Have you ever pressed the pedestrian button at a crosswalk and wondered if it really worked? They’re called “placebo(安慰剂）buttons”一buttons that mechanically sound and can be pushed，but provide no functionality.
In New York City, only about 100 of the 1, 000 crosswalk buttons actually function. Crosswalk signals were generally installed before traffic jam had reached today’s levels.
But while their function was taken over by more advanced systems—such as automated lights or traffic sensors — the physical buttons were often kept, rather than being replaced at further expense. Other cities，such as Boston，Dallas and Seattle，have gone through a similar process, leaving them with their own placebo pedestrian buttons. In London, which has 6, 000 traffic signals, pressing the pedestrian button results in a reliable “Wait” light. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the “green man”— or “pedestrian stage” in traffic signal design profession — will appear any sooner.
“We do have some crossings where the green light comes on automatically, but we still ask people to press the button because that enables accessible features,’’ said Glynn Barton, director of network management at Transport for London.
These features, such as blind tracks and hearable traffic signals, help people with visual disorder cross the road and only function when the button is pressed. As for the lights, a growing number of them are now combined and become a part of an electronic system that detects traffic and adjusts time frequency accordingly (giving priority to buses if they’re running late, for example), which means that pressing the button has no effect.
According to Langer, a Harvard psychologist, placebo buttons give us the illusion (错觉)of control — and something to do in situations where the alternative would be doing nothing. In the case of pedestrian crossings, they may even make us safer by forcing us to pay attention to our surroundings. “They serve a psychological purpose at the very least,” she added.
1.Why are the physical buttons still kept in some cities?
A. Because it may cost money to replace them.
B. Because they remain as memories of a city.
C. Because do have real functions in traffic.
D. Because they can result in reliable lights.
2.Which of the following word can replace the underline word “features” in Paragraph 4?
A. Functions. B. Uses.
C. Equipment. D. Facilities.
3.If you pressed a “placebo button” in London, what would happen?
A. All traffic would be affected. B. Some kind of sound might appear.
C. Pedestrians came first to cross the road. D. “Green man” were bound to show up earlier.
4.What can we know about “placebo buttons” from Langer’s words?
A. They can really control traffic. B. They serve little functions.
C. They may work mentally. D. They can help the blind.
At times my mom has been uncomfortable seeing some quality in me. For example, when I was 12, I went to Puerto Rico all by myself to stay with my grandmother for the summer. My mom was extremely nervous about it. She kept telling me how things were different in Puerto Rico, to always put on sunscreen, not to wander away from my grandmother, and other warnings. She helped me pack and did not leave the airport until she saw my plane take off.
But despite her worries, she let me go on my own. As I moved into my teens, she continued to give me space to grow and learn, even when it might have been difficult for her. When I reached my senior year, I decided to move away for college. Once again I found that I differed from my peers: while many of them wanted to stay close to home, I couldn’t wait to be out in the world on my own. While my mom may not have been happy at the thought of my going away, she was supportive and excited for me.
One big thing I realized during my senior year, as my mom granted me more freedom, was that she actually believes in me and trusts me. That means a lot. Most of my life, and especially when I was little, the main person I tried to impress in my schoolwork or other things was my mother. I knew she expected nothing but the best from me. Sometimes it was hard to live up to her standards: getting a single B on my report card would make me feel bad because I knew she wanted me to have all A’s.
I know that her high standards have helped me stay focused on what’s important, like education, and made me who I am. I am thankful for her support and involvement in my life. Most of all I respect her. She is the strongest woman I know and that’s why I have turned out so strong and independent.
1.What may “some quality” in Paragraph 1 actually refer to?
A. “My” stubbornness. B. “My” independence.
C. “My” misbehavior. D. “My” carelessness.
2.What is the author’s attitude to his or her mother’s way of raising children?
A. Appreciative. B. Critical.
C. Opposed. D. Supportive.
3.What can we infer about the mother?
A. She always gets nervous easily. B. She often gets involved in “my” life.
C. She used to be strict in “my” study. D. She would limit “me” too much
4.What is the main idea of the text?
A. A mother’s deep love. B. A child’s Independence
C. A mother’s trust and support D. A child’s long way to growth.
Humans and many other mammals have unusually efficient internal temperature regulating systems that automatically maintain stable core body temperatures in cold winters and warm summers. In addition, people have developed cultural patterns and technologies that help them adjust to extremes of temperature and humidity (湿度).
