The Art of Slow Reading
If you are reading this article in print, chances are that you will only get through half of what I have written. And if you are reading this online, you may not even finish a fifth. 1. They suggest that many of us no longer have the concentration to read articles through to their conclusion.
So are we getting stupider? Actually, our online habits are damaging the mental power we need to process and understand textual information. Round-the-clock news makes us read from one article to the next without necessarily engaging fully with any of the content. Our reading is frequently interrupted by the noise of the latest email and we are now absorbing short bursts of words on Twitter and Facebook more regularly than longer texts. 2. But we are gradually forgetting how to sit back, think carefully, and relate all the facts to each other.
3. A desperate bunch of academics want us to take our time while reading, and re-reading. They ask us to switch off our computers every so often and rediscover both the joy of personal engagement with printed texts, and the ability to process them fully. What's to be done then? Most slow readers realize that total rejection of the web is extremely unrealistic. They feel that getaway from technology for a while is the answer. 4. Personally, I'm not sure whether I could ever go offline for long. Even while writing this article, I am switching constantly between sites, skimming too often, absorbing too little. Internet reading has become too rooted in my daily life for me to change. I read essays and articles not in hard copy but as PDFs. I suspect that many readers are in a similar position. 5. You can download a computer application called Freedom, which allows you to read in peace by cutting off your Internet connection. Or if you want to avoid being disturbed by the Internet, you could always download offline reader Instapaper for your iPhone. If you're still reading my article, that is slow reading.
A.The Internet is probably part of the problem.
B.Now some campaigns are advocating slow reading.
C.These are the two findings from the recent research projects.
D.But if you just occasionally want to read more slowly, help is at hand.
E.Some of them have suggested turning their computers off for one day a week.
F.Slow reading can help connect a reader to neighborhood and become popular.
G.Because of the Internet, we have become very good at collecting information.
Attitudes toward new technologies often fall along generational lines. That is, generally, younger people tend to outnumber older people in face of a technological shift.
It is not always the case, though. When you look at attitudes toward driverless cars, there doesn't seem to be a clear generational divide. The public overall disagree on whether they'd like to use a driverless car. In a study last year, of all people surveyed, 48 percent said they wanted to ride in one, while 50 percent did not.
The fact that attitudes toward self-driving cars appear to be so steady across generations suggests how transformative the shift to driverless cars could be. Not everyone wants a driverless car now——and no one can get one yet ——but among those who are open to them, every age group is similarly engaged.
When it comes to driverless cars, differences in attitude are obvious based on factors not related to age. College graduates, for example, are particularly interested in driverless cars compared with those who have less education: 59 percent of college graduates said they would like to use a driverless car compared with 38 percent of those with a high-school diploma or less.
Where a person lives matters, too. More people who lived in cities and suburbs said they wanted to try driverless car than those who lived in rural areas.
While there's reason to believe that interest in self-driving cars is going up, a person's age will have little to do with how self-driving cars can become mainstream. Once driverless cars are actually available for sale, the early adopters will be the people who can afford to buy them.
1.What usually happens when a new technology appears?
A.It benefits society greatly.
B.The old are not happy with it.
C.People of different ages react differently.
D.It will separate the old from the young.
2.What does the author say about the driverless car?
A.It makes people's life more convenient.
B.It can lead to fewer road accidents.
C.It may start a revolution in the car industry.
D.It does not seem to create a generational divide.
3.What is likely to affect a person's attitude toward the driverless car?
A.The field of his special interest.
B.The location of his living place.
C.The amount of his driving training.
D.The length of his driving experience.
4.Who are the most potential customers of the driverless car?
A.The seniors. B.The wealthy.
C.The educated. D.The car lovers.
Can you be hit by a bullet and keep on fighting, or escape from a bomb explosion? Let's take a look at some actions in big-budget movies in summer vacation.
Survive nearby explosions
The scene: A bomb explodes nearby but the hero escapes unharmed.
The science: Powerful explosion produces quickly expanding gas travelling faster than the speed of sound. Although this big wave lasts just a few milliseconds, it can cause hidden injuries whose effects may not become obvious for several days.
No one, except the most extreme terrorists, plans to be near a bomb, so mostly, survival comes down to good fortune — the size and type of the bomb and your distance from it.
Is it possible? Stand too close and no one is going to walk away from an explosion
unharmed. Not even Iron Man.
Fight on after being shot
The scene: The bad man is shot several times, but just keeps on going.
The science: Travelling at a speed of well over 250 meters per second, bullets are full of energy, much of which is transferred to the unlucky goal. High-speed, high-calibre（口径）bullets are likely to floor a man. Smaller, slower bullets can pass straight through a body, and because skin and tissue are elastic（弹性的），the hole may close up.
Whether or not you fall or escape also depends on where you are hit. A shot to the spine（脊柱）or head will stop you in your track. But if the bullet misses vital organs, you may be able to keep going, for a while at least.
Is it possible? If your vital organs don't take a hit, you may be able to keep going, but not for long. If the bullet does floor you, blood loss finally will.
Fall from a building
The scene: A hero falls from a high building and survives.
