学进去

If you go shopping in any toy store, you can see clearly the different games and toys for boys and girls: there are a lot of pink toys on one side of the store for girls; and dark-colored cars, guns, and soldiers for boys. Some big stores with toys may even have a pink floor for girls and a blue floor for boys. In fact, it is difficult to buy a toy for a girl that is not pink.

Some people think that too much pink is bad for girls. Sue Palmer, writer of Toxic Childhood, is very worried that most girls over the age of three are crazy about the color. According to some scientists, this happens for two reasons. Firstly, most companies offer too many products in pink. Also, many parents think their little daughter looks cute in pink. Sue Palmer says that girls at this age cannot make proper decisions by themselves, but the pink can affect (影响) the choices and the decisions they will make in the future.

Some parents are worried too-for example, Vanessa Holburn, thirty-two, who has two girls under the age of four. Their bedrooms are a sea of pink and Vanessa is not happy. “Pink says that you are soft and gentle. Blue says that you are strong and powerful. I want my daughters to be strong and powerful. I’m worried that pink will not help them with that,” she says.

But not everyone thinks there’s something wrong with pink. Grayson Turner is a father of three girls and he isn’t worried at all. “People forget that things change all the time,” he says. “My girls used to love pink when they were little, but as they get older, they change.” Turner explains that his twelve-year-old daughter never wears pink clothes anymore. “This love of pink is just a fashion and all fashions change,” he adds. “It’s only since the 1940s that people have stated dressing girls in pink-before that it was a color for boys.”

A．

B．

C．

D．

A huge flower basket arrangement（安排）with the theme “Blessings to China” will be installed（放置）in Tian’anmen Square, as a part of the decoration（装饰）to dress up the square and Chang’ an Avenue（长安街）for The National Day on Oct. 1.

Since 1984, Tian’anmen Square in the heart of Beijing has host（举办）activities to celebrate the National Day holiday, with their design and related（相关）technology developing over the years.

Besides（除去）the main basket, the 14 flower beds（花坛）along Chang’an Avenue bring out different good wishes to the country and showing the nation’s achievements. Two of the flower beds —one the shape（形状）of a rainbow and the other shape of a Chinese knot to celebrate the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China（中国共产党第20次代表大会）, which opened in Beijing on October 16.

科技改变生活，发明无处不在，如computers，cars，smart phones，e-books，robots，Internet...请结合自身经历，谈谈哪一项发明对你的影响最大以及它是如何改变你的生活的。

Technology changes our life and inventions are around us. In my daily life,

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————.

Confucius (孔子) is a master of thinking. He came up with many great ideas. But what’s the most well-known and influential (有影响力的) one? That may be the idea of the golden mean (中庸). Have you heard of it? Do you know its real meaning?

Zhongyong, the golden mean or the doctrine of the mean, is an interesting topic. In Confucianism (儒家思想), it is seen as a primary virtue (最重要的品德). Confucius speaks highly of it. However, it is easily misunderstood. People often think it means not working hard or pursuing perfection (追求完美).

But the key point of the golden mean is to stay moderate (适中的), neither too little nor too much. The character “zhong” means to be moderate in one’s words and behaviors. “Yong” has two meanings—being common and unchanging.

This way of thinking is useful in our daily life. When we write a story, we shouldn’t use too many fancy (华丽的) words. But it doesn’t mean we can’t use any beautiful language in the story. While exercising, we can’t do too much every time or we might get hurt. But it doesn’t mean we should never exercise. The key is to walk a fine line.

The golden mean is always being embraced (推崇) by our nation. President Xi Jinping said we should respect cultural diversity (多样性). We should be confident but not too arrogant (自负的) in cultural exchanges.

We are now living in the 21st century. Is your classroom living in the 21st century, too? Tony is a student in Grade 8 at an American middle school. He was ________ when he saw his modern classroom on his first day of school.

In Tony’s classroom, there are many new ________, like iPads. This semester, they will use the electronics to take notes, ________ videos and do projects and homework. ‘‘It’s ________,’’ said Tony. “I prefer using an iPad to work on math or other projects with my team members.”

The school uses new technology(技术)in classrooms to help students see, hear, touch and sometimes experience their tasks. “Technology is pretty common in most of our classrooms now,’’ the head teacher said. “We are trying to use technology to ________ the world to kids. It can bring the outside world in.”

Science teacher Mr Miller agrees. ‘‘It is a ________ way for students to know the outside world,” he said.

Mr Miller now regards himself as a guide of learning ________ a teacher. “If they have a question for me, I will try to teach them ________ to find the answers rather than tell them what the answers are,” he said.

Dale, another student, loves technology. He was not really interested in class before, ________ now he likes the classes very much. “It helps me use what I know about technology at school,” Dale said. “Most importantly, I ________ the classroom. This, of course, will help my studies.”

