“Just take a deep breath.” “Don’t think about it.” “You’re more likely to die in a car wreck on the way to the airport than you are in a plane crash.” These are just some words given to people with a fear of flying. But as Tom Cruise, playing Lt. Daniel Kaffee in the movie A Few Good Men, said, “I get sick when I fly because I’m afraid of crashing into a large mountain. I don’t think Daniel will help.”
But there’s a new application that just may. Today, the VALK Foundation, a Dutch group that’s a partnership between KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and the University of Leiden, launches the app in the US. The VALK Foundation was one of the first centers for research and fear-of-flying treatment in the world and is the organizer of three world conferences on fear of flying.The foundation said the app, called Flight App VALK, is the first scientifically-developed, web-based treatment for people who suffer from mild to moderate fear of flying.
“The fear of flying application we have created aims to transfer all of the knowledge we have developed through our program into a mobile application that will help ease travelers’ fears,” said Dr. Lucas van Gerwen, director of the VALK Foundation. Dr. van Gerwen is also a psychologist and professional pilot with more than 30 years experience.
The foundation said up to 30% of adults are fearful fliers. The Flight App is designed to help relax passengers before and during flights by educating users about flight safety and turbulence. It explains the sounds and sensations they can expect during departure, flight and landing. And, if a passenger’s flight stress reaches a panic level, they press a special panic button which provides audio and written information to help decrease stress levels. Most importantly, the Flight App can be used during the flight in the airplane mode. Once downloaded, the program does not require Internet connection in the air.By saying the words at the beginning of the passage, people are expected to ______.
| A．decrease their fear of flying |
| B．get rid of their doubt about plane |
| C．have a good time on their flight journey |
| D．use some medicine to cure their fear of flying |
Flight App VALK is aimed to ______.
| A．help passengers experience the fear of flying |
| B．help relax passengers before and during flights |
| C．treat people who suffer from mild fear of flying |
| D．teach people the basic knowledge of taking flight |
According to the passage, the VALK Foundation ______.
| A．is a group focusing on psychology on the flight |
| B．was the first center to do research into fear of flying |
| C．organize the world conferences on fear of flying annually |
| D．focuses on researching and offering treatment on fear of flying |
What does the last paragraph mainly tell us?
| A．Many adults are suffering from fear of flying |
| B．It’s convenient for people to use the Flight App |
| C．Many planes will be installed with the Flight App. |
| D．The Flight App can decrease stress levels effectively |
In which column of a newspaper can we read this passage?
| A．Culture | B．Entertainment | C．Technology | D．Education |
Children find meanings in their old family tales.
When Stephen Guyer’s three children were growing up, he told them stories about how his grandfather, a banker, all in the 1930s, but did not lose sight of what he valued most. In one of the darkest times his strong-minded grandfather was nearly , he loaded his family into the car and them to see family members in Canada with a ,“there are more important things in life than money. ”
The took on a new meaning recently when Mr. Guyer downsized to a house from a more expensive and comfortable one. He was that his children, a daughter, 15, and twins, 22, would be upset. To his surprise, they weren’t. , their reaction echoed （与---共鸣） their great-grandfather’s. What they was how warm the people were in the house and how of their heart was accessible.
Many parents are finding family stories have surprising power to help children hard times. Storytelling experts say the phenomenon reflects a growing in telling tales, evidenced by a rise in a storytelling events and festivals.
A university of 65 families with children aged from 14 to 16 found kids’ ability to parents’ stories was linked to a lower rate of anger and anxiety.
The is telling the stories in a way children can . We’re not talking here about the kind of story that , “ When I was a kid, I walked to school every day uphill both ways, barefoot in the snow. ” Instead, we should choose a story suited to the child’s , and make eye contact to create “a personal experience”, We don’t have to tell children they should take from the story and what the moral is. ”
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As your charming child changes into a rebellious teenager, take a deep breath and have a good look at the situation before you throw up your arms in anger or distress. Your teen takes a vital step towards adulthood by way of fighting against your rules, regulations and attitudes. Moving beyond their previous dependence on parents, teachers and other adults, teens learn to make decisions, understand the consequences of their behavior and get ready to take on adult responsibilities.
The growing need for independence sits at the heart of teenage rebellion. Many teens prefer to use peers as role models and often begin to question the reasoning behind home and school boundaries as they step closer to adulthood. The physical changes involved in adolescence coincide with(与…相一致) emotional, intellectual and moral growth, points out Kids Health---all of these can affect teenagers strongly and leave them feeling at a loss and stressed. They test different types of behavior, and it’s through this testing and boundary pushing that they learn what works and what does not from their own successes and mistakes.
