If you need to call your parents but your phone is not with you, can you remember their numbers?
To remember 11 numbers is not difficult. However, because of the smartphone, many of us are losing this ability, Record Japan reported.
What’s more, smartphones weaken our skills at giving directions as well as it’s common for most of them to check their phones.
According to a report by Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers, an American company, Chinese people spend on average 170 minutes on their smartphones daily.
For students, an addiction(沉溺) to smartphones does no good for studying. Research by Japan’s Education Ministry shows that children who spend more than four hours a day on their phones perform much worse in school tests than those who play with their phones for 30 minutes a day.
It’s true that the smartphone has made our lives easier. But many also think they spend too much time on it, and this is bad for their study or work. People are trying to change that.
A new app called Forest was introduced this month. It lets users plant a seed(种子) that grows into a tree over the next 30 minutes . During the half hour, users cannot use their phones, or the tree will die.
A restaurant in Los Angeles, US, gives people a 5 percent discount(折扣) if they don’t check their phones during a meal. Owner Mark Gold said that he hoped it could give people a way to enjoy their meal and actually talk with friends and family in person.
| The _ |
| When we meet together, we will spend most of the time Chinese people spend on average The students who __ The app Forest aims to help people spend _ |
When you meet someone for the first time， you will get a general idea in your mind of that person in the first moment. Your feelings about other people， however， are really just show the way that you look at yourself. Your reactions to others say more about you than they do about others. You cannot really love or hate about yourself. We are usually drawn to those who are most like us and may dislike those who have the same characters as ourselves that we dislike.
Therefore， you can allow others to be the mirror to see more clearly your own feelings of self-worth. And， you can view the people you judge negatively (否定地) as mirrors to show you what you are not accepting about yourself.
To live peacefully with others， you will need to learn patience. A big challenge is to let your judgment of others be a lifelong research of yourself. Your task is to consider all the decisions and judgments you make onto others carefully and to begin to see whether you can use them to help yourself and become whole.
Several days ago I had a business lunch with a man who showed objectionable table manners. My first feeling was to judge him as rude. When I noticed that I was judging him， I stopped and asked myself what I was feeling. I discovered that I was nervous to be seen with someone who was eating with his mouth open and loudly blowing his nose. I was very surprised to find how much I cared about how the other people in the restaurant judged me.
Remember that your judgment of someone will not serve as some kind of protective thing against you becoming like him. Just because I judge my lunch partner as rude， it does not prevent me from ever looking or acting like him. In the same way， my patience to him would not cause me to suddenly begin eating my food with my mouth open.
When you get close to life in this manner， those with whom you hate very much as well as those whom you admire and love can be seen as mirrors， guiding you to discover parts of yourself that you dislike and to embrace your greatest characters you are proud of.In the writer’s opinion， when we judge others， we are really ______.
| A．treating them in a polite way |
| B．showing what we ourselves are |
| C．guiding ourselves to know them |
| D．telling them what they should do |
Why did the writer feel bad when he was with his lunch partner?
| A．Because he was afraid he himself might get the bad habits. |
| B．Because he was too angry to go on with his lunch any more. |
| C．Because he was afraid he might be thought badly of by others. |
| D．Because he was too nervous to speak his opinions out right there. |
The underlined word “objectionable” in Paragraph 4 probably means ______.
| A．unbelievable | B．unforgettable |
| C．unacceptable | D．unreasonable |
The writer writes the passage to ______.
| A．tell us a story that happened in a restaurant |
| B．ask us not to behave rudely in some public places |
| C．encourage us to have the right attitude towards others |
| D．advise us to know ourselves from judging others properly |
Soap is more popular in liquid form than in bars in the UK – but there are good reasons to stick with the old traditional way of keeping clean， says Gareth Rubin.
According to market research company Mintel， 87% of
Britons usually buy liquid soap， compared to only 13% who buy bars of it. And solid soap is losing the popularity. But why do some people still prefer traditional solid soap?
1. It’s what they’ve always known. 
Some people are just traditionalists. According to Mark Constantine， he thinks it’s always lovely when we’re using something that’s been about for 3，000 years. Solid soap has got a huge history and they’re very beautiful.
2. Solid soap is more pleasant.
Smelling a plastic bottle doesn’t feel very comfortable， while you can get bars of different textures and smells – some bars have sea salt， nuts， fruits or flowers in them for a bit of a surprise. Others come in beautiful or even funny shapes and sizes. You can tie attractive bars of soap up in silk ribbons (丝带) and present them as a gift to a loved one – the effect isn’t quite the same when you do this with a liquid soap.
3. Less packaging (包装) is better for the planet.
All those bottles has to come from somewhere and go somewhere. Recycling can only do so much， whereas typically a bar of soap comes in a little paper wrapper and that’s it. If you care about the environment， you can even buy bars of soap without paper around them. “And about 60% of the cost of a bottle of soap goes on the packaging and the pump (泵头).” says Constantine.
