A new report says living in a city makes it harder for people to concentrate(集中) on some tasks. The research found that people who live in rural areas can focus better than people in urban areas. The study is from Goldsmiths College, which is part of the University of London. Head researcher Dr. Karina Linnell and her team made great contributions. They studied how two groups of people did the same "thinking tasks". The team went to a remote(偏远的) part of Namibia, southwest Africa, to study the Himba tribe. Himba people live a very basic life in the desert. They are still doing traditional farming. The team also studied members of the same tribe who had moved to the nearest town. Dr. Linnell said the tribe who lived in the desert did much better on the tests than those in the town. It's really interesting and shocking.
Dr. Linnell said their research may lead to changes in the way companies operate. In the future, workers may move from cities to live and work in the countryside. Linnell said there are too many things around us in the city that stop us from thinking about one thing for a long time. This means we do not work at our best. She asked, "What if, for example, companies realized certain tasks would be better carried out by employees based outside of the urban environment? There their concentration ability is better. "The past century has seen billions of people move from the countryside to big cities. In the future, the trend may not continue. If Dr. Linnell's research is true, this century might see many of those people return to the great outdoors. Let's wait to see what will happen.
1.What did Dr. Linnell and her team conclude from the study on the Himba tribe?
A. Himba people are cleverer than others.
B. Himba people aren't used to the life in city.
C. Himba people focus better in the desert
D. Himba people give up traditional farming.
2.What happened in the past one hundred years?
A. Many people returned to the countryside.
B. Big cities attracted many people to live and work.
C. Many people couldn't concentrate on one task.
D. The way companies operate changed a great deal.
3.The underlined word "outdoors" in the last paragraph probably refers to "______".
A. villages B. cities
C. towns D. countries
4.What is the main purpose of the text ?
A. to remind people to focus better.
B. to advise people to live in countryside.
C. to share a recent study with readers.
D. to show the bright future to readers.
Snoring(打鼾) is noisy breathing during sleep. It is a common problem among all ages and it influences about 90 million American adults. People most at risk are males and those who are overweight, but snoring is a problem of both genders, although it is possible that women do not present this complaint as frequently as men.
Snoring is often the loud or harsh sound that can occur as you sleep. You snore when the flow of air makes the tissue in the back of your throat vibrate(颤动) as you breathe. The sound most often occurs as you breathe in air, and can come through the nose, mouth or both two organs. It can occur during any stage of sleep.
About half of people snore at some point in their lives. Snoring is more common among men, though many women snore. It appears to run in families and becomes more common as you get older. About 40 percent of adult men and 24 percent of adult women are habitual snorers. Men become less likely to snore after the age of 70.
Sleeping on your back may make you more likely to snore. You may snore when your throat or tongue muscles are relaxed. And substances(物质) that can relax these muscles may cause you to snore. These include alcohol, muscle relaxants and other medicine.
Snoring can be a nuisance to your partner and anyone else nearby. You may even snore loudly enough to wake yourself up. Though, in many cases people do not realize that they snore. Snoring can also cause you to have a dry mouth when you wake up.
Light snoring may not disrupt your overall sleep quality. Heavy snoring may be connected with a risk factor in the heart disease, stroke and many other health problems. So never take it lightly.
1.Why do some people snore during their sleep?
A. Because there is something wrong with their throat.
B. Because noises are made when they breathe out.
C. Because the tissue in their throat is vibrating.
D. Because they use their mouth and nose to breathe meanwhile.
2.What can we conclude from the third paragraph?
A. Men suffer much more because of their snoring.
B. Women are easier to become habitual snorers.
C. Snoring may have something to do with genes.
D. The older you turn, the more seriously you snore.
3.In which part of a website can we read the passage?
