Many of us enjoy doing it: you turn on the camera on your mobile phone and hold it at a high angle, making your eyes look bigger and your cheekbones more defined. You turn to your best side and click. There it is — your selfie.
Over the past year, “selfie” has become a well-known term across the globe. This August the Oxford dictionary added the word to their online dictionary and defined it as: “A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam and up-loaded to a social media website.”
Today it’s not difficult to find social networking pages full of photos people have taken of themselves and their friends. And selfie culture has become especially relevant for young people. As many as 91 percent of teenagers have posted photos of themselves online, according to a recent survey by the US Pew Research Center.
So what are the reasons for the rise of selfie culture?
“The cult (狂热) of the selfie celebrates regular people,” Pamela Rutledge, a professor at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, told Vogue magazine. “There are many more photographs available now of real people than models.”
Posting selfies also allows you to control your image online. “I like having the power to choose how I look, even if I’m making a funny face,” Samantha Barks, 19, a high school student in the US, told Vogue.
In addition to self-expression and documentation, selfies “allow of a close friendship for long-distance friends, because you can see each other’s faces every day”, wrote Casey Miller at The Huffmgton Post.
But US psychologist Jill Weber is concerned that selfies might lead to social problems, “There’s a danger that your self-esteem may start to be tied to the comments and ‘likes’ you get when you post a selfie, and they aren’t based on who you are — they’re based on what you look like,” Weber told Vogue. “When you get nothing or a negative response, your confidence can plummet.” With the first paragraph, the author intends to .
| A．tell us the fun of taking a selfie |
| B．describe what a selfie is |
| C．introduce where the selfie came from |
| D．inform readers that the selfie is popular among teenagers |
Why is selfie culture so popular according to the article?
a. It enables people to choose how they look.
b. It helps people improve their self-esteem.
c. It’s a chance for ordinary people to show off themselves.
d. It is believed to be a helpful way to develop a new friendship.
e. It is considered a good way to stay connected with friends that are far away.
| A．a, c, e | B．b, c, d | C．a, b, c | D．b, d, e |
What is Jill Weber’s attitude toward selfies?
| A．She thinks they are a good form of self-expression and documentation. |
| B．She believes the disadvantages of selfies outweigh the advantages. |
| C．She is worried that people’s self-esteem might be affected by how others react to their selfies. |
| D．She thinks that selfies can help people learn about their friends based on who they really are. |
The underlined word “plummet” in the last paragraph probably means .
| A．rapidly develop | B．greatly exaggerate |
| C．become dangerous | D．quickly fall |
Wildlife faces threats ( 威胁 ) from habitat destruction, pollution, and other human actions. Although protecting wildlife may seem too hard at times, even small actions in your own neighbourhood can help protect many different animals. Here are some tips on how to protect wildlife through small actions.
1.Create wildlife friendly areas in your backyard.
When trying to make your garden more beautiful , you can choose plants that can provide food and shelter to native wildlife . This will also help cut down on pollution . Add bird or bat houses to your yard or garden to attract and shelter these species.
2. Avoid harming the natural ecosystem ( 生态系统 ) in your area.
Some plants from other places can kill or harm native plants that provide food and shelter for wildlife.
3. ________________________________________________.
By using less water and fewer fuels, you will be helping to protect the wildlife around you . Take buses or the subway when you can, turn off electric devices when you’re not using them , take shorter shower, and keep your room temperature at or below 68 degrees during the winter.
4. Buy products that are wildlife friendly
Don’t buy products that are made from endangered animals. Keep in mind that some endangered animals are killed by traps , catches or hunters who are after other wildlife within the same habitat.
5. Donate money or time to organizations that protect wildlife and their habitats.
You can give money to organization or groups that protect wildlife species in your neighbourhood.We infer that the purpose of this passage is to ________.
| A．tell us why protecting wildlife is extremely important now |
| B．suggest that we protect wildlife through actions |
| C．explain why protecting wildlife is not as hard as people think. |
| D．give us some tips on how to protect wildlife through small actions |
Which of the following threats to wildlife is NOT mentioned in the passage ?
| A．Animal diseases | B．Loss of habitat | C．Pollution | D．Hunters |
What’s the best title for the third point ?
| A．Have a greener lifestyle. | B．Use less water and fewer fuels. |
| C．Take a bus when you go out . | D．Try a new kind of life. |
The writer suggests that we _________.
| A．not buy products made from animals |
| B．share cars with others when we go out |
| C．grow as many kinds of plants in our gardens as possible |
| D．provide shelters for birds and bats in our gardens or yards |
It was the end of the school term and my son Tom had less than three months left before he would finish his six years at high school. During this time he had developed a love for basketball. Sadly, because of my work over the last twelve months, I had only been able to attend a few of his games; however, I was determined to get to his last game for the school term.
