选择知识点

C

   The clothes you wear. The food you eat. The color of your bedroom walls. Where you go and how you get there. The people you hang around with. What time you go to bed. What do these things have in common? You’re asking. They’re just a few examples of many hundreds of things that your parents controlled for you when you were a child.

   As a kid, you didn’t have a say in everything; your parents made decisions about everything from the cereal you ate in the morning to pajamas you wore at night. And it’s a good thing, too --- kids need this kind of protection on their own.

   But finally, kids grow up and become teens. And part of being a teen is developing your own identity--- one that is separate from your parents’. But as you change and grow into this new person who makes his own decisions, your parents have a difficult time adjusting(调整).

   In most families, it is this adjustment that can cause a lot of fighting between teens and parents. And issues like the type of friends you have or your attitudes to partying can cause bigger argum ents, because your parents still always want to protect you and keep you safe, no matter how old you are.

   The good news about fighting with your parents get more comfortable with the idea that their teens have a right to certain opinions. It can take several years for parents and teens to adjust to their new roles, though. In the meantime, focus on communicating with your parents.

   Sometimes this can feel impossible --- like they just don’t see your point of view and never will. But talking and expressing your opinions can help you gain more respect from your parents.

   Keep in mind, too, that your parents were teens once and that in most cases, they can relate to what you’re going through.

If Confucius(孔子)were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. Heˈd need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out. 
     While many people in China will remember Confucius on this special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. Itˈs nothing personal. Most Americans donˈt even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes. 
     But this doesnˈt mean that Americans donˈt care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China. 
   In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually included Chinese art, history and philosophy(哲学).Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantages of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Westerners philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.
     So the old thinkerˈs ideas are still alive and well. Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West. 
     As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.

You’re in a department store and you see a couple of attractive young women looking at a sweater. You listen to their conversation:

"I can't believe it-Lorenzo Bertolla! They are almost impossible to find. Isn't it beautiful? And it's a lot cheaper than the one Sara bought in Rome." 

They leave and you go over to see this incredible sweater. It's nice and the price is right. You've never heard of Lorenzo Bertolla, but those girls looked really stylish. They must know. So, you buy it. You never realize that those young women are employees of an advertising agency. They are actually paid to go from store to store, talking loudly about Lorenzo Bertolla clothes. 

Every day we notice what people are wearing, driving and eating. If the person looks cool, the product seems cool, too. This is the secret of undercover marketing. Companies from Ford to Nike are starting to use it.

Undercover marketing is important because it reaches people that don't pay attention to traditional advertising. This is particularly true of the MTV generation-consumers between the age of 18 and 34. It's a golden group. They have a lot of money to spend, but they don't trust ads.

So advertising agencies hire young actors to "perform" in bars and other places where young adults go.Some people might call this practice misleading, but marketing executive Jonathan Ressler calls it creative. "Look at traditional advertising. Its effectiveness is decreasing." It is true, because everyone knows an ad is trying to persuade you to buy something. However, you don't know when a conversation you overhear is just a performance.

To have a second child or not, this is a question.

A concern about only one child is whether one child necessarily means a lonely child. Many parents of only child feel guilty of their decision to have only child. There are no other children in the family for the child to associate with, which may lead to the child feeling lonely at times.

Another common argument against having just one child may be more spoiled than one with siblings. Many people believe that a single child will not have learned to negotiate with others, and respect the give-and-take involved in many relationships. Some think this may leave the child less capable of interacting well people his or her own age.

Despite these arguments, the number of parents choosing to have only one child is increasing in the world. For some single-child parents, the pressures of devoting time and energy to a second child can result in them selecting to have no more children. For other parents, the financial burden of having a second child may be the major consideration. Another important consideration is the increasing age at which women give birth to children.

Advocates of single-child families argue that there are advantages for the child as well as the parents. With just one child, the parents can give, and the child can receive, more quality time and attention.

However, there is no simple answer to the question of whether or not to have a second child. The circumstances affecting each set of parents are unique. The important thing, in the end, is to make a decision that both the wife and the husband feel confident.

