Four Best Books of 2023
The Berry Pickers
by Amanda Peters
After their youngest daughter, Ruthie, disappears during a summer of berry-picking in Maine, a Micmac family from Nova Scotia struggles to move forward. Indigenous Voices Award winner Amanda Peters delivers an un-put-down-able novel of identity, forgiveness, and insistent hope.
The House of Doors
by Tan Twan Eng
This atmospheric novel, set in 1920s Malaysia, tells of a famous author bent on uncovering secrets for storytelling materials. Tan Twan Eng weaves love, duty, betrayal and colonialism into the narrative.
The Revolutionary Temper: Paris, 1748-1789
by Robert Darnton
This interesting history of the decades leading up to the French Revolution offers a populist account of a crazy political moment. Darnton goes beyond what everyday people thought and said to attract readers to what anxious Parisians read, wore, ate and sang on the way to toppling（推翻）the rule of Louis XVI.
The Soul of Civility
by Alexandra Hudson
What can the world's oldest book teach us about civility（礼 貌）today? Alexandra Hudson's thoughtful and fluent book on how to live well together draws on literature from The Teachings of Ptahhotep, written 4, 500 years ago in Egypt, to Martin Luther King Jr's Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Paul Durietz is a 76-year-old social studies teacher from Illinois. On September 1, he set a Guinness World Record for the world's longest teaching career. Mr. Durietz has been teaching for 53 years—since he was 23 years old.
Mr. Durietz has known since he was young that he wanted to be a social studies teacher. Social studies is the study of history, and how people, countries, and cultures are connected. He became interested in history after hearing stories from his father, who fought in World War II. On his mother's side of the family, he had connections to a famous person from English history.
Mr. Durietz got his first teaching job at Woodland-Middle School in Gurnee, Illinois in
1970. Ever since then, he's been teaching social studies at the same school. He says he loves sharing his knowledge of history with students. "Teaching is never boring," he says. "Every day is different."
Things have changed a lot since he began all those years ago. When he started, the only way to make copies was with a "ditto machine", which used a stinky, purple ink. Mr. Durietz wrote on a blackboard with chalk, and the students used paper textbooks. These days, he and the students use computers and digital whiteboards.
Though technology has changed a lot since he began teaching, Mr. Durietz says the students are still pretty much the same— except that now they have cell phones.
With or without technology, Mr. Durietz has used creative activities to help his students learn. For example, he has organized virtual field trips, geography contests, and special days about the US Civil War. He has even organized fake（假的）elections at school to help his students learn about politics. He says these activities are some of the ones that he and his students enjoyed most.
Mr. Durietz says people who want to be teachers should make sure they are patient with their students. He also encourages them to choose subjects that they care deeply about.
Anyone eager to view from high the cityscapes of Guangdong, a province in southern China, may soon be able to do so from the cabin of a flying taxi. On October 13th the Civil Aviation Administration of China（CAAC）awarded a"type certificate", a crucial piece of aviation paperwork, to the world's first electric vertical take-off and landing（eVTOL）taxi. And in case that does not sound futuristic enough, the small two-seater, called the EH216-s, was also cleared to fly without a pilot on board.
The EH216-S is made by EHang, a company based in Guangdong. It looks like a scaled-up consumer drone（无人机）with a passenger bubble mounted on top. Propulsion（动力）is provided by 16 small rotors（转子）, mounted on the tips of eight arms that fold away when the vehicle is not in use, allowing it to park in small spaces.
The CAAC gave its approval after EHang had conducted more than 40,000 test flights, including with volunteer passengers in 18 cities across China. It also subjected the EH216-S to structural analysis and crash tests, and checked its ability to keep flying if one of its rotors fails. Regulators also inspected the wireless network which EHang uses to link its flying taxis to a control centre on the ground. That allows backup pilots to land an aircraft by remote control if there is a problem.
