Becoming a Minimalist ( 极简主义者 )
I have too many things. My bedroom is often in a mess. I have shelves with dirty books I never read and CDs I don't listen to. My drawers are filled with clothes I never wear. I was getting upset ( 心烦意乱的 ) that I never had any space in my bedroom. Then I read about minimalist. Minimalist suggests that you only keep the most necessary and important things and get rid of ( 处理掉 ) everything else. After reading about minimalism, I felt encouraged to solve my problem.
I started clearing out a lot of the things which I didn't use. I collected bags of clothes to give to charity ( 慈善机构 ). I sold some of the CDs and books online. Although I knew that I would never need these things again, I still found it very difficult to get rid of them. My brain tried to stop me from letting them go. I said to myself "I might need that in the future!" or "Won't I be sad if I lose that?" But the thing was, I knew I couldn't keep everything.
After getting lots of things out of my room, I actually became quite excited to see the tidy room with some fresh space. And a tidy room also makes me have a clear mind! The main idea behind minimalism is to cut down what you own and really value the things you have. It's not easy to be a minimalist. We are often told that it is better to have more things. Advertisements try to make us believe that we will only be happy by spending more money buying more things. Of course, I'm not a perfect minimalist - I've only just started. I still own a lot of things which I don't really need, but I think this was a good start. In the future, I will be more mindful of what I buy. And I will continue to make an effort to get rid of what I don't need.
根据短文内容,回答下列问题。
67. Is the writer's bedroom often in a mess?
__________________________
68. When did the writer feel encouraged to solve the problem?
__________________________
69. How did the writer get rid of some of the CDs and books?
__________________________
70. What is the main idea behind minimalism?
__________________________
71. Why is it not easy to be a minimalist?
__________________________
Technologies Making School Life “SMART” |
|
E-books In the future, students may only bring e-books to school. In fact, some schools are already doing this. E-books can store notes and students feel relaxed with lighter schoolbags. |
Robot teachers There are robot teachers in the schools in some cities. These robots can help students with their studies. They can also help them solve problems. |
E-skates With a pair of e-skates, you can walk to school faster! E-skates can be tied to your shoes easily. And there are four speed settings you can choose. |
Flying aids If students get hurt and need help at schools, drones(无人机)can be of great use. They can offer help faster than people and they can also carry medicine or clothes. |
根据以上内容,选择正确答案。
(1)How many technologies are mentioned in the passage?
A. |
One. |
B. |
Two. |
C. |
Three. |
D. |
Four. |
(2)How do students feel with lighter schoolbags?
A. |
Worried. |
B. |
Relaxed. |
C. |
Bored. |
D. |
Surprised. |
(3)Who can help students with their studies according to the passage?
A. |
The robot teachers. |
B. |
The parents. |
C. |
The workers. |
D. |
The friends. |
(4)Which is the best choice if you want to walk to school faster?
A. |
Flying aids. |
B. |
Clothes. |
C. |
E-skates. |
D. |
Schoolbags. |
(5)Where does the passage probably come from?
A. |
A travel magazine. |
B. |
A movie magazine. |
C. |
A technology magazine. |
D. |
A music magazine. |
Have you ever read Little Women by US writer Louisa May Alcott? The classic has been changed into plays, films and television programs many times because of its popularity since it came out in 1868. It tells a story of a mother raising her four daughters, while their dad is away fighting a war. Meg, the eldest, wants to live a better life very much. Jo, the second-born, wants nothing more than to be a writer. Beth is a sweet girl who loves music and always brings joy to others. The youngest daughter, Amy, dreams of being an artist. After reading Little Women, I have a feeling of warmth and kindness from the family.
In the following scene, the girls talk about what they can buy with the very little money they have. They feel hopeful about the future even though their dreams may not come true.
“I can’t expect anything from Mother or you. I know I only have one dollar with me. Although it isn’t that much, it works. I can at least buy the book Undine and Sintran for myself. I’ve wanted it so long,” said Jo. “I planned to spend mine on new music,” said Beth. “I shall get a nice box of drawing pencils. I really need them,” said Amy. “Mother didn’t say anything about our money, but she does wish us to get something. Let’s each buy what we need. I’m sure we work hard enough to make it,” cried Jo. |
根据短文内容,回答下列问题。
(1)When did Little Women come out?
_______________________________________
(2)Who is the third-born girl in the family?
_______________________________________
(3)How do the girls feel even though their dreams may not come true?
_______________________________________
(4)Why does Amy want to buy drawing pencils?
_______________________________________
(5)What does Jo advise her sisters to do at last?
_______________________________________
Can you imagine what the human body in the future will be like? Our class had a discussion about it. Tiantian, an AI(artificial intelligence人工智能)robot, also joined us. Here are our guesses.
