Most of us spend our lives seeking the natural world. To this end, we walk the dog, play golf, go fishing, sit in the garden, drink outside rather than inside the pub, have a picnic, live in the suburbs, go to the seaside, buy a weekend place in the country. The most popular free time activity in Britain is going for a walk. And when joggers jog, they don't run down the streets. Every one of them automatically heads to the park or the river. It is my firm belief that not only do we all need nature, but we all seek nature, whether we know we are doing so or not. But despite this, our children are growing up nature-deprived . I spent my boyhood climbing trees. These days, children are robbed of these ancient freedoms, due to problems like crime, traffic, the loss of the open spaces and strange new ideas about what is best for children, that is to say, things that can be bought, rather than things that can be found. The truth is to be found elsewhere. A study in the US: families had moved to better housing and the children were assessed for ADHD . Those whose housing had more natural views showed an improvement of 19%; those who had the same improvement in material surroundings but no nice view improved just 4%. A study in Sweden indicated that kindergarten children who could play in a natural environment had less illness and greater physical ability than children used only to a normal playground. A US study suggested that when a school gave children access to a natural environment, the entire school would do better in studies. Another study found that children play differently in a natural environment. In playgrounds, children create a hierarchy based on physical abilities, with the tough ones taking the lead. But when a grassy area was planted with bushes, the children got much more into fantasy play, and the social hierarchy was now based on imagination and creativity. Most bullying is found in schools where there is a tarmac playground; the least bullying is in a natural area that the children are... Children who have chances to explore natural areas _ . A) tend to develop a strong love for science ks5u B) are more likely to dream about wildlife C) tend to be physically tougher in adulthood D) are less likely to be involved in bullying
D
(Question)
Beach volleyball is one of those sports that can be an exciting game to play and watch. It's really easy, and all you need is sand, a net and a group of people, of any age or fitness level, who want to have fun. Beach volleyball can be played with as few as two people in each team, making a total of four people. However, if you are less skilled and experienced in the game, it will be easier to play with a larger team. The more players you have, the less ground each person will be responsible for covering and the more time they will have to recover between shots. If you only have a few players, each of you will get a lot of running for the ball after each volley . If you are looking for a relaxing, fun, low-key experience, choose larger teams. Beach volleyball is similar to regular volleyball in its rules. However, even experienced volleyball players do not realize how much more difficult it is to run and jump on sand. Since it is harder to move quickly on sand than a hard surface, play will be much slower than regular volleyball on a court. When an athlete trains for beach volleyball, he will focus on building lower body strength as well as upper body strength. Strengthening his legs is extremely important. This improves the player's ability to move quickly and accurately on sand despite the resistance. The ability to jump high and land without injury is necessary for beach volleyball players. Whether you are in it for the competition, or just to have a great time with your friends, beach volleyball can be extremely exciting and fun. You may start out with friends and may soon fall in love with the sport. Why is playing beach volleyball much slower than playing regular volleyball? A) Because it is not easy to move on sand. B) Because beach volleyball has a larger court. C) Because the teams of beach volleyball are larger. D) Because beach volleyball players are not experienced.
(Answer)
A
Ques: In a recently published book , I came across some exercises with interesting names such as fishbone diagrams , lotus flowers and clustering . As I used these exercises in my classes , I noticed that students were interested . They said more and wrote more . They enjoyed expressing their ideas and sharing them in groups .They were no longer passively _ , but actively took part in the lesson . I find that creativity can act as a way to increase participation and improve fluency . Creativity has become a popular word in recent years . Scholars in the arts ,psychology , business , education , and science are all working to get a deeper understanding of it . Robert J. Sternberg is a creativity specialist and Yale professor of psychology. He defines creativity as "the ability to produce work that is both new (original) and appropriate (applicable to the situation)". This definition is useful, as we want our students to use language in a new way, and to use it correctly and properly. Most scholars say there are two types of creativity: big "C" creativity and small "c" creativity. Big "C" creativity refers to genius level thinking that results in artistic masterpieces and scientific breakthroughs. Small "c" creativity refers to everyday level thinking that can be used in any situation. Our emphasis is on the latter. While it goes without saying that any of our students could go on to be the next Picasso or Edison, our aim is to help students produce more ideas and use language in new ways . It can be inferred from the passage that the author thought the exercises in the book were _ . A) popular B) useful C) scientific D) creative
Ans: D
Not everyone can afford their own vehicle,and with the high demands of consumers and incredible expectations of today g leading engineers,public transportation needs all the improvement it can get. Nowadays,there aren't many comfortable alternatives to owning your own car,unless you're happy with inaccessible and expensive rental Pars.To fight against this.the City Car appeared and it's stackable electric car with room for two.Saving the burden of paying for gas and spending times searching for parking in a crowded city, the City Car would be an ideal and inexpensive form of transportation with easy storage. But for those of you that want to stick to trains on tracks,China's 3 D Express Coach is the answer.Unlike trains that must run far from shopping areas or even stay underground because there's simply no room for tracks,the Express Coach runs on rails positioned above the freeway.With more Express Coaches, public transportation would be more time-efficient and energy-efficient. Have you heard of the Nano car? The Tata Nano from India is ten percent of the cost of most new cars.Because of its current lack of an airbag and difficult access to the trunk,the Nano does not meet certain safety standards in other countries but after improvements are made,you may be able to buy a new car for less than$3.000 and enjoys its fit in a motorcycle parking space. The pioneer of hybrid cars,the Toyota Prius,is the shining model of the alternatively fueled vehicle.Due to the Prius' great success,the Lexus RX 450h,Honda Insight and Ford Fusion Hybrid quickly followed.A hybrid car alternates gas and electric power,but contains a complete electric motor.When you drive a hybrid,it's mostly run electrically,but some gasoline powers the generator . Cars like these are no longer imaginary.They are being planned and built,making them not just a fantasy anymore. make the improvement of public transportation necessary. A) Lack of private cars and crowded streets B) Slow public vehicles and inexperienced drivers C) High gas price and uncomfortable parking experience D) Consumers' demands and top engineers' expectations
D