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Four students are talking about the best museums they have ever been to.
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| Jenny The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, which was built in 1872, is very popular in the world. It is one of the world's finest art museums. I really enjoyed my trip because I love modern arts very much. I think the Dance Class by Edgar Degas is the greatest work of art there. |
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| Sandy Built in 1204, the Louvre Museum in Paris is the world's largest art museum. Nearly 38,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st century are exhibited there. It was great to enjoy so many treasures at one time there. Among them, I think the Mona Lisa is a must-see. |
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| John First built in 1912, the National Museum of China in Beijing shows well the cultural aspects of China. Since I'm crazy about Chinese culture and history, I really enjoyed this trip. It has a large collection of bronze vessels (青铜器). My favorite one is "Hou Mu Wu" Bronze Ding. |
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| Sam Built in 1753, the British Museum in London is the greatest museum I've ever been to. I enjoyed my trip there because I'm very interested in the culture of ancient Egypt. That's why I was deeply attracted by the famous Rosetta Stone (罗塞塔石碑). |
1.Where is the Metropolitan Museum of Art?
A.In New York City. B.In London. C.In Beijing. D.In Paris.
2.When was the Louvre Museum built?
A.In 1753 B.In 1204. C.In 1912. D.In 1872.
3.Which collection belongs to the National Museum of China?
A.The Dance Class. B.The Mona Lisa.
C.The Rosetta Stone. D."Hou Mu Wu" Bronze Ding.
4.Why does Sam think the British Museum is the best one?
A.Because he is crazy about modem arts.
B.Because he loves objects from prehistory.
C.Because he takes interest in Chinese culture.
D.Because he's interested in the culture of ancient Egypt.
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Finding the Owner
"It's mine," said Fred, showing a pocketknife with a shining blade （刀片） "Just what I've always wanted. "And he turned it over and over with the look of satisfaction on his face.
"I guess I know who owns it," said Tom, looking at it carefully.
"I guess you don't. It isn't Mr. Raymond's," Fred replied quickly.
"I know. Mr. Raymond's is twice as large," said Tom, going on with his drawing.
Tom's doubt was taking away Fred's enjoyment. In fact, Fred was not comfortable with the knife at all, for he felt that he was having something that did not belong to him and he got worried. He even had serious thoughts of burning it, or hiding it, or giving it away; but a better plan hit him.
"Tom," said Fred, one day at break, "didn't you say that you knew who owned the knife?"
"Yes, I did. It looked like Doctor Perry's," Tom ran off to play with others, without giving the knife another thought.
It was Dr. Perry's ! Fred looked at his watch and realized he only had a little time, so he started quickly, and found the old gentleman getting ready to visit a patient. "Is this yours?" cried Fred, in breathless haste, holding up the cause of a week's anxiety.
"It was," said the doctor, "but I lost it the other day."
"I found it," said Fred, "and have felt like a thief ever since. Here, take it. I've got to run. "
"Hold on!" said the doctor. "I've got a new one, and you are quite welcome to this."
"Am I? May I ? Oh! Thank you! Now, I'm the real owner of the knife. What a different feeling!"
1.Tom's doubt made Fred______.
A.satisfied B.worried C.proud D.angry
2.After knowing the knife could be Dr. Perry's, Fred decided to _______.
A.return it to Dr. Perry B.keep it himself
C.give it to Tom D.hide it or burn it
3.What can we know about Fred from the story?
A.He hoped to be a good friend of Tom's. B.He took himself as a smart boy.
C.He expected to get the knife from Dr Perry. D.He felt happier to be an honest person.
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The idea of anonymous(匿名) social media is stronger than ever. However, there's a debate over the pros and cons of using popular anonymous apps.
Supporters of these apps offer several reasons why they believe the technology is good.
Many people post life events on apps to share with family and friends. However, some of those same people will turn to anonymous sites to ask for life advice when they feel uncomfortable sharing personal details with a friend. According to the economist Michael Heyward, since users are not identified, troubled individuals can find help from a non-judgmental source through apps. Take the popular anonymous app AfterSchool as the example. The app allows teens to speak freely with others about emotional and everyday life worries and problems.