4. The bottles are a little bit difficult.
You can hold a bar of soap in one hand and it works. With the bottles you first have to use both hands to unlock the pump， and shut your eyes to the liquid slowly dropping the sticky thing onto your bathroom floor. When the bar of soap runs down， you can still use it until it is no more， but with the liquid soap it is a difficult task to get the last drop out of the bottom. According to market research company Mintel， ______.
| A．solid soap is as popular as liquid soap |
| B．more people refuse to buy liquid soap |
| C．solid soap is becoming less popular |
| D．solid soap is better for the planet |
Compared to solid soap， liquid soap ______.
| A．has less packaging |
| B．has a much longer history |
| C．is more pleasant in smells |
| D．has less funny shapes and sizes |
What can you infer from the passage?
| A．Liquid soap is not worth the price according to Constantine. |
| B．A bottle of liquid soap cannot be a present for a friend. |
| C．More people will buy solid soap without silk ribbons. |
| D．It’s impossible to use up the liquid soap in a bottle. |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．People’s preference to soap is changing. |
| B．Liquid soap is still liked by many Britons. |
| C．The advantages and disadvantages of solid soap. |
| D．The reasons why some people still prefer solid soap. |
American English is full of colorful expressions. One such expression is to touch all bases.
There are four bases in baseball – first， second， third and home plate. When a baseball player hits the ball， he must run to each base – in order – and touch it with his foot. It is the only way to get a point. If the player hits the ball and fails to touch all the bases， the point will not be counted.
The importance of touching all the bases was shown at the start of the 1974 baseball seasons.
Hank Aaron was a player with the Atlanta Braves team. He was trying to find the record for hitting the most home runs (全垒打). Aaron needed just one home run to be well matched with the record held by Babe Ruth， the greatest hitter in baseball history. Aaron got that home run the very first time he had a chance to hit the ball. That gave him 714 home runs – the same as Babe Ruth. After that day， baseball fans held their breath every time when it was Hank Aaron’s turn to hit. When would he hit home run number 715?
The wait was not long. In the second week of the season， Aaron again hit the ball over the wall. He had beaten Babe Ruth’s record. But first， he had to run around the four bases. The other players on his team watched carefully to make sure he touched each one.
So， to touch all bases means to do what is necessary to complete an activity.
The expression is used to business and politics. No business deal or political events are really complete until you discuss all the problems involved. Or， as it is said， until you touch all bases.When a baseball player hits the ball， he must ______ to get a point.
| A．run to each base freely |
| B．touch the home plate first |
| C．touch all the bases with his hands |
| D．run to each base in order and touch it with his foot |
When was the importance of touching all the bases shown?
| A．At the start of the 1974 baseball seasons. |
| B．At the end of the 1974 baseball seasons. |
| C．Before the baseball rules made. |
| D．In the second week of 1974. |
Who hit home run number 715?
| A．Babe Ruth. | B．Hank Aaron. |
| C．Babe Ruth’s partner. | D．Hank Aaron’s friend. |
What does the expression “to touch all bases” mean?
| A．To do what is needed to finish an activity. |
| B．To get a chance to be the greatest hitter. |
| C．To try your best to set a new record. |
| D．To solve the problems successfully. |
| The 4 Smallest Countries In The World |
 Nauru – 21 km² Located east of Australia， Nauru is the smallest island country in the world. It is also a country with the most overweight people in the world， with 97% of its men and 93% of women being overweight. |
 Tuvalu – 26 km² Located in the Pacific Ocean， west of Australia. There are about 10，000 people， with 8 km of roads， and only 1 hospital on the main island. Since it’s a difficult place to get to， in 2010， only about 2，000 visitors came to Tuvalu. |
 Vatican – 0.44 km² The world’s smallest country is the Vatican， also known as the Holy See. This country fits within the Italian capital city of Rome. It is also home to the biggest church in the world – St. Peter’s Basilica， and holds some of the most important art works. |
 Monaco – 2 km² Located on the French Riviera， Monaco is home to the largest number of rich people per capital in the world. With a population of over 36，000， Monaco is the world’s most densely (密集地) populated country. People there are mostly French-speaking. The most popular event is the Formula 1 race， held there every year. |
Which is the smallest island country?
| A．Nauru. | B．Tuvalu. | C．Vatican. | D．Monaco. |
What’s the area of Vatican?
| A．21 km². | B．26 km². | C．0.44 km². | D．2 km². |
Which of the following about Monaco is TRUE?
| A．It’s the world’s smallest country. |
| B．It’s the most difficult place to get to. |
| C．It has the most overweight people in the world. |
| D．It’s the world’s most densely populated country. |
Mr. Dawson was an old man with a bad temper(脾气). And everyone in town knew it. Kids were afraid to go into his yard to pick apples.
One Friday, 12-year-old Janet and her friend Amy had to walk past Mr. Dawson’s house. When Janet saw him, she suggested crossing the street to the other side. But Amy said they needn’t.
When Mr. Dawson saw Amy, he smiled and said, “Hello, Amy! I see you have a new friend with you today.” Amy smiled back and told him that Janet would stay with her that night. Mr. Dawson looked friendly and gave them each a fresh apple. The girls were glad to get them.
Later Janet asked Amy, “Everyone says he is the most unwelcome person in town. Why was he so kind to us?” Amy explained that when she first walked past his house, she was also afraid of him. But she pretended(假装) there was an invisible (看不见的) smile on his face and so she always smiled back at him. It took a long time, but one day he half-smiled back at her, and then started talking to her.
“An invisible smile?” Janet was puzzled. “Yes,” answered Amy, “My grandma told me to think so. She says smiles can run around. If we keep smiling at someone, sooner or later he will really smile back.”
Remember what Amy’s grandma said, and we will find that most people can’t refuse our smile. What did people feel about Mr. Dawson? （不超过10个词）
Who did Amy learn “an invisible smile” from? （不超过10个词）
What does the writer want to tell us? （不超过20个词）