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MANY of us enjoy doing it: you turn on the camera on your mobile phone and hold it at a high angle (角度), making your eyes look bigger and your cheekbones more marked out. You turn to your best side and click.
There it is – your selfie.
Over the past year, “selfie” has become a well-known term across the globe. This August the Oxford dictionary added the word to their online dictionary and defined it as: “A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.”
Today it’s not difficult to find social networking pages full of photos people have taken of themselves and their friends. And selfie culture has become especially related to young people. As many as 91 percent of teenagers have posted photos of themselves online, according to a recent survey by the US Pew Research Center.
So what are the reasons for the rise of selfie culture?
“The cult (狂热) of the selfie celebrates regular people,” Pamela Rutledge, a professor at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, told Vogue magazine. “There are many more photographs available now of real people than models.”
Posting selfies also allows you to control your image online. “I like having the power to choose how I look, even if I’m making a funny face,” Samantha Barks, 19, a high school student in the US, told Vogue.
In addition to self-expression and documentation (记录), selfies “allow for an close friendship for long-distance friends, because you can see each other’s faces every day”, wrote Casey Miller at The Huffington Post.
But US psychologist Jill Weber is concerned that selfies might lead to social problems. “There’s a danger that your self-esteem (自尊心) may start to be tied to the comments and ‘likes’ you get when you post a selfie, and they aren’t based on who you are – they’re based on what you look like,” Weber told Vogue. “When you get nothing or a negative response, your confidence can plummet.”
1.The first paragraph is intended to _________.
A. explain why selfie is popular B. describe how to make selfie
C. show the importance of selfie D. introduce the topic of selfie
2.How many reasons for the rise of selfie culture are mentioned in the passage?
A. Two B. Three C. Four D. Five
3.What is Jill Weber’s opinion about selfies?
A. Comments on selfie are based on who you are.
B. Selfies have more disadvantages than advantages.
C. Others’ response to selfies might affect one’s self-esteem.
D. Selfies shouldn’t be encouraged for they lead to social problems.
4.The underlined word “plummet” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to __________.
A. go down B. calm down C. pick up D. build up
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“I didn’t hear them call my name,” explained Shelley Hennig to Active Teens (AT) as she talked about that exciting moment on national television when she won the honor of Miss Teen USA 2013. “Are you ready?” is what she heard. Then she said, “I shook my head no, and then they said ‘yes’ and it was announced again."
It was four days after that life changing moment for the seventeen-year-old high school student from Destrehan, Louisiana—she was still on cloud nine.
“I was so shocked! I never believed that it could actually really happen.” Present in the audience(观众)that day were: her mother and father, older brother, her friends, and her dance teacher.
Understanding why members of her family and her friends would be there, AT asked why her dance teacher had traveled so far to see her compete. “She’s always been my role model. I’ve danced with her since I was six. She’s been through so many difficulties and came through them all. I’ve learned to get over bad life’s experiences and learned how to move on because of her.”
One of those bad life’s experiences for Shelley happened three years ago when her brother Brad was killed in a drunk driving accident. He was 18. She found writing helped her get through the rough days. She said, “I write a lot about my brother. I write a lot, a lot, a lot...”
As Miss Louisiana Teen, she traveled around the state speaking to teens about the dangers of drinking and driving. In her role as Miss Teen USA, Shelley will continue to speak to youth about safe driving, in addition to many other things to help the youth.
When AT asked Miss Teen USA if she had any advice for our readers, she said, “Don’t let anyone change you. Hang out with people that make you feel good about yourself. That way, it is easy to be yourself.
1.The underlined words “on cloud nine” in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by ________.
A. frightened B. troubled C. very happy D. very angry
2.Shelley takes her dance teacher as a role model mainly because she is _______.
A. determined B. friendly C. strict D. experienced
3.What did Shelley often do after she became Miss Louisiana Teen?
A. She visited drunken drivers.
B. She gave dance performance.
C. She made speeches on safe driving.
D. She helped other teens with their studies.
4.What suggestion does Shelley give to the teens?
A. Be yourself with the support of friends.
B. Meet friends whenever possible.
C. Go easy on yourself and others.
D. Have a good role model.
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Boys at the top of the pecking order(长幼次序) either by birth or because their older brothers died score higher on IQ tests than their younger brothers.
Norwegian researchers now report that it’s a matter of what they call social rank in the family that gives the first born the highest scores or, if the first born had died young, the next oldest.
