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You know that a person who paints is an artist. But do you know that there are other kinds of artists all around you? You just have to look for them and then you will find their works can be anywhere.
I'm an architect (建筑师). My job is to design many kinds of buildings. When I start my work, I need to know what a building will be used for because I must make detailed plans. Then builders can follow the plans, and the building is built.
I'm a costume designer. My job is to create the suitable clothes that the actors wear in a movie. I usually have to do some research first because I must make sure that the costumes are right for the time and place of the movie.
I'm a display artist. My job is to make the store windows look cool. I have to make sure that someone walking by will stop and look at the store windows. I should know how to paint because window displays often include painted walls and pictures.
I'm a face painter. My job is to paint on people's faces, especially on kids' faces because most of them like walking around with colorful faces. I begin my work by making a plan. I need to think about colors and shapes.
1.What does Bobby do?
A.He's an architect. B.He's a face painter.
C.He's a display artist. D.He's a costume designer.
2.Who needs to think about colors and shapes?
A.Susan. B.Bobby. C.Ellen. D.Dean.
3.Ellen's job is to ___________________.
A.paint on people's faces B.make store windows look cool
C.create suitable clothes D.design many kinds of buildings
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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The Picky Eater
Howie's mother called him a picky eater. He would eat nothing much else but cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.
One day, Howie's mother told him, "Your father and I will have a meeting tomorrow evening. You can play at Ashwin's home and even stay for dinner."
"What?" Howie cried out before he could remember his manners. "I mean, that's great," he added unwillingly. Howie liked playing with his friend Ashwin, but there were no cheese sandwiches at Ashwin's home!
"I know you are sensitive about being a picky eater, but you need to try new things. You can't eat sandwiches and tomato soup forever. I expect you to have good manners at Ashwin's home. It's rude to say no when someone offers you food, "his mother said.
The next day, Howie followed Ashwin into Ashwin's home and they played together for some time. "Why do you keep checking the time? "Ashwin asked.
"I just wondered if it was time for dinner,"Howie said.
"Sure! Smell it! Yummy! "Ashwin said.
Dinner was ready. Howie dragged(拖)his feet as he walked to his seat. The food on the table was much more colorful than his usual dinner. He had a sinking feeling in his stomach. How in the world could he eat this meal?
"Try it," Ashwin's mother said.
Howie wished he could say no, but he knew his mother expected him to try it. He scooped up a tiny bit of rice and put it in his mouth, "Wow, it's delicious!"
After Howie went home, he told his mother the food he tried at Ashwin's home was delicious! She was happy to know Howie behaved so politely and was willing to try some new foods. She said, "Is it possible that my picky eater is gone forever?"
"I think so!" Howie smiled.
1.What did Howie's mom expect him to do at Ashwin s home?
A.To have good manners.
B.To follow Ashwin all the time.
C.To eat sandwiches or tomato soup.
D.To say no when he was offered food.
2.Howie kept checking the time because_______________.
A.he wanted to leave in a polite way
B.he was worried about trying new food
C.he knew his parents would come to dinner
D.he was happy to have dinner with Ashwin
3.What can we know about Howie?
A.He doesn't get along well with Ashwin.
B.He prefers rice to cheese sandwiches.
C.He won't be a picky eater anymore.
D.He often asks his mom for advice.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Some apps highlight (凸显)when a person is online—and then share the information with the followers. Researchers at the University of Washington say that people could have more control over whether to show their online status (状态)in this case.
To find out whether people realize the apps are sharing this information and whether these indicators (标识)change how people behave online, the research team carried out a study among users of different apps.
The team asked participants if the apps they used showed their online status to their network. Almost 90% of the participants correctly named at least one of the apps they used that had online status indicators. But for at least one app they used, 62. 5% answered “not sure” and 35. 5% answered "no.” (Actually the app did.) The researchers also asked participants whether they noticed when others were online, whether they thought others noticed when they were online, and whether they had changed their own behavior because they did or didn't want to appear online.
The answers show that many people misunderstand online status indicators but still carefully shape their behavior to control how they are displayed to others. More than half of the participants reported that they had suspected ('怀疑有)that someone had noticed their status. Meanwhile, over half reported that they had logged on to an app just to check someone else5s status. And 43% of the participants mentioned changing their settings or behavior because they were trying to avoid one specific person.
“We see this repeated way of people changing their behavior to meet the demands of technology一as opposed to technology adapting to us and meeting our needs,” said Lucy Simko, a UW doctoral student in the Allen School That means people are choosing to go online not because they want to do something there but because it's important that their status indicator is projecting the right thing at the right time.
“Now, many people are working from home and socializing only online to fight the coronavirus pandemic (新冠疫情)，and some employees use their online status to indicate that they are working and available for meetings," the team says. So there's an opportunity to think about how future development of this technology could change how people use online status indicators.
Your comfort zone is a place, activity, situation or psychological state in which you feel free from anxiety and things are within your ability or control. But stepping out of it also has positive results.
When you break free and try new things, you'll be more productive and get more unexpected changes. That's because by living outside your comfort zone when you choose to, you can experience uncertainty in a controlled, manageable environment, which can prepare you for future life changes that force you out of it. Besides, as you step out of your comfort zone, productive discomfort becomes more normal to you, and you'll be willing to push further before your performance falls off.
Here are some ways to break out of your comfort zone without going too far:
Do everyday things differently. Ride your bike instead of taking the bus to school. Try a different diet. Use a new operating system. Don't be upset if things don't work out the way you planned.
Break the activity down into small steps. If you're frightened or overwhelmed (难以承受的)by the challenge you\e picked for yourself, don't do it at once. You can make it a multi-step process that will let you slowly climb that mountain.
Trust yourself and make snap decisions. Perhaps you are more comfortable weighing all of the possible choices several times, but sometimes making a snap call is in order, just to get things moving. Doing so can help you kickstart your personal projects and teach you to trust your judgment.
Yet, with all its possible benefits, you can't live outside of your comfort zone all the time. You need to come back from time to time to review your experiences. Take time to reflect on your experiences so you can apply the benefits you've got to your day-to-day activities.
Your comfort zone is neither a good or bad thing. It's a natural state that most people trend towards (倾向于). Leaving it means increased risk and anxiety, which can have positive and negative results, but don't demonize (妖魔化)your comfort zone as something holding you hack. We all need that headspace where we're least anxious and stressed so we can process the benefits we get when we leave it.
1.The word "snap” in Paragraph 6 probably means "______________" .
A.quick B.clear C.balanced D.thoughtful
2.Which might be the best example of breaking out of your comfort zone without going too far?
A.You went shopping when you were bored or upset.
B.You decided to watch a movie before the final exam.
C.You tried on all the shirts in a store to find the one you wanted.
D.You walked to school today although you prefer riding your bike.
3.The writer probably agrees that ______________.
A.experiencing uncertainty in a controlled way has negative effects
B.making a change to our routine helps to increase our productivity
C.reducing stress and risk is what we need to bring out the best in us
D.breaking activities down into small steps leads to greater achievements
4.What is the writer's main purpose in writing this passage?
A.To explain the reasons to step out of the comfort zone.
B.To advise people to treat the comfort zone in a proper way.
C.To introduce some ways of improving day-to-day performance.
D.To stress the importance of dealing with uncomfortable moments.
难度: 困难查看答案及解析