Five million people visit Grand Canyon in the US every year. For the purpose of helping protect Grand Canyon for your fellow visitors and future generations, please follow the guidelines below.
Camping
   To protect the park, camping is allowed only within permitted campgrounds. Permits are required for overnight camping at the North Rim. Advance booking can be received by mail. Please write: Information Center , P.O. Box 129 , Grand Canyon , AZ 86023 .
Fires
   Because of the extreme fire danger, campfires are not allowed except at Mather and Desert View campgrounds. Collection of firewood is not allowed either.
Hiking
   Please stay oil permitted paths. Otherwise you may destroy desert plants. Pack out what you pack in, so you leave no signs of your visit. It is important to keep in mind that you are in a national park where wildlife exists.
Weather
   The weather at Grand Canyon can change very quickly. With so much rock, lightning causes a particular danger during sudden summer storms. These storms also frequently bring floods inside valleys, a danger to hikers. Watch the skies and check daily weather reports.

Wildlife
   Do not feed park wildlife. There have been a few cases at Grand Canyon National Park where deer were purposely shot because there are plastic bags that left them sick and weak. Hungry deer car be dangerous and have kicked and bitten visitors at Grand Canyon . Some other animals will also beg and bite. For your own safety and the well-being of the animals, please do not feed wildlife, no matter how gentle they may appear.

Usually two weeks before Christmas, buying presents is the most important for a lot of people in the UK. However, last year not so many people were leaving their homes to browse in the shops.

    These days lots of people can do their shopping in the comfort of their own home with the help of the Internet.

    Online shopping is becoming more and more popular for a number of reasons: Goods are often cheaper online, and you don’t have to queue up in busy shops and you can buy almost any product imaginable with just a few clicks of your mouse.

    Computer trends are often male-dominated but last year women did more shopping on the Internet than men. It seemed women were more attracted to the convenience of online shopping than they used to be. Average spending online last Christmas by women rose to ￡240 compared to the slightly lower average of ￡233 for men, while the average expense per person on the high street was on ly ￡197. Seventy percent of Internet users, male and female, are now buying their Christmas gifts online.

    In the past a lot of people were unwilling to shop online. Many were worried about the security of entering their card details on the Internet and the reliability of the Internet, but as shopping online has become more widespread, these worries have begun to disappear. 45% of Internet users still do have security worries but it hasn’t slowed down the ever-increasing numbers of online shoppers.

    There are lots of special offers in the high street shops during Christmas because of the influence of the online shopping. They are concerned that not enough shoppers are coming through their doors. Most shops traditionally have sales after Christmas, but last year the bargains had come early in an attempt to attract consumers to spend.

What would be the best title for the passage?

Are you sometimes a little tired and sleepy in the early afternoon? Many people feel this way after lunch. They may think that eating lunch is the cause of the sleepiness. Or, in summer, they may think it is the heat. However, the real reason lies inside their bodies. At that time-about eight hours after you wake up-your body temperature goes down. This is what makes you slow down and feel sleepy. Scientists have tested sleep habits in experiments where there was no night or day. The people in these experiments almost always followed a similar sleeping pattern. They slept for one long period and then for one short period about eight hours later.
  In many parts of the world, people take naps (小睡) in the middle of the day. This is especially true in warmer climates (气候), where the heat makes work difficult in the early afternoon. Researchers are now saying that naps are good for everyone in any climate. A daily nap gives one a more rested body and mind and therefore is good for health in general. In countries where naps are traditional (传统的), people often suffer less from problem such as heart disease.

Many working people, unfortunately, have no time to take naps. Though doctors may advise taking naps, employers do not allow it! If you do have the chance, however, here are a few tips about making the most of your nap. Remember that the best time to take a nap is about eight hours after you get up. A short sleep too late in the day may only make you feel more tired and sleepy afterward. This can also happen if you sleep for too long.

 If you do not have enough time, try a short nap-even ten minutes of sleep can be helpful.

It was a comfortable sunny Sunday. I was going to meet an old university friend I hadnˈt seen for years, and was really excited to hear all his news.

My train was running a little late, but that was no big problem—I could text him to say I would be delayed. He would understand. But... where was my mobile phone? I had that familiar sinking feeling. Yes, Iˈd forgotten it at home.