Changes to a teenager’s hair and clothing emphasize her growing independent tastes and highlight her inclusion in a group of friends. Her opinions may begin to differ from yours as she develops her own values, leading to potential conflicts on subjects ranging from television programs to world affairs. A teen may break family rules regarding chores, loud music and schoolwork and find herself facing unwelcome punishment as a result. These acts of rebellion normally occur from time to time rather than continuously. They give teenagers the chance to see the results of their decisions for themselves and learn when rebellion may be a mistake.
Unhealthy patterns of rebellion can include acts of rebellion that increase in frequency. Violent bursts of anger, physically and emotional destructive behavior and offensive language may indicate that your teen feels bitter hatred towards adults and authority and needs help in navigating those feelings. Watch for falling grades, frequent truancy(逃学) from school or sudden changes to friendship, as these could indicate a variety of problems, including drug, alcohol or tobacco abuse.A rebellious teenager has the following characteristics EXCEPT _________.
| A．dependence on parents |
| B．disobeying rules and regulations |
| C．making his own decisions |
| D．preparing to undertake adult duties |
According to Paragraph 2, we can learn that during adolescence teenagers ____.
| A．want to learn from the older generation |
| B．remain unchanged |
| C．are under pressure and feel confused |
| D．need to be told what to do |
The underlined phrase “inclusion in” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to __.
| A．fitting in | B．separating from |
| C．competing in | D．fighting for |
In the last paragraph, parents are advised ______.
| A．to leave them alone when their teens behave badly |
| B．to neglect their teens’ possible unfavorable experiences |
| C．to blame their teens for no reason |
| D．to provide their rebellious teens with proper guidance |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．Teenage Problems | B．Rebellion against Parents |
| C．Generation Gap | D．Teenage Rebellion |
Everything in China is negotiable, so goes the saying, reminding foreign travelers to be on guard and avoid being overcharged. Foreign tourists are often advised to learn some bargaining skills so that they can avoid paying high prices. Generally speaking, bargaining is an art and an important part of people’s life in China.
But the younger generation is gradually losing interest and the ability to negotiate a better deal. With fatter wallets, young people who never experienced war or shortages seldom bother to spend 10 minutes at a roadside shop cutting the price of a cell phone cover by 1 yuan. Saving for a rainy day and making good use of every penny---values held dear by older generations---no longer seem necessary. Naturally, bargaining is out, in an increasingly rich society. In this sense, bargaining is a product of poverty.
But in many countries, where residents’ incomes are much lower than those in China, bargaining is not popular at all. I can still remember my failed bargaining attempts in Africa and Indonesia, where vendor(小贩) looked at me in surprise when I sought something at half the price. They shook their heads and stopped the negotiation. Latter I was told by friends who had been staying there for years that bargaining was not part of local commercial culture.
During the years when the planned economy changed into the market economy, it was difficult for ordinary buyers to get a full picture of the product prices at a time when travel was inconvenient, and information spread slowly, adding to the information asymmetry(不对称). Afraid of being overcharged by vendors, buyers turned to the old wisdom of bargaining whenever and wherever they could.
Nowadays, the popularity of e-commerce has improved pricing transparence(透明) to the extreme. With the click of a mouse, all kinds of information on a product can be found, with users’ comments helping new consumers make decisions. With such transparency, overpricing becomes less frequent and bargaining is not a necessity for shoppers. In this sense, reduced bargaining activity can be seen as a sign of China’s progress toward a more mature economy.Bargaining is a skill to _______.
| A．buy high-quality products | B．communicate with foreigners |
| C．avoid paying too much | D．increase sales |
In China, the younger generation is losing interest in bargaining as a result of _______.
| A．rising incomes |
| B．an increasing number of products |
| C．the value of saving for a raining day |
| D．their fear of losing face |
What can we infer from the author’s experiences in Africa and Indonesia?
| A．Bargaining is always popular in poor countries. |
| B．Vendors there are impolite to foreign travelers. |
| C．It’s not avoidable to go abroad without bargaining skills. |
| D．Bargaining is not necessarily related to incomes. |
In terms of price and product information, buyers in China used to ____.
| A．be kept in the dark | B．know better than seller |
| C．show no concern | D．be well-informed |
What’s the main theme of this passage?
| A．Give buyers some tips about how to bargain. |
| B．Bargaining is disappearing with the development of society. |
| C．Make good use of every penny. |
| D．The younger generation is good at bargaining. |
Imagine this: You’re working on a school paper on your laptop. Your screen is full of open programs, including documents, Web pages and MSN chat.
