MidIBataglanceThesummervacatio-优题课

Boys’schools are the perfect place to teach young men to express their emotions and involve them in activities such as art, dance and music．
Far from the traditional image of a culture of aggressive masculinity(男子气概)，the absence of girls gives boys the chance to develop without pressure to be consistent to a stereotype(传统观念),a US study says．
Boys at single-sex schools were said to be more likely to get involved in cultural and artistic activities that helped develop their abilities to express their emotions,rather than feeling they had to obey the “boy code” of hiding their emotions to be a “real man”.
The findings of the study are against the received wisdom that boys do better when taught alongside girls．
Tony Little，headmaster of Eton，warned that boys were being ignored by the British education system because it had become too focused on girls．He criticized teachers for failing to recognize that boys are actually more emotional than girls．
The research argued that boys often perform badly in mixed schools because they become discouraged when their female peers do better earlier in speaking and reading skills．
But in single-sex schools teachers can adjust lessons to boys’ learning style，letting them move around the classroom and getting them to compete in teams to prevent boredom, wrote the study’s author, Abigail James of the University of Virginia．
Teachers could encourage boys to enjoy reading and writing with “boy-focused” approaches such as themes and characters that appeal to them．Because boys generally have sharper vision，learn best through touch, and are physically more active, they need to be given “hands-on” lessons where they are allowed to walk around.” Boys in mixed schools view classical music as feminine(女性的)and prefer the modern type in which violence and sexism are major themes.” James wrote.
Single-sex education also made it less likely that boys would feel they had to give in to a stereotype that men should be “masterful and in charge” in relationships.“In mixed schools boys feel pressed to act like men before they understand themselves well enough to know what that means.” the study reported.
The author believes that a single-sex school would ．

A．force boys to hide their emotions to be “real men”

B．help to form masculine aggressiveness in boys

C．encourage boys to express their emotions more freely

D．naturally place emphasis on the traditional image of a man to boys

It is commonly believed that in a mixed school boys ．

A．perform relatively better

B．grow up more healthily

C．behave more responsibly

D．receive a better education

What does Tony Little say about the British education system?

A．It fails more boys than girls academically．

B．It focuses more on mixed school education．

C．It fails to give boys the attention they need．

D．It places more pressure on boys than on girls．

According to Abigail James，one of the advantages of single-sex schools is ．

A．teaching can be designed to promote boys’ team spirit

B．boys can focus on their lessons without being absent-minded

C．boys can choose to learn whatever they are interested in

D．teaching can be adapted to suit the characteristics of boys

Our body clock, or natural body rhythm, influences our energy and alertness. Paying attention to it can help us choose the suitable time of the day when we best perform specific tasks.
The reality, however, is that most of us organize the time around work demands, school deadlines, commuting or social events. Doing whatever the body feels like doing is a luxury in today’s fast-paced modern society.
But that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth trying. Obeying our body clock has significant health benefits. Disrupting our natural body rhythm, on the other hand, has been linked to problems such as depression, obesity, or headache, says Steve Key, a biology professor.
When the body clock can synchronize (使…同步) the rhythms of its natural processes, it “gives us an advantage in daily life”, says Key.
According to him, when it comes to cognitive (认知的) work, most adults perform best in the late morning. As our body temperature starts to rise just before awakening in the morning and continues to increase until midday, our memory, alertness and concentration gradually improve.
However, he adds, our ability to concentrate typically starts to decrease soon thereafter. Most of us are more easily distracted (分心) between noon and 4 pm.
Alertness also tends to fall after eating a meal and sleepiness tends to peak around 2 pm, making that a good time for a nap.
Surprisingly, tiredness may increase our creative powers. For most adults, problems that require open-ended thinking are often best dealt with in the evening when they are tired, according to a study in the journal Thinking & Reasoning.
When choosing a time of the day to exercise, paying attention to your body clock can improve results. Physical performance is usually best from about 3 to 6 pm, says Michael Smolensky, a professor of biomedical engineering.
Of course, not everyone’s body clock is the same, making it even harder to synchronize natural rhythms with daily plans.
If we know our natural body rhythm well, we can ______.

A．find out the suitable time to do specific tasks

B．organize our time around work demands

C．do whatever our body feels like doing

D．be sure to be healthy

Which of the following is NOT true?

A．Our alertness is influenced by our natural body rhythm.

B．Doing whatever your body feels like is very difficult in our modern society.

C．Obeying our body clock is good for our health.

D．Disrupting our natural body rhythm can lead to obesity.

Inspiration to solve a difficult problem will most probably come to us______.

A．when we get up in the morning

B．when we are tired in the evening

C．when we are full of energy in the late morning

D．when we are asleep at night

Which of the following can be the suitable title for the passage?

A．What is natural body rhythm?

B．Natural body rhythm is good for us.

C．natural body rhythm and health

D．The latest research about natural body rhythm.

