高中英语阅读填空试题

阅读下面短文，根据以下提示：1）汉语提示，2）首字母提示，3）语境提示，在每个空格内填入一个适当的英语单词，所填单词要求意义准确，拼写正确，并将该词完整地写在答题卡中相应的横线上。
Bike riding is a great way to get exercise and fresh air. But before you rush out and start biking, t    is an important thing you need to consider—safety.
Always wear a helmet when riding a bike, no matter ________ you are or how short the ride is. It can protect your brain from g      hurt in a bike accident. Many bike accidents mean brain damage or death for someone who does not wear      while riding. To protect against brain injury, make sure that the belts aref     . What you wear when riding a bike is also very important for safety. Bright-colored clothes will help you be visible on the road.       (除外) that, you have to choose good shoes. You should never ride barefoot!
Stop at all stop signs and o      traffic lights just as cars do. Always stop and check for traffic in both        (方向) when leaving a driveway.
Never wear ear-phones while biking. It’s important to hear everyone    （其他）on the road.
One of the best ways for parents to help kids learn safe bike riding is to set an     by following the rules of the road themselves.

Writing a letter to your future self is an experience that you write a personal note to yourself, seal (密封) it and only open it to read in some years. When you’re writing the letter , it helps crystallize(使具体化) exactly what you expect yourself to become at that specific moment down the road. When you open the letter in the future, you can compare what you used to be in the past with what you are currently. This lets you see how much you’ve grown or changed since you wrote the letter.
So writing a letter to your future self can be an interesting experience. Now look at today’s date and imagine you writing to yourself of exactly X years later. Think about what type of person you’ll be, what you’ll have achieved then, what you’ll think of and how you’ll feel, and so on. You can include all of these in the letter.
Once you finish the letter, sign off your name with the date on which you write it, and then you can put the papers into an envelope on which the cover writes “ to [ Your Name]. To be opened on [Date]”. After sealing it, put this envelope in a private place where only you yourself can get it. And finally open the letter on the date you wrote on the envelope and enjoy it in love and joy.
You can either write it as a hard copy or have it as a digital soft copy. You can also write a hard copy firstly, and then change it into a soft copy document on your computer in case you lose the hard copy. You can also try Futureme.org , an online service that stores and sends information to a specified(指定的) e-mail address any time you specify in the future. Anyway, be sure to write a letter to your future self!

Topic	Write a letter to your future self
_________	Allow you to know_______ about your goals for the future while writing it. Enable you to see your __________ for changes while reading it.
Examples of what to write	The type of person you’ll be. Your possible future _______. The thoughts and________ you’ll experience.
After _________the letter	Write down your name and the date on which you write it in the letter. Seal the letter in an envelope and write the date to ______ it on the cover. Put the envelope in a place where nobody but you can ______ it.
Ways to _______ the letter	Write it as a hard copy or keep it as a soft copy in the computer. Take advantage of Futureme.org and it will send a_______ to you at the specified time.

The back-to-school season is upon us, and once again, parents across the country have loaded their kids’ backpacks up with snack packs and school supplies. It’s a good moment to reflect on what else we should be giving our kids as they head off to school.
American parents are feeling particularly anxious about that question this year. The educational process feels more than ever like a race, one that starts in pre-school and doesn’t end until your child is admitted to the perfect college. Most parents are more worried than they need to be about their children’s grades, test scores and IQ. And what we don’t think about enough is how to help our children build their character—how to help them develop skills like perseverance, optimism, responsibility, and self-control, which together do more to determine success than S.A.T. scores or I.Q.
There is growing evidence that our anxiety about our children’s school performance may actually be holding them back from learning some of these valuable skills. If you’re concerned only with a child’s G.P.A., then you will likely choose to minimize the challenges the child faces in school. With real challenge comes the risk of real failure. And in a competitive academic environment, the idea of failure can be very scary, to students and parents alike.
But experiencing failure is a critical part of building character. Recent research by a team of psychologists found that adults who had experienced little or no failure growing up were actually less happy and confident than those who had experienced a few significant setbacks in childhood. “Overcoming those obstacles,” the researchers assumed, “could teach effective coping skills, help engage social support networks, create a sense of mastery over past adversity, and foster beliefs in the ability to cope successfully in the future.”
By contrast, when we protect our children from every possible failure—when we call their teachers to get an extension on a paper; when we urge them to choose only those subjects they’re good at—we are denying them those same character-building experiences. As the psychologists Madeline Levine and Dan Kindlon have written, that can lead to difficulties in adolescence and young adulthood, when overprotected young people finally confront real problems on their own and don’t know how to overcome them.
In the classroom and outside of it, American parents need to encourage children to take chances, to challenge themselves, to risk failure. In the meantime, giving our kids room to fail may be one of the best ways we can help them succeed.

