We smile because we are happy, and we frown because we are sad. Recent studies suggest that our emotions are driven by their related facial expressions.
This February psychologists at the University of Cardiff in W ales found that people whose ability to frown is lessened by botox injections (肉毒杆菌注射) are happier, on average, than people who can frown. The researchers administered an anxiety and depression questionnaire to 25 females, half of whom had received botox injections to stop frowning. The botox injected people reported feeling happier and less anxious in general.
In a related study from March, scientists at the Technical University of Munich in Germany scanned botox injected people with FMRI machines while asking them to copy angry faces. They found that the botox subjects had much lower activity in the brain circuits (回路) involved in emotional processing and responses - in the amygdala, hypothalamus and other parts of the brain - as compared with controls who had not received treatment.
The concept works the opposite way, too. People who frown during an unpleasant procedure report feeling more pain than those who do not, according to a study published in May 2008 in the Journal of Pain. Researchers applied heat to the forearms of 29 participants, who were asked to either make unhappy, neutral or relaxed faces during the procedure. Those who exhibited negative expressions reported being in more pain than the other two groups.
No one yet knows why our facial expressions influence our emotions as they seem to. The associations in our mind between how we feel and how we react may be so strong that our expressions simply end up strengthen our emotions - there may be no evolutionary reason for the connection. Even so, our faces do seem to communicate our states of mind not only to others but also to ourselves. “I smile, so I must be happy,” Grob says.
1.What can we know about the result of the study from paragraph 2?
A.The ability to frown should be stopped by injection.
B.Less frowns make people happier.
C.Women love to frown and feel sad.
D.Half women have no ability to feel happy.
2.What did scientists do in the related studies?
A.They asked the participants to frown or smile.
B.They copied the expressions of the participants.
C.They asked the participants to stay negative.
D.They exposed the participants to heat.
3.What does the passage talk about?
A.Facial expressions influence our emotions. B.Facial expressions are driven by emotions.
C.Why people feel happy and frown. D.Botox injection is useful and meaningful.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
There is no shortage of studies that prove that parents- meaning mom and dad - make a difference. In fact, the more parents are involved (参与), the better the kids do. Unfortunately, far too many schools use the word “parents” as a synonym for “moms”.
Ignoring dads this way does more damage than simply short-changing (亏待) our children. Need proof?
When dads get involved, they are sending a clear message that they care about their kids and value education. Their children, in turn...
●Have better problem - solving skills, are more persistent and more confident, and are more interested in exploring the world around them.
●Tend to do better on standardized tests, have better math and verbal scores, and score higher on IQ - and other intelligence tests.
●Perform better in school and have more fun in studies. About half of kids with involved dads get mostly A's, compared to only about a third when dads are not involved. In fact, dad's level of involvement is a better predictor than mom's that a child will get top grades.
●Are half as likely to have ever repeated a grade (7 percent vs 15 percent for children of less-involved dads).
●Are nearly half as likely to have ever been suspended (10 percent vs 18 percent for kids of less-involved dads) and are obliged to stay at home.
●Are more likely to become responsible adults, have fulfilling careers, and have solid marriages.
Being involved in their children's school helps dads understand that they're just as important in their children's lives as moms are.
Last but not least, schools benefit from father involvement too. Involved parents tend to have a higher opinion of teachers and give them more support. Not surprisingly, teacher enthusiasm is higher and the schools have a better reputation.
1.According to the underlined sentence, if a student gets suspended, he probably will ________.
A.do better in tests B.repeat the same grade
C.continue study D.drop out of school
2.From the passage, which one of the following is the benefit for children if they have more involved dads?
A.They can solve problems better and be more curious.
B.They are more active in many activities.
C.They perform better and most get A's.
D.They have more chance to repeat a grade.
3.What's the best title of this passage?
A.We shouldn't ignore dads. B.Parents help children do better.
C.Dads matter a lot in education. D.Everyone benefits from dads.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Every time you use a tea bag, you could be absorbing billions of microplastic and nanoplastic particles (纳米塑料颗粒). That's the conclusion of researchers at McGill University in Montreal.
The research centred on four different types of tea bags, of the kind recently preferred by some premium (优质的) brands. Having been emptied of the tea itself, the bags were placed in water heated to 95℃.
