It was an early blow to my self-confidence. I was attending my first group meeting in the lab _______ a postdoc (博士后), and I was _______ that I could follow most of the discussion. Then, in front of everyone, the professor turned to me and asked about my previous accomplishments. I _______. As a PhD student, I had achieved lots to be _______ of. But _______ of those were in my home country of Brazil. Now I was in Washington D. C. and I didn’t know what the word “accomplishment” meant. So all I could say was “I don’t know”.
I had decided to do a postdoc abroad because I thought the training would _______ me a teaching position. I applied for it and received a Brazil in government fellowship to spend 18 months working abroad and got a position in a lab. It all seemed so easy—until I _______ started.
In a new country, I _______, After the _______ lab meeting incident, my confidence took another ________. The paper I had finished painstakingly did not ________. I used to be invited to give talks. Now, I was asked to speak more ________ because of my accent. My confidence was ________.
After months of ________, I reminded myself that I had ________ of success. I needed to do something to ________ my confidence. I thought a change of environment might be what I needed. So I made the ________.
In another new lab, I still felt insecure. ________, I was determined to make the most of the time I had. There were more opportunities to interact with other, which forced me to ________ more. It was awful at first, but with practice I began to feel more confident in my English. I proposed new projects. I began to receive ________ feedback on my presentations.
My confidence is back.
1.A.for B.as C.like D.with
2.A.aware B.afraid C.glad D.sorry
3.A.suffered B.fell C.froze D.refused
4.A.appreciative B.protective C.ashamed D.proud
5.A.any B.all C.none D.little
6.A.secure B.lead C.land D.provide
7.A.clearly B.frequently C.hardly D.actually
8.A.failed B.struggled C.crashed D.cried
9.A.exciting B.interesting C.fascinating D.embarrassing
10.A.hit B.loss C.failure D.pain
11.A.come about B.come on C.come out D.come in
12.A.naturally B.slowly C.awkwardly D.accurately
13.A.drowned B.changed C.destroyed D.delayed
14.A.self-harm B.self-help C.self-rule D.self-doubt
15.A.promise B.mark C.spot D.access
16.A.regain B.return C.review D.replace
17.A.response B.sacrifice C.move D.plan
18.A.Otherwise B.Besides C.Then D.However
19.A.write B.read C.talk D.listen
20.A.positive B.objective C.active D.strong
Earlier this year, I removed all Internet services from my home, which was very upsetting at first, but I have lived that way. 1..
I was not content with the time I was wasting—2.. If there is something I want to research on the Internet, I write it down and use that list when I have Internet access. Now I’m forced to leave the house to get the Internet. I’ll go to the office, the library, the coffee shop, or some other places with free public Wi-Fi, and work on what I need to do online.
Now the Internet is a tool I use to improve my life. 3., but I go on the Internet with the intention of doing these things. Whenever I’m on the Internet now, I use it in a deliberate way, a way that benefits me and my life, and a way that adds value.
4.. I could focus on writing without being disturbed. I have more time to read, to write, to think, to exercise and to walk. Because I’ m out of the house and there are people around. I meet new people. Additionally, I have more time for friends and I feel less stressed and my thoughts are clearer. My mind is more focused on important things. 5. Plus, I no longer long for the Internet like I once did.
It will be upsetting at first, but you will live, and your life will be better without it.
A.Here are some of my tips to use the Internet in a more productive way
B.Since I got rid of the Internet at home, I’ve found so many benefits
C.I don’t have a monthly Internet bill
D.I learnt to think independently
E.It ended up being the most productive and wisest decision I’ve ever made
F.I log on to watch some videos or laugh at funny pictures
G.I felt I could do more purposeful things than spend it on the Internet
By the end of the century, if not sooner, the world’s oceans will be bluer and greener thanks to a warming climate, according to a new study.
At the heart of the phenomenon lie tiny marine microorganisms (海洋微生物) called phytoplankton. Because of the way light reflects off the organisms, these phytoplankton create colourful patterns at the ocean surface. Ocean colour varies from green to blue, depending on the type and concentration of phytoplankton. Climate change will fuel the growth of phytoplankton in some areas, while reducing it in other spots, leading to changes in the ocean’s appearance.
