阅读理解

    The “24 solar terms” originated and was firstly used in China. It was created thousands years ago on the basis of practical needs of agriculture. Ancient Chinese people used it to guide agriculture production, special climate signs and even healthy living tips. Last year, the 24 solar terms was added to UNESCO's world intangible cultural heritage list. Now, it has been brought to life thanks to a creative designer from Southwest China's Guizhou province.

    On the eve of this year's Qingming Festival, Shi Changhong released his version of re-produced and pack-aged characters for each solar term in the form of “moving art” of gifs. Since their initial release on Zcool on March 29, the gifs have won great acclaim among the general public and quickly engulfed social media with millions of hits during the festival period.

    To maximize publicity, Shi released his work in three forms: video, animation and picture, while, the background sounds add to the brilliance.

    “When I watch the short video, I can strongly feel the Chinese-style elements hidden in them. And it is really cool to rejuvenate Chinese traditional culture in such a unique way.” WeChat user Xiao Feifei said.

    “It is really a comfort to me to see so many people like my latest work. To be honest, it would really surprise me if the work does not arouse a sensation among Chinese people. The 24 solar items is a deeply mooted concept that encapsulates the essence of Chinese wisdom. However, only a small portion of people know all the names or the correct order of those terms. My intention is to increase Chinese people's self awareness to learn more about our traditional fine culture. Actually, the 24 solar items work is only a part of my whole design program ‘Charm China', which I started over a year ago.” Shi told China Daily.

根据短文内容，选择最佳答案，并将选定答案的字母标号填在题前括号内。

NO PLANS FOR THE HOLIDAYS?

Special Story Time for All Lower Primary Pupils

SCHOOL LIBRARY

READING ROOM

June 6,2 p.m. —3 p.m.

Mr.Stephen Keene will impress you with stories from his famous New Kids Next Block series.

FREE ADMISSION

LEARN HOW TO PLAY THE GUITAR IN 4 EASY LESSONS!

Venue: Music Room

Time: 9 a.m. —12 p.m.

Dates: June 6,13,20,27

Instructor: Miss Katsumi from Japan

Fees: $ 40 for 4 lessons *

($ 20 for members of the school band and school choir)

Register with Mrs. Mary Mi , the Choir Mistress, NOW.

*It is compulsory(强制性的) for students who sing up to attend ALL four lessons.

JOIN THE GEOGRAPHY CLUB'S TWILIGHT CRUISE(黄昏巡游)

June 19,5 p.m. —8 p.m.

·View Singapore's wonderful skyline by night.

·Cruise past Kusu Island and Pulau Tekukor (Dove Island)

·Enjoy a great dinner under the starlit sky.

HURRY! VACANCIES(空缺) ONLY FOR THE 1ST 20 PUPILS WHO SING UP.

Get your consent forms(同意书) from Miss Yu and return the forms with your payment($20) by 30 May.

* If there are more than 20 pupils interested in the cruise,priority (优先权) will be given to Geography Club*

    Scientists have been studying how people use money for long. Now they're finding some theories may apply to one group of monkeys.

    Researchers recently taught six monkeys hos to use money. They gave the monkeys small metal disks (圆片) that could be used like cash and showed them some yummy apple pieces. The monkeys soon figured out that if they gave one of the disks to a scientist, they'd receive a piece of apple in return.

    If you think that is all the monkeys can figure out, you are wrong. Two researchers, Jake and Allison, acted as apple sellers in the experiments. The monkeys were tested one at a time and had 12 disks to spend in each experiment. Jake always showed the monkeys on apple piece, while Allison always showed two pieces. But that's not necessarily what they gave the monkeys. The number of apple pieces given for a disk was determined at random.

    Experiment One: Allison showed two pieces of apples but gave both piece only half the time. The other half, she took one piece away and gave the monkey just the remaining piece. Jake, on the other hand, always gave exactly what he showed: one piece for each disk. The monkeys chose to trade more with Allison.

    Experiment Two: Allison continued to sometimes gave two pieces and sometimes one piece. But now, half the time, Jake gave the one apple piece he was showing, and half the time he added a bonus. Guess what? The monkeys chose to trade more with Jake.

    In the first experiment, the monkeys correctly figured out that if they traded with Allison, they'd end up with more treats. In the second one, when a monkey received two pieces from Jake, it seemed like a gain. When Allison gave the monkey only one piece instead of the two she showed, it seemed like a loss. The monkeys preferred trading with Jake because they'd rather take a chance of seeming to win than seeming to lose.