Tom’s team came out in the first 10 minutes with a burst of goals that saw them leading by just over 20 points at the end of the first half. The second half changed as the other team quickly played themselves back into the game. Tom’s team started to miss an increasing number of shots. It was at that point that the coach called his first time out.
The noise of the spectators (观众) became quiet as the coach spoke to them. He had the team standing in a half circle, but he squatted (蹲) down, looking up at them and fiving some very calm and clear instructions on what they needed to do in the last couple of minutes. As he stood up to allow the team to return to the court, I saw him give some further words of encouragement to all of them.
You could see that he knew that the team was fighting to save the game and that he needed to lift them up. By squatting down he placed himself in a position where he was talking up to them, rather than down or at them, and as the players went back onto the court his words of encouragement served to lift their energy and spirits.
Well, Tom’s team went on to win the final by 5 points. As I drove away I thought about what can happen to us all in our everyday life. One of my favourite quotes is about the half filled glass of water --- “Is it half full or is it half empty?” Like the coach, the answer to this quote all depends on how you look at things.Why did the writer come to see his son play basketball?
| A．Because his son would graduate from high school. |
| B．Because he felt sorry for never watching his son play. |
| C．Because it was a final his son played a key role in. |
| D．Because he had a strong interest in basketball himself. |
By squatting down, the coach wanted to _____ .
| A．talk about what the players were doing wrong |
| B．make the players feel better |
| C．prevent spectators from hearing what he said |
| D．show his anger at the bad performance of the players |
What is the writer’s attitude towards the coach?
| A．Negative. | B．Supportive. | C．Interested. | D．Unconcerned. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．A father should care about his son at school. |
| B．Playing hard is rewarded with a close match. |
| C．What a coach says has the most influence on players. |
| D．Looking at things positively is important in hard times. |
As people in Beijing and northern China struggle with severe air pollution this winter,the toxic(有毒的)air is also making life hard for plants and even food crops of China．
"in the last 50 years there has been a 1 6-fold increase in ozone(臭氧)pollution”in the Beijing area，said Hanqin Tian of Auburn University in Alabama,who studies the effects of China's pollution and climate change on plants．
Ozone is particularly harmful to plants because it damages the pores(气孔) on leaves，called stomata,which plants use to regulate how much water evaporates from the leaves．That，in turn，affectS how much water a plant must take up through its roots．Changes in water uptake by plants have been documented in other parts of the world，including the United States，as having major impacts on regional groundwater and surface water supplies．
In studies of the long-term productivity of plants，Hanqin Tian and some of his colleagues show that ozone pollution,along with climate change，has been lowering plant productivity in China,which reduces the amount of carbon and other pollutants that the plants Can absorb to fight all the emissions from the burning offossil fuels．
The worst effects on plants are likely to be in areas where the growing pollution problem is just fairly new, said Arthur Chappelka, also a plant researcher at Auburn University．Some plants are more resistant to pollutants than others，he said，and the plants that are living today in long-polluted urban areas are likely to be only those that are very pollution tolerant．
Away from the cities, however, where crops are necded to feed China’s yast population, the effeets of the growing pollution on crops is a significant concern.
“In some ways it affects the crop production and food securiy of China,”said Hanqin Tian.“Air quality is really important for human health, plants and ecosystem and sustainability.”
The problem is bound to get worse as China continues to develop economically, he said, and so he and other researchers continue to urge the Chinese government to take action to reduce emissions from cars and industries.ozone does harm to plants mainly by ________.
| A．exposing them to strong sunlight |
| B．damaging the structure of their leaves |
| C．adding more pores to the roots |
| D．making the land unfit for the plants to grow |
Which of the following statement does Hanqin Tian support?
| A．Ozone pollution has increased 1 6 times in the past 30 years． |
| B．Ozone pollution has lowered plant productivity alone． |
| C．Plants can take in a large amount of carbon and other pollutants． |
| D．The toxic air has few effects on food supply in China． |
What Can we infer from the passage?
| A．Healthy foods are not available in Beijing． |
| B．Some kinds of plants aren’t affected by air pollution． |
| C．Crops in China are hard to feed its large population． |
| D．People should stop developing economically |
According to the passage，the Chinese govemment should
| A．care more about developing economy |
| B．reduce the number of cars and industries |
| C．continue to make more researches |
| D．take measures to reduce carbon emissions |
What′S the best title of the passage?
| A．Polluted air damages plants and crops |
| B．Air pollution is becoming more serious |
| C．China’s air pollution and climate changes |
| D．Food security in China |
What if I took that big jump on my bike?What’s the worst thing that could happen if I go out at midnight?Should try smoking?The teen years can play out like a choose-your-own-adventure novel.
