It was my first year of graduate school and my professor was standing on the platform. He was telling us about a ________he made years ago.
About a decade earlier, my professor had been a sales manager at a large company. They were ________a national campaign and preparing for a major brand launch. My professor was________the operation.
For almost two months before the launch day, he was ________all over the country to talk with major partners.________crossing the country on flights, he was also trying to ________his department. For weeks he would have meetings all day, answer________and phone calls all night, and________three or four hours of sleep.
The week before the big launch day, his body________. He had to be rushed to the hospital. Major organs had started to________from the long-term stress. He spent the next eight days in hospital, ________to do anything as the launch day came and went.
Imagine that your ________and energy are a bucket of water. In your daily life, there are things that ________your bucket up. These are inputs like sleep, nutrition, laughter, and other forms of ________. There are also forces that drain(使排出) the water from your bucket. These are________like stress from work or school, relationship problems, or other forms of anxiety.
The forces that drain your bucket aren’t all ________. To live a productive life, it can be important to have some things________out of your bucket. Working hard in the gym, at school, or at the office allows you to produce something ________. But positive outputs are still outputs and they drain your energy ________. These outputs are gradual. Even a little leak can result in significant water loss________ time.
1.A. prediction B. decision C. fortune D. mistake
2.A. at the end of B. in the middle of C. at the mercy of D. on the way to
3.A. sponsoring B. leading C. assisting D. adopting
4.A. researching B. driving C. flying D. inspecting
5.A. Before B. Though C. While D. Since
6.A. run B. promote C. expand D. observe
7.A. emails B. charges C. problems D. doors
8.A. pull in B. squeeze in C. take in D. bring in
9.A. give up B. give in C. give out D. give away
10.A. disappear B. suffer C. function D. fail
11.A. ready B. unwilling C. eager D. unable
12.A. health B. status C. success D. reputation
13.A. break B. pack C. fill D. cover
14.A. rest B. recovery C. entertainment D. accommodation
15.A. restrictions B. consequences C. examples D. outputs
16.A. uncontrollable B. unpredictable C. uncomfortable D. unfavorable
17.A. flowing B. slipping C. escaping D. growing
18.A. typical B. valuable C. casual D. exotic
19.A. suddenly B. surprisingly C. partly D. thoroughly
20.A. over B. beyond C. after D. before
Steps for a Successful College Application
When it comes to getting into the college of your choice, your college application is the most important tool you have in your hands. 1., while a bad one can land you at the bottom. Keep the following tips in mind when you are going through the college application process and you’ll be on the road to admission.
Be Prepared
2., carefully look over all the questions and requirements. Dedicate a page to each college with a checklist of everything you’ll need to submit, such as transcripts, recommendations, the essay, copies of awards/certificates, etc.
3.
Former Records Technician, Carmen Huff, says the best thing students do is to get their applications early—or at least by the deadline. Colleges and universities receive so many applications that they don’t have the time to accept late ones. The more time you give the college or university to process your application, the more time you’ll have to deal with any problems that might arise, Huff says.
Watch Your GPA and Test Scores
This is the first thing that most universities look at. For example, most four- year colleges don’t have a GPA requirement, but top Ivy Leagues(常春藤联盟) usually only accept students with a 3.5 or higher GPA. However, if your GPA is weak, don’t give up applying. 4.
Write an Amazing Essay
A great essay can help tip the balance in your favor. 5.. Many colleges require two essays, one short and one long. What you write not only shows how literate you are, but also provides the reader with an impression of your values and beliefs.
A. Be On Time
B. Be Patient and Determined
C. When you have a test or an exam
D. When you first receive the application
E. A great application can zip you to the front of the line
F. So, take the time to think your essay through carefully
G. Instead, be sure to emphasize your other good qualities such as any awards or community involvement
Humans make mistakes. Even surgeons with years of experience are not infallible. But what if these doctors could pool their knowledge and experience together and create a surgical standard of care, to be carried out by machines?