EHang says its pilotless eVTOLs will be quieter than helicopters, their closest cousins, and much cheaper to operate, thanks in part to the ability to swap（交换）out an expensive pilot, for a second paying passenger. Performance, though, will be limited, at least at first. The EH216-S has a range of about 30 km, and a speed of up to 130 kph. The firm thinks that doing away with pilots will make things safer too. A computer's attention never wavers（动摇）. And flying is, in many ways, much easier to automate than driving, for there are fewer obstacles and unexpected situations to navigate.
EHang has ambitions beyond China, too. The firm's closest competitors are Volocopter, a German company, and a pair of Californian firms, Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation. All three are conducting test flights of piloted eVTOLs of various designs.
The 7,400 or so languages in use today speak to the fact that our species is born to communicate. But while it is tempting to view language as merely a consequence of our extraordinary cognitive（认知的）powers, Caleb Everett thinks there may be more going on.
In A Myriad of Tongues: How languages reveal differences in how we think, he argues that language itself may shape our understanding of the world and our experience of time and space. To put it another way, the language we speak may influence the way we think.
Such a provocative（挑衅的）idea might have been controversial（有争议的）a few decades ago, says Everett, because language experts restricted themselves to analyzing languages of industrialized, higher-income countries. But we now know they fall short of representing the variety of languages spoken today-and the more we learn about understudied tongues, the more evidence we find for the complicated interplay between language and thinking.
Take Berinmo, a language of Papua New Guinea, as an example. Unlike English speakers, explains Everett, Berinmo speakers struggle to remember whether an object they were shown earlier was blue or green-perhaps because that language doesn't distinguish between these colours. But it does make a formal distinction between yellowish-greens and other greens, and Berinmo speakers typically find it easy to remember which of these colours an object they saw earlier was painted, while English speakers struggle to do this.
Language also influences how we think about objects. Yucatec Maya, spoken in Mexico, encourages its speakers to classify objects according to their material properties rather than their function. Where an English speaker might group a plastic comb and a wooden comb together and exclude a wooden stick, a Yucatec Maya speaker would usually group the wooden objects together. English-speaking people get the information they need by sight alone.
We live through a language extinction event predicted to see the loss of about 30 per cent of today's tongues by
2100. His book makes it clear this is more than just a tragedy（悲剧）for local communities. Given the insights that languages offer into the human mind, their disappearance is a loss for us all.
Everyone feels a little jealous（嫉妒的）once in a while. But when these feelings of jealousy begin to cause you stress, it's probably time to start looking for ways to get rid of your jealousy. The techniques below can help you reflect on your jealousy and move on from any frustration in a healthy way.
●Acknowledge your feelings of jealousy.
When you notice feelings of jealousy starting to creep in（悄然出现）, take a few minutes to check in with yourself. Ask yourself "Am I jealous right now?" It's perfectly normal to get jealous once in a while, so don't be too hard on yourself.
●Find the root of your jealousy.
Once you admit that you're struggling with jealousy, it's time to start looking into why you're feeling that way. For example, low self-respect is often a cause of jealousy. Other possible causes include：past terrible experiences or mental health disorders.
●Talk about it with other people.
If you have a lot of frustration caused by jealousy, don't just keep it to yourself. Take time to sit down with your family member to tell them what's going on. If you don't want to talk to anyone, here are some other suggestions for how to cope: You can also write down your thoughts and feelings in a journal.
●Focus on your positive qualities.
Find your own unique strengths to defeat feelings of jealousy. Jealousy is often rooted in feelings of insecurity and low self-esteem. When you start feeling those tell-tale signs of jealousy, remind yourself of all the things that make you amazing.
●Limit your time on social media.
Social media tends to only show the "perfect" parts of someone's life. If you struggle with jealousy, you can be tempted（诱惑）to look through other people's profiles to look for faults. To stop any jealous feelings from forming, log off for a while and do something more productive instead.