Suddenly, a friend sends you a link to a video and demands that you watch it. He says it’s about cats, it’s funny and you’re going to love it. But you can’t help thinking, “I don’t have time for this right now.” You start to feel even more stressed out than you already did about your paper. While you don’t want to disappoint your friend, you need to keep working.
This is a common dilemma in an age of multitasking.
I often find that my focus is so easily distracted that when I need to work I become quite annoyed in response to these types of links. At the same time, when they’re from good friends, I can’t just ignore them. Usually, I say something like “Cool, I’ll look at it later.” But this often disappoints the other person, creating an awkward break in the conversation. Other times, I’ll just say “OK”, wait a while and then send a second message saying “That was great!” While this approach is simpler that ignoring the other person, it seems ridiculous to life to avoid making a social faux pas(失礼).
The problem is that new technologies offer a good many new possibilities, both positive and negative. On the one hand, the Internet connects you to millions of people whom you can make friends with and learn from. On the other hand, it offers just as many ways to waste time.
When you’re signed on to MSN chat, the other person can’t see that you have three papers to finish before the end of the week---so you better believe they’re going to send you a video of monkeys dancing to music.
Online chat is convenient, but the advantage of face-to-face communication is that you can see exactly what other people are doing.
If they are really good friends, you should feel blessed to give them your full attention without worrying about what’s going on in that other window or program.Why does the author feel annoyed when he receives a link to a video from a friend of his?
| A．Because his friend wants to distract him from his work. |
| B．Because he cannot concentrate on his work. |
| C．Because the video is too boring. |
| D．Because the video has something to do with his work. |
What will the author do to respond to his friend’s request for watching the video?
| A．He will do as his friend asks. \ |
| B．He will put it off or tell a white lie. |
| C．He will ignore his friend’s disappointment. |
| D．He will delete the link of the video. |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 mean?
| A．There is an embarrassing pause or silence. |
| B．The author has broken the ice. |
| C．His friend intends to end their friendship. |
| D．They need a good rest after the conversation. |
Compared with online chat, face-to-face communication allows people _______.
| A．to communicate with each other more conveniently |
| B．to watch a video of a monkey dancing to music |
| C．to better understand what other people are working on |
| D．to hide something secret from other people |
Which of the following statements does the author probably agree with?
| A．Share an interesting video with your friend whether he/she is busy or not. |
| B．Neglect the links sent by your friend while working. |
| C．New technologies always bring us pressure rather than convenience. |
| D．It is a dilemma whether to disappoint your friend or stop working. |
I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. Some of you are probably wishing it were still summer and you could have stayed in bed just a little bit longer this morning. But I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.
Every single one of you has something that you’re good at. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide. Maybe you could be a great writer, but you might not know it until you write that English paper that’s assigned to you. Maybe you could be an inventor, but you might not know it until you do your project for your science class.
I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork. But the circumstances of your life---what you look like, where you come form, how much money you have---none of these is an excuses for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school.
I know that sometimes you get that sense form TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work---that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star. Chances are you’re not going to be any of those things.
The truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t lose every subject that you study. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right at this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed in everything the first time you try. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who have had the most failure. J. K. Rowling’s first Harry potter book was rejected 12 times before it was finally published.
So I expect all of you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do.This passage is a speech of _________.
| A．graduation ceremony | B．back-to-school day |
| C．campaign | D．educational reform |
The second paragraph mainly talks about the role that education plays in ____.
| A．getting high scores | B．passing the tests |
| C．discovering one’s own talents | D．getting on well with others |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．All people can become famous overnight. |
| B．You will be a great writer as long as you write English papers. |
| C．Whatever the circumstances, you should focus on study. |
| D．Every homework assignment is related to your life at this moment. |
The author uses the example of J. K. Rowling to show that ________.
| A．sometimes failures are unavoidable on the way to success |
| B．she is good at writing science fiction |
| C．Harry Potter is the best seller in the world |
| D．the publication of Harry Potter went smoothly |
What is the purpose of the author in writing this passage?
| A．To tell students to be successful is hard. |
| B．To inspire students to have a proper attitude to education. |
| C．To ask students to do their projects for science class. |
| D．To encourage students to become a reality TV star. |