Like many parents, I enjoyed reading a bedtime story to my two sons each night before they went to bed. After the story was over, we would turn out the lights, and talked until they fell ______.
One night after the lights were out, my 3-year-old son, Will, ______ me to tell them a story ______ by myself, not one from a book. So I ______ told him a story about the first thing that came into my ______. But to my surprise, he ______ it so much that he asked me to do that the next night.
Thus a story-telling tradition was ______ in our family. Ever since that night, they seemed not to be able to sleep without hearing one of my ______ stories. Of all the things I do for my ______，my storytelling is what they love most. It has created a special ______ between us. And they find that their day isn’t ______ without one of my stories, and so do I.
When I see how ______ my storytelling is in their lives, I come to realize how much our television and video-oriented （以视频为导向的）society has ______ in terms of the personal connections that storytelling brings. Before the ______ of television, computers and smartphones, a family’s ______ was built around storytelling. Many of the stories we have today originated from the oral（口述的） tradition. It was ______ down from generation to generation until someone finally ______ them down.
Storytelling serves as a creative way to ______ for me. During the storytelling, I forget about the pressure of the day and enjoy the ______ time I can spend with my children. I hope that other parents can gain ______ from storytelling, too.
1.A.asleep B.short C.ill D.silent
2.A.warned B.forced C.begged D.allowed
3.A.made up B.taken up C.picked up D.brought up
4.A.frequently B.casually C.secretly D.carefully
5.A.book B.movie C.mouth D.mind
6.A.believed B.doubted C.loved D.knew
7.A.ended B.followed C.born D.destroyed
8.A.crazy B.funny C.strange D.original
9.A.parents B.children C.students D.relatives
10.A.bond B.argument C.trust D.difference
11.A.difficult B.bad C.sad D.complete
12.A.valueless B.important C.helpless D.common
13.A.earned B.progressed C.contributed D.lost
14.A.familiarity B.operation C.invention D.discussion
15.A.evening B.party C.morning D.dinner
16.A.died B.passed C.broken D.thrown
17.A.wrote B.cut C.slowed D.broke
18.A.struggle B.relax C.fight D.escape
19.A.unusual B.boring C.precious D.difficult
20.A.confidence B.courage C.knowledge D.happiness
Hanfu is a traditional robe(长袍) of the Han people, which has a history of thousands of years in China. The number of people adopting the ancient style of dress in modem times has. grown significantly these days. The hanfu clothing industry is now worth one billion yuan(US$140.7 million). 1. However, it may be too early to call it a “revival”(复兴).
2. And it sounds impressive that about 2.2 million people in China wear hanfu. But considering that the clothing retail(零售) industry was worth 1.92 trillion yuan in 2017, one billion yuan is a small number. Similarly, 2.2 million seems a small number considering that China’s population is more than 1.3 billion.
Having played a major role in China’s clothing history, hanfu remained popular until the late 1600s. 3. After pursuing Western fashion, it’s natural that Chinese people are returning to traditional clothing in search of their cultural identity.
But what is the obstacle of hanfu’s revival, despite people’s love for it? 4. The hanfu trend appeared five years ago, so the industry is quite young. And many tailors are still learning how best to make hanfu from historical TV dramas and so on. But most of these historical dramas are fictional, as are many of the clothes the characters wear.
Short-video and live-streaming apps are the other sources that promote the hanfu culture. But most of these live streamers have their own shops. 5. To fulfill their selfish interests, those behind the short videos and live-streaming blame one another instead of working together to revive the hanfu culture.
If these live-streamers really want to develop the hanfu culture, they should change their attitude and work together for the betterment of the hanfu industry.
A.One billion yuan is a huge figure.
B.The lack of a standard seems to be the main problem.
C.The popularity of hanfu reflects the diversity of Chinese culture.
D.This means they promote hanfu culture to increase their own profits.
E.Even the traditional Korean and Japanese costumes originated from it.
F.This has prompted many to say it symbolizes the revival of Han or hanfu culture.
G.It is natural for Chinese people to show their love for traditional culture by wearing hanfu.