Back to School: Why Perseverance Is More Important than Good Grades?
Common phenomena	☺Parents throughout America    their kids’ backpacks up with snacks and school supplies.
☺Many American parents don’t   enough importance to their kids’ character building.
The writer’s	Parents should pay more attention to their kids’ character building.
Evidence and      findings	☺Parents’ anxiety about their kids’ performance may             them from learning some valuable skills.
☺Parents concerned only with a kid’s G.P.A. have a   to minimize the challenges the child faces.
☺Adults who have experienced a few significant setbacks in childhood are    and more confident than those who haven’t.
☺Denying kids character-building experiences can   in difficulties in adolescence and young adulthood.
The writer’s suggestions	☺    kids to be risk-takers.
☺Give kids room to experience   .

 

Many people often lose their chance to live life to the fullest because of procrastination, which means that they always delay（拖延）doing something that must be done at once. Moreover, because they often put off their plans till “tomorrow”, they are less likely to achieve their goals and will give up their dreams and goals finally. As a result, we can say that procrastination is the enemy of a progressive lifestyle.
Now that we know procrastination is something bad, why do some people not take immediate action? Well, there are some things that result in procrastination. Depending on someone else rather than doing by oneself is one of the things. Whenever you wait for something to happen before you act, you make it easier to delay your goals and dreams until “someday”. Another cause of procrastination is that people do not value each moment in their day. Actually, it’s surprising how much you can do if you just decide to do little things with the little time you have. Also those who often procrastinate can always find a good reason for something they refuse to do at once.
If you are one of those who often delay, then it’s time for you to make a decision to act now because things happen only when we decide to act. Get down to doing something like losing weight, saving money or spending more time with family. Don’t let these things continue to be a desire（欲望）for you to do “someday”, but make a decision to do it now.
Once you have made your decision, write down the plan and take action immediately. Making plans can help you think carefully about how you are going to do what you need to do. After understanding how to do what you want to do, get doing with the plan. It doesn’t matter how small the move you make is as the little things you do accumulate（累积）over time and move you to be closer to your goals. So, don’t wait until tomorrow; instead, start now! Just make use of every moment you have to do something that is helpful in realizing your dreams and goals.
Here is a challenge that will also move you to be closer to your dreams and goals if taken seriously. Make a list of ten things you have been putting off. It could be anything from getting a health examination, calling a friend or family member, to getting the car fixed and cleaning out the garbage, etc. And then try to develop the habit of doing them immediately!

Stay away from procrastination
Paragraph outline	Supporting details
Problems with procrastination	Procrastination can make one    to live life to the fullest. Procrastination can    one from achieving his goals. Some people don’t make progress just because of procrastination.
why people procrastinate	People who delay doing things are usually not    because they     always ask for help from others. People don’t realize that each     in a day is very valuable. Procrastination also has something to do with making   .
Ways to stop procrastination	Make a decision.	If you want to do something, do it      and never just desire it.
Plan and act.	By making a plan, you    how to do what you need to do. Spend your time doing those     things.
Make a list.	List ten things you like to delay. Make it a(n)    to finish them on time.