Phytoplankton live at the ocean surface, where they pull carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) into the ocean while giving off oxygen. When these organisms die, they bury carbon in the deep ocean, an important process that helps to regulate the global climate. But phytoplankton are vulnerable to the ocean’s warming trend. Warming changes key characteristics of the ocean and can affect phytoplankton growth, since they need not only sunlight and carbon dioxide to grow, but also nutrients.
Stephanie Dutkiewicz, a scientist in MIT’s Center for Global Change Science, built a climate model that projects changes to the oceans throughout the century. In a world that warms up by 39C, it found that multiple changes to the colour of the oceans would occur. The model projects that currently blue areas with little phytoplankton could become even bluer. But in some waters, such as those of the Arctic, a warming will make conditions riper for phytoplankton, and these areas will tum greener.” Not only are the quantities of phytoplankton in the ocean changing,” she said, “but the type of phytoplankton is changing.”
And why does that matter? Phytoplankton are the base of the food web. If certain kinds begin to disappear from the ocean, Dutkiewicz said, “it will change the type of fish that will be able to survive.” Those kinds of changes could affect the food chain.
Whatever colour changes the ocean experiences in the coming decades will probably be too gradual and unnoticeable, but they could mean significant changes. “It’ll be a while before we can statistically show that the changes are happening because of climate change,” Dutkiewicz said, “ but the change in the colour of the ocean will be one of the early warning signals that we really have changed our planet.”
1.What directly makes the change of the ocean’s appearance?
A.The increase of phytoplankton.
B.The way light reflects off the organisms.
C.The type and concentration of phytoplankton.
D.The decline of phytoplankton.
2.What does the underlined word “project” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A.Control. B.Use.
C.Predict. D.Discover.
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A.Phytoplankton are sensitive to the ocean’s warming trend.
B.Phytoplankton absorb carbon dioxide at the bottom of the ocean.
C.Oceans with more phytoplankton may appear bluer
D.Data have been found to show the change in the colour of the ocean
4.What is the main purpose of the passage?
A.To introduce a new method to study phytoplankton.
B.To explain the effect of climate change on oceans.
C.To analyze the consequences of ocean colour changes.
D.To analyze the composition of the ocean food chain.
If you want to convince the boss you deserve a pay rise or promotion, the solution could be simple --- eat the same food as they do. Psychologists have discovered managers are much more likely to instantly trust us if we choose the same dishes as them.
During experiments, discussions over wages and work conditions were much more successful if both sides chose to snack on the same treats. And shoppers were much more likely to buy a product advertised on TV by someone eating a similar food to them at the time.
The reason is thought to be the so–called similarity attraction theory --- where people tend to like others who have similar tastes or habits to themselves. But this is believed to be one of the first studies highlighting the role of food in this relationship. Researchers at Chicago University in the US conducted a series of experiments to examine food’s role in earning trust.
In a test, participants were told to watch TV --- where someone pretending to be a member of the public praised a certain product. The volunteers were given Kit Kat bars to nibble, while the TV people ate either a Kit Kat or grapes as they talked.
The results showed viewers were much more likely to express an interest in buying the product if the TV showed the other person eating a Kit Kat too. The researchers added, “Although similarity in food consumption is not a sign of whether two people will get along, we find consumers treat this as such. They feel more trusting of those who consume as they do. It means people can immediately begin to feel friendship and develop a bond, leading to smoother transactions from the start.”
Harley Street psychologist Dr. Lucy Atcheson said it was already known that wearing similar clothes could instantly create trust. But this was the first report that food had the same effect. She said, “This is really interesting. It makes sense as people feel they have common ground and can trust the other person. That means negotiations are more likely to be successful.”
1.According to the passage, customers are likely to buy a product from a dealer who ______.
A.advertises his products on TV B.has the same taste as them
C.reduces the price of his products D.pays attention to the quality of his products
2.The experiments conducted by researchers at Chicago University show that ______.
A.food plays an important role in earning people’s trust
B.bosses like employees that have the same taste as them
C.people who have similar tastes to their boss’s earn more
D.people have less interest in buying products advertised on TV
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A.People who eat similar food are more likely to trust each other.
