相关试卷

Tai chi is a centuries-old Chinese martial art and an internationally popular form of exercise. It is a series of postures (姿势) and motions that develops one's (strong)and flexibility through careful, flowing movements and focused breathing. Each posture (slow) transforms into another, and we gradually need to shift our weight (maintain) balance. At the end, we return to the starting position: in other words, all of the movements (connect) in an endless, continuous flow.

The practice of tai chi is rooted in (tradition) Chinese philosophy, particularly the ancient concept of yin-yang. The tai chi symbol, or taijitu, (show) yin and yang together: yin symbolizes the dark, female force in nature, yang represents the bright, male force. Yin cannot exist without yang, and yang cannot exist without yin. Tai chi aims to achieve balance opposites in life: yin and yang; soft and hard; mind and body, and so on. At the heart of tai chi is the concept of qi, generally translates as "vital energy". The different exercises help move the qi through your body, (produce) positive effects on one's mental and spiritual health.

I was born with a cleft lip and palate (唇腭裂) and all my life I've had to accept people staring at me. When you have a visible 1 , you can certainly feel that. In secondary school it really started 2 me. I would have bad names shouted at me. Even outside school, adults would sometimes shout 3 .

I was lucky to have two older sisters who looked out for me, but I still struggled with anxiety, putting myself out there and being 4 . Things started to change six months ago when my sister ran the online art club, Fat Life Drawing, to praise 5 bodies and reclaim the word "fat". I saw what a(n) 6 atmosphere it was and how our participants were seeing themselves as they are, which is the 7 part of it—to accept yourself as you are. I thought our models were 8 and I loved drawing them; why was I not seeing myself in the same positive light?

Then, about three months ago, when a 9 couldn't show up for my sister's drawing class, I thought: I'll just do it. It worked out fine. After this modeling experience, I began to enjoy being 10 . Putting myself in front of people was a really big 11 for me. As a life model in front of a group of people, I felt like I was inviting these artists to look at me, but with positivity and respect rather than 12 . I've become more confident about how I 13 . I can go out without makeup. I'm 26 now and 14 with putting myself out there-I don't want to 15 .

The use of cellphones by students at school has become a widespread and controversial issue in recent years. On one hand, cellphones can provide students with many benefits, such as access to information, ability to communicate with others, and opportunities to complete schoolwork. They potentially impact students' learning and academic performance.

To address this issue, many schools have established policies to control the use of cellphones by students.  Others have more strict policies, such as banning cellphones entirely or only permitting their use during specific times, such as lunch or free periods. 

 The distraction that cellphones can cause in the classroom can be a major concern, as students may become more focused on their device than on the lesson. This can result in decreased academic performance and a lack of engagement with the material. 

In addition to the potential for distraction, there are also serious safety concerns related to students' use of cellphones at school. Students are at risk of being exposed to cyberbullying (网络霸凌) and other online dangers if they are not careful with their devices.

In conclusion, the use of cellphones by students at school is a complex issue that requires careful consideration of both the benefits and disadvantages. Clear policies should be established to balance student safety with their educational needs. By understanding the reasons behind their school's policies, students can make informed decisions about how they use their cellphones and ensure that they are using them safely and responsibly.

A．However, students can use cellphones to help with their learning.

B．Schools have a responsibility to educate students about these risks.

C．Students sometimes constantly ask why schools are so strict with them.

D．For students, it is essential to realize the negative effects of cellphone use.

E．However, cellphones can also be a major source of distraction in the classroom.

F．Some require students to turn their cellphones off or put them away during class.

G．Schools can help students make the most of this technology by providing guidance.

A．Then we walked around and started learning about Hongcun and its history by admiring its ancient architecture. 

B．All in all, our day in Hongcun was more interesting than I thought it would be. And the town really looks like something out of a traditional Chinese painting. 

C． We went into some houses that were built by extremely wealthy salt and silk traders. And then we saw some houses where ordinary people had lived. They were small but seemed quite comfortable. 

D．I had my doubts about spending my day off visiting Hongcun. From what I knew about the town, it seemed like just a small, very traditional sort of town. However, my friend promised that I wouldn't be disappointed with a visit to the town. And I wasn't!

E. When we got off the bus at Hongcun, we were greeted by a beautiful view of Nanhu (the South Lake). The scene of the lake and town would make a particularly nice postcard. The black roofs, the white walls, and clear blue water made the view truly unforgettable.