Kristensen and Bjerkedal studied the IQ test results of 241,310 Norwegian men drafted(征兵) into the armed forces between 1967 and 1976. All were aged 18 or 19 at the time.
The average IQ of first-born men was 103.2, they found second-born men averaged 101.2, but second-born men whose older brother died young scored 102.9. And for third-borns, the average was 100.0. But if both older brothers died young，the third-born score rose to 102.6.
The findings provide “evidence that the relation between birth order and IQ score is dependent on the social rank in the family and not birth order as such.” they concluded.
It’s an issue that has been hotly discussed since at least 1874,when Sir Francis Galton reported that men in noticeable positions tended to be firstborns more often than would have been statistically (统计) expected.
Since then, several studies have reported higher intelligence scores for firstborns, while other analyses have questioned those findings and the methods of those reports.
“These two researchers prove that how study participants(参与者) were raised, not how they were born, is what actually influences their IQs,” said Sulloway, an American professor, who was not part of the research team.
“The elder child pulls ahead,” he said, “perhaps as a result of learning gained through the process of tutoring younger brothers and sisters”.
“The older child benefits by having to organize and express its thoughts to tutor youngsters”, he said, “while the later born children may have no one to tutor.”
1.According to Norwegain researchers’ finding, which of the following is linked to boys’ IQ?
A. Birth order B. Position in the family
C. Parents’ social rank D. Educational experience
2.What does the sentence “It’s an issue that has been hotly discussed” underlined in Paragraph 6 mean?
A. Many people take interest in IQ study.
B. IQ study has gone further and further.
C. Many people do research on boys’ IQ.
D. Opinions are divided on the conclusion.
3.According to Kristensen and Bjerkedal’s test results, parents can make youngsters smarter by ________.
A. treating them as the oldest child
B. teaching them as the oldest child
C. talking to them as much as possible
D. encouraging them to express thoughts
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If you want to attend the hottest events of 2014, don’t waste your time looking through dozens of hotel options or vacation packages. Instead, look to cruise ships that can ferry you to and from the most expected holiday, sporting, and cultural events of the year.
Here’s a look at the some of the most popular:
Australian Open in Melbourne (January 13–26, 2014)
Tennis fans worldwide are eager for the tickets to matches at any one of the four annual Grand Slam events: the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open. In January 2014, luxury cruise line Silversea will offer fans a three-night pre-cruise package to the 109th Australian Open in Melbourne. Silversea passengers will attend third round singles matches at Rod Laver Arena on January 17 and 18 before taking the 382-passenger Silver Shadow for a special 15-night Melbourne to Bali voyage.
Carnival in Rio de Janeiro (February 28–March 4, 2014)
Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival is one of the most popular celebrations of its kind in the world, drawing two million visitors each and every day of the festivities that include parades, street fairs, and costume balls. Holland America’s Maasdam will spend three days in Rio during Carnival as part of its 26-day Amazon & Carnival Explorer journey.
2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil (June 12–July 13, 2014)
If you’re a soccer fan that came up empty in the search for a hotel room for the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals in Rio de Janeiro, there’s still hope. Book MSC Cruises’ 18-night Miami to Rio voyage aboard Divina. The ship departs Miami on May 24 and arrives in Rio just in time for the World Cup.
New Year’s Eve in Hong Kong (December 31, 2014)
Hong Kong is a magical destination and New Year’s Eve festivities and fireworks pull out all the stops to make a holiday trip to that city even more attractive. Crystal Cruises’ all-inclusive luxury ship, Symphony, will spend two nights in Hong Kong-- and celebrate New Year’s Eve Chinese-style—during its 15-night holiday voyage that leaves Bangkok on December 21. This roundtrip voyage also calls on Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi in Vietnam.
1.According to the passage, which of the following ships will take the longest time of voyage?
A. Silver Shadow. B. Maasadam. C. Divina. D. Symphony.
2.The events that will take place in Rio de Janeiro in 2014 are ___________.
A. Carnival and FIFA World Cup
B. New Year’s Eve fireworks and Carnival
C. the Australian Open and Grand Slam events
D. New Year's Eve fireworks and FIFA
3.Where does this passage probably come from?
A. In a sports magazine. B. In a textbook.
C. In a science report. D. In a travel brochure.
4.The main purpose of the passage is to ___________.