B.People will get along with each other if they like to eat similar things.
C.The effect of wearing similar clothes hasn’t been proved by researchers.
D.People are more likely to make friends with those wearing the same clothes as them.
4.Which of the following sayings can be an example of the similarity attraction theory?
A.Honesty is the best policy. B.All good things come to an end.
C.Birds of a feather flock together. D.Where there is a will, there is a way.
One ambitious high school student knew exactly how to show his family that he got accepted into his dream college—by surprising them on Christmas Day.
Barrington Lincoln, class president at Lutheran High School North in Ferguson, got accepted into Morehouse College in Atlanta back on Dec. 15. But for months, he knew he wanted to make the news known in a big way to his mother and aunt, Lincoln told ABC News. “I thought of the surprise in October,” he said, adding that once he got accepted, he would purchase two school T-shits from Morehouse’s online store.
On Christmas Day, in a now video on Twitter, Lincoln, 17, gifted his mom Lisa McDonald and his aunt Shirley Gray the T-shirts with the school’s name on it. When the two sisters opened the gifts, they had no idea what they meant.
In the video, Lincoln nudges (用肘轻推) his family, “You know what that means right? I got in!” While McDonald falls heavily on the couch in delight, Gray asks, “You’ve been holding out on us?”
“I didn’t expect anything like that,” McDonald told ABC News. “It’s so satisfying to see him get the return on his studying.” “He always wanted to be the first in line and help everybody stay in line,” his mother added.
McDonald said it’s especially sweet since she had to wok an extra job to afford his private school after his father, a former Marine, passed away in 2015. Lincoln was only 15.
1.What did Lincoln choose two T-shits for his mother and aunt mainly for?
A.To give them a Christmas gift. B.To tell them his academic success.
C.To show be loves them forever. D.To show he had grown up already.
2.How did Lincoln’s mother and aunt feel when they saw his presents?
A.Embarrassed. B.Disappointed. C.Satisfied. D.Puzzled.
3.Which of the following can replace the underlined sentence “You’ve ben holding out on us”?
A.You’ve been keeping it a secret from us. B.You’ve been telling a lie to the two of us.
C.You’ve been playing a joke with two of us. D.You’ve been longing to tell us the truth,
4.What can we infer from the text?
A.The video had been popular before Dec. 15.
B.Lincoln bought the T-shirts in the local supermarket.
C.Lincoln’s mother felt her efforts paid off at last.
D.Lincoln’s parents could hardly afford his education.
What do you usually do when you have some free time? Do you take part in any form of hobby? If your answer is no, then you should think twice. Experiencing some type of interest or hobby might be the Ideal way to develop your brain an improve your creative thinking.
Here is a common problem that many older people have. They have spent such a great deal of time raising their family that once their children are grown and left home, they all of a sudden start to experience their age. Quite often, it is not their age that is the concern. It is the fact that they are unexpected offered more time on their hands.
When you put in too much time not doing anything, this can affect your brain. This is just where the expressions “If you don’t use it, you lose it” definitely is the truth. Your mind needs working out much like any other muscle in your body. This is why getting a hobby matters. It offers you something to do and is a perfect way to meet new people.
Enjoying a hobby is also a perfect way to improve creative thinking at any age. Even young children can profit from taking a new hobby. For retired people, enjoying a hobby which they can find entertainment in with their grandchildren will help keep them active and feeling young at heart.
Several hobbies that are terrific for both your mind and your body include yoga, biking, swimming and golf. If you aren’t fond of sports, even taking a walk regularly is a wonderful way to keep active. It helps you to appreciate fresh scenery and it has been suggested that the colors green and blue help make you more creative.
As you can see above, you can get pretty much from taking a hobby. With so many choices waiting for you, begin your journey right away!
1.What can be implied about many older people from Paragraph 2?
A.They used to have little free time. B.They concern about their age.
C.They lack creative thinking. D.They should develop their brain.
2.Why does getting a hobby matter according to the text?
A.It improves one’s living conditions. B.It strengthens one’s brain.
C.It helps build up one’s muscle. D.It enables one to make friends.
3.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A.Feeling young at heart B.Spending your free time
C.Trying different hobbies D.Experiencing your hobby now