Researchers were surprised to find each bag released around 11.6 billion microplastics and a further 3.1 billion even smaller nanoplastics. These levels were, says the report, “thousands of times higher than plastic amounts previously reported in other foods.”
The researchers believe that the tea bags send so many microplastics because they are heated close to boiling point. And the researchers exposed water fleas (水蚤) to water containing varying concentrations of microplatics. While the animals did not die, they did display some abnormalities (畸形) that could suggest the microplastics were having a toxic (毒的) effect on them.
“To date, the health effects of consuming microplastics to humans are still unknown, while the effects observed in the present study and in other animals gave an early warning,” the researchers conclude in their study. “One of the main potential human exposure pathways of microplastics is likely via ingestion, and particle uptake may occur in the digestive tract. Once inside the digestive tract, cellular uptake (细胞吞噬) and subcellular translocation (亚细胞移位) or localization of the ingested particles may occur.”
1.What can we learn from paragraph 1?
A.Drinking tea is unhealthy for you.
B.Using tea bags probably takes in plastic grains.
C.People should often change the tea bags.
D.A tea bag is made up of microplastics and nanoplastic particles.
2.What do we know about the report in the passage?
A.The hot water can reduce more plastic particles.
B.The tea bags contain higher amount of plastics than everything.
C.The plastic particles exist in many other foods too.
D.The food industry has been greatly polluted now.
3.Why did the water fleas display some abnormalities?
A.They were poisoned by plastics.
B.They were not used to being exposed to hot water.
C.The water was heated close to boiling point.
D.They were put into different teas.
4.What's the purpose of the passage?
A.To introduce the study of microplastic and nanoplastic.
B.To tell us the contents of tea bags.
C.To explain the latest findings in plastic.
D.To inform us of the potential danger of using tea bags.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
In many cultures, small talk is a big deal. Although it may seem like a pointless conversation to pass the time or avoid awkward silence, 1.
According to US inspirational speaker Melissa Wadsworth, “Small talk is about tapping into possibilities.” Having good small talk skills is the best way to meet new people, which can lead to friendships, jobs, or other goals. 2. It makes you consider what another person feels or thinks. These advantages can do us good.
If small talk is so important, how do you do it? What's the best way to break the ice and start talking to people? Well, some of the most common topics include the weather, hobbies, work, family and travel. 3.
4. For example, you can talk to your schoolmates about your classes or that teacher who drives everyone crazy. If you're at a party, you might comment on the snacks, music, or the number of people there. If you're lucky, you might have a friend introducing you to others fist to help you start a conversation.
5. But that's OK! Everyone has this problem when he/ she meets new people. Wadsworth has the best advice for this: approach the conversation excited about the friendship, the good laugh, the fascinating story, the job opportunity, the date, the joy.
A. Sometimes, it seems a bit difficult to start a conversation with a stranger.
B. More importantly, small talk is the first step for bonding with other people.
C. it is very important for communicating and bonding with others.
D. Another way to start small talk is to comment on your surroundings.
E. Besides, small talk can improve brainpower by encouraging empathy (共鸣).
F. it is a waste of time and energy to talk with others.
G. They are great for small talk because it is easy for people to talk about them.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
My grandmother lived alone, far away from us. My father would ________ her on Sunday nights and ask me to speak on the phone with her. I was a horrible student but she would always ask me about ________. I felt terrible. Her inability to understand me was never more ________ than at gift-giving time.
Each year, on Christmas morning, I would run down the stairs and ________ into the pile of gifts with great ________. Each year, grandmother would send me a book. As the years passed, it strengthened my ________ that she really didn't care. Although I also used to read the books and sometimes memorize one text, I still couldn't ________ it as playing, or having fun.
Although I was not interested in school, I had ________ patience with younger children. Our neighbor asked me to help her daughter with her homework. I ________ songs and stories to help her memorize facts and we played games to ________ what she had learned. Her mom remarked, “You should become a teacher when you grow up.” At first, the idea seemed ________ to me. But slowly the idea ________ and I decided to give college a ________. I began to ________ myself to it. A course named “Children's literature” was my favorite class and I was always eager to participate in each discussion. One day, the professor flashed a list of books on a projector (投影仪) that had been awarded a Newbery Medal. I felt a lump in my throat. ________ with a copy of my teacher's list of classics, I ________ home and ran to the basement. There in the corner on a dusty ________ most amazing collection of children's books any teacher could hope to have. As I ran my fingers across these books, ________ came flooding back.