A. give information about the hottest events of 2014
B. introduce cruise ships to some big events of 2014
C. describe the most popular tourist destinations in 2014
D. persuade readers to take cruise ships for 2014 holiday
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Relax. He is the same little boy you loved yesterday. I smiled trying to hold back the tears. “No, he isn’t. Yesterday I dreamed he would be an astronaut. Today I am hoping he will learn to talk.”
It was like some sort of cosmic joke. I could still recall the day that determined my fate. It was October in Ottawa and the summer breezes had given way to the autumn rainfall of leaves. The snow would begin soon. The crispness (清爽) of coming frost was in the air. My casually mentioning Wyatt’s behavior to Dr. Martin aroused his worries. He started asking me questions about Wyatt’s activities speech pattern and emotions. I still see clearly in my mind the cleanness of the room and all its belongings when the doctor turned to me and said, “He almost sounds autistic (自闭) .”
I couldn’t face that picture in my mind. I had to run to get away from this all too painful place that was reminding me of what was to be my child’s life-being strange.
I could not remember how many times I told myself, “This is normal. He is a little boy who is not talking yet,” when my asking questions met with his blank-eyed response in a restaurant; how many times I would tell myself, “He loves to play on his own for hours at a time and he never gets into trouble,” when Wyatt was playing games that no one else could imagine, let alone join in while other boys in the park were playing together or in small groups played around a sand pail(桶) or toy truck. My life was changing direction. So was Wyatt’s.
I started to hide Wyatt from my friends and neighbor especially from a good friend. It was too painful to let others know about my boy acting strange.
It was a Thursday afternoon and I found one half of a great pair of kitchen scissors was missing. They were unbelievably sharp and could be taken apart so they could be washed or the blades (刀片) sharpened. I knew Wyatt had taken the missing blade.
“Wyatt,” I began as patiently as I could, “Do you see this?” I held up the blade. “Do you know what this is?”
Wyatt put a bunch of Fruit Loops in his mouth. No response.
“Wyatt!” I forced eye contact with him. “Where are the other scissors? See these.” I showed him the half pair.
He smiled big. Ate Fruit Loops. Turned the TV on and off. Still no response.
I didn’t know what to do. It was really hard. “Wyatt,” I tried once more, “Mommy wants these scissors. Can you go get them for Mommy? It will make Mommy so happy if you bring me the scissors.”
“Watch Spongebob.” Wyatt asked as he slid down from his kitchen stool and ran off, leaving me shaking my head and wondering in exactly which way this situation was going to end badly.
Five minutes later, I turned my head to see Wyatt coming downstairs, his favorite doll in one hand, the missing half pair of kitchen scissors in the other. I immediately ran over and took it from him.
“Wyatt!” I hugged him. “Thank you for bringing me the scissors! Good job! You did it! These scissors need to stay in the kitchen. These are Mommy’s scissors!”
Wyatt laughed, looked at me straight in the eye and said, “Mommy so happy!”
I came close to tears. A realization dawned on me that he was the best gift I had ever gotten even though he was not as normal as other children. And why did I hide him from others as if he were some dark and terrible secret. No! He was my pride. It was a long, hard battle to get him to this point, expressing his wants and needs without turning to violence in embarrassment. With love and patience I have found the beautiful, happy boy who would teach me more about life.
And that is the solution.
1.From the first part of the story we can get to know that the son’s problem was _______ to the mother.
A. a heavy blow B. a white lie
C. an unforgettable lesson D. a ridiculous experience
2.Why could the mother recall the day so clearly when the doctor told her his son’s illness?
A. the questions the doctor asked puzzled her.
B. the cleanness of the doctor’s room stuck her
C. His son’s illness was beyond her wildest expectation.
D. The sudden change of weather left her a deep impression.
3.According to the passage, which of the following indicates that Wyatt is not normal?
A. He never gets into trouble
B. He responds with blank eyes.
C. He plays with others for hours.
D. He likes watching TV programmes.
4.Wyatt brought the missing half of the scissors back to his mother because ____________.
A. his mother forced him to do that
B. he could get his favorite doll in reward
C. he intended to delight his mother
D. he realized that the sharp blade would cause danger
5.What seems to be the solution at the end of the passage?
A. Never hiding Wyatt from normal kids.
B. Turning to violence in disappointment occasionally.
C. Making Wyatt a kind and joyful boy with great care.
D. Helping Wyatt learn to talk and become an astronaut.