You either have it, or you don’t—a sense of direction, that is. But why is it that some people could find their way across the Sahara without a map, while others can lose themselves in the next street?

Scientists say we’re all born with a sense of direction, but it is not properly understood how it works. One opinion is that people with a good sense of direction have simply worked harder at developing it. Scientists from Liverpool University are carrying out a research that supports this idea and suggests that if we don’t use it, we lose it.

“Children as young as seven have the ability to find their way around,” says Jim Martland, Research Director of the project. “However, if parents don’t allow their children out alone or always take them everywhere by car, children never develop the skills.”

Jim Martland also advised that young people should train some skills to improve their sense of direction. He makes the following suggestions:

If you are using a map, turn it so it relates to the way you’re facing.

If you leave your bike in a strange place, put it near something like a big stone or a tree. Note landmarks on the way as you go away from your bike. When you return, go back along the same way.

Simplify(简化) the way of finding your direction by using lines such as streets in a town, small rivers, or walls in the countryside to guide you. Count your steps so that you know how far you have gone and note any landmarks such as tall buildings or hills which can help you to find out where you are.

Your notebook might be an important tool for school, work, or just writing down your daily thoughts, but it’s only useful if you can easily find your notes. Of course, your notebook can only be truly organized if you write (or rewrite) organized notes! Read the following tips and try to be a good note-taker.

1．

A notebook that’s falling apart is more difficult to keep organized, especially if the pages are torn (撕破) or falling out. Look for a notebook with a strong cover, a good binding, and thicker pages, especially if you’ll be putting it in your pocket or throwing it in your bag. Not all well-made notebooks are expensive, and not all expensive notebooks are well-made. Shop around and pick out a notebook that looks and feels both strong and functional (功能的).

2．

The key to good note-taking is knowing what to write down and what not to write down. Look for signs, such as special expressions or uses of body language, to pick out the key points you should write down. For example: Listen closely to what comes after special expression like, “To sum up,” “There are… reasons why...,” “However,” “Once again,” and “Let me repeat.” Pay attention when the speaker raises their voice and/or speaks more slowly.

3．

You can take notes much better by using abbreviations（缩写）, symbols, charts, drawings, and other shorthand skills. If you’re making up your own shorthand system, though, make sure you can understand it easily when reading over your notes! For example, if you use “EP” to mean “environmental protection” but can’t remember what it stands for when you’re studying, you’ll end up wasting more time than you would have by writing out the whole expression each time.

4．

This way basically turns one notebook into two. With the notebook open, use the page to the left of the binding（包边）to write down notes, make quick drawings, add notes, and so on in a quite disorganized way. At least once a day, rewrite this information in a more organized way on the page to the right of the binding. Don’t think of rewriting your notes as a waste of time. In addition to getting the material better organized, rewriting helps you keep the information in mind more easily. This can be very helpful for test preparation.

5．

Draw a circle in the middle of the note page and write down the key words or main topic of your notes—for example, the topic of the speech or lesson you’re listening to. Write down important supporting information in a little smaller circles around the central circle, then connect the circles with thicker lines. Repeat the process with even smaller circles and thinner connecting lines. You may find it useful to do mind-mapping on one page of your open notebook, then re-write the notes afterward in a basic outline style on the other page.

近年来，各地英语中考开始采用人机对话(computer­aided tests)的方式检验学生的听说能力，学生们对此有不同的看法。校英语报社就“Do you like to have computer­aided tests?”进行了调查。请你根据调查结果写一篇英语短文，并谈谈你的态度及理由。

Recently, the School English Newspaper did a survey about whether you like to have computer­aided tests or not. Here are the results._______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How would you like to spend a year as if you’re living on Mars? NASA is looking for four people to do that.

To prepare for eventually sending astronauts to Mars, NASA has started taking applications(申请) for people to live for a year in Mars Dune Alpha. That’s the place created by a 3D-printer inside building at Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The paid volunteers will experience spacewalks, few communications back home and equipment failures(设备故障)。

NASA is planning three of these experiments(实验), with the first one starting in the second half of 2022.

“We want to understand how humans perform in them,” said Scientist Grace Douglas. “We are looking at Mars situations. Simulations( 模拟) on Earth will help us understand and know the challenges astronauts will face before they go.”

Food will all be ready-to-eat space food and some plants will be grown, but now there are no windows planned.

NASA opened applications on August 6 and has strict requirements for those wanting the job, including a degree in science, engineering or maths, or experience as a pilot. They must also be aged 30-55, be in good physical health with no illness or bad habits.

Hadfield, who spent five months at the International Space Station in 2013, said the experiment was great.

Just think how much you’re going to be able to catch up on Netflix, he joked. “If they have a musical instrument there, you could go into there knowing nothing and come out a concert musician, if you want.” He said there could be “unbelievable freedom” in a year away from your normal life.