    We also sometimes make silly business decisions just to avoid the feeling that we're getting less, even when we're not. Would you have made the same choices?

    When a rather dirty, poorly dressed person kneels at your feet and puts out his hands to beg for a few coins, do you hurry on, not knowing what to do, or do you feel sad and hurriedly hand over some money? What should our attitude to beggars be? There can be no question that the world is full of terribly sad stories. It must be terrible to have no idea where our next meal is going to come from. It seems cruel not to give some money to beggars.

    Certainly, most of the world's great religions (宗教) order us to be open-hearted and share what we have with those less fortunate than ourselves. But has the world changed? Maybe what was morally (道德方面) right in the old days, when one knew exactly who in the village had suffered misfortune and needed help, is no longer the best idea. Quite a few people will not give to beggars. Let us look at their arguments.

    First, some believe that many city beggars dress up on purpose to look pitiable and actually make a good living from begging. Giving to beggars only encourages this sort of evil (恶行). Secondly, there is the worry that the money you give will be spent on beer, wine or drugs. Thirdly, there is the opinion that there is no real excuse for begging. One might be poor, but that is no reason for losing one's sense of pride and self-dependence.

    Related to this is the opinion that the problem should be dealt with by the government rather than ordinary people. Some people think beggars should go to the local government department and receive help.

    It is hard to come to any final conclusion; there are various cases and we must deal with them differently. A few coins can save a life in some situations, and even if the money is wasted, that does not take away the moral goodness of the giver.

When faced with the decision to get out of bed or have a few more minutes of sleep, which do you choose? Believe it or not, that decision could make a world of difference in the rest of your day.

About 85 percent of Americans use an alarm clock to wake up in the mornings, according to sleep researcher Till Roennenber. And while there are no official numbers on snoozing (打盹), a quick survey of social media makes it clear that hitting the snooze button is a popular pastime.

As to how the snooze button will affect your day, scientists have mixed opinions. Some scientists think people who hit the snooze button in the mornings are actually clever, creative and happy while some said that hitting the snooze button will ruin your life, or at the very least your day. "I feel that hitting the snooze button has got to be one of the worst things that ever happened to human sleep," researcher Jonathan Horowitz said. "The chances of you 'snoozing' and actually experiencing a meaningful rest are close to zero."

According to some sleep experts, when hitting the snooze button, you are in fact confusing your body and mind, and throwing yourself into a deep state of being sleepy. The body needs some time to wake up, so, when returning to what will be a light sleep for a brief period of time, you are putting your body back into a sleep mode before waking it again. At that point your body won't know what it wants, resulting in a sort of half awaken state.

If you really want to take advantage of an alarm clock, the key is to form a healthy sleep cycle. Focus your efforts on getting enough sleep each night and waking up at the same time each day so that when your alarm goes off you feel rested.

There are various ways in which to read body language so that you can understand how someone is feeling.

Reading emotional clues (线索)is one of them.

Crying is considered to be caused by an explosion of emotion in most cultures.Often times crying is considered a sign of sadness,but crying can also be an expression of happiness.Crying can also come about through laughter and humor.Thus,when judging crying,you'll need to look for other signs to determine the meaning of the crying.Crying can also be forced in order to gain sympathy or to cheat others.This practice is known as "crocodile tears",an expression that draws on the wrong idea that crocodiles"cry" when catching prey(猎物).

Signs of threat include v-shaped eye brows, wide eyes, and an open or down-turned mouth.In a similar way, arm tightly crossed over the other is a common sign that the person is angry and is closing himself off to you.

When people show anxiety, they display increased facial movements, and their mouth made into a thin line.

Individuals who are anxious may also play with their hands, unable keep them in one spot.Anxiety can also or have nervous legs.It can be conveyed when people seemingly unconsciously(无意识地)tap their feet or have nervous legs.

Embarrassment can be expressed by turning the eyes or shifting them away.If someone looks down at the floor a lot,they are probably shy,afraid,or embarrassed.People also tend to look down when they are upset,or trying to hide something emotional.People are often thinking and feeling unpleasant emotions when they are in the process of staring at the ground.

There are also some signs of pride.People show pride by displaying a small smile,holding their head backward,and putting their hands on their hips.