相关试卷

Have you ever thought of yourself as the main character of a heroic adventure? lt could be good for your health. Research suggests that imagining yourself on a hero's journey could help you achieve amore meaningful life. You might be familiar with the hero's journey.  Mulan, and Harry Potter courageously facing their trials，all take this journey. How can you start imagining your life as a hero's journey? Here，experts share some strategies. 

Keep a journal. Ask yourself: What makes you you? Describe your personality and core values. Think about events in your life that made you who you are today. Then consider the challenges that stand in your way，and which friends can help you on your journey. 

Change the way you see obstacles. Going through a tough time? See your problems as challenges. A challenge is a chance to develop strength and be the hero of your own story. 

Go on more heroic adventures. "We like people who have new experiences and grow from their challenges. "Roger says. lt can be simple，like walking a new route to school. Or it can be dramatic，like borrowing a bike and riding it to school.

Say you're facing a big challenge. Thinking of a favorite hero's story can help you have that eagle-eye view of what might be next for you, or what you should be paying attention to. Storiesbecome this map that you can always turn to. That can be reassuring. It reminds you that a new chapter almost certainly awaits you. ·

A. So seek out something new. 

B. Writing down a few sentences can help. 

C. When you need a boost，think of your heroes. D. It's a common storyline in books and movies. 

E. Think of them as opportunities for growth and learning. 

F. They return home to benefit their community with what they've learned. C. The way people tell their life story shapes how meaningful their lives feel. 

In the roughly 250 years since the Industrial Revolution the world's population，like its wealth, has exploded. Before the end of this century，however，the number of people on the planet couldshrink(缩小) for the first time since the Black Death. The root cause is not an increase in deaths, but a sharp fall in births. Across much of the world the fertility rate， the average number of births per woman，is collapsing. Although the trend may be familiar，its extent and its consequences are not. Even as artificial intelligence( AI) leads to optimism in some quarters， the baby bust(婴儿荒) hangs over the future of the world economy. 

 The result is that in much of the world，the patter of tiny feet is being drowned out by the clatter    of walking sticks. The prime examples of ageing countries are no longer just Japan and Italy but also include Brazil，Mexico and Thailand. By 2030 more than half the inhabitants of East and South-EastAsia will be over 40. As the old die and are not fully replaced，populations are likely to shrink. Outside Africa，the world's population is forecast to peak in the 2050s and end the century smaller than it is today. Even in Africa，the birth rate is falling fast. 

Whatever some environmentalists say，a shrinking population creates problems. The world is not close to full and the economic difficulties resulting from fewer young people are many. The obvious one is that it is getting harder to support the world's pensioners(养老金). While the rich world currently has around three people between 20 and 64 years old for everyone over 65, by 2050 it will have less than two. The implications are higher taxes，later retirements，lower real returns for savers and, possibly，government budget crises. 

Eventually，therefore, the world will have to make do with fewer youngsters—and perhaps with a shrinking population. With that in mind，recent advances in AI could not have come at a better time. Al economy might find it easy to support a greater number of retired people. Eventually AI may be able to generate ideas by itself，reducing the need for human intelligence. Such innovations will certainly be in high demand. 

Back in 2019，three Chinese scientists were playfighting during a break from working in the Chongqing Province，China. One was kung-fu kicked into a rock , causing an opening in the rockface. Inside，a wonderful fossil(化石) lay undisturbed，preserved for millions of years. 

The fossil was a jawed fish，some 439 million years old，and the findings from the Chongqing site，along with other fossil findings in nearby Guizhou province，have excited the science world，as they are 11 million years older than any fish fossil found before. It is a significant discovery because scientists have suspected that jaws evolved(进化) some 450 million years ago, but there had yet tobe any fossils that supported this theory. The oldest fossils with jaws found were 439 million years old. 

In this discovery，though，there was a new species of shark that was 439 million years old，with a full jaw. 

"All these things are still like dreams, "said Zhu Min, who led the research teams that recently published four papers on the discoveries. "Today we are staring at complete early fishes，11 million years earlier than the previous oldest finds. These are both the most exciting as well as the most challenging fossils I have had the privilege to work on. "

Some of the fish that were discovered were placoderms，an extinct class of fish that have hard plates that formed a shield around the head and trunk，while others were an ancient type of shark. 

