In summer, millions of people will head for the beach. And while the ocean can be a great place to swim and play, it may also be useful in another way. Some scientists think that waves could help make electricity.
“Have you ever been on a surfboard or boat and felt yourself being lifted up by a wave? Or have you jumped in the water and felt the energy as waves crashed over you?” asked Jamie Taylor of the Wave Energy Group at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. “There is certainly a lot of energy in waves.”
Scientists are working on using that energy to make electricity．
Most waves are created when winds blow across the ocean. “The winds start out by making little ripples (波纹) in the water, but if they keep on blowing, those ripples get bigger and bigger and turn into waves,” Taylor said. “Waves are one of nature’s ways of picking up energy and then sending it off on a journey.”
When waves come towards the shore, people can set up dams or other facilities to block the water and send it through a large wheel called a turbine (涡轮). The turbine can then power an electrical generator (发电机).
The United States and a few other countries have started doing research on wave energy, and it is already being used in Scotland.
The resource is huge. We will never run out of wave power, besides, wave energy does not create the same pollution as other energy sources, such as oil and coal.
Oceans cover three quarters of the earth’s surface. That would make wave power seem perfect for creating energy around the world. There are some drawbacks, however.
Jamie Taylor said that wave power still cost too much money. He said that its effects on animals in the sea were still unknown. Plus, wave power would get in the way of fishing and boat traffic.
With more research, however, “many of these problems might be overcome,” Taylor said. “Demand for energy to power our TVs and computers, drive our cars, and heat and cool our homes is growing quickly throughout the world．Finding more energy sources is very important, for traditional sources of energy like oil and gas may run out some day.”
In the future, when you turn on a light switch, an ocean wave could be providing the electricity!
【小题1】Which of the following is NOT true?| A．Wave power costs too much money. |
| B．Wave energy creates the same amount of pollution as other energy sources. |
| C．Wave power affects fishing and boat traffic. |
| D．Wave power may affect animals in the sea. |
| A．wave energy is a resource that will never run out and is already used all over the world |
| B．finding new energy sources like wave energy is important |
| C．wave power is perfect for creating energy around the world |
| D．wave power doesn’t create any pollution |
| A．regrets | B．adventures | C．disadvantages | D．difficulties |
| A．How to Get Electricity by Waves. | B．The Advantages of Wave Energy. |
| C．Can Waves Make Electricity? | D．The Disadvantages of Wave Energy. |
Rather than rolling your eyes when it’s your turn to bow your head and give thanks, try being grateful. The result just might be good for you, from improving your feeling to your relationships. If you don’t want to voice your gratitude, writing a letter may work, according to various studies by Steve Toepfer of Kent State University and his colleagues.
Toepfer and his colleagues had 219 students with an average age of 25 fill out questionnaires（问卷）to measure their happiness. They returned to the lab to fill out the survey three more times, with each visit about a week apart. Some of the students wrote a letter of gratitude each time they returned to the lab, while the control group didn’t write about being thankful.
“The letter writers were instructed to write a letter of gratitude to anyone they wanted, however, the letter couldn’t be a‘thank you’note for a gift,” Toepfer said. “The participants had to write about something that was important to them.”
The results showed that their levels of happiness and life satisfaction improved after each letter they wrote. In addition, depressive symptoms decreased over time with the letter writing.
Gratitude doesn’t just cheer you up—it can improve your health and energy levels as well. A 2007 study conducted by researchers found that organ-transplant(器官移植) receivers who kept “gratitude journals” listing five things or people that they were grateful for each day scored better on measures of general health, and mental health than those who only made routine notes about their days.
A successful relationship may depend on your gratitude. Research reported in 2011 looking at more than 65 couples who were in satisfying relationships showed that each couple’s relationship quality corresponded with one partner’s feelings of gratitude. Researchers show that one partner expressed feelings of gratitude; both partners experienced a positive emotional response.
