“One day I went to a Swedish friend’s and while we were playing in his room, his mom yelled that dinner was ready. And check this. He told me to WAIT in his room while they ate!” an Internet user shared on a media platform. Consequently, there was a lot of criticism of the Swedes. Many said they wouldn’t dream of being so mean in their culture. Would a host in Sweden really not invite a guest to join their meal if it’s dinnertime?
It does happen, says Richard Tellstrom, a food historian at Stockholm University. He says this so-called “non-hospitality” was customary when he was a kid in the ‘60s and ‘70s. If he was over a friend’s house and it was time for dinner, he would go back to his own house to eat. Or he would stay and wait in another room while his friend finished his meal. Then they’d continue playing.
“Some Swedes think feeding a guest creates a sense of duty.” explains Tellstrom. “And in a society that values equality and independence, people don’t want to put a burden on someone or feel like they owe someone something.” However, it wasn’t a universal rule. Families in the countryside, for example, were more likely to feed guests. People lived farther apart, so it wasn’t as easy for people to go home and eat. The “no dinner for you” policy has slowly faded, says Tellstrom. “Since the 1990s, food has become a new symbol in society. We have open kitchens. People like to dine there and show off their cooking.”
But non-sharing hosts haven’t entirely disappeared, says Mohini Mehta, a food scholar. She admits she had a tough time adjusting to life in Sweden when she moved there in 2020. She was used to cooking dine every day for friends and hosting dinner parties almost weekly in India. She learned that in some cultures, like her own, sharing a meal with someone is a way to break the ice—but this isn’t always the case for Swedes.
1．For what purpose is Paragraph 1 is written?| A．To introduce the topic meal-sharing. |
| B．To release the netizen’s bad feelings. |
| C．To offer a platform to generate ideas. |
| D．To compare some foreign food cultures. |
| A．Particular. | B．Optional. | C．Normal. | D．Unreasonable. |
| A．Because food represents a symbol of social status. |
| B．Because they don’t want to show off their cooking. |
| C．Because it is wildly acknowledged across the country. |
| D．Because their culture values equality and independence. |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By analyzing reasons. |
| C．By providing statistics. | D．By making comparisons. |
The new member to the UAE's astronaut training program, the first female Emirati (阿联酋) astronaut, hopes that her mechanical engineering degree will be her ticket to the moon.
Nora AlMatrooshi and her fellow trainee astronaut Mohammad AlMulla were selected from 4000 highly qualified candidates to lead the nation’s 9.8 million citizens into space.
The two are looking forward to the laborious 30-month program ahead of them which has already begun with them getting their divers’ licences, picking up the Russian language and coaching for their many media interviews—and will move on to flight and weightlessness school at the Johnson Space Centre in Texas and eventually cruel survival training.
“They will need mechanical engineers to build a base on the moon,” says the 28-year-old, who represented her nation at the Mathematics Olympics and worked as an engineer at the National Petroleum Construction Company.
AlMatrooshi says she has dreamed of the stars since kindergarten, when her teacher set up the classroom as the Lunar surface and the five-year-old future astronaut constructed a cardboard moonbase. That early longing to explore space charted her degree choice.
“I actually went after it. I chose to study a degree in mechanical engineering because of a documentary I watched when I was in high school. It was about a group of astronauts going to the International Space Station and the role of the mechanical engineer was highlighted,” she say.
Leading big construction projects in the desert has helped equip the daughter of two academics—a PhD father and English teacher mother—for Lunar construction.
AlMatrooshi’s fellow trainee astronaut, UAE police helicopter pilot AlMulla, meanwhile says astronaut training has been “a big career change”.
“I spent 15 years qualifying to be a pilot, including training in Australia for my commercial pilot’s licence,” says the father of two. “As a pilot you get used to mastering everything—suddenly I’m changing my path.”
“I’m a big fan of SpaceX. The rockets and even the fancy space suits. And hopefully all four of us—and all the astronauts who come after us will get to be a part of future missions—perhaps even to the moon eventually.”