The scientists found the oldest-known teeth of any vertebrate(脊椎动物)，14 million years older than any previous findings，as well as two other shark descendants. China has been the site of numerous discoveries in recent years，including fossils of feathered dinosaurs，as well as the oldest known animals on Earth. 

"The discovery of the Chongqing site is indeed an unbelievable miracle of fossil hunting, "Zhuadded. "Suddenly we realized we have found a jaw-dropping fossil site. We are now close to the core of solving the fishy tree of early jawed vertebrates. "

Mathea Allansmith isn't your typical grandmother，and she's the oldest woman in the world to have completed a marathon. She was 92 years 194 days old when she triumphantly crossed the finish line at the 2022 Honolulu Marathon，setting up the 'record for the oldest person to complete a marathon ( female ) . 

Mathea，now 93 , of Koloa，Hawaii，USA，stays in shape all year round by running six days a week , no matter the weather. Come rain or shine，she covered 36 miles every week , even when she's on holiday. The retired doctor didn't take up running until she was 46 years old. After a colleague suggested running two miles per day. 

"The Honolulu Marathon is my favourile marathon partly because they don't close the gate at a certain time which allows even the slowest runners to finish the race, "she said. " It's one of the best-executed races. Fantastic registration，set up and management makes it a joy to participate in. " Mathea，who doesn't allow her age to slow her down，says she is happiest when she's on the road. She enjoys running for miles and waving and saying hello to the people she passes. To stay in shape，Mathea，who runs year around，keeps a steady training routine. "I train year-round but increase the mileage starting 18 weeks before a marathon, " she said.

Mathea says it was her career as a physician that allowed her to understand how her body and mind respond to diet and exercise. "I see the direct connection between moving and health , "she said. It is important to reduce stress rather than ignoring it without a plan on how to do so in the longrun. Of course，exercise of any kind is a natural stress reducer. "

Mathea intends to keep running marathons for as long as she can and would like to attempt there cord titles for the oldest person to complete a half marathon ( female) and the oldest person to complete a 10K ( female) within the next year. 

Much-loved 100-Word-Story Competition

Our much-loved 100-Word-Story Competition is back!Enter for the chance to win prizes of up to £1, 000. 

Rules and prizes

Please ensure that submissions are original，not previously published and exactly 100 words long( not including title). Don't forget to include your full name，address，email and phone number when filling in the form. We may use entries in all print and electronic media. 

Terms and conditions: 

There are three categories-—one for adults and two categories for schools: one for children aged12-18 and one for children under 12. 

●In the adults category，the winner will receive £1 , 000 and one runner-up(第二名)will receive £250. 

●In the 12-18s category，the winner will receive a £200 book voucher(代金券) or a Kindle Paperwhite and a £100 book voucher for their school，and the runner-up will receive a £100 book voucher. 

●In the under-12 category，the winner will receive & 100 of book vouchers or a Kindle Paperwhite and £ 100 of book vouchers for their school，and the runner-up will receive a £50 book voucher. 

Please submit your stories by 5 p. m. on January 5, 2024 either online or by post addressed to: Reader's Digest100 Word Story Competition

Warners Group Publications

West Street

BournePE10 9PH

The editorial team will pick a shortlist of entries，and the three best stories in each category will be posted online at readersdigest. co. uk on February 1，2024. 

You can vote for your favourite，and the one with the most votes will win the top prize. Voting will close on February 29, 2024 and the winning entries will be published in our May 2024 issue， and posted -online on April 16，2024. 

 Enter your story below—good luck !

参考词汇：setback 挫折 n.

注意：（1）词数不少于100；（2）可适当加入细节，使内容充实、行文连贯。

增加：在缺词处加个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线(\) 划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;2. 只允许修改10 处，多者(从第 11 处起)不计分。

Nowadays, some famous tourist attractions are crowded of tourists during the holidays, which makes it possible for tourists to enjoy themselves. It reflects the fact what it is difficult to travel to crowded tourist attractions. Therefore, to travel in the holidays made no sense. That is why many people prefer to stay at home rather than to go out. In my opinion, the government should devote its energies to relieve the stress of tourist attractions. Some effective measure can be taken. For example, the number of tourists to famous tourist attractions should limited and citizens should not travel at a same time. Only in this way can tourists enjoy our holidays.

