A Four-legged Guardian Angel
Snow had just melted off the ground that April day at our house in Regina Beach, Saskatchewan. I had just cleaned up the pool in preparation for selling the house. The year before, I had lost my job with the provincial government, and now our financial situation was grim. In despair, I had finally put the home on the market, and a real estate agent was due to show up later that day. Even worse, I would have to give up my beloved Great Dane (大丹犬), Brigitte, because I could no longer afford the cost of feeding it. The thought of losing the dog and our beautiful home was almost more than I could bear.
Deep in despair, I sat typing up resumes and cover letters. Out of the corner of my eye I could see my thirteen-month-old son, Forrest, as he lay on the carpet, playing near our big, gentle nanny-dog, Brigitte. It seemed as if Brigitte was always meant to be in this family and she turned out to be a perfect companion.
Brigitte came to our house on Christmas eve when the doorbell rang and I was sure some of my Christmas packages had arrived. I ran to the door and swung it open, but no one was there. I sensed something and looked down, only to find a beautiful Great Dane sitting there, looking up at me with big, intelligent eyes. There was no way that she could have rung the doorbell by herself, was there? Perhaps, someone had found the puppy somewhere and left her there, and then rang the doorbell and ran away. They accurately guessed I would welcome an additional family member and take care of her.
Thinking of these, I couldn’t help heaving a sigh and went straight back to work. However, I hadn’t typed more than two sentences when Brigitte began barking furiously and running back and forth to the sliding glass door overlooking our pool.
I raced to see what was happening and noticed that the sliding door was slightly open. Suddenly, I realized Forrest was nowhere to be seen. In panic, I opened the door and ran outside.
There I was surprised to see Brigitte, who was terrified of water, dive into the pool.
Finally, the doctor said Forrest was all right and could be released from hospital.
In the 1950s, British historian Northeaster Parkinson came up with a concept which was later known as Parkinson’s Law of Triviality. It states that the amount of time spent discussing an issue in an organization is oppositely associated with its actual importance.
Parkinson’s Law of Triviality is also known as “bike-shedding (车棚)”, after the story Parkinson uses to illustrate it. He asks readers to imagine a financial committee meeting to discuss a three-point agenda. The points are as follows: A proposal for a￡10 million nuclear power plant; A proposal for a￡350 bike shed; A proposal for a￡21 annual coffee budget.
What happens? The committee ends up running through the nuclear power plant proposal in little time. It’s too advanced for anyone to really dig into the details. The discussion soon moves to the bike shed. Here, everyone’s an expert. In the end, the committee runs out of time and decides to meet again to complete their analysis.
Bike-shedding happens because the smaller a matter is, the more people will have an opinion on it, even when there is no genuine value to add. When something is outside of our circle of competence, like a nuclear power plant, we don’t even try to express an opinion. But when something is comprehensible, everyone wants to show that they know about the topic at hand.
How can we avoid bike-shedding? The main thing you can do is to have a clear purpose. Priya Parker, the author of The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters, says that any successful gathering needs to have a focused purpose. “Specificity,” she says, “is a crucial element.”
When it comes to choosing your list of invitees, Parker writes, “if the purpose of your meeting is to make a decision, you may want to consider having fewer cooks in the kitchen.” Getting the result you want - a thoughtful, educated discussion about that power plant - depends on having the right people in the room.
1．What is Parkinson’s purpose of presenting the imaginary meeting?| A．To state a fact. | B．To clarify a concept. |
| C．To make a prediction. | D．To make a comparison. |
| A．The more you know, the less you speak. |
| B．What is simple for you may be tough for others. |
| C．What requires more work may get less attention. |
| D．The more you put in, the better your result will be. |
| A．Planning before the meeting. |
| B．Getting the right people to the table. |
| C．Spending less time on the minor issues. |
| D．Taking different opinions into account. |
| A．Purpose: The Key to an Effective Meeting |
| B．Talent: A Crucial Element in Organizations |
| C．The Bike Shed Effect: Avoiding Small Matters |
| D．Nuclear Power Plant: The Less-known Proposal |
That holiday morning I didn’t have to attend school. Usually, on holidays, Mother
I stood by my window overlooking the
As I watched several people go by, get into their cars and go off, I
Several thoughts
There was a noticeable touch of
It was a
| A．forces | B．allows | C．causes | D．forbids |
| A．otherwise | B．therefore | C．however | D．besides |
| A．parking lot | B．bus stop | C．school | D．market |
| A．interesting | B．surprising | C．awful | D．useful |
| A．noticed | B．recognized | C．called | D．assisted |
| A．back | B．handle | C．wheel | D．seat |
| A．searched | B．left | C．moved | D．wandered |
| A．stopped | B．started | C．intended | D．finished |
| A．crossed | B．slipped | C．disturbed | D．inspired |
| A．attractive | B．shiny | C．simple | D．expensive |
| A．repairmen | B．businessmen | C．drivers | D．cyclists |
| A．busy | B．content | C．careful | D．bored |
| A．waving | B．looking | C．laughing | D．pointing |
| A．about | B．for | C．with | D．like |
| A．worry | B．respect | C．sympathy | D．pride |
| A．cleaning | B．fixing | C．replacing | D．covering |
| A．still | B．yet | C．again | D．soon |
| A．lesson | B．subject | C．skill | D．fact |
| A．business | B．living | C．success | D．right |
| A．tired | B．doubtful | C．fearful | D．ashamed |
| A．amazing; wouldn’t know | B．amazed; hadn’t known |
| C．amazing; hadn’t known | D．amazed; shouldn’t know |
| A．doesn’t it; it does | B．doesn’t she; she does |
| C．does it; it doesn’t | D．does she; she doesn’t |
If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be? Would you want to fly or be invisible? Or, perhaps, you’d rather have the power to read minds? Wouldn’t that be cool?