In very cold climates, there is a constant danger of developing hypothermia, which is a life-threatening drop in core body temperature to below normal levels. The normal temperature for humans is about 37.0°C. However, differences in persons and even the time of day can cause it to be as much as 6°C higher or lower in healthy individuals. It is also normal for core body temperature to be lower in elderly people. Hypothermia begins to occur when the core body temperature drops to 34.4°C. Below 29.4°C, the body cools more rapidly because its natural temperature regulating system usually fails. The rapid decline in core body temperature is likely to result in death. However, there have been rare cases in which people have been saved after their temperatures had dropped to 13.9-15.6°C. This happened in 1999 to a Swedish woman who was trapped under an ice sheet in freezing water for 80 minutes. She was found unconscious, not breathing, and her heart had stopped beating, yet she was eventually saved despite the fact that her temperature had dropped to 13.7°C.
In extremely hot climates or as a result of uncontrollable infections, core body temperatures can rise to equally dangerous levels. This is hyperthermia. Life-threatening hyperthermia typically starts in humans when their temperatures rise to 40.6-41.7°C. Only a few days at this extraordinarily high temperature level is likely to result in the worsening of internal organs and death.
1.What keeps our body temperature stable?
A. Culture and technologies. B. The stable earth temperature.
C. Our strong determination. D. Some kind of in-body system.
2.What is a Swedish woman mentioned for in the text?
A. Proving the strength of life.
B. Arguing against some conclusion.
C. Showing the limit on humans’ body temperature.
D. Introducing an exceptional case about our body temperature.
3.Which of the following may cause hyperthermia?
A. Extreme climates. B. Very cold climates.
C. Controllable infections. D. Temperatures below 29.4°C.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Humans’ Temperature Regulating System B. Changes of Body Temperatures
C. Humans’ Temperature D. A Ice Trap Survivor
International Airport Sheremetyevo Moscow
►If You've Lost Personal possessions
On Board
Contact the airline’s representatives
At the Airport
Contact:
-- Sheremetyevo Police Department
…………………………………… +7(495)578-22-55
--Unclaimed luggage storage room in Terminal C
…………………………………… +7(495)578-23-26
--Umclaimed luggage storage room in Terminal D
…………………………………… +7(499)500-65-52
(domestic flights)
+7(495)753-86-41
(international flights)
When collecting Lost and Found items, you shall have an identification document, a boarding pass or a ticket, and also to indicate a place where the items were lost and prove they are yours.
►If Your Luggage Is Lost or Damaged
Before leaving the arrival area, please turn to the Lost and Found counter to file a report. The written claim shall be submitted to the airline company not later than seven days from the time when the luggage was to be collected.
If your luggage is not found within twenty-one days of the time when the claim was filed, you have the right to claim damages in the amount of not more than 600 rubles per kilogram. Amount refunded (退款) for a hand luggage lost through the fault of an airline is not more than 11,000 rubles regardless of its weight. Amount refunded for damaged luggage is calculated based on the tariffs (关税).
Keep your flight documents (a ticket, boarding pass, luggage tag, and delayed luggage report filed at the airport) until the end of the procedure for searching for your luggage.
Current information on luggage-tracing results
…………………………………… +7(495)578-76-65
Lost and Found service of Aeroflot Airlines
…………………………………… +7(495)544-33-25
(from 9:00 to 20:00)
+7(495)753-86-41
(24 hours)
For further information please contact the airline.
1.What should you do if you find your personal possessions lost on board?
A. Turn to the airline’s staff. B. Contact the police office.
C. Submit a claim to the company. D. Go to the Lost and Found counter.
2.How much money can you claim if your 20-kilogram hand luggage is damaged?
A. It depends on its weight. B. It depends on the tariffs.
C. 12,000 rubles at most. D. 11,000 rubles at most.
3.Which number should you dial if you found your luggage missing at midnight on your arrival?
A. +7(495)578-76-65. B. +7(495)578-23-26.
C. +7(495)753-86-41. D. +7(495)544-33-25.
假定你是李华，你校手工俱乐部（Handicraft Club）将邀请民间艺人（folk artist）来校教大家制作灯笼。请给你班的交换生Tom写一封电子邮件，邀请他一同参加。内容包括：
1．邀请原因；
2．活动内容；
3．活动时间和地点。
注意：1．词数100左右；
2．可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
It was a math test, for which I have prepared for a long time. So much importance I attach to it that I even felt a little nervous before a test. My heart began to beat wild immediately I took my seat in the classrooms. Looking at the test paper, our mind went blank. I attempted to focus my attention and it was impossible. So I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, try to calm down. It worked. Gradually I recovered from my calmness. Feeling more relaxing, I picked up my pen and began to write.
