We often find that weekends and holidays feel so short while classes and work feel so long. Actually, though, we know that this is not true. But we still wonder where that strange feeling comes from.
In fact, this is one of the ways that we’re tricked by time, according to the website All That Is Interesting. The website lists several wrong impressions we often have about time. Let’s have a look.
First of all, emotions affect our time-keeping abilities. Negative emotions, especially anxiety and boredom, make time seem longer because they make us concentrate more on the passage of time. However, when we are enjoying ourselves, we pay more attention to what we are doing and are likely to lose track of (失去对……的意识) time.
Here is another example. In 2007, a group of scientists carried out a test. In the test, people fell 50 meters into a safety net and were then asked about their experience. Although the experience took shorter than 3 seconds, the people thought it was much longer than it actually was.
This is because of the way our bodies reply to danger, according to the scientists. Our bodies produce a chemical called adrenaline ( 肾 上 腺 素 ) when we are faced with danger. It allows us to concentrate better so that we can stay alive. As a result, we are able to remember far more details ( 细 节 )over a short period of time, which makes it seem like time is going more slowly.
Another situation when we make mistakes about time is when we take afternoon naps (午觉). Have you ever had trouble telling what time it is after a long nap? That’s because the best amount of time for a nap is 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, you enter a new stage of sleep called slow-wave sleep. If you wake up mid-way in this stage, it will take a while before you can correctly perceive (感知) time again.
Yes, time can be mysterious and there is no way to control it. So, perhaps the best thing to do is to make good use of every minute. According to the passage, what possibly makes people feel so long ?
A.weekends and holidays | B.weekends and work |
C.classes and work | D.holidays and work |
Which is NOT the wrong impressions that we often have about time according to the the website listing?
A.negative emotions | B.positive emotions |
C.adrenaline | D.scientists |
According to the passage, in which situation do we make mistakes about time?
A.We have many problems left in the test paper, but the time is up. |
B.We have a math test when we fall down from a high place. |
C.We may have trouble telling what time it is after a long nap. |
D.We go to school on the school bus as usual on weekdays . |
According to the passage , what will NOT happen when we are faced with danger ?
A.Our bodies will produce a chemical called adrenaline. |
B.We are able to feel that time seems to go more slowly. |
C.Adrenaline will make us concentrate better to stay alive. |
D.We will forget far more details over a short period of time. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage ?
A.Negative emotions, especially anxiety and boredom, make time seem longer because they make us concentrate more on the passage of time. |
B.When we are enjoying ourselves, we pay more attention to what we are doing and we are able to feel like time is going more slowly. |
C.If we wake up mid-way after a long nap, it will take a while before we can correctly perceive time again. |
D.Time can be mysterious and there is no way to control it.So, perhaps the best thing to do is to make good use of every minute. |
Name |
Personal Information |
Norman Bethune |
Born in 1890 in Canada. A doctor Came to China in 1938 Died in 1939 in China |
Celine Dion |
Born in Montreal, Canada A singing star In 1997, sang My Heart Will Go On for the film Titanic |
Thomas Edison |
Born in 1847, Kentucky, USA Made over 1,000 inventions Died in 1931 |
Bill Gates |
Born in 1955 in the USA Wrote Business @ the Speed of Thought Owns Microsoft Company |
Mark Twain |
Born in 1835 in the USA A writer Wrote The Adventures of Tome Sawyer Died in 1910 |
________ is from Canada.
A.Bill Gates | B.Mark Twain | C.Thomas Edison | D.Celine Dion |
The _______ was born in 1835.
A.inventor | B.singer | C.doctor | D.writer |
My Heart Will Go On is the name of a ______.
A.book | B.film | C.song | D.story |
Dr. Bethune worked in China for about _______ years.
A.4 | B.8 | C.2 | D.6 |
Which of the following is TRUE?
A.Mark Twain wrote Business @ the Speed of Thought. |
B.Bill Gates started working for Microsoft Company in 1955. |
C.Thomas Edison made over 1,000 inventions. |
D.Celine Dion stopped singing in 1997 |
Did you visit the Shanghai World Expo last summer? What impressed (给……留下印象) you? 21st Century Kids invites four kids to talk about their experiences. They are back from the Expo. What did they bring us? Let’s see what they have to say.
I went to the SAIC-GM Pavilion (上汽集团通用汽车馆). I found my dream car there. It is a green car. Its name is “Leaf”. Chinese engineers made the car. Its roof is in the shape of a leaf. The roof takes in CO2 and changes it into electricity for the car.
The Japan Pavilion is full of high technology. The “Wonder Camera” is cool. It can find a smiling face in a crowd. When you’re smiling, it takes a photo of you. I want to invent something like that in the future.
My favorite pavilion is the Germany Pavilion. I watched the Energy Source show. Visitors made a ball swing back and forth (来回摇摆) by using only their voices. It’s amazing! Although we had waited for quite a long time before we entered the hall, I think it is well worth seeing with your own eyes.
I like painting, so my parents took me to the France Pavilion to see the famous paintings. But the French cooks caught my eye. I saw them cook. My mom told me that they are some of the best cooks in the world. The dish they cooked looked like a painting. So, being a cook is my second dream job.The 21st Century Kids seems to be _____.
A.a travel service | B.a newspaper |
C.a group of tourists | D.four children |
What does the underlined word “electricity” mean in the passage?