A. Take exercise to burn off the stress.
B. But most of the time those desires will just feed your jealousy.
C. Occasionally there are deeper underlying issues that fuel jealousy.
D. However, it's vital to remember that you have a lot of special talents.
E. Instead of envying someone with a lot of money, make your dollars count.
F. Constantly setting yourself up against others can just make your jealousy worse.
G. But sometimes just naming your emotions can help you gain control over them.
Liu Ziqing fell in love with ballet as a little boy. But he never really got the 1 to practise it himself. Growing up in a poor family in a village. his main focus was always on helping his family and putting 2 on the table. Dancing was a 3 he could not afford. He 4 becoming a farmer but also worked as a street cleaner to make ends meet. But he never got over his love for ballet, and at age 53, he 5 to become a ballet dancer.
Most people in their early 50s call themselves lucky if they can lightly jog a few times a week without 6 any pain, but ballet requires a degree of fitness and 7 that are almost impossible to 8 at a certain age without a lifetime of training. But Liu Ziqing wasn't going to let a small thing like age 9 between him and his dream.
"I had been 10 dancing all those years. One day, I saw a ballet basic training course on TV, which inspired the idea that I should try to learn to dance," Ziqing 11 .
Becoming a ballet dancer at age 53 wasn't a（n）12 thing, especially since most of his friends just didn't 13 why he put himself through this hard training at his age. But Liu Ziqing 14 them all with the help of his family, who have always been very 15 of his passion.
In the heart of the Indian state of Rajasthan lies a city that exudes（散发）a charm, （attract）visitors from around the world. With its warm hospitality（好客）, busy bazaars, and splendid （palace）, Jaipur is a treasure of history, culture, and architectural splendor. This fascinating city invites you on an unforgettable journey into the area of the Maharajas.
The Aravalli Range, one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world, adds an appealing backdrop to Jaipur's landscape. The city's strategic location within the range provides it a natural shield（屏障）, enhancing （it）historical and cultural significance.
These hills not only contribute to the city's picturesque charm but also offer opportunities for adventure and （explore）.
Above all, it is the special colour influencing so many aspects of this city and its people sets Jaipur apart and gives it a unique appeal. The association of Jaipur with colour pink dates back to 1876 when the city（paint）in pink-considered the colour of hospitality—（celebrate）the visit of the Prince of Wales, Albert Edward, who would later become King Edward VI and Emperor of India. Since then, the colour （become）synonymous（同义）with Jaipur, earning it the nickname "The Pink City".
1. 活动目的；
2. 倡议内容：清理活动，保护环境；
3. 活动意义。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
A Call for Assistance in Building "the Yellow River Cultural Belt"
Dear fellow students,
Yours faithfully,
The Student Union
One sunny afternoon, I was playing in the backyard when I noticed a beautiful shiny piece of paper lying on the table. It was leftover aluminum foil（锡纸）from a package my mum had opened. I picked it up and was immediately attracted by its sparkling appearance. Curiosity got the best of me, and I couldn't help but ask my dad about it.
"Dad, what is this paper called? It's so shiny and beautiful!" I inquired, holding the aluminum foil up for him to see.
My dad chuckled and replied, "That's. called aluminum foil, and it has many uses."
Naturally, my curiosity was piqued（激发）, and I eagerly asked, "What can it be used for?"
My dad smiled and said, "Why don't you research it yourself? It'll be a great opportunity for you to learn something new."
With a sense of excitement, I grabbed my phone and started researching on the Internet. I found out that it is a type of metal paper called aluminum foil, which is moisture-proof（防潮的）. As I looked through the information, an idea popped into my head. What if I put some water in a small aluminum foil container and heated it in the microwave? Would the water boil?
Unable to resist the urge to experiment, I cut a piece of aluminum foil and folded it into a small square container. I added some water into the container and placed it in the microwave. With my eyes wide open, I anxiously watched the aluminum foil container, filled with anticipation. But before I could see any changes in the water, suddenly a burst of fire erupted from the microwave, surprising me. I quickly rushed to unplug the appliance and collapsed onto the floor, feeling a great fear.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
My dad, hearing the sound, hurried over and asked, "What happened?"
My dad's comforting words sank in, and I made a promise to myself to become more careful in my life.