1．What preparation have they made before the training program?| A．They have grasped their native language. | B．They have had cruel survival training. |
| C．They have learned to deal with the press. | D．They have done some weightlessness training. |
| A．She got help from her academic parents. |
| B．She has had a big dream since her childhood. |
| C．She has experience in big construction projects. |
| D．She was the winner of the Mathematics Olympics. |
| A．I’ll be a master of life. | B．I’m an enthusiast for SpaceX. |
| C．I’m settling my new problem. | D．I’m starting a new life from scratch. |
| A．The fans of Space X | B．Dream and achievements |
| C．Passion and preparations | D．Future astronaut training program |
It was summer, and my dad wanted to treat me to a vacation like never before. He decided to take me on a trip to the Wild West. We took a plane to Albuquerque, a big city in the state of New Mexico. We reached Albuquerque in the late afternoon. Upon Paul, my dad’s friend, picked us up from the airport and drove us up to his farm in Pecos.
His wife Tina cooked us a delicious dinner and we got to know his sons Ryan and Kyle. My dad and I spent the night in the guestroom of the farm house listening to the frogs and water rolling down the river nearby. Very early in the morning, Uncle Paul woke us up to have breakfast. “The day starts at dawn on my farm,” he said. After breakfast, I went to help Aunt Tina feed the chickens, while my dad went with Uncle Paul to take the sheep out to graze (吃草). I was impressed to see my dad and Uncle Paul riding horses. They looked really cool.
In the afternoon, I asked Uncle Paul if I could take a horse ride, and he said yes, as long as my dad went with me. I wasn’t going to take a horse ride by myself anyway. So, my dad and I put on our new cowboy hats, got on our horses, and headed slowly towards the mountains. “Don’t be late for supper,” Uncle Paul cried, “and keep to the track (足迹；踪迹) so that you don’t get lost!” “OK!” my dad cried back. After a while Uncle Paul and his farm house were out of sight. It was so peaceful and quiet and the colors of the brown rocks, the deep green pine (松树) trees, and the late afternoon sun mixed to create a magic scene. It looked like a beautiful woven (编织的) blanket spread out upon the ground just for us.
Suddenly a little rabbit jumped out in front of my horse.
We had no idea where we were and it was getting dark.
It was one of the hottest days of the dry season. We had not seen rain in almost a month. The crops were dying. Cows had stopped giving milk. The streams were long gone back into the earth.
I was in the kitchen making lunch for the family when I saw my six-year-old son, Billy, walking toward the woods. I could only see his back. He wasn't walking in his usual way. He was obviously walking with a great effort, trying to be as still as possible. Minutes after he disappeared into the woods, he came running out again, toward the house.
Moments later, however, he was once again walking in that slow and long step toward the woods. This activity went on for over an hour—walking cautiously to the woods, then running back to the house. Finally, my curiosity got the best of me. I crept out of the house and followed him on his journey.
He was cupping both hands in front of him as he walked, being very careful not to spill the water he carried. Branches and thorns slapped (拍打) his little face but he did not try to avoid them. He had a much greater purpose. As I came closer, I saw the most amazing sight. Several large deer stood in front of him. Billy walked right up to them, at the sight of which I almost screamed for him to get away. A hug buck (雄鹿) was dangerously close, but it neither threatened Billy nor even moved as Billy knelt down. And I saw a baby deer lying on the ground, obviously suffering from heavy loss of water and heat exhaustion, lifting its head with great effort to lap (舔) up the water in my boy's hands.
When the water was gone, Billy jumped up to run back to the house.
This time I joined him, with a small pot of water from the kitchen.
People are looking to make meaning after the global pandemic. And one way that some of us do this is to credit coincidences—the unexpected concurrence (同时发生) of events—with helping to find jobs, friends and spouses, make significant career decisions and relieve pains. Scholars disagree on the cause of coincidences. Some say they are random and due to probability. Others see God or spiritual forces at work. Still others say it’s our subconscious making connections. No matter the cause, people who study coincidences say that paying attention to these moments may help us, especially in times of stress.
Studies show that noticing coincidences may help boost both the effectiveness of psychotherapy and mental well-being. Michael Schauch, 42, an investment-portfolio manager in Squamish, British Columbia, who is an avid mountaineer, lost his best friend Brent last year. A few months later, Mr. Schauch climbed a mountain he and Brent often scaled together. At the summit, Mr. Schauch found hundreds of ladybugs. When he climbed a different mountain on the anniversary of Brent’s death, he saw a ladybug as he started up each new section of the rock face. “I knew at once that it was Brent, and that he was still there with me, as if to say: ‘You’ve got this, Mike. Keep going!’” he says.
