If you’re single this Valentine's Day, don't settle for another night of being alone. Single ladies and dudes can celebrate, too. Below, five holidays from around the world to celebrate instead of Valentine's Day this year.
Singles Awareness Day
In the U.S., we have “Singles Awareness Day”--a humorous anti-Valentine's Day celebrated on February 14 or 15, depending on your preference. On these days, singles toast their uncoupled status.
Ystävänpäivä or Friendship Day
Finland has a more ideal take on Valentine's Day: February 14 is considered Ystävänpäivä or “Friendship Day”, which is marketed as a celebration of friends. (We'd recommend adopting this holiday if you're looking for an occasion to hang out with your best friends.)
Black Day
April 14 in Korea is known as Black Day, a holiday where singles gather in local restaurants and drown their sorrows in cheap, but delicious bowls of jajangmyeon--- a Chinese-Korean noodle dish swimming in chunky black bean sauce, and topped with pork and veggies. The holiday has been popular over the last decade, and we can't say we're surprised. It's hard to be sad about being single when you're dipping into a bowl of something that delicious.
Single's Day
November II marks Singles' Day in China, an unofficial holiday that started in the 1990s as a protest Valentine's Day and that's now a day where singles buy stuff--a lot of stuff- for themselves. In 2013, China's biggest online shopping company took in more than $5.75 billion in online payments on Single's Day-two and a half times the total American retailers（零售商） netted on Cyber Monday the same year.
International Quirkyalone Day
Another option for singles looking to get in on the celebratory action on February 14? International Quirkyalone Day, a “do-it-yourself celebration of romance, friendship, and independent spirit," according to the official site. The founder of the event swears her holiday is not an anti- Valentine's Day; instead, it's a celebration of all kinds of love: romantic, platonic, familial, and yes, self-love. "In other words, it's a day to do whatever you want, with whoever you want. We can get behind that and have a great time.
1.Which of the following holidays would you like to celebrate if you like delicious food?
A.Singles Awareness Day. B.Ystävänpäivä.
C.Black Day. D.Single’s Day.
2.What would Chinese people like to do on Single's Day?
A.Shopping online. B.Whatever they like.
C.Hanging out with families. D.Gathering in local restaurants.
3.In which part of a website will the text be?
A.Business B.Opinion C.Lifestyle D.Culture
假定你是育才中学的学生会主席李津，受美国亚特兰大ELCA高中（Eagle's Landing Christian Academy）学生会主席Peter邀请，计划9月底带领10位成员赴该校进行为期—周的交流，请你给对方写一封邮件咨询并介绍相关准备工作。
内容包括：
1.感谢对方的邀请；
2.询问相关准备（具体日程安排、需要携带的物品）；
3.简介准备的中国文化展
注意：
1.词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 开头已给出。
Dear Peter，
I'm Li Jin, Chairman of the Student Union of Yucai Middle School.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours
Li Jin
阅读表达
I've had plenty of friends throughout my life, but I always felt like I was missing that one big friendship that so many other women seemed to have. As an only child, I had always longed for a sister. As an adult, all I wanted was a true best friend to fill that vacancy.
When I was thirty-two, I was living my dream as a stay-at-home mom and then my world came crashing down. On a Tuesday afternoon in May of 2018 I was diagnosed with a stage-two cancer. My days of dates, trips to the zoo, and lazy mornings at home with my twenty-one-month-old son turned into appointments with doctors, terrifying body scans and a whole lot of uncertainty.
Over the course of eight months I got cycles of treatment. While the pain and side effects were almost unbearable, the fear and anxiety that developed were even worse. My husband and parents were an amazing support system. However, I still felt depressed because it was impossible for them to figure out what I was going through both physically and emotionally. But I couldn't expect them to. Plus, I wanted to be strong for them so that they could in turn be strong for my son. I never missed having a sister more than I did during that time.
Eventually I found myself wishing for a "cancer friend" so that I could relate to someone who knew what I was going through. I would sit in the ward and look around the room, trying to find someone to befriend. I met some wonderful people, but somehow I never connected with them. Later, I continued to try to find a "cancer friend"; but in vain. So gradually I became despondent about the potential for finding such a friend.
