We all know the feeling of waking up in the middle of the night with a pounding heart and sweaty palms. Relax, you say to yourself— it was just a bad dream. Well, it may be that you really should relax, because nightmares might actually be good for you.
According to New York magazine, bad dreams can improve your mental health. A bad dream tends to be based on a real-life concern, for example, an approaching test or a fear of a person. To eliminate these worries the brain turns the dream into a story in the form of a bad dream.
A bad dream enables you to distance yourself from your anxieties, and turn something you’re worried about now into a memory. The result is that when you wake up, you’re able to move forward and face the future.
A study, featured in The Atlantic magazine, showed something similar. In a survey of more than 700 French students taking a medical school entrance exam, over 60 percent had negative dreams about the test the night before. These included not finishing on time, leaving a question blank, or being late. Those who reported dreams about the exam, even bad ones, did better on it than those who didn’t, suggesting that nightmares do in fact prepare us for the future.
“We think nightmares are so common that they have some purpose to process stressors,” Anne Germain, director of the Sleep Center at the University of Pittsburgh, said.
So, the next time you lie awake at night after a bad dream, remember that it may be the brain’s way of putting your fears behind you and readying you for the future. Although a nightmare may make you afraid in the short term, it might be helping you to move on from the bad stuff you might be facing in the real world. Perhaps we should try to accept our nightmares rather than allow them to keep us awake. After all, lack of sleep causes far more problems than dreams do.
1.Which of the following best explains “eliminate” in Paragraph 2?
A.Remove. B.Reflect. C.Satisfy. D.Strengthen.
2.Why does the author mention the study in the fourth paragraph?
A.To show medical school entrance exams will cause anxiety.
B.To show those who have nightmares will do worse in an exam.
C.To show nightmares help students perform better in an exam.
D.To show most of the students will be stressed before an exam.
3.According to the author, what should we do if we have a bad dream?
A.We should keep ourselves awake.
B.We should relax and go on sleeping.
C.We should study bad dreams carefully.
D.We should prevent it from happening.
4.Where is this text most likely from?
A.A diary. B.A guidebook. C.A novel. D.A magazine.
When was the last time you went to your local library? Last week? A month ago? A year ago?
For many reasons, borrowing books from libraries seems to be in decline. With advances in technology, it is now possible for people to download and read whatever they like on electronic devices such as Kindles. It has been argued that doing this is cheaper than buying hard-copy books. They are also lightweight, making them ideal for travelling.
Call me old fashioned, but I’ve never got into the e-books: I like to have printed books lining my bookshelves; I love the smell of a new book; and I enjoy leafing through paper pages — as long as I avoid the paper cuts!
So, I prefer paper books, and I also prefer to own them myself. Libraries only lend books, so what use are they to someone like me, or to someone who only reads electronic books?
Personally, I still love libraries. They offer a quiet space to sit, read, think, do research…a real escape from the outside world. When I was at university, I frequently spent hours at the library and borrowed numerous journals, articles and other printed materials, as it was just too expensive to buy brand new books every week. Libraries are free!
Libraries often organize a series of interesting activities as well. My local library hosted actors, historians and other speakers during the town’s annual art and literature festival. Well-known authors are also invited to libraries to give speeches or lead discussions about their work. Events such as these are a great way to appeal to people of all ages in the community and encourage the use of libraries.
There are still many fantastic ways to use libraries — maybe we just need to be more awake to them!
1.What is the writer’s purpose of using question sentences in Paragraph 1?
A.To introduce the topic of the passage.
B.To make readers answer questions.
C.To give readers some advice.
D.To conduct a survey.
2.What can we know about e-books?
A.They are easy to buy.
B.They are cheap and easy to take.
C.They can be borrowed from libraries.
D.They are a waste of energy.
3.What does the underlined word “them” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
A.Libraries. B.E-books.
C.Paper books. D.Bookshelves.
4.What is the best title of the passage?
A.The end of the library?
B.The reasons for my loving libraries!
C.Which is better, e-books or paper books?
D.The last time of visiting your local library!
The Torch Festival is a traditional festival celebrated among some ethnic groups in southwestern China, such as the Yi, Bai, Hani, Lisu，Naxi，Pumi and Lahu，etc. It usually falls on the 24th or 25th of June, with three days of celebrations. The origin（起源）of the festival may have something to do with the worship of fire by ancestors（祖先），who believed fire had the power to drive away insects and protect crop growth. For some ethnic groups，it’s a tradition in the festival for elders to share farming experience with young people and educate them on taking care of crops.