FOREIGN TEACHERS ARE NEEDED ALL OVER CHINA
Ad No．90374
Posted July 12, 2015 by Amanda
Expire Date August 12, 2015
Tag：Beijing Language Teaching Part Time
We are looking for Teachers, whose Native Language is English, willing to teach in China. Mostly schools are in South of China.
The Benefit package for ESL Teachers includes：
One-year Contract：1st September 2015 to 1st August 2016
Salary 4,000 RMB to 5,000 RMB/Month
Teaching load & schedule：20 teaching hours per week
A rent-free, fully furnished apartment with a living room, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom
Kitchen facilities provided, other electric appliances will be supplied, water, heater, microwave etc.
If you are interested, please read the information above and kindly send your application to attach the following documents (in doc or JPEG format)．The subject to be mentioned, as “teach in China”
1).CV/Resume（简历）
2).A copy of academic degree/diploma/certificate/or college transcript
3).A photocopy of the data page of valid passport
4).A recent color photo
5).A letter of recommendation or release letter from your previous Chinese school （Only if you worked in China previously）
6).Any other relevant information that you think might help your application
This advertisement is about_______.

A．introducing a school

B．seeking a teaching position

C．taking on English teachers

D．attracting foreign students

If you are employed, you will_______.

A．work full time

B．not have to pay the apartment rent

C．prepare furniture yourself

D．work four months for two years

Where can you mostly probably read the advertisement?

A．In a telephone book．	B．In a paper．
C．In a travel guide．	D．In a textbook

Recently, I learned firsthand why it’s a bad idea to judge people prematurely (过早地).
I’m a nursing supervisor, and my job is to evaluate workers’ performances at the hospital.
Kenny was a new employee. After weeks’ probation (试用), I had to admit that he was clean, punctual and efficient.
But he had this self-assured and energetic presence. He was a large man, both physically and socially — he was independent and strong. I worried that our hospital, which demanded teamwork, was not right for such a personality.
We had a patient named Mary. At 94 years old, Mary was weak. She had outlived her husband and sisters.
Mary had an obsessive (强迫性的) belief that someone had taken her purse. She searched for it all the time. Unless tied to her wheelchair, she would go through the door onto the street mindlessly searching and never giving up. She was often sitting in her wheelchair in the hallway, where she stopped everyone who came near.
“Can you lend me a comb?” she would ask. “I’ve lost mine. It was in my red purse. Where is my purse?”
Every day it was the same. We all knew Mary didn’t have a purse, but we would answer: “Sure, if I see your purse I’ll bring it back.”
One afternoon, I saw Kenny walking down the hall with a grocery bag. He walked toward Mary in her wheelchair. He pulled out a red purse.
Mary’s old hands flew up to her face in a gesture of wonder and joy, and then flew out hungrily like a starved child taking bread. Mary grabbed the red purse. She held it for a moment, and then pressed it to her breast, rocking it like a baby.
Kenny leaned over, unzipped the purse open and showed Mary a comb inside. Tears of joy poured down Mary’s face.
Instead of paying lip service like the rest of us, Kenny had made Mary’s problem his problem. I had been wrong about Kenny.
The author was worried that Kenny would not be fit for his job because ________.

A．he had no working experience in medicine

B．he had a strong, confident and independent character

C．his performance during the probation didn’t meet their standards

D．he was too stubborn and wouldn’t listen to others’ opinions

We can learn from the article that Mary ________.

A．didn’t get along well with her husband

B．pretended that she had lost her red purse

C．was very happy when given the purse

D．asked for help in order to be taken home

At the end of the story, the author felt ________ about her previous evaluation of Kenny.

A．encouraged

B．puzzled

C．satisfied

D．guilty

What kind of message does the author intend to convey?

A．Pay attention to what people do instead of what they say.

B．We should treat older people with patience and kindness.

C．Don’t come to a conclusion too quickly when you don’t know all the facts.

D．We can always find a teacher in another, even when we least expect it.

Amazon. com has received a patent(专利) right to send its products to customers by drone planes. The company is the largest US-based online seller of products by mail and other services. Now, the company has received a patent for its planned drone delivery system.
In March, federal officials allowed Amazon to test its drone delivery plan. But even with a patent and the ability of drones to make deliveries, it does not appear the company will put its new delivery system in place any time soon.
The US Patent Office published the document, which describes Amazon’s plans to use GPS to deliver products to homes and to wherever people are. The drone will use a customer’s mobile device --- usually a smartphone ---to avoid hitting people or buildings and to find a secure area to land. The company wants to deliver products within 30 minutes after people order them on its website.
However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is worried about the safety. Although it allowed Amazon to test the system, the agency said the operators must be able to see the planes. That greatly limits the delivery area.
Loretta Alkalay is a professor at the Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology in New York. Although Amazon is not yet offering drone delivery, Professor Alkalay says it will not be long before it does. She says there are worries that the drones will hit buildings or people, or that the products and drones will be stolen or damaged by people on purpose. But she says that is because many people believe the drones would only deliver the products to the front door of a house. “However, it is possible that homes will one day have special area on their roofs designed to receive product deliveries,” she adds.
What is special about the new delivery system?

A．It can deliver heavy products by plane.

B．It uses planes without human operators.

C．It can delivery many products at a time.

D．It is much safer than other delivery ways.

The underlined word “secure” in Paragraph 3 means “__________”.

A．safe

B．large

C．special

D．empty

After reading the passage, we can infer that FAA__________

A．doesn’t really like Amazon

B．totally support the drone delivery system

C．doesn’t think Amazon should get the patent

D．doubts about the drone delivery system