Sometimes ideas do not appear when you are concentrating your attention and mysteriously appear when you are not. Modern science recognizes this as a result of incubating (酝酿) the problem in your subconscious (潜意识) yet can't account for why it occurs.
When you quit thinking about a subject and decide to forget it, your subconscious mind doesn't quit working. Your thoughts keep making associations. This is why you're experienced suddenly remembering names, getting solutions to problems you've forgotten about, and ideas out of the blue when you're relaxing and not thinking about any particular thing.
You may try solving a problem with your subconscious mind by writing a letter to it. The letter should read just like a letter you would send to a real person. Seal the letter and put it away.
Let go of the problem. Don't work on it. Forget it. Do something else. This is the incubation stage when much of what goes on occurs outside your focused awareness, in your unconscious. Open the letter in two days. The answer might magically pop into your mind.
An advertising agency was under pressure to come up with a marketing campaign to introduce new television shows. Bob, the creative director, wrote the following letter which he addressed to his subconscious mind. He called his subconscious mind "Secret Expert".
Secret Expert,
I need to come up with a new marketing program to introduce a new season of TV shows. I'm interested in coming up with some kind of campaign that will capture the audience's attention more than one time. Is there something people need that we can advertise on? What kind of products, foods and services should we investigate? I need a fresh approach to advertising. Your mission is to give me a new idea on how to advertise TV shows.
Thanks, Bob
Bob mailed the letter to himself and when he read what he had written, he got his brainstorm, which was to advertise on "eggs". Somehow an association between "foods", "need", and "fresh" approach" inspired the thought of using "fresh eggs to advertise". He arranged to place laser imprints of the slogans for the TV shows on eggs —some thirty million.
The consumers look at a single egg at least a few times, when they buy the eggs at the store, when they transfer them to the refrigerator, and when they crack them open. It's unlike any other ad medium in the world, because you're looking at it while you're using it.You remember names when you're not thinking about them because your subconscious mind ____.
| A．is still working | B．is full of names |
| C．stops working | D．improves your memory |
Which of the following was included in Bob's letter to his subconscious mind?
| A．How the solution could be found. |
| B．When he would need its help. |
| C．What product could be advertised |
| D．What he wanted it to do |
During the incubation stage, your focused awareness _____.
| A．waits for an answer | B．controls your thoughts |
| C．doesn't work | D．helps your unconscious |
In what way did the ad on eggs help?
| A．It helped Bob to get a brainstorm |
| B．It made the TV shows known to people repeatedly. |
| C．It greatly increased the sales of eggs. |
| D．It made sure consumers could get fresh eggs. |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Difference between Subconscious and Awareness |
| B．A fresh Approach to Advertising |
| C．Communicating with Your Subconscious Mind |
| D．Solving problems with your Subconscious Mind |
When Jane put out the idea of homeschooling to her parents, the first reaction they gave was, “You are cutting the child off the world.’’ “Did the child really get cut off or did the child socialize better?”
The moment we hear of homeschooling, we think the child will have no opportunities to interact with peers. However, in my friend’s opinion, we forget that when attending a regular school, the child is not into socializing all the while. The child is restricted to so many other activities. Studies take a major role in a child’s life. The child hardly has the time to interact at school.
The child might be meeting and studying along with many peers; however, how many kids interact with all the kids in a class? But in homeschooling system, as my friend mentioned, the kid has all the time and can plan his day accordingly. During the day the child studies just like other school-going kids but with no burden of homework and project work, the child has so much free time in the evening as to effectively interact and play with peers. The quality time the child spends in education is really impressive.
Homeschooled kids have the opportunity to socialize more often as they have a lot of time in their hands. They can also make socializing a regular habit. Just as my friend said, her child goes to a neighboring park almost every day and has a set of friends who go there daily. Other children get back home to finish off homework and project work whereas her child who is already through with studies gets the opportunity to spend time with family members.
When I heard this, I really felt how lucky the child was. Definitely the child had a better opportunity to socialize when compared with my kid. However, I might not consider homeschooling for my kid, as I am so used to the conventional schooling system and feel regular schooling the safest bet.The author’s purpose in writing the passage is to_____________.
| A．express his views on homeschooling |
| B．explain what homeschooling is |
| C．share his ways of teaching his children |
| D．promote homeschooling |
What is the biggest advantage of homeschooled children?
| A．They will become braver. | B．They can be more popular. |
| C．They can socialize better. | D．They will know how to arrange time. |
What do we know about homeschooled children?
| A．They don’t interact with their peers often. |
| B．They have more spare time to play. |
| C．They are restricted to certain activities |
| D．They can’t gain enough knowledge. |
How does the passage mainly develop?
| A．By following the order of importance. |
| B．By following the order of time. |
| C．By making comparisons. |
| D．By presenting data. |
Disease, poverty, hate, love－Charles Dickens’ stories opened his readers eyes to the most important themes of his age. Two hundred years on, his stories still speak volumes across the world, proving that Dickens’ legacy（遗产）was far greater than just “great-literature”.
