The vast majority of people can buy pretty much anything they need. Not anything they want, necessarily, but anything they need to achieve a satisfactory degree of creature comfort: clothing, water, shoes and food.
During my childhood, a Michael Pollan book would have been the prize of my year, were I to find it waiting under my Christmas tree or open it upon my birthday. I also used to be thrilled at receiving necessary things, like simple socks or gloves, as present. Nowadays I have too many gloves. I purchase leather gloves online that appear to be a good deal or just because I like their look.
Prosperity (富足) is a good thing, right? Yes, of course. But for me, I find that the greater ease with which such a generous gift is purchased, the less significance it has when given. This is why I try harder at gifts.
My first line of dealing with this problem is simply understanding the effect of a little time spent. Even writing out a thoughtful or funny card goes a lot further than a “cute top” purchased from a popular shopping website.
Need help? Go to your printer. There’s paper in there. Fold one sheet in half and draw a heart on the front. Open it up and fill the card with a poem or a few words of your own. Not only is it obvious that you took the time to select your words and write them down, but now you force the reader to stop for a short time and consider what you were trying to accomplish with them. The effort made by the two of you is the gift.
No matter how you decide to spend a little more time on your giving, the point is just quite simply that you do. You don’t have to give a person a handmade paper boat to get a reaction. But you won’t be sorry if you do.
1.What does the author think of his childhood gifts?
A. They weren’t what he wanted. B. They weren’t easy to get.
C. They looked good. D. They were useful.
2.What does the underlined part “this problem” in paragraph 4 refer to?
A. How to make a good deal. B. How to choose a popular gift.
C. How little a bought gift matters. D. I low long the time spent on gifts is.
3.A handmade card appears to be more significant because .
A. certain information is delivered
B. it provides a sense of achievement.
C. it takes the giver some time to finish it.
D. both the giver and the receiver are making an effort.
4.The author writes the text mainly to .
A. encourage readers to make gifts
B. advise readers to buy helpful gifts
C. inform readers of the importance of giving
D. persuade readers to make reasonable purchase
Sound travels very well through water-much better, in fact, than it does through air. So it shouldn’t be surprising that many ocean animals make noise. They use sound to communicate and hunt. As biologist Brandon Southall says, “Their whole world is related to sound.”
Dolphins whistle, organizing hunts. Lovesick whales sing so loudly they can be heard hundreds of miles away. But these days they aren’t the only ones sounding off. They have more and more competition from human machines.
Every day, thousands of huge container ships sail across the world’s oceans. On top of the engine noise, the ships’ propeller (螺旋桨) make a loud noise all the time. All that can make it hard for ocean animals trying to listen out for friends, or dinner. Animals swimming nearby a ship can be deafened or even killed.
Underwater construction can also be dangerously loud. When construction machines called pile drivers were used during repairs to the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, dead fish appeared.
Geologist (地质学家) pound on the seafloor too, trying to find oil wells and map Earth’s surface. The results are useful lo science, but all that hammering probably gives ocean animal a headache.
As people realize how important sound is to ocean animals, they are looking for ways to reduce human noise. Ships could get quieter just by slowing down. Engineers are also trying to find quieter propeller ships.
Now some companies are using a simple invention called a bubble curtain, which makes sound waves passing through it lose energy and gel quieter. It seems to work - when bubble curtains were fixed on the San Francisco bridge project fish deaths dropped.
We still have a lot to learn about sound in the oceans, but together we can help keep the sea a quieter place.
1.Dolphins and whales arc mentioned to show .
A. sound travels very well through water
B. they are surprisingly noisy in the sea
C. the ocean is filled with sound
D. ocean noise is a big problem
2.What is happening to ocean animals these days?
A. Human noise is causing danger to their safety.
B. There is less food in the ocean for them.
C. They are being killed in large numbers.
D. They are losing their hearing.
3.During the first repair to the bridge, some fish .
A. started to die B. were attracted to it
C. got quiet underwater D. suffered from headaches
4.Bubble curtains are used to .
A. research on fishes underwater B. build the San Francisco bridge
C. stop noisy machines working D. reduce construction noise
I am building a tiny house. Not a dollhouse, but a livable space with bed, kitchen, storage-everything you’d need to live.
Why did I decide to build a house? I hoped it would give me skills that really matter in life, such as using tools for construction. And in building the house, I would understand how much labor goes into a home and truly appreciate what I am living in.
But this past year, life gave me a heavy hit: My father, one of my best friends and my tiny house construction partner, died in a traffic accident.