The science: It is not the fall that kills you, but the sudden stop at the end. In the movies, falls are commonly slowed by trees, power lines, roofs and the like. Dividing one big fall into many smaller ones slows your fall, reducing the force of impact and increasing the chance of survival.
For the same reason, what you land on is also important.
How you hit the ground also influences whether or not you survive.
Is it possible? Possible but unlikely. Survival is somewhat relative. You can have a good chance to survive, but that doesn't mean you can jump up and run around. Brain injury, broken bones and chest wound are common.
1.What does the underlined part mean in the last paragraph?
A.One might die, but his relatives will live well.
B.It is hard to say one is dead or still alive only by judging from his breath.
C.A man is still breathing, but some organs can not function well as a normal person.
D.Whether an actor can survive or not largely depends on his professional performance.
2.This article probably comes from a .
A.story book B.science fiction
C.movie review D.movie magazine
3.What is the best title for the text?
A.The Science of Summer Movies B.The Background of Summer Movies
C.How to Take the Three Shots D.How to Survive the Three Scenes
4.What can be inferred from the text?
A.As long as one stands far enough away from a bomb he can be safe and unharmed.
B.The hole caused by a bullet in one's body can be treated as nothing has happened at all.
C.Either a hit on spine or a huge blood loss will immediately send you down on the floor.
D.One might be only slightly injured if he falls from a 5-storey building and lands on a soft mud.
Anyone with a passing interest in their health will be able to rattle__off a few of the major vitamins, and possibly take an educated guess at what they do. Vitamin C, found in oranges and other fruit and vegetables, is important for wound repair. And the much－talked－about ‘sunshine’ Vitamin D, produced by the skin in response to UV light, is essential for strong bones.
But Vitamin P? It might well have you scratching your head. And that's not surprising: the term was first coined in the 1930s to describe a small group of compounds that provide pigment(天然色素) to plants, and were believed to have health benefits. Fast－forward almost a century and these compounds are now better known as flavonoids.
Today, scientists have identified between 4，000 and 6，000 different kinds and we now know they are responsible for many of the flavors and smells of fruit and vegetables and also that they protect them from invaders such as pests and bacteria.
They are equally important nutrients for the body, helping maintain bones and teeth, and for the production of the protein collagen(胶原), which provides structure to blood vessels, muscles and skin.
They are also said to help the body deal with some of the key drivers of illness, including oxidation(氧化), a natural process by which the body's cells age and can become damaged and defective(有缺陷的). That means they could help to protect against chronic diseases including cancer and heart disease.
1.Which of the following best explains “rattle off” underlined in Paragraph 1?
A.Quickly say. B.Quickly pass.
C.Quickly find. D.Quickly take.
2.What do we know about Vitamin P?
A.We would scratch our head if we took it.
B.It was made into a coin in the 1930s.
C.People didn't think it beneficial in the past.
D.It refers to the compounds also called flavonoids.
3.How many functions of Vitamin P for humans are mentioned?
A.Four. B.Three.
C.Two. D.One.
4.How does Vitamin P help slow the aging process?
A.By dealing with oxidation.
B.By maintaining bones.
C.By strengthening muscle.
D.By protecting against chronic diseases.
Welcome to our website. Here are some magazines to recommend this week.
Cover Price: $56.00 Sale Price: $25.00 Alarm celebrates independent thinking in music, art, film and fashion through in-depth writings. Each issue of Alarm features interviews, reviews and life stories of famous people in the artistic world. It also provides the latest news on famous bands, artists, film makers and fashion trends. |
Cover Price: $47.40 Sale Price: $12.00 Alternative Press celebrates music and youth culture. It features the latest music news and releases, and includes interviews with new bands as well as famous bands. The magazine is written for fans of electronic, industrial, punk, underground, rock, experimental and other musical types. It also offers columns about new technology, book reviews and film reviews. |
Cover Price: $39.92 Sale Price: $12.00 Sound ＆Vision is for people with a great interest in music and video. It is also for people who want to know how to reproduce video. The magazine tests new technology and explains how to buy and use music equipment. |
Cover Price: $23.70 Sale Price: $12.00 Complex is a lifestyle magazine. It covers everything with hip-hop culture. Articles cover music, fashion, film and sports. It also has a buyer's guide to the hottest gear, clothes and gadgets. Complex combines two magazines into one. It is not only a lifestyle magazine but also a product guide. |
1.Alarm would most probably attract people who love reading __________.
A.reviews of novels B.simple humorous stories
C.serious writings on music D.stories written by famous artists
2.What discount can you get if you buy Alternative Press on the website?
A.About 38% B.About 55%
C.About 70% D.About 75%
3.Which magazine will suit a hip-hop fan?
A.Complex. B.Alarm.
C.Alternative Press. D.Sound & Vision.
假定你是李华，你所在的城市近期将举办丝绸之路国际艺术节（Silk Road International Arts Festival）你想邀请你的英国朋友Jacob一起参加艺术节期间举行的一些活动。请给他写一封邮件，内容包括：
1. 举办艺术节的目的；
2. 举办时间；
3. 活动内容。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Jacob,
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
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Yours,
Li Hua