 

Section B (10 marks)
Directions： Read the following passage. Complete the diagram by using the information for the passage. Write NO MORE THAN 3 WORDS for each answer.
When Should a Leader Apologize and When Not？
Why Difficult？
When we wrong someone we know，even not intentionally，we are generally expected to apologize so as to improve the situation. But when we’re acting as leaders，the circumstances are different. The act of apology is carried out not only at the level of the individual but also at the level of the institution. It is a performance in which every expression matters and every word becomes part of the public record. Refusing to apologize can be smart，or it can be stupid. So，readiness to apologize can be seen as a sign of strong character or as a sign of weakness. A successful apology can turn hate into personal and organizational harmony—while an apology that is too little，too late，or too obviously strategic can bring on individual and institutional ruin. What，then，is to be done？How can leaders decide if and when to apologize publicly？
Why Now？
The question of whether leaders should apologize publicly has never been more urgent. During the last decade or so，the United States in particular has developed an apology culture—apologies of all kinds and for all sorts of wrongdoings are made far more frequently than before. More newspaper writers have written about the growing importance of public apologies. More articles，cartoons，advice columns，and radio and television programs have similarly dealt with the subject of private apologies.
Why Bother？
Why do we apologize？Why do we ever put ourselves in situations likely to be difficult，embarrassing，and even risky？Leaders who apologize publicly could be an easy target. They are expected to appear strong and capable. And whenever they make public statements of any kind，their individual and institutional reputations are in danger. Clearly，then，leaders should not apologize often or lightly. For a leader to express apology，there needs to be a good，strong reason. Leaders will publicly apologize if and when they think the costs of doing so are lower than the costs of not doing so.
Why Refuse？
Why is it that leaders so often refuse to apologize，even when a public apology seems to be in order？Their reasons can be individual or institutional. Because leaders are public figures，their apologies are likely to be personally uncomfortable and even professionally risky. Leaders may also be afraid that the admission of a mistake will damage or destroy the organization for which they are responsible. There can be good reasons for hanging tough in tough situations，as we shall see，but it is a high-risk strategy.
―→·Public apology is much more than a(an)    act.
·It’s no job to strike a balance between apologizing or not.
·Apologies not offered can bring on individual and institutional ruin.
Why has the issue of public apology been so now in USA?―→  ·In an ， admission of all sorts of wrongdoings is more required than before.
·The of public apologies has been widely reported in the mass media.
―→ ·Being public figures， leaders are supposed to appear .
·There needs to be a sufficient reason for a leader to  in public.―→ ·Making apologies is likely to be personally uncomfortable and .
·Admission of a mistake or wrongdoing will probably do to their organization.

Frederick M. Hess is the director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, which is a nonprofit organization that conducts research on many public issues. He says that a long summer vacation doesn’t make sense in today’s world.
Can American students afford to take a summer vacation? In a summer vacation, millions of kids spend valuable time sending messages, watching TV, playing video games and doing shopping in the mall. They will also be putting their academic futures at risk.
Summer vacation once made sense in the past when you didn’t need an education to get a good job. But now things have changed. For today’s students, academic skills are important to students’ future success, but such skills are affected in the summertime. Many nations don’t give kids an American-style summer vacation. They offer no more than seven consecutive(连续的) weeks of vacation. Most American school districts offer up to thirteen weeks. To compete in the global marketplace, Americans must be prepared to go up against international competitors.
Summer vacation also causes challenges for today’s families. In the 1960s, more than 60% of families had a stay-at-home Mom. Now two-thirds of American children live in households where every adult works. For these families, summer vacation can be more burden than break. Someone must watch the kids.
But the biggest problem may be how summer vacation hurts academic achievement. Researchers have found that disadvantaged students lose significant ground in the summertime.
A longer school year does not have to be an invitation to hard boring work. Rather, it should allow time-pressed teachers to conduct richer and more imaginative lessons. Schools would have more time to devote to athletics, languages, music and the arts. Summer vacation can be a grand thing. But in the 21st century, it may also be outdated.
Title:  Summer Vacation

Theme	A long summer vacation isn’t      in today’s world.
Basic Information	length	13 weeks in most American schools
Students’	·Sending messages and watching TV ·Playing video games ·Doing shopping
Disadvantages	·    student’s academic skills and putting academic futures at risk. ·Being a      to families for they have to watch kids. ·Hurting students’ academic achievement and resulting in           significant ground.
Suggestion	A longer school year does not have to     to hard boring work. Richer and more imaginative lessons should be     , such as athletics, languages, music and the arts.
	Though being a ground thing, summer vacation might be out of      in the 21^st century.