This is where my enthusiasm conics from now: the desire to finish my house for my father. Because of this decision, I now have some life experiences that some adults don’t have. I can relate not only to people who want to build a house, but also to people who have lost a parent. And to all of them, I can say that giving up is not a choice.
Still, without the help of my friends and family. I would probably stop my project. My friend Luke came to help the week after my father died; he knew I needed to get my walls up. The guidance from fellow tiny house builders and their families has been helpful. Putting windows in is no easy. And installing(安装) electricity is not something you do in your dreams. Ten hours of stabbing (戳) your fingers with metal string and getting shocked a couple times is not ideal.
Sometimes when people get a hard knock, they stay down. I didn’t. I didn’t only want to show that anyone can build their own house; I also wanted to show that when I was handed lemons. I not only made lemonade. I made a delicious lemon cake.
1.One reason why the author decided to build a house was to .
A. save some money B. learn some life skills
C. realize her father’s dream D. improve her living conditions
2.After her father’s death, the author .
A. lives on her own B. decided to give up her plan
C. still looks at life positively D. has helped many needy families
3.When doing her construction work, the author .
A. got a lot of help from other people B. decided to lower her expectations
C. had to leave things unfinished D. found it less challenging
4.The underlined part “gel a hard knock” in the last paragraph probably means .
A. get knocked down B. do a challenging task
C. experience something new D. have an unpleasant experience
Night of the Living Zoo
When: October 30th, 2016, 18:30-22:00
Where: Lower Zoo
Cost:
★ Tickets now are on sale to FONZ (Friends of the National Zoo) members only! Not a member? Join now to get tickets at the member rate. FONZ members may purchase up to six tickets at the member price. Non-member tickets go on sale September 25th.
★ General Admission: Includes live music, performance artists -including fortune tellers, fire breathers, as well as access to animal exhibits after hours, and interesting outdoor games. Also, all guests will receive free bottled water.
$ 20 FONZ members; $ 30 non-members.
★ VIP Tickets: Include access to the VIP area, animal performances and private games, etc.
$ 55 FONZ members; $ 80 non-members
Details:
★ It’s back. Prepare to witness dangerous acts and amazing sights at the Zoo’s annual Halloween event, Night of the Living Zoo. With live music, performance artists, and games, it’s a special night of fun that you won’t want to miss.
★ FONZ encourages you to take public transportation and drink responsibly.
★ Metro (地铁): The Zoo’s Connecticut Avenue entrance is between the Red Line’s Cleveland Park and Woodley Park Metro stops.
★ Uber is Night of the Living Zoo’s transportation partner this year! New to Uber? Sign up for $ 20 off your first ride (new users only).
★ Parking: Parking at the event will be $ 22.
1.Compared with non- members, FONZ members can enjoy .
A. half- price tickets B. free drinking water
C. VIP treatment D. an earlier booking
2.It you buy a general admission ticket, you can .
A. park free of charge B. appreciate live music
C. take Uber at a discount D. watch animal performances
3.What type of writing is the text?
A. An official report B. An ad for an event
C. An exhibition guide D. An introduction to a zoo
According to most people, after a long period of studying or working, we need to have a rest to refresh ourselves. However, that may not be the case. According to a recent report, you don’t need the break as much as you may think that makes you feel less tired.
Scientists have long assumed that willpower is a limited resource, which is why you feel the need to have a rest, have a snack and then get back to task when you are feeling better. They argue that the only way it restores willpower is by rest, food or entertainment.
But psychologists have challenged this theory, saying weak willpower is all in your head. They have found that people’s belief in willpower determines how long and how well they’ll be able to work on tough mental exercise. “If you think of willpower are something that is not really used up, you can go on and on.” said Professor Veronika Job.
The researchers designed four experiments to test students’ belief in willpower. After a tiring task, those who believed, or were led to believe that willpower is a limited resource, performed worse on standard concentration tests than those who thought of willpower as something they had more control over. They also found that leading up to the final exam week, students who believed the limited resource theory ate junk food 24 percent more often than those who believed they had more control in resisting the temptation.
Mr. Job said, “The theory that willpower is a limited resource is interesting. Belief in willpower as a non-limited resource makes people stronger in their ability to work through challenges.”
The findings can help people who are battling against temptation. Willpower isn’t driven by a biologically-based process as much as we used to think. The belief in it is what influences your behaviors.
假如你是李华，你代表学校给外教John写一封信，请他对你校正在创建的英语口语教室提点建议。内容包括：
1.口语教室的重要性；
2.主要功能（上口语课，举办各类活动）；
3.征求建议。
注意：
1.词数80左右，开头已为你写好；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear John,
I’m Li Hua, one of your students from Grade Three.
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Looking forward to your reply!
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