That's the idea behind surgical robots, which may soon perform most surgeries, from sewing up tiny wounds to performing heart procedures. Many of these operations are, in fact, already completed with the assistance of robots. But a recent test suggests that robots in the operating room may soon go a step further, performing on soft tissue completely on their own, from start to finish.
The Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot（STAR）, successfully completed surgeries on pigs. "We're the first group to develop autonomous robotic surgery with soft-tissue surgery, and when compared to standard operation, it's better, "says Peter Kim, professor of surgery. "The idea is not to replace surgeons；it will make the surgeons better and make the procedures safer. "
A recent Mayo Clinic study found that major surgical errors-including operating on the wrong site or side of the body, or even leaving tools or objects inside the patient-occur every one out of 22, 000 procedures. That's rare, but robots like STAR would aim to lower the number even further.
In the da Vinci surgical system, surgeons place their arms inside instruments and use their hands to control the movement of robotic tools on the operating table from afar. The robot's every major move is controlled by surgeons, and thus its results may vary based on the surgeon's training or experience.
STAR, on the other hand, is entirely autonomous. It's not only able to work on its own and perform surgeries with a more flexible "hand", but it's able to react to the unexpected incidents. Cutting into hard tissue like bones is one thing, but operating on moving soft tissue is far more complex. STAR reacts to a changing environment, similar to how self-driving cars are programmed to not only drive on the highway, but also react to another driver making a mistake and getting in your way.
1.The underlined word "infallible" in Paragraph 1probably means ______ .
A. quite smart B. really creative
C. rather responsible D. always right
2.We can learn from the passage that STAR ______ .
A. can perform the operation on its own
B. has been widely used in the operating room
C. can make surgeries much faster
D. will take the place of surgeons
3.In the da Vinci surgical system, ______ .
A. robots are trained from afar B. robots always make mistakes
C. surgery results depend on surgeons D. surgeons have trouble controlling robots
4.In the last paragraph, the author mentions self-driving cars in order to show ______ .
A. how smart an autonomous robot can be
B. how difficult self-driving on the highway is
C. how bad getting in another driver's way might be
D. how dangerous operating on people is.
You know the feeling that you have left your phone at home and feel anxious, as if you have lost your connection to the world. “Nomophobia” (无手机恐惧症) affects teenagers and adults alike. You can even do an online test to see if you have it. Last week, researchers from Hong Kong warned that nomophobia is infecting everyone. Their study found that people who use their phones to store, share and access personal memories suffer most. When users were asked to describe how they felt about their phones, words such as “hurt” (neck pain was often reported) and “alone” predicted higher levels of nomophobia.
“The findings of our study suggest that users regard smartphones as their extended selves and get attached to the devices,” said Dr. Kim Ki Joon. “People experience feelings of anxiety and unpleasantness when separated from their phones.” Meanwhile, an American study shows that smartphone separation can lead to an increase in heart rate and blood pressure.
So can being without your phone really give you separation anxiety? Professor Mark Griffiths, psychologist and director of the International Gaming Research Unit at Nottingham Trent University, says it is what is on the phone that counts-the social networking that creates Fomo (fear of missing out).
“We are talking about an internet-connected device that allows people to deal with lots of aspects of their lives,” says Griffiths. “You would have to surgically remove a phone from a teenager because their whole life is rooted in this device.”
Griffiths thinks attachment theory, where we develop emotional dependency on the phone because it holds details of our lives, is a small part of nomophobia. For “screenagers”, it is Fomo that creates the most separation anxiety. If they can’t see what’s happening on Snapchat or Instagram, they become panic-stricken about not knowing what’s going on socially. “But they adapt very quickly if you take them on holiday and there’s no internet,” says Griffiths.
1.Which of the following may Dr. Kim Ki Joon agree with?
A. We waste too much time on phones.
B. Phones have become part of some users.
C. Addiction to phones makes memories suffer.
D. Phones and blood pressure are closely linked.
2.According to Giffiths, we get nomophobia because .
