阅读下面的短文并用英语回答
[1] Nowadays the cost of a new car has fallen in real terms so that it is cheaper than ever to own one, and better road conditions have also attracted more drivers. The result is overcrowding on the road system, which is one of the problems the local governments are faced with.
[2] When people travel to other towns, the problem might be relieved by getting them to park outside the town. Buses could be provided to take them into the centre. These Park and Ride projects are increasingly popular in the UK. At Southerton, for example, a council-funded project led to a 15% drop in city centre traffic over five months.
[3] What the council found, though, was that the project proved somewhat unpopular with shop owners in the area outside the centre. Many of their shops relied on passing car drivers for some of their trade. As the number of people driving past dropped, so did their incomes.
[4] Making car driving expensive is another way of ____________. Road taxes tend to mean that people use their cars less. Fining drivers who are in areas where cars have been banned can also tend to encourage them to leave their cars behind.
[5] However, one thing has to be got right for any solution to succeed. If we expect people to give up the habit of driving, we must give them an alternative they can rely on. Constant delays, unannounced changes to the timetable and sudden cancellations all discourage people from using public transport. People will only see it as a real choice if the buses and trains are on time.
What causes overcrowding on the road system according to Paragraph 1? (no more than 12 words)
What should people do when traveling to other towns according to the Park and Ride projects? (no more than 10 words)
Why were some shop owners unhappy about the project? (no more than 10 words)
Fill in the blank in Paragraph 4. ( no more than 8 words)
Why are people unwilling to use public transport according to Paragraph 5? (no more than 8 words)
In the presence of animals
A professor of public health at UCLA says that pet ownership might provide a new form of health care. As far back as the 1790s, the elderly at a senior citizens' home in England (1)
(encourage) to spend time with farm animals. This would help patients' mental state more than the cruel therapies(2) (use) on the mentally ill at the time. In recent years, scientists have finally begun to find proof(3) contact with animals can increase a sick person's chance of survival and have shown (4) (lower) heart rate, calm upset children, and get people to start a conversation.
Scientists think that animals' companionship is beneficial (5) animals are accepting and attentive, and they don't criticize or give orders. Animals have the unique ability to be more social. For example, visitors to nursing homes get more social responses from patients when they come with animal companions.
Not only do people seem (6) (anxious) when animals are nearby, but they may also live longer. Studies show that a year (7) heart surgery, survival rates for heart patients were higher for those with pets in their homes than those without pets. Elderly people with pets make fewer trips to doctors than those without animal companions, possibly because animals relieve loneliness. Staying with animals is believed to create a peaceful state of mind,(8) (result) in a favorable environment for everyone.
Research confirms that the findings concerning senior citizens can be applied to restless children. They are more easy﹣going when there are animals around, with (9) company they tend to calm down more easily. They involve (10) in playing with animals and the presence of animals conforms them greatly.
I'm not sure(1) is more frightened, me or the female gorilla(大猩猩)that suddenly appears out of nowhere. I' m walking on a path in the forest in the Central African Republic. Unexpectedly, I'm face﹣to﹣face with the gorilla, who begins screaming at(2) top of her lungs. That makes her baby scream, and then a 400﹣pound male appears.He screams the (3) (loud )of all. The noise shakes the trees as the male beats his chest and charges toward me. I quickly lower myself, ducking my head to avoid (4) (look)directly into his eyes so he doesn't feel (5) (challenge).
My name is Mireya Mayor. I'm a (6) (science)who studies animals such as apes and monkeys. I was searching(7) these three western lowland gorillas I'd been observing. No one had seen them for hours, and my colleagues and I were worried.
When the gorillas and I frightened each other, I was just glad to find (8) (they)alive.True to gorilla′s unaggressive nature, the huge animal(9) (mean)no real harm.He was just saying: " I'm king of this forest, and here is your reminder! "Once his message was delivered, he allowed me (10) (stay)and watch.
Few people I know seem to have much desire or time to cook. Making Chinese(1) ( dish)
is seen as especially troublesome. Many westerners (2) come to China cook much less than in their own countries once they realize how cheap (3) can be to eat out. I still remember (4) (visit)a friend who'd lived here for five years and I (5) (shock) when I learnt she hadn't cooked once in all that time.
While regularly eating out seems to (6) (become)common for many young people in recent years, it's not without a cost. The obvious one is money; eating out once or twice a week may be(7) (afford)but doing this most days adds up. There could be an even(8) (high) cost on your health. Researchers have found that there is a direct link between the increase in food eaten outside the home and the rise in (9) (weigh)problems.
If you are not going to suffer this problem, then I suggest that the next time you go to your mums' home(10) dinner, get a few cooking tips from her. Cooking food can be fun. You might also begin to notice the effects not only on your health but in your pocket.
How Arts Promote Our Economy
When most people think of the arts, they imagine the end product, the beautiful painting, a wonderful piece of music, or an award﹣winning performance in the theater. But arts groups bring broader value to our communities. The economic impact of the arts is often overlooked and badly judged.