February 7 marks the 200th anniversary of the writer’s birthday. To mark this date, BBC writer Alex Hudson listed six things Dickens gave the modern world. Let’s take a look at two of them.
A White Christmas
Dickens is described as “the man who invented Christmas” － not the religious festival, but the cultural aspects that we associate with the festive season today.
In the early 19th century, Christmas was barely worth mentioning, according to critic and writer Leigh Hunt. The committee which ran the Conservative Party even held ordinary business meetings on Christmas Day－unthinkable in the West nowadays, when everyone but the most necessary workers takes at least three days off.
Many people believe that Dickens’ popular descriptions of the festive period became a blueprint for generations to come. In his classic novel, A Christmas Carol, he not only put forward the idea of snow at Christmas, but also painted a picture of glowing warmth－“home enjoyments, affections and hopes”.
In his biography of Dickens, Peter Ackroyd wrote: “Dickens can be said to have almost single-handedly created the modern idea of Christmas.”
“Dickens” poverty(贫穷)
Dickens was one of the first to take an honest look at the underclass and the poor of Victorian London.He helped popularize the term “red tape” to describe situations where people in power use needless amounts of bureaucracy(官僚作风) in a way that particularly hurts the weaker and poorer members of society.
“Dickensian” has now become a powerful word for describing an unacceptable level of poverty. In 2009, when the president of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers in the UK wanted to talk about poverty in some areas of Britain, she did not use words like “terrible” or “horrific”, but rather described it as “life mirroring the times of Dickens”.The article is mainly about____________
| A．a brief introduction to Charles Dickens |
| B．Charles Dickens’ influence on the world |
| C．the characters in Charles Dickens’ stories |
| D．Charles Dickens’ achievements in literature |
Why is Dickens called “the man who invented Christmas”?
| A．Because he created both religious and culture festival. |
| B．Because all his novels have something to do with Christmas. |
| C．Because one of his novels helped to shape Christmas celebrations. |
| D．Because he was the first man to have proposed celebrating Christmas. |
We can learn from the passage that______.
| A．Dickensian is widely used to describe the Christmas |
| B．Charles Dickens’ novels reflect the true life at his age |
| C．Every person can take three days off for Christmas |
| D．The theme of Charles Dickens’ stories is about poverty |
For centuries, the body’s blood has been linked closely with the emotions. People who show no human emotions or feelings, are said to be cold-blooded killer. For example, the police are searching for a cold-blooded killer. He seems to kill for no reason, and no emotion, as if taking someone’s life as nothing.
Cold can affect other parts of the body. The expression “get cold feet” has nothing to do with cold or your feet. The expression means being afraid to do something you have decided to do. For example, you agree to be president of an organization. But then you learn that all the other officers have resigned, and all the work of the organization will be your responsibility. You are likely to get cold feet about being president when you understand the situation.
The expression “give someone the cold shoulder” probably comes from the physical act of turning your back toward someone, instead of speaking to him face to face. You may give a cold shoulder to a friend who has not kept a promise he made to you. Or, to someone who has lied about you to others.
A cold fish is not a fish.It is a person.But it is a person who is unfriendly, unemotional and shows no love or warmth. A cold fish does not offer much of himself to anyone.Someone who is a cold fish could be cold-hearted. Now a cold-hearted person is someone who has no sympathy.Several popular songs in recent years were about cold-hearted men or cold-hearted women who, without feelings, broke the hearts of their lovers.
Out in the cold means not getting something that everybody else got.A person might say that everybody but him got a pay raise---he was left out in the cold.And it is not a pleasant place to be.When you refuse to speak to a man and treat him in a distant way, you may express by “____”.
| A．I think he is a cold fish |
| B．I give him the cold shoulder |
| C．I think he is a cold-blooded man |
| D．I’m likely to get cold feet |
If Sue shows absolutely no reaction to those awful pictures of starving children in Africa, you will say _________.
| A．she is a cold fish | B．she is out in the cold |
| C．she is a cold-blooded killer | D．she gets cold feet |
We can use the expression “__________” to describe a man who abandons or hurts his lover without mercy.
| A．cold feet | B．cold shoulder |
| C．cold-hearted | D．cold-blooded |
The topic of this passage is about _________.
| A．some expressions about friendship |
| B．how cold weather comes into being |
| C．some expressions connected with cold |
| D．the relationship between cold and our body |
◇Share flats happy valley big flat, 1 room ready for use immediately. quiet and convenient, fully furnished, park view. $6, 800 including bills with maid. female nonsmoker. no pet. sara 25720836 or 10077809.