Along the same lines, supporters believe that meaningful conversations can push important subjects to the front because a person is more likely to comment without fear of outcomes. These situations enable people to draw attention to subjects that might otherwise be pushed aside.
One of the goals of using anonymous apps is to encourage the users to post news as it happens. In 2017, a new service that produces articles automatically from users' posts came out. Surprisingly, it is popular-even writers at news companies use it. Some journalists even have started using these apps to report on the tech industry.
However, critics, people who are against the idea of anonymous commenting, see these apps as tools that spread less-desirable behaviors(举止). They reason if the limitation set by social rules is removed, there will be more improper behaviors.
One of the most common criticisms of anonymous social media is how easily a user can post a hurtful comment on an individual. This often puts the victim at the disadvantage of having to prove the statement false. Also, beyond the worry of such posts, there are more serious worries about crimes resulted from anonymous violence(暴力). While there are pros and cons to this debate, it's necessary to realize that anonymity is a hallmark(标志) of our history. As social media becomes a larger presence in everyday life, it's likely this subject will continue to be debated.
1.AfterSchool in the third paragraph is mentioned to ________.
A.stress the bright side of anonymous apps B.encourage teens to use social media more
C.introduce a very popular app among teens D.show the possible problems of social media
2.The writer probably agrees that ________.
A.it's beneficial to encourage further use of anonyrnous apps
B.more rules are needed to make a standard for anonymous apps
C.people need to wait to see whether anonymous apps are really bad
D.anonymous apps have something to do with the development of the society
3.What might be the best title for the passage?
A.Do You Have a Right to Be Anonymous? B.The Popularity of Social Media
C.Anonymous Apps, Good or Bad? D.A Debate on the Use of Apps
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I always have these questions in my mind-how does anxiety influence how we think? What classroom environments are most helpful to learning? Most experts agree that having the right team of people to come up with ideas to argue for plays an important role to find out the answers.
However, how do we know who the right people are when making a team? From the classroom and the workplace, to the laboratory and the playing field, research shows that diverse groups of people often make better decisions.
Professor Scott Page believes different ways of thinking from a particular group produces something additional. When people with their own "tools" come together to work on difficult tasks, the results are powerful.
Groups with different genders(性别) also hold merit here. Christine Lagarde said that better decisions are made when women and men come together at the table, creating what she calls a "larger horizon". She mentioned that while women make up only 2% of bank CEOs worldwide, banks who count women among the top leadership are likely to have better economic outcomes( 结果).
In 2010, researchers examined the performance of about 700 people (both men and women), working in groups of two to five, solving both simple and difficult tasks. They discovered that the best predictor of performance wasn't the average intelligence of group members. Instead it was a collective measure of intelligence, which had much to do with the number of women in the group. As women are good at reading others' faces and making the best of different opinions, they help to bring out a more productive outcome.
Finally, it turns out that the size of the group matters, too. Smaller groups can actually be more creative. A new study from University of Chicago found that while bigger teams are important for advancing science, smaller groups help "break it down"-a key part of creativity.
In today's workforce, people come together to cooperate on tough tasks, being encouraged to look to each other. Brainstorming with others in small, diverse groups helps ideas to shine in our mind and, more often than not, leads to the solution. It's a research-driven model for how to develop our collective problem-solving abilities by having the right teams of people producing good ideas worth fighting for.
1.The underlined word "diverse groups" in Paragraph 2 probably means "______".
A.groups in which people have a close relation
B.groups with people who like thinking and sharing
C.groups in which people are different from each other
D.groups with people who are good at solving problems
2.What can we learn from the research in 2010?
A.Groups with both genders make teamwork more fruitful.
B.Women are better at reading and accepting others' minds.
C.The average intelligence of group members really matters.
D.Banks should depend more on women in decision-making.
3.What does the writer mainly want to show us?
A.Women in a group influence the collective intelligence.
B.Different groups of people usually produce different ideas.
C.Diverse teams can be expected to work out better outcomes.
D.The size of the group is important in dealing with problems.