Teenagers must act on an endless parade of choices.Some choices.including smoking.Come with serious consequences.As a result, adolescents often find themselves trapped between their impulsive tendencies（-Just try it!)and their newfound ability to make well-informed and logical choices（-Wait, maybe that’s not such a good idea!）.
So what makes the teenager’s brain so complex? What drives adolescents-more than any other age group-to sometimes make rash or questionable decisions?
If you have ever thought that the choices teenagers make are all about exploring and pushing limits, you are on to something. Experts Experts believe that this tendency marks a necessary period in teen development.The process helps prepare teenagers to confront the world on their own. It is something all humans have evolved to experience-yes, teens everywhere go through this exploratory period.Nor is it unique to people:Even laboratory mice experience a similar stage during their development.
For example，laboratory experiments show that young mice stay close by their mothers for safety. As mice grow．their behavior does too．“When they reach puberty，they’re like，‘I’m gonna start checking out how this environment looks without my mom，…explains Beatriz Luna,of the University of Pittsburgh．
As a developmental cognitive neuroscientist，Luna studies those changes that occur in the brain as children develop into adults．She and other researchers are showing how the teen experience can lead to powerful advantages later in life．Take mice again：Young mice that explore most tend to live longest——that is，unless a cat eats them，Luna adds．What is the best title for the text?
| A．Teenagers make endless choices |
| B．The teenage brain drives them to be different |
| C．How the teenage brain develops |
| D．Researches about the teenagers |
What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 4 mean?
| A．It means “you are wrong”. |
| B．It means“you lose your way”． |
| C．It means“you get the point”． |
| D．It means“you are off the point”. |
According to the text,the teenager who explores most wiIl
| A．make no mistakes in his life． |
| B．have advantages over others. |
| C．loSe his confidence even his life. |
| D．experience no failure and live Iongest. |
What does the writer want to tell us by taking mice for example？
| A．young mice try to look for safety. |
| B．Young mice like to stay with their mothers. |
| C．Mice also experience a period to explore the world. |
| D．Mice experience different stages. |
What may the text discuss in the next part?
| A．How call a teenager make right choices |
| B．Why the parents shouldn’t allow teenagers to smoke |
| C．What has been discovered in the lab experiment． |
| D．What really goes on in the teenage brain. |
If you haven’t seen or heard anything about Road Rage in the last few months, you’ve probably been avoiding the media. There have been countless stories about this new and scary phenomenon, considered a type of aggressive driving. You have most likely encountered aggressive dnriving or Road Rage recently if you drive at all.
While drunk driving remains a critical problem，the facts about aggressive driving are surely as disturbing. For instance，according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Association, 41，907 people died on the highway last year．of those deaths,the agency estimates that about two-thirds were caused at least in part by aggressive driving behavior．
Why is this phenomenon occurring more than ever now and why is it something that seemed almost nonexistent a few short years ago?Experts have certain theories，and all are probably partially correct．One suggestion is over crowding．In the last decade，the number of the cars on the roads has increased by more than 11 percent，and the number of miles driven has increased by 35 percent．However,the number of new road miles has only increased by 1 percent．That means more cars in the same amount of space；and the problem is even serious in urban areas．Also，people have less time and more things to do．With people working and trying to fit extra chores and activities into the day，street levels have never been higher．Stress creates anxiety,which leads to short tempers．These factors，when combined in certain situations，Can induce Road Rage.
You may think you are the last person who would drive aggressively，but you might be surprised．For instance, have you ever yelled out loud at a slower driver,sounded the horn long and hard at another car, or sped up to keep another driver from passing?If you recognize yourself in any of these situations，watch out!
Whether you are getting angry at other drivers，or another driver is visibly upset with you，there are things you can do to avoid any major conflict.If you are easily influenced to Road Rage，the key is to discharge your emotion in a healthy way.If You are the target of another driver’s rage，do everything possible to get away from me other drive safely，including avoiding eye contact and getting out of their way． www.sdzxlm.comWhat can we learn from the first paragraph?
| A．Most people are angry at media reports and want to avoid them |
| B．Most drivers have bad manners |
| C．Road Rage has received much media attention in the past few months |
| D．People showing no interest in the media know little about recent happenings |
According to the passage，what are the causes of overcrowding?
| A．Stress，anxiety and short tempers． |
| B．People working together in a big city． |
| C．More cars stopping in the same amount of space |
| D．Quickly increasing cars and slowly increasing new road miles |
The underlined“induce”in Paragraph3 Call be replaced by“
| A．relax | B．cause | C．reduce | D．destroy |
Which of the following is“aggressive driving”?
| A．Phoning while driving． |
| B．Driving at a low speed． |
| C．Shouting loud at another driver． |
| D．Sounding the horn when driving． |
What does the writer want to tell US by writing the last paragraph?
A．Flow to control our anger
B．How to deal with Road Rage．
C，How to recognize aggressive drivers．
D．How to avoid eye contact with other drivers．