【小题1】According to the passage, if you want to get along well with others, you’d better________.| A．write letters to them frequently |
| B．pay more attention to their feelings |
| C．show your thanks from time to time |
| D．take care of them when they are in need |
| A．is cold to others’ kindness |
| B．is not good at writing letters |
| C．is unwilling to express their feelings |
| D．is not allowed to write thank-you letters |
| A．nervous | B．careless |
| C．depressed | D．optimistic |
| A．it’s better to write a thank-you letter than to say gratitude with words |
| B．the results of different ways of showing gratitude are all the same |
| C．the good relationship of each couple is based on trust |
| D．gratitude is beneficial to health |
| A．Why you should be grateful |
| B．Ways of changing your feeling |
| C．How to show your gratitude to others |
| D．Thank-you letters’ role to human relations |
While the arts can’t stop the COVID-19 virus or the social unrest we see in the world today, they can give us insight into the choices we make when moving through crises and chaos. The arts invite everyone to think in new ways.
We often experience works of art as something that’s pleasing to our senses without a full understanding of the creative effort. Great art often shows us contradictions and crises, and we can learn a great deal from their resolutions (解决). Through our understanding of art, we can gain a deeper understanding of how we might overcome our own challenges. In understanding extremes of contrast, we can see the beauty in art with themes that are not simply pleasing for their magnificent features or qualities.
Beethoven offers a wonderful example of moving artfully through crises and chaos. He composed his Symphony No.9 as his hearing loss became more and more pronounced. The opening of the symphony seems to come out of nowhere, from near silence in the opening to a full expression of what many consider to be the joy of freedom and universal brotherhood with Schiller’s Ode to joy (欢乐颂). Beethoven appears to have created a work of art that not only freed him from his personal struggles, but one that also speaks to the joy of living together in peace and harmony.
Have a dialogue between the two opposing parts and you will find that they always start out fighting each other until we come to an appreciation of difference — a oneness of the two opposing forces. The arts offer many lessons that can help us gain the knowledge we need to move more confidently in today’s competitive and uncertain environment. An openness to arts-based solutions will give you more control over your future.
【小题1】What value does art have beyond pleasing people’s senses?| A．It brings people inner peace. | B．It contributes to problem-solving. |
| C．It reduces the possibility of crises. | D．It deepens understanding of music. |
| A．It aims to show crises and chaos. | B．It celebrates freedom and unity. |
| C．It opens with Schiller’s Ode to Joy. | D．It is quiet and peaceful throughout. |
| A．He had almost gone deaf at the time. |
| B．He was going through a personal creative crisis. |
| C．He was enjoying the joy of freedom with his brothers. |
| D．He was considered as an example of symphonic composition. |
| A．How art can change people’s lives. | B．Essentials of Symphony No. 9. |
| C．Moving artfully through crises. | D．Joy in the eyes of Beethoven. |
When we come home from a long day at school, our clogs are so happy to see us. Their faces look happy, with mouths wide open.
It's probably not an illusion(错觉）at all. In fact, two centuries of modern science has good evidence that humans and animals share emotions—including the kind of emotion that results in laughter.
US animal behaviorist Patricia Simonet carried out research on a special sound that dogs make when they play.
Even other dogs seem to recognize and associate the “laugh" with pleasure.
It might not surprise us that dogs—our traditional “best friends”—like to laugh. But other research suggests that creatures? like rats, also laugh.
Estonian researcher Jaak Panksepp did experiments on rats.
While studies have shown that dogs and rats “laugh“ when they play? it doesn't mean that all animals really laugh even if they make a laughter-like sound.
Take hyenas（土狼）for example. The hyena is well known for making a noise that sounds like a person laughing loudly. But studies show the hyenas don't make the noise because they think something is funny.
But make no mistake? when your dog welcomes you home, it's definitely laughing.
| A．You can make your dog laugh at times |
| B．Laughter can relieve their nervousness |
| C．He found that they had a sense of humor and fun |
| D．The sound is a “forced, breathy exhalation（呼气）” |
| E．We've all wondered whether our dogs are smiling at us |
| F．Some would seek out toys and others would run toward the source |
| G．The “laughing“ is actually a noise they make when they are excited or frightened |
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