The youth version of The Peony Pavilion (《牡丹亭》) successfully entered the stage of the Spring for Chinese Arts at the Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center. 

The Peony Pavilion, cultural treasure of the world, was written by China's Ming Dynasty playwright and writer Tang Xianzu, who is compared to William Shakespeare. And Kunqu Opera, (combine) songs performed in the Suzhou dialect, graceful body movements, martial arts and dance, was (origin) born in the region of Kunshan, Jiangsu Province. It was listed as one of the representative (work) of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity by UNESCO in 2001.

Kunqu Opera uses a seemingly endless  (vary) of gestures to express specific emotions and has distinguished itself by its rhythmic patterns. It also has a major impact  all the more recent forms of opera in China, such as Peking Opera. 

 excites the organizing committee is that The Peony Pavilion  (attract) a growing young audience since its first performance in Beijing. Up to now, Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center,  aim is to emphasize the inheritance, promotion, development and popularization of traditional Chinese culture and arts, has also held many exhibitions related to traditional drama, and established the Peking Opera inheritance class  (popularize) the traditional art to children.

While there isn't anything unique about an 8-year-old longing for a pet dog, the extremes to which Jenna Bates was willing to go make her unique.

"My dad really didn't want a dog, so I knew I had to do something super 1 to earn one," she said. Then Jenna 2 with a deal her father couldn't 3 . She'd 4 sugar of all types for a year, and her parents would reward her strong 5 with a puppy dog.

"Oh, she'll never 6 it." Mr. Bates said. He figured a day of watching her friends eat pizza would end any more 7 about dogs.

After all, Jenna had never even 8  to read a food label before making this deal. 9  her affection for sweets, she started the deal with confidence. 

As Jenna read the 10  on the food, she was 11  to learn most chips, ketchup, bread, and crackers had added sugar. 

"Then I looked at my 12 meal, and then I looked at my normal lunch. I thought, "What did I do?" she said. "But then, I thought, ‘I can do it for my dog!'" Then that kept 13 over and over.

Actually, she found herself 14  her new living way so completely that she had no plans to give it up. 

Dad 15  brought forward his end of the 16  earlier this month. The family 17  for two hours to pick up their 18  member — Lucy, the golden doodle. 

Jenna may not be sure how much longer she'll stay away from sugar, 19 she is sure about one thing — being a dog owner is even better than she'd 20 .

The Habits of Recovering Procrastinators(拖延者)

We all procrastinate (拖延) occasionally. Procrastination can be defined as delaying a project, a task or an intended course of action, despite expecting to feel the guilt or shame of the delay. I have developed some habits that will allow you to live in the present, be much more productive and remove the procrastination that no longer serves you.

Manage yourself in Time. Becoming a recovering procrastinator requires developing a much greater sense of time — one hour, one day, one week, one month, one year. 

You then gain a better understanding of how to manage your time effectively and make steady progress towards your goals.

Set small goals. They desire to have a half-a-million-dollar year in their first year as a business owner or to make a remarkable leap from a high-school actor to winning an Oscar. Instead, what typically happens is that they fall apart emotionally. Those breakdowns lessen the emotional energy necessary to progress toward their goals.

 If you tend to procrastinate, keeping an organized list helps you develop much more focus. By actively committing your tasks to writing, you break free from the aimless spinning and equip yourself to overcome procrastination.

Rank tasks by importance. Develop the habit of organizing your tasks based on their significance. This way you'll prevent yourself from getting overwhelmed and ensure that essential work gets done.

Don't be too hard on yourself. Overcoming procrastination is a journey filled with ups and downs. Remember to be kind and patient with yourself along the way. You've got this, and I believe in you.

A. Document your tasks and thoughts.

B. It's common for procrastinators to aim high.

C. You can establish a daily or weekly timetable.

D. Overcome procrastination with organized focus.

E. Identify the most critical ones and tackle them first.

F. This is breaking down tasks into manageable time frames.

G. You'll encounter roadblocks and experience moments of frustration.