◇ moving sale 2 armchairs, red/brown at $400 each; coffee table, black, wood, $800; oil painting, big, $900; tianjin carpet, green 3×7, $600; double bed, $500; mirror, big, square, $500; fridge, big, double-door, $1000; old pictures, $140, up, each; plants, big and small. tel: weekend, 2521-6011/weekday, 2524-5867.
◇ part-time laboratory assistant wanted required by busy electronics(电子) company to help with development of computer. should have an electronics degree and some practical experience of working in an electronics laboratory. hours 9:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. mon.-fri. fourteen days paid leave. salary ￥6598-￥10230 dependent on experience. letter of application to: mrs. g chan, nova electronics, 45 gordon rd, hung hom kowloon.The one who put on the first ad probably wants to _______.
| A．rent(租) a beautiful flat of her own in happy valley |
| B．find another lady to share the cost to rent a flat |
| C．share her room in a flat with whoever has no pet |
| D．take on a maid to look after herself and the flat |
According to the ads, you may _______.
| A．call at 2521-6011 and see a beautiful park |
| B．buy an old picture for $150 |
| C．buy two armchairs for $ 400 |
| D．hire a maid by paying $6 800 |
If you want to buy some old furniture, you may_______.
| A．get in touch with nova electronics |
| B．call at 2524-5867 any day except Monday |
| C．do it before you move to another place |
| D．call at either 2524-5867 on Monday or 2521-6011 on Saturday |
Once you can get a part-time job in nova electronics, _______.
| A．you have to work at least 4 hours a day |
| B．you should write a letter to mrs. g chan |
| C．you will get no more than $6 598 each money |
| D．you will be given 14 days off each year besides weekends |
DALLAS – A suburban Dallas woman accused of killing her two young children told a 911 operator that she first tried to poison them because they were autistic(自闭症) and she wanted "normal kids," then choked(窒息) them with a wire until they stopped moving, according to the recorded call.
Irving police on Wednesday released recordings of the 911 call after Saiqa Akhter was charged with capital murder in the death of her 5-year-old son, Zain Akhter and her 2-year-old daughter, Faryaal Akhter. Police said the children were attacked at the family's apartment Monday night.
In the recording released Wednesday, the woman identified herself as Saiqa Akhter and repeatedly told the operator she killed her two children. At one point, the woman hung up and the dispatcher(调度员) called her back.
"I killed both of them. I told you," she told the operator. Later, she explained that both children were lying motionless on the bed in the master bedroom.
"They are not doing anything. They are just blue and they are not taking any breaths and ... their heart is not beating," she said.
She told the operator she initially tried to poison the children with bathroom cleaner but they refused to drink it. When that didn't work, "I used a wire on their necks," she said.
When the operator asked the woman why she attacked her children, she said, "They're both not normal, not normal. They're autistic. Both are autistic." Pressed further, she said, "I don't want my children to be like that. ... I want normal kids."
Later, the dispatcher asked the woman what she was feeling. "Nothing," she responded.
At one point, water could be heard running in the background and the dispatcher asked what the woman what she was doing. She told the operator she was trying to wash the smell of cleaner off of her hands. The dispatcher then told the woman to go sit on a couch in the living room and wait for police.
At the end of the recording, police can be heard arriving at the home.The woman killed her two young children by____.
| A．poisoning them |
| B．choking them |
| C．first poisoning and then choking them |
| D．striking them with bathroom cleaner |
According to this passage, the killing happened_____.
| A．on Wednesday | B．on Monday night |
| C．on Monday morning | D．after the woman telephoned the 119 |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．The woman`s two children were autistic. |
| B．The woman did not take the killing seriously. |
| C．The woman hanged up immediately after she called 911. |
| D．The children did not drink the bathroom cleaner. |
What would be the best title for this text?
| A．A Dallas Mom Killing Her Two Children |
| B．A Woman Who Suffers From Autism |
| C．A Woman and Her Two Children |
| D．A Dallas Woman Murderer |