Unexpectedly, I found what I needed in the most unlikely places. In my son's preschool, I met with a young mum called Leah, who also had a cancer. We had much in common and became the closest friends. We sometimes compared our situation to having been to war. We went to battle for our lives and found it became easier for us to do it together.
1.What caused the author' s world to crash down? (No more than 10 words)
2.Why was the author still depressed though she had family members' support? (No more than 10 words)
3.What does the underlined part in Paragraph 4 mean? (No more than 5 words)
4.What did the author and Leah gain from their friendship? (No more than 15 words)
5.What do you learn from the author' s story? (No more than 20 words)
Ask any readers who their favorite fictional character in a novel is and you'll likely get a detailed explanation about the beloved character that they admire. It might even sound like they're talking about a person they know.
In a study, researchers looked at the brains of a group of people over nine days. Half of the group read the novel Pompeii, and half didn't. After examining, researchers found the readers' brains showed heightened connectivity in some areas. This is likely because the brain imagines the movement and emotions of the character they read about in the book. Even though the participants were then asked not to read the novel, they kept this heightened connectivity. We call that a "shadow activity", almost like a muscle memory. So even after you've finished a book, your brain keeps those benefits for some time afterwards.
It has been suggested that people who read a lot of fiction become more empathic (移情的),because fiction is a simulation (模仿)of social experiences, in which people practice and improve their interpersonal skills. The people who not only read fiction, but felt a high level of "emotion transportation" while reading as compared to people who weren't taken by the story or who read non-fiction displayed higher levels of empathy when tested. Increase of empathy is important for people because empathy is positively related to creativity, performance at work and cooperative behaviors.
Besides, reading improves "Theory of Mind". It is “the ability to understand that others have mental states that are different from one' s own.” Of various activities, reading novels has been found to improve this ability, while watching television programs or movies has been found to do just the opposite a reduced understanding of others and weaker cognitive (认知的)development overall.
Maybe we should put more of a priority on novel-reading. And many readers believe that reading a novel is far better and more meaningful than watching any movie. As David Kidd of the New School study said, “Fiction is not just a simulator of a social experience; it is a social experience."
1.Which of the statements is true according to Paragraph 2?
A.When they finish a book, the brain connectivity disappears.
B.The participants in the study all read the novel Pompeii.
C.Reading novels increases connectivity in our brain.
D.Reading novels helps enhance our memory greatly.
2.What do we know about novel readers from Paragraph 3?
A.They tend to be emotional in social experiences.
B.They are more likely to be innovative and cooperative.
C.They have poor interpersonal skills.
D.They are more sensitive to others' views.
3.What' s the effect of watching TV or movies?
A.It distinguishes your views from those of others.
B.It contributes to your cognitive development.
C.It reduces your empathy for others a lot.
D.It changes your overall mental states.
4.What does the underlined word "priority" in the last paragraph mean?
A.Preference. B.Authority.
C.Exposure. D.Evaluation.
5.What do you think is the best title for the passage?
A.Reading fiction VS Watching movie B.Reading fiction makes a full man
C.Novel-reading is a ''shadow activity" D.Novel-readers share emotions
For much of the past hundred years, classrooms have been designed with the teacher seated in front of desks for students. But many educators now say children can do better in a less structured environment.
Bob Pearlman works as an education consultant in the United States. He told The Associate Press that traditional classrooms are a thing of the past. Now students work in ''extended learning areas" that in elude project planning rooms, workrooms, and laboratories, as well as learning spaces for groups and individuals. Pearlman points to Albemarle County Public Schools, in Charlottesville, Virginia. The school system invited teams from all its schools to develop learning spaces that would help students deal with complex ideas and work on creative building projects. Now, its elementary school classes have exchanged traditional desks for things like soft seating and connectable tables.
Another change to the design of classrooms is the ability to connect to the Internet. " Classrooms, libraries, and laboratories used to be the only spaces where students spent their school hours. Wireless, laptops and project learning have changed that," Pearlman said. He noted that this has made all school spaces into possible extended learning areas.
David Thornburg, who wrote the book From the Campfire to the Holodeck, said Pearlman's concept catered to the students' need. He said schools should provide spaces based on how humans learn. That could mean one room is used in different ways at different times, or in different ways at the same time.