A. Sports. B. Education.
C. Culture. D. Science.
I remember the day when I first learned to ride a bike. It was a frightening, yet fun experience. My granddad was the one who taught met and he helped me when I got hurt. The first time I got on a bike, I had no idea what I was doing, and just about everything went wrong. My granddad told me to just put my feet on the pedals and start pedaling (骑自行车). He also told me he would hold onto the back of the bike the whole time, yet he didn’t.
As soon as I started trying to balance myself, he let go. I happened to look back just then. I was scared, to death that I was going to fall and hurt myself. When I was scared, my mind went blank from pedaling, and I just wanted off. I forgot how to use the brakes (车闸) and fell right off the bike. My granddad kept encouraging me to get up and try again, and after about 15 minutes, 1 finally stopped crying, got up and tried again.
As soon as I started pedaling again, my pants got caught in the chain, and I fell flat on my face and hit my nose. Since that happened t my granddad decided to call it a day and try again the next morning. The next morning I woke up bright and early, and was very eager to try to ride my bike. My nose felt better, so I wasn’t that afraid of falling anymore.
Though I knew there were a lot of difficulties on the way to mastering the skills in riding a bike, I believed I could do well with my granddad’s help. After all, riding a bike was what I wanted to do eagerly.
1.How was the author when he was on the bike first?
A. He didn’t know where he would be going.
B. He thought balancing himself was easy.
C. He was nervous and didn’t know what to do next.
D. He put his feet on the pedals and started pedaling.
2.What does the underlined part in the passage mean?
A. Remember what happened this day.
B. Make the author feel happy.
C. Stop practicing bicycling.
D. Go on to ride a bike.
3.What is the author’s attitude towards his granddad?
A. Supportive. B. Grateful.
C. Indifferent. D. Negative.
4.Which of the following could be the title for the passage?
A. The Experience of My First Riding a Bike
B. The Difficulty I Met with My Granddad
C. The First Time I Got My Own Bike
D. The Great Moment When I Stayed with My Granddad
These hotels don't have all the necessary facilities(设施),but each of them offers something different. Don't miss them if you travel to Canada.
Sleep on a train at the Train Station Inn.This hotel is in an old train station in Nova Scotia.The owners, James and Shelley Le Fresne,use the station and the train as rooms.There are seven old train cars and there is also a restaurant in the dining car.Prices are from $89 to $169 per room or train car.
Sleep in a jail(监狱) in the Canadian capital, Ottawa.Here, you can sleep in the old downtown Ottawa Jail Hostel.There are group or private bedrooms.There are still bars on the doors ! Prices are from $ 25 to $ 65. Don't worry, there aren't any criminals(犯人）there !
Sleep in a tepee (a tent of the American Indians) at a UNESCO World Heritage site in Alberta.At this hotel, there are guided tours and lessons in local culture. The best part: sleeping in a real tepee outside. The price is around $ 300, or $ 620 for a full package.
Sleep in a lighthouse at the Quirpon Lighthouse Inn. This hotel is on Newfoundland's Quirpon Island. There are great views of the ocean from the windows.There are 11 private rooms in total. Prices are from $ 225 for a single to $ 350 for a suite(套房). Meals are included in the restaurant.The hotel has the traditional look and feel of the lighthouse, so there is no Internet, TV or telephones in the rooms. There are tours available, and boat tours to the island are included.
1.What can you do if you choose the Train Station Inn?
A. Shop in the old train cars.
B. Learn how to drive the train.
C. Have meals in the dining car.
D. Enjoy a rail tour of Nova Scotia.
2.In what way is staying in a tepee in Alberta special?
A. It serves local food to diners.
B. You can sleep in the open air.
C. You can tour Alberta for free.
D. It offers lessons on making tepees.
3.The Quirpon Lighthouse Inn can’t provide________.
A. Private rooms. B. Guided tours.
C. Daily meals. D. The Internet.
4.You' ll pay the least if you choose to sleep________.
