Why play games? Because they are fun, and a lot more besides. Following the rules, planning your next move and acting as a team member are all “game” ideas that you will come across throughout your life.
Think about some of the games you played as a young child, such as rope-jumping and hide-and-seek. Such games are entertaining and fun. But perhaps more importantly, they translate life into exciting dramas that teach children some of the basic rules they will be expected to follow the rest of their lives, such as taking turns and cooperating (合作) .
Many children’s games have a practical side Children around the world play games that prepare them for work they will do as grown-ups. For instance, some Saudi Arabian children play a game called bones, which sharpens the hand-eye coordination（协调）needed in hunting.
Many sports encourage national or local pride. The most famous games of all, the Olympic Games, bring athletes from around the world together to take part in friendly competition. People who watch the event wave flags, knowing that a gold medal is a win for an entire country, not just the athlete who earned it. For countries experiencing natural disasters or war, an Olympic win can mean so much.
Sports are also an event that unites people. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. People on all continents play it—some for fun and some for a living. Nicolette Iribarne, a Californian soccer player, has discovered a way to spread hope through soccer. He created a foundation to provide poor children with not only soccer balls but also a promising future.
Next time you play your favorite game or sport, think about why you enjoy it, what skills are needed, and whether these skills will help you in other aspects of your life. Through playing hide-and-seek, children are expected to learn to ________.
| A．be a team leader | B．obey the basic rules |
| C．act as a grown-up | D．predict possible danger |
The underlined part in Paragraph 2 most probably means that games can________.
| A．describe life in an exciting way |
| B．turn real-life experiences into a play |
| C．make learning life skills more interesting |
| D．change people’s views of sporting events |
According to the passage, why is winning Olympic medals so encouraging?
| A．It inspires people’s deep love for the country. |
| B．It proves the exceptional skills of the winners. |
| C．It helps the country out of natural disasters. |
| D．It earns the winners fame and fortune. |
Iribarne’s goal of forming the foundation is to _______.
| A．bring fun to poor kids |
| B．provide soccer balls for children |
| C．give poor kids a chance for a better life |
| D．appeal to soccer players to help poor kids |
For the last couple of weeks, I had been stuck in front of my computer working on a project that was very important to me. My every waking hour was consumed by the project and although I imagined that I would feel happy after completing parts of the project, I was confused to find that instead, I was feeling rather depressed. I tried a range of methods to help cheer myself up. I had a relaxing bath, cooked a delicious meal to enjoy with my family and even watched a lighthearted movie, but to no avail. It was only when I turned to meditation(沉思)for a solution that the answer came to me: turn to nature!
The very next day, I grabbed my camera and a bottle of water and set off to spend a few hours walking in a nature reserve, even though it was pouring with rain. Within a couple of minutes I felt alive again. To be honest, I felt like a young school girl again and had to stop myself from hopping along the path singing, "I'm singing in the rain", a song I used to sing when I was a child. I think as adults we often try too hard to control our inner children and as a result we restrain(限制) our own spirits, which only leads to depression and stress.
Interestingly, it has been shown that people who spend 40 minutes walking in a nature reserve have a drop in their blood pressure levels, but this does not happen when they spend a similar amount of time walking in a busy city centre.
If you feel a little low in spirit and know that you have spent too much time indoors, relax completely, remove your shoes and let your inner child come out and play.The author walked in a nature reserve in the rain in order to__________.
| A．take photos |
| B．cheer herself up |
| C．hop along the path |
| D．find a solution to the project |
The underlined part "to no avail" in Paragraph 1 probably means " __________".
| A．uninteresting | B．unrelated |
| C．unsuccessful | D．unexpected |
In the author's opinion, __________.
| A．a bath can make people relaxed |
| B．adults should express their inner feelings freely |
| C．walking in a busy city centre harms people's health |
| D．depression is usually caused by hard work |
The last paragraph mainly serves as a(n) __________.
| A． suggestion | B．explanation |
| C．introduction | D．reminder |
Are you nervous about climbing because you think it’s too dangerous? Do you feel you’re not fit enough to climb? Do you know how to start climbing?
Let’s consider the idea that climbing is dangerous. Being afraid is natural, but if you use suitable ropes and other climbing equipments you will feel completely safe. Climbers are usually very careful because they know what they are doing is dangerous. Accidents happen, but when they do, they tend to attract a lot of publicity. As a result, people think there are many more accidents than there are in reality.