    Aristotle once wrote that “happiness is a state of activity”. In other words, whether you^’re
Seeking life-long satisfaction or a few moments of good cheer, you’ve got to move forward. We’ve interviewed the experts and found five steps to take toward a sunny mood（心情）：
Over a 30-year period, University of Illinois researchers asked nearly 120,000 people how income, education, political participation, volunteer activities and close relationships affected their happiness. Reported Newsweek^’s Sharon Begley on the findings, “The highest levels of happiness are found with the most stable and satisfying relationships.”
Singing aloud, talking to a stranger, raising your hand: all may increase a feeling of happiness, according to a study from Wake Forest University. Participants（参与者）followed the development of their moods for two weeks and reported feeling happier when they were more outgoing and less happy when reserved or withdrawn.
The editors of forbes.com gave $5 or $20 to 46 strangers by chance. Half the group was told to spend the money on themselves, while the other half was told to spend it on others. Those who’d shared the wealth felt much happier at the end of the day than those who^’d spent it on themselves. There was no difference in happiness between those who spent $5 or $20, suggesting that it^’s not how much money you spend, but how you spend it, that inspires the spirit.
Studies from the Positive Psychology Center showed that discouraged people who wrote down three good things that happened to them each day for six months reported an improved attitude.
Drinking water really can help keep you cheerful. A small 2012 study from the University of Connecticut suggested that even slight dehydration（脱水） affected the moods of its female participants.

Title	_____for Happiness
Introduction	You will move______in the course of finding happiness.
The findings of_____	Some______toward happiness
•Value your relationships	•The_____happiness lies in the most stable and satisfying relationships
•_____ yourself	•You can gain happiness by singing aloud or talking to others.
•Spend money on others	•Your spirit will be inspired by_____the wealth.
•_____on the positive	•You attitude would be improved when you fix your attention on good things.
•Drink water	•If a woman takes in enough water,her_____of happiness may remain.
Conclusion	Happiness can be found if all_____have been done.

Kids worry about things like grades, tests, their changing bodies, getting along with friends, the goal they missed at the soccer game, or whether they’ll make the team. They may worry about social troubles like cliques (朋党), peer pressure, or whether they’ll be bullied (威吓), teased, or left out.
There are some tips to help your kids handle what’s worrying them as follows.
Find out what’s on their minds. Be available and take an interest in what’s happening at school, on the team, and with your kids’ friends. Take casual opportunities to ask how it’s going. As you listen to stories of a day’s events, be sure to ask about what your kids think and feel about what happened. If your children seem to be worried about something, ask them about it.
Show your care and understanding. Being interested in your children’s concerns shows they’re important to you. It helps your kids feel supported and understood. Reassuring comments can help — but usually only after you’ve heard your children out. Say that you understand their feelings and the problems.
Guide kids to solutions. When your children tell you about a problem, offer to help them. For example, if your son is worried about an upcoming math test, offering to help him study will reduce his concern about it. In most situations, don’t simply jump in and fix the problem for your children. Instead, think it through and come up with possible solutions together. Solve problems with your kids, rather than for them. By taking an active role, kids learn how to handle a problem independently.
Be a good role model. Your response to your own worries can go a long way toward teaching your kids how to deal with everyday challenges. If you’re at a loss or angry when dealing with a to-do list that’s too long, your kids will learn that as the proper response to stress.

Title	Helping kids _______worries
________ of their worries	* Academic: their lessons, grades, tests * Physical: ________ happening to their bodies * _______: relationships with their friends, peers, classmates and teachers, roles in a soccer game and the results of it, etc.
Tips for removing the worries	Find out what’s on their minds.	* Be    in what has happened to your kids. * Find out your kids’ attitude and reaction to the happenings.
Show your care and understanding.	* Show    about your kids’ life and let them feel supported and understood. * Tell them you understand their feelings and the problems.
Guide kids to solutions.	* Offer help to your kids when they are in   . * Never solve the problem for them, but with them. * Help your kids develop a habit of solving problems in a(n)    way.
Be a good role model.	* Your response to your own worries can have a deep _____on your kids. * Set them a good example by    to stress or your worries properly.