A.电 | B.汽油 | C.灯光 | D.指示 |
What activity did the writer experience in the France Pavilion?
A.Using the “Wonder Camera” |
B.Driving the green car “Leaf”. |
C.To have delicious French dishes. |
D.To see cooks painting. |
What made the ball in the Germany Pavilion swing?
A.Visitors’ smiling faces | B.CO2 from cars |
C.Some secret power | D.Noise made by visitors |
The trip to the Shanghai World Expo made the four kids _____.
A.hardworking and polite | B.amazed and frightened |
C.patient and cheerful | D.excited and curious |
The day is like any other day in his life. Tom walks past the shop on the street corner. He stops to look at the front row of shoes, and he feels happy to see that the pair of shoes he wants very much is still there. Looking down at his old shoes, he feels sorry for himself. He really wants to have them for his birthday.
He sadly walks away and thinks how to tell his mother about it. He knows very well she has little money. He decides not to go home at once , as he looks sad and his mother will notice(注意) it. So he goes to the park and sits on the grass. There he sees a boy moving a wheelchair(轮椅)with his hands . Tom looks at him and is surprised to see that the boy has no feet. He looks at his own feet. “It’s much better to be without shoes than without feet”, he thinks. There is no reason or him to feel so sorry and sad. He goes away and smiles, thinking he is happier.Tom passes the shop ______.
A.on foot | B.by bike | C.in a wheelchair | D.by bus |
Tom stops in front of the shop because he wants to ______ .
A.buy the shoes |
B.look at the shoes he liked |
C.buy a present for his friend |
D.get something for his birthday party |
Why did Tom go to the park? Because ______.
A.many nice shoes are sold(卖) there |
B.he wants to play there for a while |
C.he wants to see his disabled(残疾的) friend |
D.he doesn’t want to make his mother worried |
We can learn from the story that Tom ______ .
A.doesn’t like old shoes |
B.loves his mother very much |
C.doesn’t want to stay at home |
D.has no feet |
Recently,CCTV reporter have asked a simple question, “Are you happy?”
The question has caught many interviewees off guard. Even Mo Yan, who recently won a Nobel Prize, answered by saying “I don’t know.”
We should ask “What exactly is happiness? And how do you measure(测量) it?”. Last year, China’s Premier Wen Jiabao told the nation, “Everything we do is aimed at letting people live more happily.” At last year’s National People’s Congress(全国人民代表大会), officials agreed that increasing happiness would be a top target(目标) for the 12th five-year plan.
Many argue that happiness is elusive. It also means different things to different people. For some, happiness can be as simple as having enough money to buy a new bicycle; for others, it’s about socializing(社交活动) or finding the perfect spouse(配偶).
Chen Shangyuan, 21, a college student, said his idea of happiness always evolves(进化). “At present it relates to how productive I am in a day”, he said. “It might be linked to(联系) job security (安全) or leisure(休闲) time after I graduate.”What did Mo Yan say when he was asked the question “Are you happy?”
A.Yes, I am very happy. | B.No, I am not happy. |
C.It depends on the weather. | D.I don’t know |
What’s the top target for the 12th five-year plan?
A.Economic | B.Peace | C.Culture | D.Increasing happiness |
What does “elusive” mean in the passage?
A.难以理解 | B.难能可贵 | C.难以实现 | D.难以忘记 |
What does Chen Shangyuan think happiness might be linked to when he works?
A big house. B. An expensive car. C. Money D. Job security or leisure time.Form this passage, we can know that_________.
A.happiness can be measured |
B.to be happy is very |
C.different people have different ideas about happiness |
D.If we have a lot of money we will feel happy |
News one: As the pace of life in big cities is getting faster, people are looking for more ways to relax. Let’s take a look at one way people are reducing stress in Beijing. The game is “Room Escape”. “Room Escape” was originally a computer game. In recent years, it has been adapted to a real life game. There are more than 10 places in Beijing where people can play this game.
According to the rules, the players are first taken to a house with several iron doors. They then need to find a way out of the house in one hour. Different houses have different ways of escaping, all of which require players’ bold(大胆的), careful thought, and teamwork.
News two: The Chinese government has published a list of 24 guidelines(指南) on how to take better care of parents. They are a modern update to 24 old stories about respectful children from the Yuan Dynasty.
The guidelines list 24 things to do with parents, including giving them a call every week, teaching them to use the internet, and supporting single parents’ remarriage. The guidelines stem from a Yuan Dynasty book, about 24 filial-hearted children who treated their parents very well. It is a value younger generations should never forget.Why do people play “Room Escape”?
A.They play it for fun | B.They want to know how clever they are. |
C.They want to find out different ways of escaping. | D.To relax themselves. |
They must escape from the house__________.
A.in an hour | B.in two hours | C.in several hours | D.in at least an hour |
To escape from the house, they don’t need___________.
A.a strong body | B.to act fearfully | C.to think carefully | D.to work together |
What should we not do to our parents?
A.Teach them to get online | B.Often talk with them |
C.Ask them to marry again | D.Treat them carefully |
What does News Two tell us?
A.It asks us to read books from Yuan Dynasty. |
B.It asks us to give our parents money. |
C.It asks us to respect our parents. |
D.It asks us to give them a call. |