No mobile phone. Iˈm sure Iˈm not alone in feeling anxious, on edge and worried when I donˈt have my phone with me. In fact, I know Iˈm not alone: two­thirds of us experience ‘nomophobia’，the fear of being out of mobile phone contact. Thatˈs according to a study from 2012 which surveyed 1,000 people in the UK about their relationship with mobile phones.

It says we check our mobile phones 34 times a day, that women are more ‘nomophobic’ than men, and that 18－24 year­olds are the most likely to suffer fear of being without their mobiles: 77% of them say they are unable to be apart from their phones for more than a few minutes.

Do you have nomophobia?

·You never turn your phone off

·You obsessively check for texts, missed calls and emails

·You always take your phone to the bathroom with you

·You never let the battery run out

Itˈs funny to think that around 20 years ago the only people with mobile phones would be businesspersons carrying their large, plastic ‘bricks’. Of course, these days, mobile phones are everywhere. A UN study from this year said mobile phone subscriptions would outnumber people across the world by the end of 2014.

And when there are more phones than people in the world, maybe itˈs time to ask who really is in charge? Are you in control of your phone, or does your phone control you?

So, what happened with my university friend? When I arrived a few minutes late he just laughed and said: “You havenˈt changed at all—still always late！” And we had a great afternoon catching up, full of jokes and stories, with no interruptions and no nagging(唠叨的) desire to check my phone. Not having it with me felt strangely liberating. Maybe Iˈll leave it at home on purpose next time.

There is no better way to enjoy Scottish traditions than going fishing and tasting a little bit of whisky(威士忌) at a quiet place like the Inverlochy Castle. When Queen Victoria visited the castle in 1873, she wrote in her diary, “I never saw a lovelier spot ,” And she didn’t even go fishing.

Scotland is not easily defined. In certain moments, this quiet land of lakes and grasses and mountains changes before your very eyes. When evening gently sweeps the hillside into orange light, the rivers, filled with fish, can turn into streams of gold. As you settle down with just a fishing pole and a basket on the bank of River Orchy, near the Inverlochy Castle, any frustration(烦恼) will float away as gently as the circling water. It’s just you and purple, pink, white flowers, seeking a perfect harmony. If you are a new comer to fishing, learning the basics from a fishing guide may leave you with a lifetime’s fun. For many, fishing is more than a sport; it is an art.

Scotland offers interesting place where you can rest after a long day’s fishing. Set against a wild mountain and hidden behind woodland, the beautiful Inverlochy Castle Hotel below the Nevis is a perfect place to see the beauty of Scotland’s mountains. Ben Nevis is the highest of all British mountains, and reaching its 1343-metre top is a challenge. But it’s not just what goes up matters; what comes down is unique. More than 900 metres high, on the mountain’s north face, lies an all-important source of pure water. Its name comes from the Gaelic language “usquebaugh” or “water of life”; and it is the single most important ingredient(原料) in Scotland’s best known drink: whisky.

Goldfish have pretty boring lives, so maybe it’s a good thing they can only concentrate for nine seconds! But according to new research, humans are becoming like goldfish. Our attention span (时长) is getting shorter...and it’s all because of technology.

“We move quickly from one site to another on the web,” says Doctor Ted Selker, a computer scientist from Massachusetts, “and we are losing the ability to concentrate.” With millions of websites to choose from, the attention span of the average Internet user is just seconds. There are other digital distractions（分心）too: email, instant messaging and quickie movies on websites. Some people are worried about the effect on young people. “You need time to understand and think about what you read,” says Julia Wood, from London. “Young people search the net all the time and their brains become full of useless information but there is no time to make sense of it. I am trying to persuade my pupils to read more books, so that they concentrate on one subject for longer.”

Other teachers are trying more unusual methods to improve students’ concentration. Anne Savan, from Wales, was so worried about her students that she started playing Mozart during her science lessons. She says that it had an amazing effect: “The music made them calmer, and their concentration was much better.”　　

But not everyone believes that there is a problem. Ray Cole, an educational psychologist says: “On the web, young people learn to make quick decisions about what is and isn’t worth reading. They might look at five unhelpful websites very quickly, before stopping and reading a sixth useful website more carefully. In a world with so much information available, this is an important skill.”