During the festival, big torches are made to stand in all villages, with small torches placed in front of the door of each house. When night falls, the torches are lit and the villages are bright. At the same time, people walk around the fields and houses, holding small torches and placing the torches in the field corners. Inside the villages, young people are singing and dancing around the big torches that keep burning throughout the night. Other activities like horse races, bullfights, etc. are also held during the festival.
In a horse race of the Yi people in Yunnan, torches are used to form hurdles（栏架） for riders to get through. The Hani people in Yunnan traditionally attach fruits to torches with ropes. When the ropes are broken after the torches are lit, people struggle for the fruits for good luck.
For the Lisu people in Sichuan, the festival is an occasion for holding grand torch parades. Big torches are carried by the procession（队伍）, which is like a fire dragon. If several processions from different directions meet, it’s a tradition to exchange the big torches with one another.
1.Why did people originally light torches during the Torch Festival?
A.To drive away insects and evils.
B.To celebrate crop harvests.
C.To light up the villages and fields.
D.To memorize their ancestors.
2.Which of the following activities is not included during the festival?
A.Learning how to farm.
B.Singing and dancing.
C.Horse racing and bullfighting.
D.Enjoying big dinners.
3.Looking for fruits is the festival activity of _______.
A.the Yi people
B.the Hani people
C.the Lisu people
D.the Naxi people
4.What can we infer from the last two paragraphs?
A.Horses are the most popular animals in Yunnan.
B.Most peoples celebrate the festival in a similar way.
C.Fruits are regarded as a sign of good luck in Sichuan.
D.The festival is celebrated differently by different ethnic groups.
Enjoy historic Oakland Cemetery after dark at Capturing the Spirit of Oakland Halloween Tours, a seasonal tradition! A costumed docent (讲解员) guides you through the cemetery’s beautifully-lit Victorian gardens as you experience the stories that Atlanta’s sons and daughters come to life.
Tours will be held nightly from 5: 30 pm to 10: 30 pm, Friday Oct. 23—Sunday Oct. 25, and Thursday, Oct. 29—Saturday, Oct. 31. Tours last approximately one hour.
The evening also includes musical performances. A story teller and guests are encouraged to arrive in costume to set the mood for the events.
Tickets are available in advance only via ticketalternative. com. Tickets are $25 for adults and $13 for children aged 4-12 (plus taxes and fees). Children under 3 are free. This event is family-friendly, but is recommended for children aged 8 and up.
Tickets go on sale to Historic Oakland Foundation members in advance, on July 1-15, and go on sale to the general public on July 15. If you’re not a HOF member, join today!
1.When can we take part in Capturing the Spirit of Oakland Halloween Tours?
A.At 8:30 am on Oct. 23. B.At 8: 30 pm on Oct. 24.
C.At 10: 00 pm on Oct. 28. D.At 10: 00 am on Oct. 31.
2.What can we do while attending the tours?
A.Learn to build Victorian gardens. B.Get Halloween costumes for free.
C.Enjoy some musical performances. D.Tell other people Halloween stories.
3.How much should a couple with their 8-year-old son pay for the tickets?
A.$13. B.$38. C.$50. D.$63.
假定你是李华，你们学校下周末要到东南花都花博园参加社会实践，请你写封邮件，邀请你的交换生朋友Terry参加。内容包括：
1.提出邀请；
2.活动内容（如种菜、种花等）和意义；
3.集合时间和地点。
注意：
1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：东南花都花博园 Southeast Flowers Garden；社会实践 social practice
Dear Terry
Yours,
Li Hua
根据句意及单词首字母和汉语提示，写出下列句中所缺单词的正确形式。
1.We should c_______（结合） theory with practice in realizing our goal.
2.The o________（显而易见的） way of reducing pollution is to cut car use.
3.It's bad m_______（礼貌） to laugh at others when they are in trouble.
4.Films and video games with v_________（暴力的） scenes have a bad effect on children.
5.The room, which m_______ （测量）more than 40 square meters, will be used as the manager’s office.
6.He said his teacher and his parents' words i_______（激励） him to have another try.
7.To my r________（遗憾）， I have wasted a lot of time when I should have studied hard.
8.Up to now, no one has come up with a convincing e________（解释） of why dinosaurs died out.
9.Her heart was s________（轻微地） damaged on account of her long illness.
10.He spared no efforts to o________（克服） the difficulties and finally succeeded.
