Science has a lot of uses. It can reveal (揭示) laws of nature, cure diseases, make bombs, and help bridges to stand up. Indeed science is so good at what it does that there’s always a temptation (诱惑) to drag it into problems where it may not be helpful. David Brooks, author of The Social Animal, The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement, appears to be the latest in a long line of writers who have failed to resist the temptation.
Brooks gained fame for several books. His latest book The Social Animal, however, is more ambitious and serious than his earlier books. It is an attempt to deal with a set of weighty topics. The book focuses on big questions: What has science revealed about human nature? What are the sources of character? And why are some people happy and successful while others aren’t?
To answer these questions, Brooks surveys a wide range of subjects. Because of this, you might expect the book to cover a variety of facts. But Brooks has structured his book in an unusual, and perhaps unfortunate way. Instead of introducing scientific theories, he tells a story, within which he tries to make his points, perhaps in order to keep the reader’s attention. So as Harold and Erica, the hero and heroine in his story, live through childhood, we hear about the science of child development and as they begin to date we hear about the theory of sexual attraction. Brooks carries this through to the death of one of his characters.
On the whole, Brooks’s story is acceptable if uninspired. As one would expect, his writing is mostly clear and, to be fair, some chapters stand out above the rest. I enjoyed, for instance, the chapter in which Harold discovers how to think on his own. While Harold and Erica are certainly not strong characters, the more serious problems with The Social Animal lie elsewhere. These problems partly involve Brooks’s attempt to translate his tale into science.
1.The author mentions the functions of science at the beginning of the passage to ________.
A. show the value of Brooks’s new book
B. show where science can be applied
C. remind the reader of the importance of science
D. explain why many writers use science in their works
2.According to the author, which of the following could be a strength of the book?
A. Its clear writing.
B. Its convincing points.
C. Its strong characters.
D. Its strong basis.
3.What is the author’s general attitude towards the book?
A. Cautious.
B. Critical.
C. Contradictory(矛盾的).
D. Supportive.
Our room was on the second floor but you could still hear the roar of the ocean and see the stars at night. I used to take long walks along the water. The food in town was wonderful and the people were very friendly. The area was very quiet and peaceful, and fairly deserted.
The last evening of our vacation, however, we all heard strange footsteps following closely behind us as we were walking up to our room in the holiday centre. We turned around and noticed a fairly young man moving very rapidly across the beach and getting closer to us. He was tall and wore a baseball cap. We couldn’t see his face and he was approaching us very rapidly. The man’s actions made my dad very nervous. Dad warned us that we’d better try to make it to our hotel room as quickly as possible. I didn’t like my dad’s voice; I could hear fear in it. It was late and we were all alone. We didn’t have any cell phones on us. I never saw Dad as worried as he was then and I knew that something was terribly wrong. The sense of fear started to overwhelm Mom and me. We had had such a good time in town. Now, the night was rapidly turning into a dangerous situation.
We could hear the man’s footsteps getting closer. Dad’s face was almost pale. The so-called intruder (侵入者) had moved nearer and nearer when all of a sudden, the nearby vending (自动贩卖) machine started going crazy and spitting out cans of soda! The noise actually scared the intruder and he ran out of sight. My parents were shaking, but we all turned around to see who had put money into the vending machine downstairs, and actually saved us, but no one was around at all. Not a soul.
It’s one vacation I will never forget.
1.Where did the author spend her vacation?
A. Near a lake.B. At the seaside.
C. In a village.D. In a mountain.
2.What does the underlined word “overwhelm” in Paragraph 2 mean?
A. move.B. impress.C. control.D. excite.
3.What helped them get out of the trouble?
A. Their quick action.
B. Other people’s kind help.
C. The young man’s warning.
D. The noise from the vending machine.
According to body language expert Robert Phipps, the way people sleep at night actually determines a lot about the type of personality they have. Phipps has identified four sleeping positions that affect personality.
Phipps found that worriers, those who stress the most, tend to sleep in the fetal (胎儿的) position. He found that this is the most common bedtime position, with nearly 58 percent of people sleeping on their side with knees up and head down. The more we curl up (蜷曲), the more comfort we are seeking, according to Phipps.
The second most common position is the log. Sleeping with a straight body, with arms at each side, as if they are standing guard at Buckingham Palace, indicates stubbornness, and these people (the 28 percent who sleep this way) often wake up stiffer than when they went to sleep.
“The longer you sleep like this, the more rigid your thinking is and you can become inflexible, which means you make things harder for yourself,” according to Phipps.
Yearner (向往) sleepers are next on the list. About 25 percent of people sleep in this style—on their side with arms stretched out in front, looking as if they are either chasing a dream or perhaps being chased themselves. Yearners are typically their own worst critics, always expecting the best results, explained Phipps. These people often wake up refreshed and eager to face the challenges of the day ahead.
Perhaps the most peculiar (奇怪的) of sleep styles is the freefaller position. This sleep style makes up 17 percent of the population. They sleep face down with arms stretched out. These people, according to Phipps, feel like they have little control over their life. Not only is this the strangest of sleep styles, but also the least comfortable, and people may wake up feeling tired and have no energy.
Inconclusion, Phipps has only one more thing to add: “A good night’s sleep set you up for the following day and our sleeping positions can determine how we feel when we wake.”
1.Which sleeping position indicates that the sleeper tends to seek perfection?
A. The fetal position.B. The log position.
C. The yearner position.D. The freefaller position.
2.Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
A. A good night’s sleep sets you up for the following day
B. Your personality depends a lot on how you sleep at night
C. How you sleep at night affects what you do the next day
D. Which sleeping position helps you sleep comfortably
假如你是李夏。你看到美国留学生Sharon在网上发贴，希望有人能帮助她提高普通话(Mandarin)水平，她可以教英语作为回报。请根据以下提示用英语给她写一封电子邮件。
1．表达给她提供帮助的意愿；
2．说明你能胜任辅导的理由；
3．给出讲好普通话的两点建议；
4．提出你学习英语的具体需求。
注意：
1．词数100左右，开头语已为你写好；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
Hi Sharon,
This is Li Xia. I learned from your post that you want to improve your Mandarin
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Yours,
Li Hua
Americans think a great deal of about time. From childhood they learn to value time. As children, they were taught to be on time to go to school, to do work and to do everything. When they are having good time, they say that time flies. When a person is dying, they say he is living on borrowing time.
Time is money, is knowledge, and is everything in America. A working American must work hard for 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week, that is the working time. On his spare time he also works for less money. Even Saturdays and Sundays are filled of activities. In the street you can hardly see a man who walk slowly. They walk very fast. In fact, they are running.
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（不多于3个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
Street art is a very popular form of art 1. is spreading quickly all over the world.
You can find it on 2.(building), sidewalks and street signs. Now even art museums and galleries 3.(collect) the works of street artists.
People often have different opinions about street art. Some think it is a kind of destruction (破坏) and 4. think it is a very beautiful new form of culture.
In the street art world graffiti (涂鸦）can be the most popular. It began in New York in the 1960s. First some young people painted words and images on the walls. They found the paintings could show their 5.(disagree) against society. Later, this colorful, energetic style of writing became 6.(know) as graffiti.
Street artists do this for 7.reason. Some of them think they are closer to the people, while others try to express their 8.(politics) opinions.
In today’s world, the Internet has a big influence 9. street art. Artists can show their pictures to audiences all over the world. The street art movement lives with the energy and life of cities. It will continue 10.(change) and grow.