Everybody gets stressed from time to time. Different people feel stress in different ways. You can try taking these five steps the next time to overcome stress:
Step one: get support. When you need help, reach out to the people who care about you. Talk to a trusted adult, such as a parent, or a coach. And don't forget about your friends. They might be worried about the same test or have had similar problems.
Step two: don't freak out(崩溃)! Notice your feelings, and name them — for example, "I am so angry!" And say or think about why you feel that way. Find a way to calm down and get past the upset feelings and find a way to express them. Do breathing exercises, listen to music, or do whatever helps you shift to a better mood.
Step three: don't take it out on yourself. Sometimes when kids are stressed and upset they take it out on themselves. You should be kind to yourself and ask for the helping hand or pat on the back that you need — and deserve — to get you through the tough situation you're facing.
Step four: try to solve the problem. After you're calm and you have support from adults and friends, it's time to get down to business. You need to figure out what the problem is. Even if you can't solve all of it, maybe you can begin by solving a piece of it.
Step five: be positive --- most stress is temporary. It may not seem like it when you're in the middle of a stressful situation, but stress does go away, often when you figure out the problem and start working on solving it.
These five steps aren't magic, and you might have to do some steps more than once, but they do work.

Title: Five Steps____________
Get others’ support	 Turning to people who ________  Talking to a ______ and following their experiences
Don’t freak out	 Noticing your feelings, and________  Finding a way to express them  Doing something to help you shift to _______
Don't_______ on yourself	 Being kind to yourself  Asking for help and getting rid of ________ you're facing
Find ________ to  the problem	 Getting down to business and ________  what the problem is  Solving it_________
Be positive	 Most stressful situation is temporary and will go away.

More and more scientific experiments prove that physical exercise can reduce the dangers of some illnesses in middle-aged persons．Exercise strengthens the heart muscle，reduces blood pressure and help to prevent muscles from changing into fat．Physical exercise is just as important for children．
Exercise and food affect growing speed in young lab animals．Baby mice start running as soon as they are big enough to use an exercise wheel in their cage．If  they get extra food and run a lot，they will grow as much as 1.5 times bigger than normal．
The same differences in growing speed might be found between active and inactive children．Physical exercise helps active children grow faster than inactive children．One experiment shows that the brains of the mice that had enough exercise weighed about 3％more than those of the mice that did not exercise The mice that exercised are much quicker to learn doing new exercise than the mice that did not exercise．
The results of the experiments suppose the theory that exercise can help babies learn to talk and walk sooner than expected．
The good effects of physical exercise are not limited to children and middle-aged people．Exercise continues to be an important part of our lives after we grow old．For example，people over 50 years old begin to lose calcium(钙) from their bones，which get weaker and can break easily．Physical exercise，however，helps to strengthen the bones and to prevent them from losing calcium．Of course，old people can take medicines to prevent themselves from suffering from losing calcium．But the medicines they take increase the chance of developing some kind of cancer(癌)．So physical exercise is a much safer treatment(治疗)．
根据短文内容完成下列表格，一空一词。

Title	Physical exercise
Theme	Physical exercise does       to people’s health ,both young and old.
of experiments	·Baby mice will be as much as 1.5 times bigger than normal on       that they eat extra food and run a lot. ·The brains of the mice that had enough exercise were       than those of the mice that didn’t exercise.
	Children	·Helping active children grow faster than inactive children. ·Being      For babies to learn to talk and walk sooner.
The middle-aged	·      the heart muscle. ·Reducing blood pressure . ·Preventing muscles from changing into fat.
Old people	·Helping the old people’s bones get       by preventing them from losing calcium. ·       the chance of developing some kind of cancer         by medicine.