Reading minds is not as far-fetched as you might think. In fact, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a wearable device that can actually express a person’s thoughts and allow them to talk to a computer-without anyone else hearing.
The device, called AlterEgo, allows a person to control a computer and ask it questions without ever saying one word. When the individual wearing the device thinks of a word or a phrase but does not speak it, AlterEgo picks up the neuromuscular (神经肌肉) signals in that person’s jaw and face. AlterEgo sends those signals to a computer, which is programmed to associate them with specific words.
The device is fairly accurate. Inal0-person trial, AlterEgo had a92percent transcription (转录) accuracy. Researchers say that number will increase over time. “Our idea was: Could we have a computing platform that’s more internal, that combines human and machine in some ways and that feels like an internal extension of our own thoughts?” Arnav Kapur, a graduate student at the MIT Media Lab said.
So what effect could this have on communication? AlterEgo can change the way humans interact with computers, allowing us to silently connect with AI assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa, Google’s Assistant or Apple’s Siri without anyone knowing. If a person is having a conversation and wants to look up a bit of information, they don’t have to take out their digital device; instead they can just think of the question. AlterEgo will answer without interrupting the conversation. The device can also help people communicate in noisy situations, such as on a factory floor in the airport.
1．Why are the questions raised in paragraph 1?| A．To ask readers for their opinions. | B．To introduce the topic of the passage. |
| C．To inspire readers’ imagination. | D．To show the author’s curiosity. |
| A．The questions. | B．The computers. | C．The signals. | D．The words. |
| A．People can apply AI assistants skillfully. |
| B．People will make good mind-readers. |
| C．People no longer need mobile phones. |
| D．People can communicate more smoothly. |
| A．AlterEgo Frees People of Thinking. | B．Wearable Device Controls Computer. |
| C．Silent Reader of Your Mind Comes True. | D．Communication Is Easy with AI Assistants. |
The question of whether it is possible to dissociate the artist from their work has been debated for a long time. Even though positive critical reviews about an artist’s behavior can improve their artistic accomplishments, people should treat artists as individuals who have lived apart from their work.
One of the reasons is that even artists have shortcomings. Like any other human being, an artist can err, and we cannot be severely judgmental of every person that falls into error. Cancel culture with endless criticism is concerned more with how we should disregard the artists when they make mistakes than with how their weaknesses can be used by the artists to create art that is unique.
Perhaps Kevin Hart’s words support this thought. He asks, “When did we get to a point where life was supposed to be perfect? Where people were supposed to operate perfectly all the time?” When people start seeing artists as human beings, they’ll see them for who they are and review their behavior not on the basis of their art but on the basis of their humanity.
It should be also noted that there are works of art that are inspired by the artist’s experience. For example, the themes in the Harry Potter books are so connected with J. K. Rowling’s wicked worldview that it is virtually impossible to distinguish the two from each other. Since canceling artists based on their worldview would mean the reception to their art will suffer, artists become tense and unwilling to express themselves, which will kill creativity, eventually leading to the death of art. Comedians, singers or painters who should be integrating contemporary issues with their works become boring, and art stops functioning as the social mirror it ought to be.
An artist who makes mistakes still has art with intrinsic (内在的) value, benefiting entire communities or cultures. For instance, when Kendrick Lamar launched his album and frequently used the F-slur in one of his songs, there was much-heated discussion. He was entirely mistaken in using the F-slur, but as an artist, he still had a wide-reaching impact on society. Similarly, one can respect the late Michael Jackson because of how he impacted pop music and the inclusion of black musicians in mainstream media despite his personal weaknesses, opinions, worldviews and associations.
While these artists may engage in their terrible behavior, the art they produce today may serve as an example for others to produce outstanding work in the future. Some would refer to this process as a cycle. Good art should, therefore, be judged due to its value and not the value of the artist.
1．Which would Kevin Hart probably agree with?| A．People should perform perfectly all the time. |
| B．Artists’ shortcomings might be their inspiration. |
| C．If artists have weaknesses, we’d better cancel them. |
| D．Artists should be evaluated based on their humanity. |
| A．Artists will be unwilling to create any artwork. |
| B．Artists will stop concerning with contemporary issues. |
| C．Artists will lose their desire for expression and creativity. |
| D．Artworks are unavoidably inspired by artists’ experiences. |
| A．The artist may make some new words popular. |
| B．The artist’s opinions may provoke heated discussion. |
| C．The artist will benefit entire communities or cultures. |
| D．The artist’s art may give others ideas of artistic creation. |
| A．Judge Art Due to Its Value |
| B．Separate the Art From the Artist |
| C．Regard Artists as Human Beings |
| D．Stop Criticizing Artists’ Behavior |
Your teen years are a time to learn about yourself and start thinking about your future. Doing well in school and leading a healthy social and personal life will make you happier and more likely to succeed.
Become a curious reader. Go to your school library and check out books that interest you. It can be anything from poetry to storybooks—just get reading!
Look ahead to life after you graduate from high school. Think ahead to what you will do in the future, whether that’s getting a degree, volunteering, or jumping right into the career of your choice.
Take after-class activities you enjoy.
| A．Set realistic academic and personal goals |
| B．But you shouldn’t get too crazy with success |
| C．Unless you are in a library |
| D．Don’t worry, as you don’t have to choose a career right now |
| E．Pay attention and ask questions to further your understanding |
| F．If you don’t know where to start |
| G．Make them a chance for you to relax and express yourself |
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