A. in a tepee in Alberta B. at the Train Station Inn
C. in the Ottawa Jail Hostel D. at the Quirpon Lighthouse Inn
请阅读下面短文，并按要求用英语写一篇150词左右的文章。
In recent years, internet voting has become increasingly popular in China. People not only cast on-line votes themselves, but also urge others to vote for competitions like the “Most Beautiful Teacher” and the “Cutest Baby”.
Li Jiang, a high school student, is invited to vote in the “Best Police Officer” competition, organized by the local government to let the public have a better understanding of police officers’ daily work. Li Jiang visits the website and reads all the stories. He is deeply moved by their glorious deeds. He is already thinking of becoming a policeman himself in the future.
Su Hua is invited by his uncle to vote for his cousin in the “Future Singer” competition. He has already received three similar invitations this week. His uncle tells him that if his cousin wins the competition, the family will win an overseas tour for free. Su Hua likes his cousin very much, but he finds other singers perform even better. To vote, or not to vote? This is a question that troubles him very much.
（写作内容）
1.用约30个单词写出上文概要；
2.用约120个单词阐述你对网络投票的看法，并用2~3个理由或论据支撑你的看法。
（写作要求）
1.写作过程中不能直接引用原文语句；
2.作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称；
3.不必写标题。
（评分标准）
内容完整，语言规范，语篇连贯，词数适当。
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请认真阅读下面短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。
注意：请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。每个空格只写一个单词。
The loss of handwriting in our high-tech world saddens me. People of all ages openly admit their handwriting as keyboards replace pen and paper. Increasingly, schoolchildren deal with assignments on computer and struggle to write, having had little practice. I am of the generation that learnt to write with a dip pen in kindergarten and a fountain pen in high school; by the time I reached university, like everyone else. I used a functional ballpoint. Handwriting has filled every aspect of my life since I was first taught to shape letters on the lined pages of my exercise books.
From the age of 12,I kept a handwritten journal, recording my thoughts and feelings regarding both the significant and mundane aspects of my life. Through this daily practice I connected with myself, explored experiences and found a way to interpret and make sense of my relationships. Although I rarely reread my written material, the process of writing has remained with me as a means of processing my feelings and filtering（过滤） my experiences.
Yet today, handwritten letters are as rare as a red panda. Few of us write any longer, even to those to whom we are close, We communicate difficultly when we e-mail or text, both methods characterized by speed and informality. The deep thinking which accompanied a handwritten letter is almost entirely absent. We may be communicating more frequently and with more people, but the depth and quality of our communication has reduced.
Sadly, modern technology tends to be temporary. Few of us keep old e-mails or even print them out, so a sense of history and memory is lost. Archivists（档案管理者）report that more information has been lost in the past decade than in the previous 150 years. It is too easy to press the delete button.
In many other areas of records, material is now in the digital format. Yet saving material in a digital format only is extremely unstable. How it will survive the future remains a problem.
In this digital world of text, e-mails and instant messaging, the perceived value of writing is no longer obvious and the case for retaining the practice of writing needs to be made. Should we save the bumble pen and paper when laptops and mobiles are functional, universal and unstoppable? Should children continue to be taught to write with a pen and paper?
With its passing a good mode of self-expression is being lost. I invite readers to engage with handwriting and become aware of this special skill that has created civilization for centuries.
Paragraph outline | Detailed information |
The current 1.of handwriting | ▲Students 2.to computers to complete their homework ▲With little practice, students have 3. writing. ▲We seldom write letters even to people we are close to. |
The author’s link with handwriting | ▲The author4. himself to handwriting from kindergarten to university ▲The author kept 5.of his thoughts and feelings by keeping writing journals. ▲The author also takes 6.of writing to process his feeling and filtering his experiences. |
The 7.with modern communication methods | ▲There is an 8.of depth and quality in e-mail and texts ▲The temporariness of modern technology tends to give 9. to the loss of some history and memory ▲Saving materials only in a digital format is not very stable. ▲A style of self-expression is being lost. |
The author’s 10.to people for handwriting | Write as much as possible and realize the importance of this special art |