It was then that I realized all of those presents would not make it to my ________ except these books. Love was ________ what my grandmother had been giving me all of my years.
1.A.call B.employ C.doubt D.interview
2.A.family B.school C.job D.income
3.A.energetic B.endless C.evident D.lovely
4.A.burst B.break C.fall D.dive
5.A.delight B.alarm C.ambition D.weight
6.A.problem B.purpose C.belief D.practice
7.A.count B.inspire C.explore D.offer
8.A.lucky B.right C.similar D.enormous
9.A.got up B.made up C.picked up D.took up
10.A.influence B.imagine C.test D.remove
11.A.ridiculous B.ordinary C.fragile D.fresh
12.A.took aim B.took action C.took root D.took risks
13.A.chance B.experiment C.fire D.try
14.A.fetch B.devote C.approve D.assist
15.A.Impressed B.Covered C.Armed D.Faced
16.A.danced B.flew C.jumped D.raced
17.A.swing B.shelf C.stove D.suitcase
18.A.sheets B.memories C.challenges D.contents
19.A.parenthood B.neighborhood C.childhood D.adulthood
20.A.exactly B.finally C.hardly D.traditionally
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
The number of international students 1. search of higher education in China has been increasing in the past ten years. For many foreign students they think highly of Wuhan University in Hubei province because of 2. (it) learning and social environment.
Goh Qian Xuan from Singapore 3. (select) to be the president of the Wuhan University Singaporean Students Association and the Chinese Language and Literature Student Union during her four years of studying in Wuhan, 4. gave her the chance to work 5. (close) with students from other countries. “I didn't come to Wuhan just 6. (get) good grades,” Goh says. “being part of the local student communities and seeing 7. things are done have really helped me to better understand Chinese people and China.”
The university also offers various activities to them. Goh says she felt 8. (little) like a foreign student only after a year in the student union. “The environment is truly good for Chinese studies,” she says. “The four 9. (amaze) years I spent in Wuhan has helped to build a strong foundation for my life and career. This experience has proved many of my former ideas wrong as I now understand the main reasons behind the Chinese ways to deal with certain 10. (matter).”
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假定你是李华，你的留学生朋友Jack寒假要回美国，打算为他的妈妈准备几件富有中国特色的礼物，特来向你咨询。请你给他回复一封邮件。内容包括：
1.建议的礼物：旗袍（cheongsam）和中国结（Chinese knot）；
2.说明礼物的意义；
3.表达祝福。
注意：1.词数80左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。
On the tenth anniversary of my father's death, I awoke to loud fire alarms at 3:30 a.m. Alexis, my older daughter, was standing in the hallway with her cell phone and a blanket wrapped around her younger sister, Sierra. We ran down the stairs to the main floor. The girls stood by the front door while I checked for the cause of the alarms. When I opened the door to my living room, I could see the carpets were smoking heavily. My house was really on fire.
I shouted to the girls, “Get out! The house is on fire!” They turned and ran out the front door, followed by me. Then we ran through the woods to our neighbor's house. I knocked on my neighbor's front door as a police cars passed by.
Later, I was told that it took the firemen a long time to put out the fire. Standing outside my burned house the next day, I got caught up in lots of questions. I had no cash or bank cards. How was going to pay for anything? Where would we live? What would happen to my house now? I didn't even know where to start. Luckily, our community helped us a lot.
The fire burned almost everything, but I still decided to visit our burned house to search through the ruins. It's interesting how you learn what really matters to you in those conditions. I found myself primarily searching for my father's watch. I also found other treasures as I searched for his watch, including the ring my mom gave me when I left for college, a watch my grandmother gave me for high school graduation, and my daughter's unworn dress, which was ruined. I found the last shirt my father had worm before his hospital stay. We had taken a trip after his second course of chemo (化疗). It was the last vacation we would take before his death. At that moment, I felt differently about the fire.
注意：
1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2.至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4.续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1
I realized the fire gave us more than it took away._____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
My dad's watch is on my bedside table now, which is a reminder that anyone or anything can be lost without warning._________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
难度: 中等查看答案及解析