Speed-reading is an indispensable skill in the Internet age. We skim over articles, e-mails and tweets to try to grasp key words and the essential meaning of a certain text. Bombarded with information from our electronic devices, it would be impossible to cope（应付）if we read word by word, line by line.
But a new trend calls on people to unplug and enjoy reading slowly, listing benefits beyond intellectual stimulation.
A recent story from The Wall Street Journal reported on a book club in Wellington, New Zealand, where members meet in a cafe and turn off their smart phones. They sink into cozy chairs and read in silence for an hour.
Unlike traditional book clubs, the point of the Slow Reading Club isn’t exchanging ideas about a certain book, but to get away from electronic devices and read in a quiet, relaxed environment. According to the Journal, the Wellington book club is just one example of a movement initiated (发起) by book lovers who miss the old-fashioned way of reading before the Internet and smart phones.
Slow readers, such as The Atlantic’s Maura Kelly, say a regular reading habit sharpens the mind, improves concentration, reduces stress levels and deepens the ability to empathize.
Some of these benefits have been backed up by science. For example, a study of 300 elderly people published by the journal Neurology last year showed that regular engagement in intellectually strenuous activities like reading slowed the rate of memory loss later in life.
Slow reading means a return to an uninterrupted pattern in a quiet environment free of distractions. “Aim for 30 minutes a day,” advises Kelly from The Atlantic. “You can squeeze in that half hour pretty easily if only during your free moments – whenever you find yourself automatically firing up your laptop to check your favorite site, or scanning Twitter for something to pass the time – you pick up a meaningful work of literature,” Kelly said. “Reach for your e-reader, if you like. Kindles make books like War and Peace less heavy, not less substantive(真实的), and also ensure you’ll never lose your place.”
1.We prefer speed –reading because ____.
A. we rely on e-mails and tweets too much.
B. we are busier than before
C. we have to read faster to get more information
D. we do not enjoy reading any more
2.The aim of setting the Slow Reading Club is to encourage people to _____.
A. share their ideas about a certain book
B. read old-fashioned books
C. read as many books as possible
D. to enjoy slow reading
3.We can learn from the passage that __________.
A. the benefits of regular reading hasn’t been proved
B. for elderly people ,a good reading habit helps slow memory loss
C. speed reading can improve concentration and reduce stress levels
D. more elderly people enjoy slow reading now
4.According to the last paragraph, a kindle is probably ________.
A. a software for downloading e-books
B. a software that helps people read slowly
C. a website for people to exchange books
D. a website for people to share their ideas about a book
5.What can be the best title of the passage？
A. Enjoy Speed-reading B. Enjoy Slow-Reading
C. Enjoy Effective Reading D. Enjoy Online Reading
Half a year before graduation from college, my son began to seek a job and soon got an interview. There were only three people____1.___ the final interview. The interview was very simple, during __2.__ time the interviewer only chatted with them for a while. The interviewer said to them, “All of you are very good. Please go home and wait for our _3.__(respond).
Three days later, my son received a message from the company saying that he had not been offered _4.__job. My son felt deeply disappointed. But later in the evening, he told me he had received __5.message saying that he had been employed by the company.
Actually, the first text__6.__ (send)to my son was also part of the test in the interview. The three men received the same message, __7.__ only my son’s reply satisfied the company, so he _8._(give)the job. I asked my son, “How did all of you reply?” My son said, “One did not reply, the other said ‘goodbye’, and I said’ thank you’ .” .
Only then did I know that my son’s job came in that way. That is, when you feel disappointed, do not forget to say “thank you” to the one __9.__ disappoints you. _10._(say) “thank you” shows respect for others’ work and shows your grand generosity. Therefore, while under the same condition, you may get more chances compared with others!
An optimistic attitude is not a luxury; it’s a necessity. The way you look at life will determine how you , how you perform, and how well you will get along with other people. , pessimism creates a sad and hopeless place where no one wants to live. thoughts, attitudes, and expectations feed on themselves.
Years ago, I into a service station to get some gas. It was a day, and I was feeling great. As I walked into the station to pay for the gas, the attendant said to me, “You don’t look well.” This took me completely by . A little less confidently, I told him that I had never felt better. Without hesitation, he continued to tell me how bad I looked and that my skin appeared .
By the time I left the service station, I was feeling a little . About a block away, I pulled over to the side of the road to look at my face in the mirror. How did I feel? Did I look that ? Was everything all right? By the time I got home, I was beginning to feel a little . Had I picked up some rare disease?
The next time I went into that gas station, feeling again, I figured out what had happened. The place had recently been painted a bright but disgusting yellow, and the light reflecting off the walls made everyone inside as though they had hepatitis(肝炎)! I wondered how many other folks had reacted the way I did. I had let one short with a total stranger change my for an entire day. He told me I looked sick, and before long, I was actually feeling sick. That single negative observation had a(n) effect on the way I felt and acted.
