How to Be a Good Listener to Your Family
Communication is important for strong family relationships．1.Working on your listening skills can help you communicate better and form stronger bonds．
Listen actively．When listening to a family member，do not let your mind wander to other things．lt’s important to make your family member feel heard and valued．Put your phone away and give them your full attention．Never think about other things when someone is talking．2.．
Repeat what has been said．Breefly summarizing what the speaker has said can go along way towards effective communication．Everyone wants to feel valued and heard， so repeating a family member’s point can show you were listening．3.It can really allow you and your family to communicate better as well．
4.Interrupting can put breaks on effective conversation．Always allow a few seconds of silence after someone finishes talking before offering your response．This allows you to make sure the speaker has finished talking．Do not talk over someone either．No matter how curious you feel about a subject，do not start talking until the other person has finished．
Avoid hurrying the speaker．5.Do not break in before the speaker is finished just to hurry the speaker along．Never say things like，"Can you get to the point？"This will make it seem Like you’re not interested in the conversation．
A．Do not interrupt．
B．Never rush the person talking．
C．Instead，focus on what’s being said．
D．People tend to pause when they speak．
E．It can help you make sure you understood the speaker．
F．When someone finishes talking， ask questions if necessary．
G．However， if you don’t truly listen to others，it can be difficult to communicate．
A new study shows that rising levels of planet-warming gases may reduce important nutrients（营养物质）in food crops
Researchers studied the effects of carbon dioxide on rice， In the experiment， scientists grew 18 kinds of rice in fields in China and Japan．They set carbon dioxide levels to what scientists are predicting for our planet by the end of the century．Rice grown under high carbon dioxide conditions had，on average，13 t0 30 percent lower levels of four B vitamins and 10 percent less protein（蛋白质）The crops also had 8 percent less iron and 5 percent less zinc than rice grown under normal conditions However， vitamin E leveLs increased by about 13 percent on average．
The researchers said the effects of planet-warming gases would be most sevcre for the poorest citizens in some of the least developed countries．These people generally eat the most rice and have the least complex diets．That includes abour 600 million people in Indonesia， Cambodia，Myanmar，Bangladesh，Laos and other nations，mainly in Southeast Asia．
Other studies have shown that higher temperatures from climate change and weather extremes will reduce food production．But scientists are finding that rising levcls of carbon dioxide and other planet-warming gases threaten food quality．
Earlier studies showed that wheat，rice，field peas and soybeans grown under high carbon dioxide conditions all had Iower levels of protein and mincrais．Scientists predicted that almost 150 million people might be at risk of having too little protein or zinc in their diet by 2050．
The new study suggests a way to lower the nutritional harm of climate change．That is to grow different forms of rice that can adapt to higher carbon dioxide levels．
1.Growing rice under high carbon dioxide conditions may____．
A. increase iron in the rice
B. make it less nutritious
C. cause losses of Vitamin E
D. make it more delicious
2.How can people reduce the nutritional harm of climate change？
A. By importing rice from China and Japan．
B. By taking other kinds of food instead of rice．
C. By avoiding eating rice from Southeast Asia．
D. By growing rice suitable for the environment．
3.What’s the author’s purpose of writing the text？
A. To infom readers what nurrients food crops contain．
B. To call on people to care for the planet they live on．
C. To share the results of some studies on people’s diets．
D. To tell readers where food crops are mainly produced．
4.In which part of a magazine can you read the text？
A. Advertisements． B. Arts and culture．
C. Science report． D. Business news．
A study of 500，000 songs released（发行）in the UK between 1985 and 2015 showed that pop music has decreased in happiness and increased in sadness．
In a report published in the journal Royal Society Open Science，researchers at the University of California examined hundreds of thousands of songs and classified them by their mood．"‘Happiness’is going down，‘sadness’ is going up，and at the same time，the songs are becoming more ‘danceable’ and more ‘party-like，’"co-author Natalia L．Komarova told The Associated Press．
The study found songs in 2014 like "Stay With Me"by Sam Smith，"Whispers" by Passenger and "Unmissable" by Gorgon City to have a "low happiness" trend．However，tracks from 1985 like "Glory Days" by Bruce Springsteen，"Would I Lie To You？" by Eurythmics and "Freedom"by Wham had a high "happiness" trend．"The public seems to prefer happier songs， even though more and more unhappy songs are being released each year，" the researchers wrote．
Apart from the emotional trends，researcheis discovered that dance and pop were the most successful styles of music and that there was a "clear downward trend"，with the popularity oF rock beginning in the early 2000s．"So it looks like，while the overall mood is becoming less happy，people seem to want to forget it all and dance，" Komarova wrote in an email．