The arts create jobs that help develop the economy. Any given performance takes a tour bus full of artists, technical experts, managers, musicians, or writers to create an appealing piece of art. These people earn a living wage for their professional knowledge and skills.
Another group of folks is needed to help market the event. "If you build it they will come" is a misleading belief. Painters, digital media experts, photographers, booking agents and promoters are hired to sell tickets and promote the event. According to the Dallas Area Cultural Advocacy Coalition, arts agencies employ more than 10,000 people as full﹣or part﹣time employees or independent contractors.
A successful arts neighborhoods creates a ripple effect(连锁反应)throughout a community. In 2005, when the Bishop Arts Theatre was donated to our town, the location was considered a poor area of town. After investing more than﹩1 million in reconstructing the building, we began producing a full season of theater performances, jazz concerts, and year﹣round arts education programs in 2008. Nearly 40 percent of jazz lovers live outside of the Dallas city limits and drive or fly in to enjoy an evening in the Bishop Arts District.
No doubt the theater has contributed to the area's development and economic growth. Today, there are galleries, studios, restaurants and newly built work spaces where neighbors share experiences, where there is renewed life and energy. In this way, arts and culture also serve as a public good.
Teco Theatrical Productions Inc. made use of Bloomberg's investment of﹩35,000 to get nearly﹩400,000 in public and private sector support during the two﹣year period. Further, Dallas arts and arts﹣based businesses produce﹩298 for every dollar the city spends on arts programming and facilities. In Philadelphia, a metro area smaller than Dallas, the arts have an economic impact of almost﹩3 million and support 44,000 jobs, 80 percent of which actually lie outside the arts industry, including accountants, marketers, construction workers, hotel managers, printers, and other kinds of art workers.
The arts are efficient economic drivers and when they are supported, the entire small﹣business community benefits.
It is wrong to assume arts groups cannot make a profit. But in order to stay in business, arts groups must produce returns. If you are a student studying the arts, chances are you have been ill﹣advised to have a plan B. But those who truly understand the economic impact and can work to change the patterns can create a wide range of career possibilities.
Arts as an economic driver |
Our communities (1) from arts in terms of economy. |
(2) of arts' promoting our economy |
Arts activity demands a(n) (3) effort. It involves creation, performance, and (4) . ◆Artists make a living through their creative work. ◆Others get paid by marketing the event. |
Arts have a gradually spreading (5) . They could help promote other industries whether they lie inside or outside arts. ◆Besides tickets, some jazz lovers will pay their (6) to and from the events. ◆Arts contribute to cultural development when people gather together to share their experience and renew their energy. |
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Investment in arts could produce potential (7) economic results. ◆TeCo used a ﹩35,000 art investment to attract an overall support of ﹩400,000. ◆In Dallas, one dollar invested in arts could harvest and extraordinary return of nearly﹩300. ◆In Philadelphia the arts have created about 35,000 job opportunities for workers (8) arts industry. |
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Art students making a good living |
With these (9) in mind, art students need not worry about their career and have a(n) (10) plan. |
Read the following passage. Fill in each blank with a proper sentence given in the box. Each sentence can be used only once. Note that there are two more sentences than you need.
A. It means that different team is accessible to you. B. Belonging to your favorite team stimulates your confidence. C. That identity is first and foremost. D. The more we follow a team, the deeper the bond becomes. E. In that sense, your favorite team can serve the same purpose as church and family: Fostering a sense of belonging. F. This refers to the inclination by fans to distance themselves from their team after a defeat. |
"Our research has shown that the No. 1 reason people become fans is that it's your connection to your first community," said Adam Earnhardt, chairman of the communications department at Youngstown State University and co﹣author of "Sports Fans, Identity and Socialization: Exploring the Fandemonium." "I don't care if a Seattle fan moves to China, he or she carries with them their love for the sports teams," he said. "(1) "
(2) . And when a team begins to catch fire, as with, say, the Mariners in '95 or the Seahawks of recent vintage, well, it's easy to get swept up in the wave.
"It's phenomenal," said Simons. "We have this ability to understand other people so remarkably that their victories literally become ours. Our testosterone(睾酮) literally responds to their victory. (3) They're us, and competing on a literal level as us a little extension of us."
Professor Robert Cialdini at Arizona State University came up with the term BIRG Basking In Reflected Glory to describe the intense pride fans feel when their teams succeed. It can be used as a verb, as in, "Seahawks fans are currently BIRGING up a storm." The counterpoint, as coined by researchers C.R. Snyder, Mary Anne Lassergard and Carol E, Ford, is the concept of CORFing Cutting Off Reflected Failure. (4) . We've all heard it in action: We won, but they lost.
This leads into another concept, that of cognitive bias, also known as confirmation bias, which causes fans to help explain away defeats by blaming outside factors, such as referees. I'm sure it would also help explain why Seahawks fans rallied around Richard Sherman after his postgame interview, rationalizing behavior that was widely criticized by many fans with no vested interest. It could also explain the notion of "eustress", invented by endocrinologist Hans Selye to refer to a combination of euphoria (极度愉快的心情) and stress, such as that resulting from watching tense sporting events. Indeed, it's much of the appeal.