stick, whereas for us one stick is pretty much like every other stick. There is no one world experienced by all living creatures.
1.Why did the author conduct the experiment?
A.To train Sandy to pick out sticks.
B.To show how fast Sandy found sticks.
C.To prove sensitivity of Sandy's nose.
D.To teach Sandy to tell different smells.
2.What does the author intend to do in paragraph 2?
A.Support the conclusion with numbers.
B.Summarize the previous paragraph.
C.Provide some advice for the readers.
D.Introduce a new topic for discussion.
3.What does the underlined idiom in paragraph 3 mean?
A.Amazing. B.Difficult.
C.Reasonable. D.Inconvenient.
4.Which of the following best expresses the author's opinion in the last paragraph?
A.Worlds to experience.
B.An environment to share.
C.No environment, no creatures.
D.One environment, many worlds.
When I first got to the dojo( 柔道馆) at around 6, the first thing that I remember seeing was these groups of people,lined up to fight each other, which shook me. I really didn't want to come back. But I did. I stayed until my Blue Belt. After that, progressing was a little frightening. But my friends and instructors got me to keep coming.
I was progressing well, but that took a turn as soon as I reached the Red Belt. My parents were switching jobs, and it was very difficult to match our schedules so that 1 could come to the dojo. During that year, 1 didn't come to the dojo as much. It was hard for my parents, as well as myself, to be able to fit it into our schedule as often.
When I finally started coming regularly, it was bitter for me to see that all of my friends and peers were ahead. And that taught me a lesson: You should never be upset about yourself if other people are achieving something that you aren't.If anything, you should do the opposite for them. After that year, everything was back up to speed, and I entered Level 3. I couldn't believe how fast my training was going, and I was finally into the Brown Belt.
Getting through the Brown Belt tests as a young student, and a girl, was very tough. And here, in one of the last stages before my First Degree Black Belt, I learned the biggest lesson - - I could do anything that I wanted to and I was capable of anything that I set my mind to. I just didn't think I could. But I proved myself wrong, and I was able to do it.
Finally, getting my First Degree Black Belt is a dream that comes true, literally. I have been dreaming about these I days for months on end, and it never loses the excitement that it gives me. And even after my ceremony, I think I will I look back on this day，and remember every second，every moment.
1.How did the author feel when she first got to the dojo?
A.Scared. B.Thrilled.
C.Annoyed. D.Disappointed.
2.What made the author unable to come to the dojo regularly?
A.Her dislike of her instructors.
B.Her parents' not supporting her.
C.Her little progress in the training.
D.Her parents' changes of jobs.
3.The author thinks that when others did better than you, you should
A.be respectful to them B.be happy for them
C.learn from them modestly D.work harder and harder
4.Which saying can conclude the biggest lesson the author learmed?
A.No pain, no gain.
B.Well begun is half done.
C.Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.
D.All things are difficult before they are easy.
Mathematical Induction By Titu Andreescu & Vlad Crisan ISBN: 9780996874595 Price: US $ 84. 63 Buy now at a 20% discount! | `I serves as a very good resource and teaching material for anyone who wants to discover the beauty of induction(归纳法) and its applications. The authors explore 10 different areas of mathematics, including topics that are not usually discussed in an Olympiad-oriented book on the subject. |
The Flight of a Buttrfly or the Path of a Bullet ? By Larry Cuban ISBN: 9781682531372 Price: US $ 32.00 Buy now at a 10% discount! | In this book, Larry Cuban looks at the uses and effects of digital technologies in K-12 classrooms, exploring if and how technology has transformed teaching and learning. In particular, he examines forty-one classrooms across six districts in Silicon Valley that have devoted much to including digital technologies into their education practices. |
The Fight for America's Schools By Barbara Ferman ISBN: 9781 682530962 Price: US $ 60. 00 Buy now at a 15% discount! | This book examines how parents ,communities ,teachers, unions,and students are working together to oppose market-based reforms in education. Drawing on a series of rich case studies, the book explains how different groups work together toward common goals. |
The White Chalk of Days By Mark Andryczyk ISBN: 9781618116611 Price: US $ 27.05 Buy now at a 10% discount! | It presents translations of literary works that imaginatively involve important problems in today's Ukraine and express its suffering and happiness. Featuring poetry，fiction, and essays by fifteen Ukrainian writers, the anthology (选集) offers English-language readers a wide collection of the most appealing literature written in Ukraine in the past fifty years. |
1.How much is Mathematical Induction now?
A.About $ 16. 93. B.About $ 64. 63.
C.About $ 67. 70. D.About $ 84. 63.
2.What do we know about the book written by Larry Cuban?
A.It focuses on technological reform in education.
B.It aims to improve pre-school education.
C.It helps with students' mathematical ability.
D.It is based on various academic studies.
3.Which book is the most culture-specfic?
A.Mathematical Induction.
B.The Flight of a Butterfly or the Path of a Bullet? .
C.The Fight for America's Schools.
D.The White Chalk of Days.
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。
Three boys and three girls were going to the beach. When they boarded the bus, they were carrying sandwiches and wine, dreaming of golden beaches. Suddenly, they noticed Vingo. He sat in front of them, eyes fixed upon a photo, completely in silence.
Deep into the night, the bus pulled into Howard Johnson’s, a service area, and everybody got off except Vingo. The young people began to wonder about him. When they came back, one of the girls sat beside him and introduced herself. “Want some wine?” she said. He smiled and took a swig from the bottle. He thanked her and became silent again.
The next morning, they awoke outside another Howard Johnson’s, and this time Vingo went in. The girl insisted that he join them. He ordered black coffee and some cookies. When they returned, the girl sat with Vingo again. After a while, slowly and painfully, he began his story. He had been in prison for the past four years, and now he was going home.
“Are you married?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” she said.
“Well, when I was in prison I wrote to my wife,” he said, “I told her that I was going to be away for a long time, and that if she couldn’t stand it, if the kids kept asking questions, and if it hurt her too much, she could just forget me. I’d understand. ‘Get a new guy.’ I said. She’s a wonderful woman. I told her she didn’t have to write me. And she didn’t. Not for three and a half years.”
“And you’re going home now, not knowing?”
“Yeah. Well, last week, when I was sure the parole (假释) was coming through, I wrote her again. We used to live in Brunswick, and there’s a big oak (橡树) tree just as you come into town. I told her that if she didn’t have a new man and if she’d take me back, she should put a yellow handkerchief on the tree, and I’d get off and come home．If she didn’t want me, forget it — no handkerchief and I’d go on through.”
“Wow,” the girl exclaimed, “wow.”
She told the others, and soon all of them were in it.
注意：1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2．至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3．续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4．续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1：
Looking at the photo, the young people found a young woman and three children in it.
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Paragraph 2：
Vingo sat there amazed, staring at the oak tree.
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