Do you sometimes find yourself drawing random patterns(图案)during meetings and lectures? Some people believe it shows you aren’t listening or paying attention. However, there are studies which claim the opposite, and that doodling might actually be beneficial.
Doodling seems to be popular. In the past, it was seen as a mindless activity and a product of the absentminded. However, in 2016, an article on the Harvard University website discussed the idea that random drawings may assist memory retention(保持)and concentration.
The article stresses that 26 of 44 American presidents were known to doodle, with Ronald Reagan famous for drawing cowboys. A 2009 study conducted by psychologist Jackie Andrade asked 40 people to listen to a “dull and boring” voice message. Half of the group were asked to doodle and shade in a picture. Those who did were able to recall 29% more of the information contained in the message.
Some experts believe that willingly accepting your creative and artistic sides during meetings may engage your mind. Jesse Prinz, a famous professor of philosophy, actively encourages his students to doodle. He believes that doodling is the “attentional sweet spot”.
And it might not just be good for your concentration. An artist known as Mr Doodle has made a career out of his scribbles(乱涂乱画).He sells his art online and also goes to people’s homes to decorate their walls.
It seems that random drawing to aid concentration might be becoming more of a thing. People like Sunni Brown, an advocate for doodling, teach adults how to sketch and scribble in the workplace. So, the next time you see someone randomly drawing pictures during a meeting, it might be a sign that they are listening more than you think.
1.Which phrase has the same meaning as doodling?
A.A product of the absentminded.
B.Random drawing.
C.Scribbles in the workplace.
D.Drawing on the walls.
2.The author refers to Ronald Reagan in order to ________.
A.inform readers of Reagan’s ability
B.provide some background information
C.introduce a new topic for further discussion
D.give an example of the advantages of doodling
3.Why does Jesse Prinz think that doodling is the “attentional sweet spot”？
A.He thinks that it draws more attention.
B.He thinks that it promises a good career.
C.He believes that it helps to engage the mind.
D.He believes that it can bring economic benefits.
4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?
A.To state the benefits that you can get from random drawing.
B.To provide guidance on leading a random drawing life.
C.To stress the need of distraction at work and in our life.
D.To suggest a way of pursuing concentration in our lifelong career.
Is it to control their body temperature? Save energy? Find food? Tiger sharks at the Ningaloo Reef are thought to search the seafloor for prey as they dive down and swim up. But could there be other reasons why the sharks often move up and down through the water column?
That’s what UWA student Sammy is hoping to find out for her Ph.D. research. Sammy caught 24 tiger sharks at the Ningaloo Reef and attached tracking devices to them for up to 48 hours. The devices recorded activity rates and other data 20 times a second. The tags also contained video cameras, so Sammy could see the habitats the sharks moved through and the animals they met. She watched how the sharks reacted to prey and how the prey reacted to them.
Tiger sharks can be pretty lazy — something as simple as a turtle noticing a shark and turning away could cause the shark not to bother hunting it.
“Stomach content analysis has found their normal prey items, such as turtles, rays and fish,” Sammy said. “But have also found some really interesting things, such as license plates, cans and nails.”
Sammy said that studying tiger sharks can help her better understand the ecosystem as a whole. How they move through the Ningaloo Reef and feed can help her figure out how they might be impacting the animals beneath them in the food chain.
But hours of watching tiger sharks hunt hasn’t put Sammy off the animals at all. She said her time tagging sharks at the Ningaloo Reef was the best month of her Ph.D., if not her life. “At first, I was a bit apprehensive about it ... getting that close to some very big animals,” Sammy said. “But they were very frightened once you had them restrained alongside the boat. They’d just sit there; you’d attach the tag; you’d take the line off and they’d just swim off really calmly. It was pretty amazing to see these. They’re just absolutely beautiful animals.”
1.What can be the function of the first paragraph?
A.To give an example. B.To introduce the topic.
C.To make a comparison. D.To provide the background.
2.What does Sammy want to know through her research?
A.Why tiger sharks swim up and down. B.What tiger sharks like to hunt and eat.
C.How tiger sharks react in front of humans. D.Whether tiger sharks are endangered or not.
3.What can be inferred from the stomach content analysis?
A.Tiger sharks live happily in the sea. B.Tiger sharks are sensitive to some food.