You cannot expect to start climbing straight away. Climbing is a challenge and challenges take time. It is necessary first of all that you achieve a good level of fitness. Begin as soon as you become interested in climbing—go to the gym, go swimming, take up jogging and continue to do so throughout your training period.
Discover as much as you can about climbing. Visit the library and find books especially for beginners or buy climbing magazines and look for articles which describe your situation. Look up information on the Internet. Find out about equipment, methods and places to go.
Next, take a course on a climbing wall. There are plenty of climbing walls all over the country which have trained and qualified people as instructors. Call your local leisure centre to find out if there is one in your area. These training sessions are a quick way to get experience and you are likely to meet other beginners. After this, you can do an outside course or join a club where you can meet climbers of all abilities and eventually join in group-climbing events.
At first you may not understand the importance of a good training period, but after you have completed your first climb and you are standing safely at the top of a rock feeling thrilled, then you will know it was the right thing to do.The article is written by ______.
| A．a doctor | B．an experienced climber |
| C．a beginner | D．a fitness instructor |
The writer thinks a new climber should ______.
| A．begin by becoming fit |
| B．be aware of the causes of the accidents |
| C．have the courage to meet the challenges |
| D．do enough sports to get interested in climbing |
By climbing walls you can ______.
| A．join a club you like |
| B．become qualified instructors |
| C．gain controlled experience |
| D．take part in group-climbing events |
The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph probably means ______.
| A．the climb | B．the training |
| C．the equipment | D．the achievement |
In a class this past December, after I wrote some directions on the board for students about their final examination, one young woman quickly took a picture of the board using her smart phone. When I looked in her direction, she apologized: “Sorry. Was it wrong to take a picture?”
“I can’t read my own handwriting,”the young woman explained. “It’s best if I take a picture of your writing so I can understand the notes.”
That remark started a class-wide conversation about taking a picture instead of taking notes. For those in the photo-taking camp, motivations extended beyond their inability to comprehend their own handwriting. Some took pictures of notes because they knew their phone was a safe place to store material. They might lose paper, they reasoned, but they wouldn’t lose their phones. Some took photos because they wanted to record exactly the manner in which I had noted information on the board. Others told me that during class they liked to be able to listen to the discussion attentively.
Yet the use of cameras as note takers, though it may be convenient, does raise significant questions for the classroom. Is a picture an effective replacement for the process of note-taking?
Instructors encourage students to take notes because the act of doing so is more than merely recording necessary information—it helps prepare the way for understanding. Encouraging students to take notes may be an old-fashioned instructional method, but just because a method has a long history doesn’t mean it’s out of date. Writing things down engages a student’s brain in listening, visual, and kinesthetic(触觉的)learning—a view supported by a longstanding research. The act of writing down information enables a person to begin committing it to memory, and to process and combine it, establishing the building blocks of learning new concepts.
Taking a picture does indeed record the information, but it deletes some of the necessary mental engagement that taking notes employs. So can the two be equally effective?
I’m not sure how to measure the effectiveness of either method. For now, I allow students to take notes however they see fit—handwritten or photographed—because I figure that some notes, no matter the method of note-taking, are better than none.The woman apologized in the class because she____.
| A．took a picture of the board |
| B．missed the teachers’ directions |
| C．had the bad handwriting |
| D．disturbed other students’ learning |
Students refuse to take notes by hand because_____.
| A．they are unable to take notes |
| B．they are more likely to lose notes |
| C．they are interested in using their phones |
| D．they have a good memory of teachers’ instructions |
According to the passage, taking notes by hand_______.
| A．requires students to think independently |
| B．is unsuitable for students to learn new ideas |
| C．helps students actively participate in learning |
| D．proves to be an old and useless learning method |
What’s the author’s opinion towards taking notes by phones?
| A．Supportive. | B．Neutral. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Disapproving. |
Are you a problem shopper? The answer is “Yes”, if you or someone else thinks that you sometimes get carried away with shopping. In other words, do you or does someone else think you are occupied in extreme shopping? If people have regrets later about their shopping, or have an “out-of-control” feeling about the quantities of what they buy or the amount of credit they use, they may be considered to be problem shoppers.