1.A. learn B. exercise C. behave D. feel
2.A. Certainly B. Additionally C. Contrarily D. Actually
3.A. Negative B. Impractical C. Sensitive D. Indifferent
4.A. drove B. walked C. rushed D. ran
5.A. common B. beautiful C. busy D. dull
6.A. accident B. mistake C. surprise D. chance
7.A. rough B. pale C. hurt D. yellow
8.A. tired B. uneasy C. bored D. angry
9.A. well B. ugly C. strange D. bad
10.A. upset B. sad C. sorry D. sick
11.A. ill B. fine C. regret D. lost
12.A. behave B. believe C. look D. pretend
13.A. conversation B. visit C. bargain D. stay
14.A. work B. confidence C. health D. attitude
15.A. reasonable B. serious C. temporary D. slight
There was a story about Ken Davis, a man who found a simple way to enjoy his work. Ken just couldn’t find a suitable job. He worked at a variety of jobs and disliked them at all. While Ken was working as a door-to-door salesman, he noticed that at least half of his customers had broken-down doorbells. And suddenly, Ken’s life career became clear. He opened his own doorbell repair service.
Ken’s wife laughed when she first heard his idea. When she realized he was serious, she cried. Whoever heard of making a living by repairing doorbell? But Ken was making a comfortable living at his unique job, and he was happier than he’d ever been.
Ken didn’t enjoy what he was doing, but now he is enjoying what he is doing because he has got to realize that he is working for himself. Because of his passion for work, he is more devoted to it and does his work more creatively and efficiently.
The biggest mistake that you can make is to believe that you are working for somebody else. Remember, jobs are owned by the company; you own your career!
No matter where you work, you work for yourself! With a little creativity and imagination, your work can seem less like boring work and more like play. To enjoy your work more, it helps to put some play in what you do. Wouldn’t you rather have it that way?
【写作内容】
1．以约30个词概括上文的主要内容；
2．以约120个词就“享受你的工作和学习”这一话题谈谈你的看法，内容包括：
(1) 读完上文后你的感受；
(2) 描述你所熟悉的一个会享受工作或学习的人；
(3) 作为高三的学生，你如何享受你的学习。
【写作要求】
1．可以使用亲身经历或虚构的故事，也可以参照阅读材料的内容，但不得直接引用原文中的句子；
2．作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。
【评分标准】
概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，语篇连贯。
为配合你市开展的“创建文明城市”活动，用英语写一篇短文倡议同学们做个文明的好学生。
【写作内容】
活动目的：配合“创建文明城市”活动 活动对象：全校学生 活动内容：衣着整洁 使用礼貌用语(谢谢、请等)，不说脏话 乐于助人 注重言行，公共场所不大声说笑 与别人建立良好的关系 遵守交通规则、在公交车上主动为老人及带小孩的乘客让座 保持环境卫生 |
参考词汇：文明城市 civilized city
【写作要求】
只能使用5个句子表达全部内容。
【评分标准】
句子结构准确，信息内容完整，篇章结构连贯。
TODAY’S TELEVISION PROGRAMME PREVIEW
A. TV1 7:20 p.m. Find out more about Australia’s animal life. This film was made last year by one of Australia’s best-known cameramen, Dougie Bond. He spent over 200 hours filming the birds, animals and fish that inhabit this beautiful continent and for the first time brings some of these unusual animals to our TV screens.
B. TV3 9:00 p.m. The popular science programme is back with the latest in technology and medicine. This week, cars that run on sunlight and the story of one baby’s fight to live.
C. TV2 8:10 p.m. Do you think what goes into the food most of us eat every day of the week? Tonight’s programme takes a serious scientific look at the bread industry. Whether you bake your own bread or just enjoy buying it, this programme will give you an interesting insight into something most of us eat every day of the week.
D. TV1 5:15 p.m. Busy parents? Bored children? Do you want something educational to entertain your children while you do something else? This popular magazine programme is for the under-fives. More music, fun, songs and games with Carla and Larry.
E. TV3 8:45 p.m. If you’ve always wanted to cook, now’s your chance to learn. In the studio are two chefs who will take you through some simple recipes step by step. This is a repeat of the popular series shown last year, and available from good bookshops.
F. TV3 7:40 p.m. The latest new music. Pete Hogg looks at the best of the current rap, raga and new jack swing plus new video releases. This is the programme that tells you all about what’s happening on the music scene and brings you interviews with tomorrow’s young artists.
请阅读以下的人员资料，依据不同人员的需求，进行匹配。
1.Although Rob leads a quiet life in a small village, that doesn’t stop him from wanting to find out about the latest scientific development.
2.Bella enjoys eating out but can’t afford to spend very much at the moment as she is saving for a holiday. She has never learnt how to cook, so now it might be quite a good time to find out!
3.Dan is interested in taking wildlife photographs and enjoys the kind of programme which gives him a chance to see a professional photographer at work.
4.Gina is a music teacher. Although she prefers classical music, she likes to follow the kind of music that interests the teenagers she teaches.
5.Ron’s wife is in hospital. He wants to find a programme suitable for his three-year-old son while he gets on with the housework and prepares a meal.