Earp is with Teacher magazine, a publication of the nonprofit Australia n Council for Educational Research. She noted that in the 1970s, American Robert Sommer, a psychologist, was urging a critical look at traditional classroom designs. Earp said that in addition to newer "freeform" classroom designs, some teachers could find good results with designs that combine new and old ideas. They could try lining up desks at the start of the year and then placing them in groups as the classroom relationships become clearer and project work begins.
1.What change happened to Albemarle County Public Schools?
A.Classroom furniture. B.Learning materials.
C.Teaching Strategy. D.Studying time.
2.What does the underlined word "that" in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A.The new design. B.The existing classroom.
C.The application of the Internet. D.The limitation on learning spaces.
3.What' s David' s attitude towards Pearl man' s classroom design?
A.Objective. B.Neutral.
C.Supportive. D.Disapproving.
4.What’s the ideal classroom in Earp's eyes?
A.It should be designed by teachers.
B.It should provide freedom for students.
C.It should focus on comfortable learning environment.
D.It should be combined with both modern and conventional ideas.
5.What's the passage mainly about?
A.Different opinions about classroom designs.
B.The considerations in classroom designing.
C.Shortcomings of traditional classrooms.
D.The ways to enlarge learning spaces.
Where do you find beauty? Fashion Magazines? Music Videos? One American photographer is finding beauty in unexpected places. And a new documentary about his work might help change the traditional standards of "who" is beautiful.
Rick Guidotti put aside his career as a fashion Photographer to turn his lens (镜头)to people living with genetic, physical and behavioral differences. He says what changed his perception of beauty was a chance encounter with an albino(白化病) girl.
"I was just tired of people telling me who was beautiful. Every season that face would change but1 was always told who was beautiful. As an artist, I don't see beauty just on covers of magazines. I see it everywhere. So that was my initial intention that opened my eyes a little wider and wider." Said Guidotti.
Guidotti has created Positive Exposure, a not-for-profit organization that uses photography and video to transform public perceptions and promote a world where differences are celebrated. Guidotti and Positive Exposure are featured in a new documentary called On Beauty.
The cast and crew recently hosted a screening at Georgetown University in Washington. One of the women featured in the film is Jayne Waithera. “I never thought I was beautiful because nobody said that to me, but meeting him was my profound moment. I remember that particular day he took my picture and I felt so good like I felt there's somebody who, really loves me and sees me for who I am and who sees me more than my condition.” said Waithera.
The documentary is the brainchild of producer Joanna Rudnick. After seeing Rick's photos, she decided to tell his story. Joanna and Rick are traveling from city to city to promote On Beauty. They say their tour is not about money, it's about the message: “As I travel from community to community, I'm taking photographs and I'm empowering individuals with a positive sense of who they are. They're seeing beauty in their reflection but I'm also empowering their families and they in turn are empowering their communities as well. All is based on the philosophy of change how you see, see how you change."
1.Why did Rick change his career?
A.Because he couldn't earn enough money from his former career.
B.Because the beauty on covers of magazines are not beautiful.
C.Because he wanted to create his own company.
D.Because his comprehension of beauty changed owing to an albino girl.
2.What can we know about Positive Exposure?
A.It brings a lot of money for Rick. B.It makes the public more beautiful.
C.It welcomes differences in the world. D.It makes photography more popular.
3.What does the author want to tell us by mentioning Jayne in Paragraph 5?
A.Jayne was beautiful indeed.
B.Photographs gave Jayne a positive sense of who she was.
C.It was unfair that nobody discovered Jayne's beauty.
D.Jayne's picture was more beautiful than herself.
4.What does the author mainly intend to tell us in the last paragraph?
A.We should travel frequently.
B.Community has a great influence on everyone.
C.We should make contributions to our community.
D.Your attitude to seeing the world decides your behavior.
5.What do you know about Rick Guidotti based on the passage?
A.He's a talented photographer with a firmly established reputation.
B.He's a social worker devoting himself to helping the disadvantaged.
C.He conveys a new concept of beauty by means of a documentary.
D.He promotes people' s taste of beauty through his fashion photographs.