Extreme shopping can lead to a more serious problem — addictive shopping. Addictive shoppers feel driven by the desire to shop and spend money. They experience great tension which drives them to shop and spend money and they feel a “rush” during the time they are occupied with the shopping activity.
Extreme or addictive shopping may result from long-time unpleasant feelings, of which anxiety, pain and shame are common ones. When we feel bad inside, we often do something to make ourselves feel better. In this case, we often go shopping.
A few people shop to relieve their boredom or emptiness. For some people, the motivation is a desire for status, power, beauty or success. Some love to shop as it makes them feel valued in the eyes of the shop assistants. Others shop simply because it makes them forget, at least temporarily, tension, fear or unhappiness in their life.
Besides, shopping malls are designed to encourage continual shopping. For instance, there are some malls where you can’t see clocks displaying the time because they don’t want you to become too aware of the time you spend there. What’s more, food courts, coffee shops and restrooms are provided, so you don’t have to leave the mall because of your physical needs.
Therefore, once you become aware of how market forces work, you will certainly come to control your shopping behavior. For example, how much time you will spend and what areas you will visit can be decided before you enter the mall. Keep a written account of what items you will buy and how much money you will spend. Make a plan for what you are going to buy before you feel the urge to shop and then stick to it. That is vital for gaining self-control.Which of the following people may not be problem shoppers?
| A．Those who cannot control the amount of credit they use. |
| B．Those who just walk around the shopping malls. |
| C．Those who are occupied in too much shopping. |
| D．Those who feel sorry for their shopping. |
According to the passage, what may not result in addictive shopping?
| A．The awareness of how market forces work. |
| B．The desire for status, power, beauty or success. |
| C．Boredom, emptiness, tension, fear or unhappiness in people’s life. |
| D．Long-time bad feelings of anxiety, pain and shame. |
What does the author suggest to control our shopping behaviour?
| A．Never going to the shopping malls because there are many tricks. |
| B．Applying for a credit card before we go shopping. |
| C．Making the shopping time as short as possible. |
| D．Making a shopping list before we go shopping. |
The author writes this passage to _______.
| A．inform the shopping malls how to attract more shoppers |
| B．scold the problem shoppers |
| C．provide solutions to the problem shopping |
| D．tell a shopping story |
In February 2006, Lydia Angyiou and her two sons were walking through their village in northern Canada. The sound of children shouting made her turn around. To her horror, Lydia saw a 700-pound polar bear behind her eyeing her seven-year-old son. Getting between the bear and her child, Lydia yelled at the children to run away. She then began hitting and kicking the animal as hard as she could. A neighbor who heard all the noise came and shot the bear. But everyone agreed it was Lydia who had saved her children’s lives. A local policeman described it this way: “… I guess when your back is up against the wall, we come up with super-human strength.”
Where does this “super-human strength”, courage and quick thinking come from? Experts say it comes from stress! In stressful situations, the body releases chemicals that prepare it to take action. These chemicals give people the speed and strength they need to fight danger or run away from it.
When we think of stress, we usually think of its negative effects. Studies, though, show that moderate levels of stress are actually helpful. In fact, the way we perform is usually affected by the amount of stress we feel.
Stress causes the brain to release adrenaline(肾上腺素) which in turn increases our energy and excitement. The chemical gives us clearer minds and helps us to do more. This is why some people say they work better under a deadline.
Adrenaline that is not released for long periods of time can cause us to increase and strengthen our abilities instead of weakening them. We sometimes turn out our very best work when we push ourselves to the limit. Stress can also make us more confident. Handling small amounts of stress now prepares us for handling serious situations in the future. Who knows? Today’s stress may even prepare for the next polar bear that comes along!In the first paragraph, the case of Lydia Angyiou is mentioned to______.
| A．introduce the topic to be followed |
| B．remind us of the unexpected danger of life |
| C．praise Lydia Angyiou for her bravery |
| D．show the importance of super-human strength |
What does the policeman probably mean by saying “your back is up against the wall”?
| A．You are helped. | B．You are inspired. |
| C．You are confident. | D．You are cornered. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Brave Mother |
| B．The Cause of Stress |
| C．The Benefit of Stress |
| D．Super-human Strength |