Coincidences can make the world feel like it makes good sense, says David B. Yaden, an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins University School. Varieties of spiritual experiences show a correlation (关联) between coincidences and an increase in positive emotions，better personal relationships and a greater sense of meaning in life.
Coincidences are more likely to happen to certain people. “People who are troubled by distress and searching for signs are more likely to experience coincidences,” says Bemard Beitman, a psychiatrist and a coincidence researcher. If you’d like to enhance your ability to notice coincidences, there are several strategies, says Lisa Miller, a clinical psychologist: Be open to them. Write them down. Talk about them with others. “We really need this deep inner wisdom.” she says.
1．What can we learn about coincidences from paragraph 1?| A．They happen as expected. | B．They provide guidance or relief. |
| C．They activate subconscious mind. | D．They contribute to invisible forces. |
| A．To clarify the cause of coincidences. |
| B．To offer a method of coping with grief. |
| C．To show the comforting effect of coincidences. |
| D．To present a solid friendship between two climbers. |
| A．Lucky people tend to be surprised by coincidences. |
| B．Wisdom is to the soul what mental health is to the body. |
| C．Coincidences mean more to our daily lives than the surface. |
| D．The more we cultivate coincidences, the more likely they happen. |
| A．The meaningful moments in life. | B．The hidden power of coincidences. |
| C．The various opinions on coincidences. | D．The strategies for noticing coincidences. |
Nupur walked along the road with a sad look on her face. Tomorrow was her friend Neeta’s birthday but she did not have anything nice to wear to the party. Her father’s small factory had closed down and there was hardly any money left at home to buy a new dress.
Nupur decided to wear an old dress that had been her favourite for many years but was a little too short for her now. “I will ask the tailor to lengthen it,” Nupur said to herself. The tailor however refused to do so. “I don’t take such work right now since the orders have started pouring in and my hands are full.”
Nupur left holding the bag with the dress in it and thought, “What am I to do?” Suddenly she saw a lady get out of the car and walk towards the bank. The lady opened her handbag to take out some papers but her wallet fell to the ground. Unaware of it, the lady went into the bank. Nupur ran and picked up the wallet. There were so many people in the bank that she decided to wait on the steps.
After a long time the lady came out. Nupur handed her the wallet that she had dropped. The lady could not believe it. The little girl had been waiting for her for so long, just to give back the wallet. The lady looked at the contents and everything was just the way she had left it. She looked at the girl’s old and dirty clothes. “What is your name and where are you going? Can I drop you home?” The lady asked. Nupur told the lady that she was going home. She also said that she had been to the tailor to get a dress tailored to wear for her friend’s birthday party but the tailor had refused to do so and that her father was jobless.
The lady looked at the dress with visible dirty spots.
In the evening, Nupur went to the lady’s home to get her old dress back.
When I was in middle school, my social studies teacher asked me to enter a writing contest. I said no without thinking. I did not love writing. My family came from Brazil, so English was only my second language. Writing was so difficult and painful for me that my teacher had allowed me to present my paper on the sinking of the Titanic by acting out a play, where I played all the parts. No one laughed harder than he did.
So, why did he suddenly force me to do something at which I was sure to fail? His reply: “Because I love your stories. If you’re willing to apply yourself, I think you have a good shot at this.” Encouraged by his words, I agreed to give it a try.
I chose Paul Revere’s horse as my subject. Paul Revere was a silversmith (银匠) in Boston who rode a horse at night on April 18, 1775 to Lexington to warn people that British soldiers were coming. My story would come straight from the horse’s mouth. Not a brilliant idea, but funny; and unlikely to be anyone else’s choice.
What did the horse think, as he sped through the night? Did he get tired? Have doubts? Did he want to quit? I sympathized immediately. I got tired. I had doubts. I wanted to quit. But, like Revere’s horse, I kept going. I worked hard. I checked my spelling. I asked my older sister to correct my grammar. I checked out a half dozen books on Paul Revere from the library. I even read a few of them.
When I handed in the essay to my teacher, he read it, laughed out loud, and said, “Great. Now, write it again.” I wrote it again, and again and again. When I finally finished it, the thought of winning had given way to the enjoyment of writing. If I didn’t win, I wouldn’t care.