People trained to detect lies often rely on multiple signs, such as eye contact, length of responses and the details in what people say, but studies have shown that assessing a wide range of behavioral information can make it harder to decide if someone is lying. Instead, Bruno Verschuere at the University of Amsterdam and his colleagues have found that focusing on the detail in what people say, while ignoring all other signs, is the most successful method to identify lies. 

To figure it out, the researchers asked 44 students to either go for a walk or steal from a postbox in a mock (模拟的) crime. The team then conducted recorded interviews with the students, who were told to lie if they had committed the mock theft or to tell the truth if not. 

Next, the researchers asked 171 people to watch six truthful and six deceptive (骗人的) interviews from these recordings. The team asked half of the participants to rate how much the interviewees avoided eye contact, which is widely believed to indicate lying. The other participants ranked the level of detail in interview statements. It showed that both truth-tellers and liars broke eye contact a similar amount, but truthful statements were much more detailed than deceptive ones, suggesting the latter is a more useful way to tell that someone is lying. 

The researchers then asked 405 people to judge the true nature of six truthful and six deceptive statements chosen from written records of the interviews. The half of the participants relying on multiple signs accurately judged lies from the truth just 59% of the time, while the other half relying on level of detail alone identified the right answer 66% of the time. 

"Our take is that using just one sign can provide a much simpler way to judge lies from the truth," says Verschuere. Nevertheless, in the real world, you would probably want to check the truthfulness of statements through further investigations or follow-up questions, he says.

Washing machines and fridges will be labelled with their carbon footprint as part of efforts to promote greener products and bring down carbon emissions (排放).

UK government want to introduce a system in which products would be labelled to show how much greenhouse gases had been given off while making the product. Officials favour a system in which labels describe the product's emission figure along with a ranking, such as from A to G. A rating of A would represent a "zero emission" product.

In consultation papers published earlier, the government said: "The combination of the emissions figure and ranking system could give a simple way to find out the best products, as well as the raw data needed to make more detailed comparisons." Officials hope the labelling would encourage people to buy greener products, helping to bring down carbon emissions.

The government has not set out which products the emission figures would apply to, but it is likely to eventually apply to products whose production process involves significant emissions, such as heavy goods involving steel or plastic. 

The proposal is among several steps by the government to encourage UK companies to cut their emissions, alongside wider measures to boost clean energy supplies. 

Officials are also considering introducing new import taxes to protect UK factories from being affected by cheap imports from competitors. Under the proposals, imported goods without costs for going green would face extra taxes. The potential so-called carbon border taxes are aimed at protecting areas such as steel and chemicals. 

Matthew Germain, an expert in British Environmental Law, said the measures would mean the UK was "at least keeping step with the European Union (EU)". The EU reached a deal in December of 2022 to charge carbon taxes on imports of iron and steel, and electricity. Countries will not be affected if they have same climate change policies to the EU.

When family members shared stories of their beloved father and uncle Hody Childress during his funeral (葬礼), they were in for a surprise. They learned that Hody, despite his financial circumstances, had been donating money to Geraldine Drugs for anyone who needed help paying for their medicines. He started making donations monthly about seven or eight years ago. 

"He told me he never wanted anyone to know where the money came from when it was given," Brooke, the drugstore owner, said. "He also didn't want to know how it was used. He told me to use my judgment."

Over time the secret fund (基金) grew to thousands of dollars and thus helped even more people in need. Hody's kind heart definitely blessed a lot of people in his community. Brooke talked about a time when that secret fund was needed more than ever.

"There once was a young, single mom. She and her daughter both needed a kind of medicine that they couldn't afford. So we used the fund. When I handed her the medicine, she started crying. That's not even the best part. Several months later, she returned to pay it forward. She wanted money added back to the account. She didn't have to do that, but she had a desire to help others in difficult situations. I believe that Hody sparked that in her heart, and that she will carry that forward her entire life. "

After the funeral, news of Hody's giving spread and has inspired his family, friends, and others to start contributing to his fund to allow it to continue as a community resource.

Brooke said that he could not think of a better way to honor Hody. "There are so many people in Geraldine who have lived longer because of Hody. He will always be remembered and loved."

Jeremy was with his father in South Africa, which was far from his hometown Wales. He rarely spent time with his father, a famous wildlife photographer. So far, he wasn't sure he liked following his dad around. The work seemed mostly hot and boring.

"Ready?" Dad asked. Jeremy nodded and they climbed into the old truck. As the truck moved noisily across the rough dirt, Dad chatted with the local guide Ben. And Jeremy watched for animals.

Suddenly, there came a big crash from the car. Jeremy was shocked to find that the door had fallen off! "It might be a blessing (幸事) in disguise! Now we can see better," Dad said. Ben threw the door into the back of the truck.