It was also found that the "maleness" of songs——the frequency of male singers in popular music——had decreased during the last 30 years "Successful songs are characterised by a larger percentage of female artists compared to all songs，"they Wrote．
This discovery appears at a time when the convcrsation around sex equality in the music industry is at its height，with more male artists and songwriters．
1.The researchers examined lots of songs to ．
A. find songs for dance and party
B. choose songs for a journal
C. release more songs
D. know better about songs
2.Whose music style tends to bring you more happiness？
A. Natalia L．Komarova’s． B. Sam Smith’s．
C. Gorgon City’s． D. Bruce Springsteen’s．
3.What do we know about songs over the past three decades？
A. Rock became popular in the early 2000s．
B. Fewer unhappy songs come to light every year．
C. Male singers are better at perrorming pop music．
D. Female artists are less skilled in writing songs．
4.What can be a suitable title for the text？
A. Pop Music Is Getting Sadder
B. Music Calls for Sex Equality
C. Pop Music Has a Long History
D. Music Industry Is Going Down
Nine months ago，I was packing my daughter’s backpack with new school supplies，wondering how I was going to send her off to kindergarten．I stood on the playground，tears pouring down my face because I wasn’t ready for this first day of kindergarten——but she was ready．Today I will be standing on the playground， once again with tears，because this precious time went by too quickly．This week I realized that I never told you "thank you"．I don’t know how to express a mother’s thanks in the way a teacher deserves．
We first met you at the open house the week before school started and I immediately knew you would be the type of teacher we would appreciate forever．While the students lined up for the day，you touched each one on the shoulder as you greeted them．If a student was having a tough I got to know you as I volunteered in the lunch room．You made sure your students were all ready for Iunch before you went on your own lunch break．You kept track of their big things and small things，because as a veteran kindergarten teacher，you know that the small things are the big things．I loved the way you made each student feel special．You helped them fall in love with school which is so important at the start．
To all of the teachers in the world who are like you．I wish you knew how grateful parents are for you．We adore you．respect you，and appreciate you．We don’t tell you enough——we probably don’i tell you ever．I wish we could take you with us to the next 12 grades．
1.Why did the author’s tears come down on her daughter’s first day of kingdergartern？
A. She hadn’t made full preparations for her daughter．
B. Her daughter wasn’t willing to go to kindergarten．
C. She felt worried about her daughter’s being away．
D. Her daughter wasn’t familiar with the teachers．
2.The author noticed the teacher’s characteristics when ．
A. she stood on the playground
B. she was at the open house
C. she said goodbye to the teacher
D. she Worked as a teacher at lunch time
3.What does the underlined word "veteran" in paragraph 2 mean？
A. Beautiful． B. Generous．
C. Skillful． D. Humorous．
4.What is this text mainly about？
A. Good wishes to a kindergarten teacher．
B. Sincere thanks to a kindergarten teacher．
C. A sweet memory of kindergarten life．
D. A kid’s daily behavior in the kindergarten．
Hiking England
DAY 1: ST. BEES TO ENNERDALE BRIDGE
Our journey sets out early this morning with a Coast to Coast tradition approaching the Irish Sea. Then set off along the rocks of St. Bees Head. Turning inland, we’ll pause for a typical pub lunch on our way to Ennerdale Bridge, located at the foot of the Lake District mountains. (15 miles hiking, 8 hours)
Accommodations: Ennerdale Country House Hotel
DAY2: ENNERDALE BRIDGE TO HONISTER
Today we’ll walk into impressive Lake District National Park, where glass-like lakes reflect mountains that rise from their shores. Our pleasant walk covers the southern edge of Ennerdale Water, the park’s most western lake. After lunch near the Black Sail Hut, climb a 2,000 foot mountain and take in the beautiful views of lakes and pastures (牧场). We finish in Borrowdale, a short transfer (转乘) from our hotel. (13 miles hiking, 9 hours)
Accommodations: Inn on the Lake
DAY 3: GRASMERE TO GLENRIDDLNG
Take a short drive to Grasmere, where the great poet William Wordsworth wrote some of his most well-known works. Visit the poet’s home, and walk through the village where he found inspiration. Then climb over Grisedale Hause enjoying views of Helvellyn, England’s third-highest mountaintop. Hike down the valley toward Lake Ullswater and spend the night in Glenridding. (9 miles hiking, 5 hours)
Accommodations: Glenridding Lake Hotel
DAY 4: LAKE ULLSWATER TO SHAP
The day begins with a scenic journey on Lake Ullswater to Howtown. From here, we cross a historic Roman road on our way to Bampton. Hike to the 12th-century Shap Abbey. A short transfer takes us to our hotel in the typical English village of Ravenstonedale. (12 miles hiking, 7 hours)
Accommodations: The Black Swan
1.When do travellers walk the longest distance?
A. On Day 1. B. On Day 2.
C. On Day 3. D. On Day 4.
2.Where is William Wordsworth’s home?
A. At Grisedale Hause. B. At Helvellyn.
C. At Grasmere. D. At Glenridding.
3.What is special about Ravenstonedale?
A. It offers travelers a nice pub lunch.
B. It presents beautiful views of pastures.
C. It has England’s third-highest mountaintop.
D. It is an example of traditional English villages.
假定你是李华，将参加学校举行的英文演讲比赛，已写好演讲镐。给教你英语口语一年并已回国一个月的外教Mr. Daniel写封邮件，请他帮你审核稿件并做出必要的修改。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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