(1) Humans are now ten centimeters(厘米)taller than 150 years ago. So, in the future, people will probably be even taller. Why? Because most of us today have much better food than those in the past.
You must say that people will be stronger according to the first guess. (2) With the development of science and technology, we won’t have much physical work to do. If people get used to this kind of lifestyle, we will probably lose most of our muscles(肌肉).
Next, let’s come to our hands and feet. We are already using our feet less, and our hands more. (3) At the same time, our fingers and our eyes will both get better because they’ll have to do more work together.
Here comes the most interesting one—it’s very possible that people will have four toes(脚趾), not five. The little toe really isn’t needed anymore. (4) Let’s wait and see.
Last but not least—people won’t have as much hair on their bodies as now, since we don’t need it to keep ourselves warm.
What do you think of our guesses? (5) With the rise of AI, will we lose the ability of thinking independently?
阅读短文,把A~E五个句子填入文中空缺处,使短文内容完整。
A. But you’re wrong. B. Will all these things happen? C. Let’s start with people’s height. D. Will it still be there in the future? E. So we can expect our legs will get shorter and our feet smaller. |
The world’s best sportsmen get together for the Olympic Games every four years. The 2024 Olympic Games will take place in Paris, France. For the first time, people will watch breaking(霹雳舞)as a new event at the Olympics.
Breaking is also called break dancing. The high-energy, skillful dance includes moves such as Top Rock, Footwork, Go Down, Freeze and so on. The dancers need to think and show the moves of the hands and feet quickly.
Break dance battles(斗舞)are a common way to find out who is the best dancer. In the 1970s in New York City, fighting with others among young people became more and more serious. Some of them began to deal with the problem through dance instead. Just then, the dance style first showed up on the streets. Today people still “battle” in this way. One dancer will show off his moves, and then the next will continue to compete... The best dancer will be picked out finally.
Why does breaking become an Olympic event? If a sport is added to the Olympics, it must be widely practiced by men in at least 75 countries on four continents(洲)and by women in no fewer than 40 countries on three continents. Breaking meets this standard. Also, the planners’ goal is to make the Olympics more interesting to young people.
“Breaking has been accepted as a sport. I really feel proud,” said Xiaoyu, one breakdancer. “And for the Olympics, it will get more attention from young people who may not follow some of the traditional sports.”
根据短文内容,判断句子正(T)、误(F)。
(1)Footwork is one of the moves of breaking.
(2)Breaking first showed up on the streets in Paris in the 1970s.
(3)To be an Olympic event, a sport must be practiced by women in 75 countries.
(4)Xiaoyu really feels proud that breaking has been accepted as a sport.
(5)The writer mainly introduces the history of the Olympics in the passage.
①Is the summer vacation long enough to turn life for the better? Every person has his own talents and interests. Find something you care about, and you will see the difference.
②Organize a clean-up program. People often throw litter in the place where there is already litter. This leaves the community in a mess. The environment will become better if someone volunteers to help. You could pick up the rubbish with your friends once a week in your neighborhood. You could also help take care of the plants every few days. Surely, a clean and tidy neighborhood will be worth the work.
③Show your love to the old. Our city has some old people’s homes. Without children around them, the old people there might feel lonely once in a while. Maybe they need your help. In fact, you can do a lot for them. For example, you can talk with them or play games with them. Listening to them carefully is also a good idea. Some old people can’t see clearly and they would like you to read to them. No matter what small things you do, you can make them feel loved.
④Set up a reading project with your friends. Share your favorite books with them. Besides, you may read aloud to each other and talk about what you read. Either a book or an article can spark a lively discussion and your further thinking. The process often challenges more people to take action. The project is also a good way to welcome newcomers. At the same time, you may find new friends with similar hobbies.
⑤A two-month summer vacation isn’t that long, but it’s enough to make a difference.
根据短文内容,选择最佳答案。
(1)How often could you pick up the rubbish according to the passage?
A. |
Once a week. |
B. |
Every few weeks. |
C. |
Once a month. |
D. |
Every few months. |
(2)Why do you need to read to some old people at the old people’s homes?
A. |
Because you can think further. |
B. |
Because you are good at reading. |
C. |
Because they can’t see clearly. |
D. |
Because they are away from their homes. |
(3)What does the underlined word “spark” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A. |
Finish. |
B. |
Start. |
C. |
Increase. |
D. |
Separate. |
(4)Which is the right structure(结构)of the passage?
(①=Paragraph 1 ②=Paragraph 2,…)
A. |
|
B. |
|
C. |
|
D. |
|
(5)What is the passage mainly about?
A. |
The people with different interests. |
B. |
The greatest time to make a difference. |
C. |
The reasons for a different summer vacation. |
D. |
The ways of making a summer vacation different. |