A few weeks later, when I almost forgot the contest, there came the news.
I went to my teacher’s office after the award presentation.
Saying farewell to someone you love, even for a night, can be difficult, much less saying goodbye for a lifetime or forever in death. Juliet bid Romeo adieu (再见) for the evening with the words, “Parting is such sweet sorrow.” Sweet sorrow is an oxymoron. But this seeming contradiction is true in the context of relationships.
Relationships are based on feelings, emotions, and passion. Deep friendships and loving relationships are measured by the level of emotional attachment. Emotions intensify over time. People spend time with the people they like. The more one person likes another person, the closer the relationship becomes. Each person in the relationship receives an emotional benefit from knowing the other person.
Saying goodbye means separating from the people who make up a significant part of your emotional identity. Separation, even a temporary absence, from the people you have a deep emotional connection with can cause sorrow because you will no longer be able to enjoy their company.
The sweet side of saying goodbye is the emotional fulfillment of being in a close relationship. The time spent together is emotionally rewarding, especially if that person is seen as a soulmate. Humans are social beings. We seek the love and comfort of other people. Loneliness devastates the human condition and leads to sadness. Sad people will do anything they can to find fulfilling relationships. Likewise, happy people will do anything they can to maintain or enhance relationships. Herein lies the essential point of the emotional problem.
The more intense relationships become, the more devastating the emotional loss that is felt upon separation. The exhilaration of relationships cannot be truly measured without experiencing the overwhelming loss of a deep emotional connection.
Enjoy the company of the person you are with as long as you can; knowing the pain you will feel at the end of the relationship is the true measure of the relationship. If it doesn’t hurt to say goodbye, perhaps it wasn’t worth saying hello.
1．Which of the word group can create the same effect as “sweet sorrow”?| A．icy cold | B．clicking sound | C．deafening silence | D．endless speech |
| A．Saying goodbye is unavoidable in our daily life. |
| B．The companion of close friends can lessen sorrow. |
| C．A person’s identity is connected with relationship. |
| D．Separation is the sorrowful part of saying goodbye. |
| A．Making more communication with others. |
| B．Building deep emotional connections with others. |
| C．Comforting friends with love and intense feelings. |
| D．Being a thoughtful person by standing in others’ shoes. |
| A．Sweet sorrow is very common in close relationships. |
| B．The pain of separation is the measure of relationships. |
| C．Human beings are eager to get emotional fulfillment. |
| D．Happiness is meaningless without sadness to compare it. |
校运会 时间：11月2日(周四)-11月3日(周五) 地点：源深体育中心 体育项目：跳远、跳高、长跑、短跑、掷铅球 |
Judging from recent surveys, most experts in sleep behavior agree that there is virtually an epidemic of sleepiness in the nation.“I can’t think of a single study that hasn’t found Americans getting less sleep than they ought to,” says Dr. David. Even people who think they are sleeping enough would probably be better off with more rest.
The beginning of our sleep-deficit crisis can be traced back to the invention of the light bulb a century ago.From diary entries and our personal accounts from the 18th and 19th centuries, sleep scientists have reached the conclusion that the average person used to sleep about 9.5 hours a night.”The best sleep habits once were forced on us, when we had nothing to do in the evening down on the farm, and it was dark.” By the 1950s and 1960s, the sleep schedule had been reduced dramatically, to between 7.5 and 8 hours, and most people had to wake to an alarm clock. “People cheat in their sleep, and they don’t even realize they’re doing it,” says Dr. David, ”They think they’re okay because they can get by on 6.5 hours, when they really need 7.5, 8 or even more to feel ideally vigorous.”
Perhaps the most merciless robber of sleep, researchers say, is the complexity of the day. Whenever pressures from work, family, friends and community increase, many people consider sleep the least expensive item on their program.” In our society, you’re considered dynamic if you say you need only 5.5 hours’ sleep. If you’ve got to get 8.5 hours, people think you lack drive and ambition.”
To determine the consequences of sleep-deficit, researchers have put subjects through a set of psychological and performance tests requiring them, for instance, to add columns of numbers or recall a passage read to them only minutes earlier. “We’ve found that if you’re in sleep deficit, performance suffers,” says Dr. David, ”Short-term memory is weakened, as are abilities to make decisions and to concentrate.”
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