请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意：每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题纸上相应题号的横线上。
Disability aids are vital to those who suffer problems with executing work with two hands．These are people who have been disabled due to some major sickness or some other problems．In order to help them carry on their work in the normal way, disability aids are manufactured．This helps them make their life a lot easier than what it would have been without these aids．The kind of disability aids that an individual might require depends on the person only．It is the problem that a person faces that decides the aids that he/she will use for carrying out their respective jobs．The following is the list of a few disability aids that come of significant use．
The first and foremost aid is the stocking aid, aiding the individuals suffering from the problem of bending down to reach the foot and wear their own socks．These stocking aids have a gutter(槽) that is made up of plastic material．These gutters are shaped in a certain way along with the attachment of cotton tapes in it．The sock is then put over the gutter．The foot is placed inside the gutter．The cotton tapes help in pulling the socks up the leg and subsequently the sock．In this manner, the sock is worn by a person who has problems wearing it by bending one’s back and reaching the foot．
There are openers that help the people who have problems with their hands or wrists to open bottles of ketchup, jam and other such bottles and jars that necessitates the use of hands and fingers．
The third type of disability aids that comes to our minds are lifts．Now what are lifts? Lifts are certain machines that help in lifting people from specific areas, such as a bathtub or a set of stairs．These lifts are of varied types and come for numerous applications．It is for the individual to decide the type that he/she requires to use．
For people, who have problems in balancing their upper bodies in a stable manner, there is something known as grab rails．These grab rails are installed for those who have mobility problems in their upper bodies．These rails come in varieties of shapes, sizes and angles．These grab rails are available to home users as well, in their different variations．One can purchase and fix one to their homes according to one’s specificities．These grab rails require the act of screwing and drilling in order to fix them to their appropriate place．The prices of these rails also vary according to the variation of their shapes and sizes．
A portable book holder is a much sought-after disability aid．It can be used by anybody for that matter, not just the disabled．These portable book holders are light-weight and can be easily moved about．These holders relieve the strains on one’s hands, necks and shoulders that might occur due to the handling of a book．The holders are provided with extended legs that help in placing the reading material at suitable distance．
Thus with the help of these disability aids, the old and disabled people can make their lives much more convenient and comfortable that would otherwise have been a cumbersome and complex one．
Disability Aids

Theme	Disability aids are important to people with disabilities from some major sickness or other problems.
Different of aids	Stocking aids	They can be used to help individuals whose bodies are not enough to reach their feet to put on socks by themselves.
Openers	They can be used to aid the disabled to open the bottles when the use of hands or wrists is a
Lifts	They can be used to lift people from specific areas.They come in of types and are numerously.
Grab rails	They can be used to keep their balance in a stable manner after proper
Book holders	They can be used to help with the of strains on one’s hands necks and shoulders when reading.
	these disability aids,the life of the old and disabled would become cumbersome and complex

It is not easy to find true friends．Even if you’ve connected with someone，how do you really know he is a true friend？And often you will find that someone who you thought you could trust may have let you down．There are ways you can know if a friendship is true and how you can hold onto that friend．
Generally speaking，a true friend is someone who will be there for you no matter what happens．They will stand by you through bad and good times．They will accept you for who you are without trying to change you，and they will be there to help you grow in new ways．
A true friend will keep you secrets for you trust him．They will be honest and be someone you can depend on．They will listen and be someone you can talk things over with，even if they may not have advice to share with you．
However，friendship is a two-way street．To find true friends and keep them，you must in turn be the same as well．Be there for them in their hard times and share the good times with them．Be someone your friends can depend on as well and offer them the same thing they give to you．A friendship will fall apart fast if only one person is giving and putting all the effort．If you are the only one making an effort，be honest and it works．
Actually，there will be barriers in the road but that is the test of true friendship．If it can survive those barriers，it will be stronger and better than ever．Just as St Thomas Aquinas put it，“There is nothing on this earth more prized than friendship．”

Going on holidays is best choice for the Europeans to relax themselves, especially in the UK. However, much has changed during the past decades(几十年).
One of the most traditional British holidays was the “seaside holiday”. Families got on a train or into a car and traveled to seaside towns nearby to sunbathe on the beach, buy ice-creams and eat fish and chips and so on.
In the late 1970s, more and more British people started traveling to other countries in Europe for their summer holidays (July-August) because the weather wasn’t very good, even in summer. The “package holiday” was particularly(特别地) popular with most families.
In the 1980s and 1990s, young people in the UK became wealthier, so many of them traveled to countries all over the world for their holidays.
These years, especially after the world financial crisis(金融危机), most British people can not afford to spend their holidays abroad. They again begin to choose to stay in their own home and go on a few day trips rather than spending money on hotels. They call this sort of vacation a “staycation”.
阅读短文，根据短文内容完成下面表格中有关信息，每空词数不限。（每空2分，计10分）

Time	Kid of holidays	Reason
Before the late 1970s		It was a tradition.
In the late 1970s	Package holiday
	Overseas holiday
These years		The world financial crisis.