C.Tiger sharks are lazier than expected. D.Tiger sharks have a very broad diet.
4.What does the underlined word “apprehensive” in the last paragraph mean?
A.Careless. B.Curious. C.Fearful. D.Cautious.
I’m a commercial diver for Global Divers in Louisiana. I perform underwater repairs on offshore drilling equipment.
My office lies at the bottom of the sea. I wear a suit to the office. It’s a wet suit.
This time of year the water is quite cool. So what we do to keep warm is this: We have a diesel-powered industrial water heater. This equipment sucks the water out of the sea, heating it to a delightful temperature. It then pumps it down to the diver through a garden tube, which is tied to the air tube.
I’ve used it several times with no complaints. What I do when I get to the bottom and start working is take the tube and stuff it down the back of my wet suit. This floods my whole suit with warm water. It’s fantastic because it’s like working in a bathtub.
Last week, I had a bad day at the office. When I started working, everything was going well until all of a sudden, my bottom started to itch（痒）. So, of course, I scratched it. This, of course, only made things worse. Within a few seconds，my bottom started to feel a burning sensation. I pulled the tube out from my back, thinking that maybe the water was too hot, but the damage was done.
In severe pain, I realized what had happened. The hot water machine had sucked up a jellyfish（水母）and pumped it directly into my suit. When I had scratched what I thought was an itch, I was actually touching the jellyfish, and its poisonous tentacles（触角）stung me on the crack of my bottom.
I immediately informed the dive supervisor of my problem over the communicator. His instructions were unclear due to the fact that he and five other divers were all laughing loudly. 35 minutes later, I arrived at the surface. I was wearing nothing but my helmet. And my bottom was swollen.
1.What did the author think of the water heater before the incident?
A.It was useless. B.It was dangerous.
C.It was satisfying. D.It needed to be improved.
2.What actually caused the author’s discomfort while working?
A.A jellyfish. B.A bathtub.
C.The hot water. D.The wet suit.
3.How did the author probably feel after he went ashore?
A.Excited. B.Delighted. C.Calm. D.Embarrassed.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.My Daily Work B.A Bad Day at Work
C.The Hardships of My Job D.An Office under Water
Welcome to the Harvard Information Center
Established in 1962, we meet and greet visitors from all over the world. Our mission is to serve as the “front door” to the university by providing historical and general information about the campus.
Official Historical Tour of Harvard
Student-Led Public Walking Tour
Please note: Due to ongoing construction, our tour schedule will be limited.
The Official Harvard tour departs from the Harvard Information Center in the Smith Campus Center. The tour is student-led and includes an outdoor walk through Harvard Yard, providing a history of the university, general information, and a unique view on the student’s individual experience. The tour is around one hour long, and completely free of charge.
Tour registration is done in person on a first-come, first-served basis. Tours are capped at 35 visitors. Currently we are only able to admit groups of up to 14 people on our free, public tour. If you have a group of 15 or more, reservations are required.
Group Tours and Reservations
Reservations are required for tours of 15 or more people, with an absolute maximum of 125 people. We request groups to schedule a tour 2 weeks ahead. Please note: We cannot accommodate groups that arrive without a reservation.
A Self-Guided Walking Tour of Harvard Yard
If you are interested in touring the campus on your own, you may want a self-guided walking tour. These tour pamphlets（小册子），offered in nine different languages, can be purchased from our office with a very small amount.
You may also download audio（音频的）files of historical information on each of the buildings in Harvard Yard. These files, including an audio tour, can be obtained here at no charge. The audio tour is read by current Harvard students and is composed of tracks describing landmarks throughout Harvard Yard.
1.What’s the purpose of the Harvard Information Center?
A.To introduce Harvard. B.To collect some information.
C.To provide academic service. D.To answer questions from students.
2.What do we know about the Official Harvard tour?
A.It allows others to register for your tour. B.It is led by professional tour guides.
C.It limits the number of visitors. D.It charges an entrance fee.
3.When you are visiting the campus alone, ________.
A.you can get free tour pamphlets
B.you can enjoy free audio service
C.you must buy an admission ticket
D.you must make a reservation in advance