They stopped near a river. Ben said he was friends with the elephants that sometimes gathered here. Maybe they'd see some. Before long, Jeremy saw a small group of elephants in the distance, moving slowly through the grassland towards the water. Dad leaped out of the truck and focused his camera on the largest elephant, whose two long teeth shone in the sun. Jeremy spotted a very young baby elephant walking between two adults. It was tiny, by elephant standards. The two adult elephants kept stopping to wait for their baby.

Jeremy watched as the group neared the river. They trumpeted loudly and flapped their large ears to cool themselves down. Then several larger elephants jumped in the water up to their ears. However, Jeremy lost sight of the baby. Where was it? Then he saw. It was in water up to its eyes, holding its trunk (象鼻) up above the water. Jeremy hoped it could breathe through its trunk, because its mouth was underwater.

Other elephants were using their trunks to spray (喷洒) themselves with the cool water, splashing and playing in the water. It was an elephant party. But the baby elephant was in trouble. "Look!" screamed Jeremy. The bank was too steep (陡峭的) for the baby. It couldn't climb out of the water. Other elephants tried pushing it, without success. The mother was anxious.

注意：1. 续写词数应为100左右；2. 续写部分为一段，段首句已写好。

注意：
1. 写作词数应为80左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

The Water-Splashing Festival (泼水节) is a traditional festival for the Dai people in Yunnan Province. Held during the sixth month of the Dai calendar, it usually  (last) three or four days.

During the festival, the door of every house  (decorate) with multicolored pieces of paper. All the villagers are dressed in their holiday clothing. Sheep and cows are killed for feasting. The occasion is marked by a variety of entertainment, including singing and dancing, fireworks displays, boat racing, exhibiting Kongming lanterns,  (parade) and fairs.

Water splashing is  (centre) to all events because water, the symbol of goodness  purity, is the most precious thing to the Dai. During the festival, men and women gather in public squares, armed with buckets of water or  (carry) water guns to wet each other in wishes for good luck and a happy new year. At night, music  (accompany) by drumbeats echoes throughout the villages, and people sing and dance to enjoy  (they).

The festival exhibits the Dai's respect for water and the culture of music and dance, food and costumes. It is also a cultural bridge Yunnan province and Southeast Asian countries share the same festive culture of water-splashing.

Nina had always felt like she was living in the shadows. Growing up, she was the shy kid who always sat in the back of the classroom and 1 spoke up. She had a few friends, but they were also quiet, so they never really did anything 2 . As she got older, she wanted to break out of her shell and experience new things. However, she didn't know 3 .

One day, Nina 4 a group of people playing Frisbee (飞盘). They were having a great time. Nina felt a pang of jealousy (嫉妒) but she didn't know how to 5 them. She watched from a distance, wishing she had the 6 to join in. As she was about to turn and 7 , one of the guys in the group noticed her watching. He smiled and 8 her over. Nina's heart started 9 as she walked towards them. They welcomed her with 10 arms and invited her to play.

It was a simple game of Frisbee, but for Nina, it was a huge 11 . Over the next few weeks, she started meeting the group 12 . For the first time in her life, Nina felt like she 13  somewhere. She has realized that sometimes all it 14  is one small step. She has also learned that life is too short to live in the shadows and that the world is full of 15  waiting to be seized.

Every day, we face a series of opportunities o do the right thing. Sometimes we seize (抓住) those moments; other times, we don't. And what drives some people to take the moral high ground?

Jessie Sun interviewed 952 people about the motivations (动机) for moral behavior and the changes they wished to make in their lives order to become more morally good.

When we think about morals, we often think about making "personal sacrifices (牺牲)" for the greater good. In Sun's study, she found that nearly half of the participants said they were most encouraged to become more moral for themselves. And fewer participants said that they most wanted to benefit friends and people in general.

Moreover, many people believe that acting more morally—for example, being more thoughtful, more open-minded—would increase their own well-being. The more they believed that their moral change would have positive results for themselves, the more they reported being encouraged to make that change.  That was the most surprising finding in the study.

Interestingly, participants generally expected possible harms to themselves and others if they were honest. You can imagine that some people regularly tell white lies to save other people's feelings, and they believed it would be hurtful if they were honest.

Researchers also asked people about the things they'd like to improve about themselves. If they're extremely shy, they usually want to become more comfortable in social situations. But if they aren't especially honest or thoughtful, they usually won't improve those aspects of their lives on purpose.