第四部分：任务型阅读（共 10 小题，每小题 1 分，满分 10 分）
What happens when you take about 50 sixth-graders and send them to a nature camp with no access to computers, tablets and mobile phones? A new study suggests that after just five days their ability to understand nonverbal social cues improves.
Nonverbal social cues are the emotional information we pick up from people around us that is not communicated through words. It includes facial expressions, eye contact, tone of voice and body posture.
As children spend more time corresponding with their friends via text rather than talking to them face to face, the researchers wondered whether they were losing the ability to read these important cues.
"The idea for this study came from looking at the way my older child and her friends' older siblings were communicating," said Yalda Uhls, "I've been at parties where the kids are all hanging out, but instead of looking at each other, they are staring at their phones."
Uhls, who is the lead author of the study, wanted to see what would happen if a group of children had to spend an extended period of time communicating completely device-free. She found a public school that sends its sixth-grade class to a wilderness camp near Big Bear for five days. At the camp, the students have no access to electronics.
When the class of about 50 children arrived at the camp, they were asked to take two tests to measure their ability to read nonverbal social cues. In the first, the kids were asked to assess the emotions portrayed in 48 photos of people making faces. In the second test, they watched a video with the sound turned off, and then made a judgment about the emotional state of the actor.
At the end of the five-day camp, the students were asked to take the tests again. The researchers report that over the five days the kids went from making an average of 14.02 errors on the face-recognition test at the beginning of their camp stay to 9.41 errors by the end. For the video component, they went from getting an average of 26% of the emotional states correct to getting 31% correct.
"Honestly, we were pretty surprised that just five days would have that effect," said Uhls. "But we think this is good news because if indeed lack of face-to-face time is changing people's ability to understand emotion, our results suggest you can disconnect for five days and get better."
Uhls said the results of their study suggest that it is important for kids to spend time away from screens, but it doesn't necessarily suggest that all screen time is bad." The main thing I hope people take away from this is that it is really important for children to have time for face-to-face socializing," said Uhls. "I love media, my kids are media-savvy, but it is really important to have a balance."

Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in the numbered by using the information from the passage.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Ready to give up long showers, water parks, and unlimited water gushing（喷涌） out of your taps? A new study says more than three-hundred-thirty-five-million people are faced with water shortage now. The oceans are full, of course. But the liquid—fresh, clean water for drinking and watering crops is in short supply in many parts of the world. Rivers are running low, lakes are shrinking, streams have stopped flowing, and groundwater is being pumped dry. However, the demand for water keeps increasing. So there comes inevitably the water crisis!
What is causing the crisis? Experts say it is a complex combination of climate change and rapid population growth. On the one hand, global climate change threatens to reduce water supplies due to decreased rainfall. On the other hand, population growth is driving explosive demand for water, prompting rivers in thirsty countries to be tapped for nearly every drop and driving governments to pump out so-called fossil water.
Lack of water may result in several problems. It may increase health problems. Lack of water often means drinking waters are not safe. Lack of water may also result in more international conflict. Countries may have to compete for water in the future. Some countries now get sixty percent of their fresh water from other countries. And lack of water would affect the ability of developing to improve their economies. This is because new industries often need a large amount of water when they are beginning.
One partial answer to the world water shortage, at least for countries near the sea, is to build more desalination plants that change seawater into fresh water. Another suggested solution is for water-rich countries, such as Canada, to sell water to countries which are poor in water. A third suggestion is for countries to adopt ways of increasing the freshwater supply, such as teaching farmers in Africa methods to get clean rainwater. And nearly everyone agreed that the amount of water on our planet can’t be changed, but the way we use it can be if more people realized the problem. Last and the most important, public should be aware of saving water to defeat the water crisis.
Title:      .
I. Present situation:
★Rivers are          .
★Lakes are shrinking.
★Streams have stopped flowing.
★      is drying up.
II.          :
★climate change →decreased rainfall →        water supplies
★population growth →rivers        and fossil water to be pumped out
III. Consequences:
★health problems
★.
★the affected ability of developing to improve economies
IV.            :
★turning seawater into freshwater
★water-rich countries selling water to           countries
★exploring methods of getting clean rainwater
★changing the way people use water
★arousing         of saving water