A. we are accustomed to having a phone on us
B. we need our phones to help us store information
C. we worry we may miss out what our friends are doing
D. we fear without phones we will run into a lot of trouble
3.Where can you probably find the above passage?
A. In a research report. B. In a fashion brochure.
C. In a science textbook. D. In a popular science magazine.
When was the last time you told someone they inspire you to go to work each morning?
Teachers at Oak Park High School in Kansas City, Missouri, did just that this September, when they pulled individual students out of class to tell them just how much they appreciated them.
The students’ reactions, which were captured (捕捉) on video and shared on YouTube in a now-viral video, ranged from shy thanks to hugs and tears.
“I have been challenged to find a student who makes me want to come to school every day,” says one teacher in the video, “and that’s you.”
Jamie McSparin, a teacher in charge of the school’s academy program for at-risk sophomores （二年级学生）and juniors, posed the challenge, writes ABC News.
“Initially when we pulled the kids out, they all thought they were in trouble,” McSparin told ABC News. “Any teacher-student interaction always seems to be negative (消极的), and that was something that bothered me, too. No matter if they’re a good kid or a trouble maker or anything, they always thought they were in trouble,” she says.
McSparin says she got the idea for the project after attending a professional development workshop this summer called the power of positivity.
“I like the idea of letting students know they are appreciated, because we do appreciate them, I just don’t think we say it enough,” she told local news outlet WDAF-TV.
It’s safe to say the challenge was effective.
“I feel special,” said one of the boys in the video. “You should,” said his teacher. “You are special.”
1.What does the underlined word “posed” in Paragraph 5 mean?
A. Presented. B. Rejected.
C. Ignored. D. Evaluated.
2.How did the students probably feel when pulled out of the classroom at first?
A. Nervous. B. Thrilled.
C. Curious. D. Encouraged.
3.What inspired McSparin to challenge the project?
A. The trouble caused by students.
B. The need of shooting the video.
C. A seminar named the power of positivity.
D. A program related to students’ interactions.
4.What message does this text mainly convey?
A. Challenge is unavoidable in life.
B. Everyone needs to be appreciated.
C. Positivity outweighs negativity.
D. News media contribute to students’ progress.
Not sure what gift to get your loved ones? Think technology! You may even find something special for yourself!
Mini Quadcopter
Would you like to have a flying toy, but lack space to fly one? Consider a Mini Quadcopter that is small enough to fit inside your hand. This Mini Quadcopter can be controlled to fly in any direction with its remote control. The Mini Quadcopter is available from Hammacher Schlemmer for $39.95.
Selfie Toaster
Does your sweetie like taking selfies and eating toast? Well, why not combine the two with the Selfie Toaster? The Selfie Toaster crates an image on the piece of toast so you can smile at yourself every morning. The Selfie Toaster is available from Etsy for $10.95.
Amazon Echo
Give the knowledge of the world with the Amazon Echo.
The advice can answer questions, tell you about weather conditions, tell jokes, play music and more. The Echo also acts as a Bluetooth speaker so you can connect your phone and listen to your favorite songs. The Echo is available from Amazon for $179.
Indoor Snowfall Light
Get into the spirit of the holiday season in your home with the Indoor Snowfall Light. The light shows snowflake shapes in your room to give you the feeling of a winter snowfall. You can control the speed of the snowfall, unlike the real whether. The Indoor Snowfall Light is available from Sharper Image for $59.99.
1.Who may be most interested in a Mini Quadcopter?
A. Drivers. B. Children.
C. Teachers. D. Housewives.
2.What’s the function of a Selfie Toaster?
A. It keeps your food fresh. B. It helps order your food.
C. It makes your picture prettier. D. It puts your image on your food.
3.You will need an Amazon Echo when you are ________.
A. at a meeting B. in the classroom
C. on a long trip D. having an interview
4.Which website is probably visited most at Christmas?
A. Etsy. B. Amazon.
C. Sharper Image. D. Hammacher Schlemmer.