A. How can we become more moral?

B. So, why do we make these choices?

C. Being moral just isn't what most people consider first.

D. Being moral means different things to different people.

E. But people see some disadvantages of being moral, too.

F. In short, many people want to become more moral for their own benefits.

G. Sixteen percent said that they most wanted to become more moral for their family.

It's hard to predict which songs will become hits. It's even more difficult to predict which artists topping today's charts will go on to record more hits and who will see their fame end.

To figure out if there's some kind of principle that can help explain who becomes a flash in the    an and who has a lasting music career, Justin Berg, a social scientist who researches creativity at Stanford University's business school, studied the songs from pop music charts. He used a database of about 3 million songs from 1959-2010 released by record labels that had produced at least one hit in the United States over that time. Of those songs, nearly 25,000 landed on the weekly Billboard Hot 100. That provided Berg with a list of nearly 4,900 artists who had one or more songs that made the list, his yardstick (标准) for defining a hit.

Hits are rare, the data show. Of the 69,000 artists in the original database, 93 percent never had a hit, 3 percent had one and 1 percent had two hits. The success rate for additional hits drops from there.

Artists with more variety in their music type have a better chance to land repeat hits. But there's a dilemma for artists who want to be popular over the long term. Variety isn't what helps artists land that first hit, Berg reports. It's the similarity of a new song to recent hits.

According to Berg's study, musical artists who produced music like other already existing music were about twice as likely to have their first hit. But those who created a more creative and varied music type before fame hit were more likely to make a series of hits.

However, Berg doesn't want his research to diminish (贬低) the accomplishments of one-hit wonders. "A lot of them in their time were quite famous and successful," he says. "You go out and try to make a song that catchy. It's not an easy challenge."

Earlier this month, TikTok announced that it will be introducing screen time limits for the accounts of users aged under 18. Children under 13 will require a parent or guardian to type in a password to continue scrolling (滚屏) through their feed, and those aged 13-17 will be asked to set their own passwords when the viewing time goes beyond the limit.

Studies suggest that 30 minutes may be the sweet spot for social media use, where users are able to stay connected with friends and family and view entertainment. However, many other studies show that overly-heavy social media use can lead to a lot of problems, such as physical issues and depression.

By suggesting 100 minutes as a hard line where a password is required to be created by the user, TikTok is gradually making the standards clear as to what may be regarded as problematic social media habit in young people. Although these passwords for older teenagers can obviously be bypassed, they are a step in the right direction in encouraging children to use social media responsibly.

Also, parents who own their own TikTok accounts will be able to link with their children's accounts, gaining additional, such as muting notifications (消息免打扰) and customizing time limits for different days in the week.

Algorithms (算法) that could tell parents if the child has been viewing dangerous material could soon be put into use. However, the difficulty in this is the amount of content available on the internet.

Ultimately, apps such as TikTok and Instagram will need to continue introducing more measures to improve online safety for children.

Lawmakers around the world are paying close attention to the effect social media has on the young, meaning that the development of new tools to improve its use will no doubt take place soon if big tech wishes to avoid additional legal issues.

On our second day in Barcelona, Spain, my classmates and I headed out to see the sights. We hadn't had a chance to stop by any banks to take out cash, but we had our bank cards, which, to our American way of thinking, would naturally be accepted anywhere. Our teacher led us to La Sagrada Familia, a church which has been under construction for over 100 years.

She let each of us decide whether we wanted to pay for entrance to the church or return to the hotel after a long day. Many headed for the subway and returned to the hotel. Eager to explore more, two of my friends and I wandered about the plaza (露天广场), but soon the other two decided they wanted to return to the hotel also. I was confident in my abilities and had a subway ticket, so I felt comfortable without them; I got in line to enter the church.

When I reached the window, they asked for the 10-euro admission price. I confidently handed over my bank card, which they denied, asking for cash only. I was shocked. I only had three euros on hand, and my entire group had left. I was leaving the next day to fly to Madrid, and I wasn't going to get this opportunity again.

Just then, I overheard English being spoken around me. It took about ten minutes to collect my courage to approach the speakers and explained my dilemma: American student, no cash, priceless landmark, no other opportunity to see it. Fortunately, one smiling woman handed me a 20-euro bill. "Go buy me a bottle of wine, and you can keep the change," she offered. I did so without delay, grateful that I wouldn't miss this fantastic opportunity.

Perhaps seven euros didn't mean a lot to her, but it meant a lot to me, and she offered it in such a friendly way that I didn't feel like a beggar. That simple act of kindness remains in my memory as one of the nicest things a stranger has ever done for me.