Scientists can figure out a movie's emotional tone from the gasps(喘气) of its audience. These gases could point the way to a subtle(微妙的，精细的) form of human communication, a new study suggests.
"When you see a movie, you can hear the music and see the pictures. However, you don't realize here are chemical signals in the air. And they, too, could be affecting you, says Williams, who led the study. As an atmospheric chemist, he studies the chemical makeup of the air around us.
Williams started out measuring the air in a soccer stadium. He noticed that levels of carbon dioxide and other gases changed wildly whenever the crowd cheered. That got him wondering -- Could the gases people breathe out be influenced by emotions?
To find out, he went to the movies.
Williams and his coworkers measured air samples collected over six weeks in two movie theaters. Overall, 9,500 movie goers watched 16 films. They included a mix of comedy, romance, action and horror films. Among them were The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Carrie, and Walking with Dinosaurs. The researchers gave scenes from the movies such labels as “suspense(悬疑)”, "laughter" and "crying". Then they looked for hundreds of chemicals in the air that showed up as people were watching particular movie scenes.
And certain scenes had distinct chemical "fingerprints". Scenes that had people laughing or on the edge of their seats were especially distinctive. During screenings of The Hunger Games, levels of carbon dioxide and isoprene got to the highest at two suspenseful moments. Because isoprene is related to muscle movement, the researchers think tense movie moments likely led to its spikes(尖峰). Williams and his colleagues think the increase in carbon dioxide was due to the viewers' increased pulse and breathing rates.
Scientists need more data to make stronger links between human emotions and what's in their breath. But Williams can see potential practical uses. Companies, for instance, could quickly measure the air during tests to see how people feel about new products. He pictures future studies recording other body variables(变数) as well. These might include heart rate and body temperature, for instance. "It's something to find out."
1.What was Williams's purpose of the research?
A. To know more about the makeup of the air.
B. To find out how the air changes in a crowded stadium.
C. To study how greatly the movies influence people's emotion.
D. To see whether people's emotion affects the air they breathe out.
2.What do we know about the experiment?
A. Each participant watched about 16 films.
B. The movies were a mixture of comedy and romance.
C. The film scenes were labeled with three main features.
D. The samples were taken in two theaters over six weeks.
3.In which situation are people most emotional?
A. Romantic moments. B. Exciting situations.
C. Suspenseful situations. D. Horrible moments.
4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A. Human emotions are strongly related to the chemicals humans breathe out.
B. People's temperature will be measured when they' re watching movies.
C. Williams thinks more measures should be taken for practical uses.
D. Companies will spend much money testing their new product.
The streets of Stockholm may be cold and snowy during winter, but it is one of the world's hottest startup(创业) centers and a good choice for people with talent worldwide.
Once the snow melts(融化) in early spring, the city is among the greenest in the world. Two thirds of Stockholm is made up of either water or parks, and locals make it the first thing to enjoy these peaceful surroundings. Less than l% of Swedish employees work more than 50 hours per week.
The quality of life is important. New parents are given 480 days of leave to look after their babies, while childcare is heavily supported in various sides. Little wonder that Sweden was rated the best location in the world for family life. Adam Webb, 34, a British businessman and father-of-one, said, "Everything is set towards helping parents, from giving dads time off on almost full pay to free bus rides for anyone with a baby carriage."
Stockholm is also proud of what Vogue magazine recently ranked as Europe's coolest neighborhood. On the island of Sodermalm, just south of the city centre, independent record stores still make money, while plenty of cafes offer a taste for Scandinavia's love affairs with timeless style.
Many major international companies, including H&M and Ericsson, offer expats(外来者) accommodation for the first three months of their contracts(合同) in Stockholm. But other foreigners arriving in the city are left to battle with a unique property market and a shortage of apartments. More than a third of Swedes live in rented housing, half of which is owned by local governments or state rental companies. If you're lucky enough to get a firsthand contract for this kind of accommodation, it is yours for life. Expats are welcome to join the queue, but in Stockholm they will find around half a million locals in front of them and an average wait of nine years.
"Finding a place to live is the single biggest challenge when moving to Stockholm, but there is a lot going on to try and solve the problem," said Julika Lamberth from Stockholm Business Region, a state-funded company working to increase investment in the city.
1.Stockholm attracts international talent probably because of its .
A. beautiful weather B. free apartments
C. working policies for employees D. widespread greenness in the city
2.Sweden is on the top of the world for its .
A. tourism B. sports
C. family life D. record stores
3.What can be the best title of the passage?
A. Have More Babies? Go to Sweden!
B. The Best Neighborhood in Sweden
C. The Best City for Working Families
D. The Most Comfortable Apartments in Stockholm
Growing up, I was an extremely reserved(腼腆的) boy. I didn't have many friends in primary and middle school and rarely opened up to anyone. I didn't even ask my teacher questions in class. I was scared of the world and the people around.
As a child, I was scared to do anything without my parents mainly because I was afraid that I would do it badly. I was getting good grades and was well-behaved, but I wasn't happy. It was my belief that I was, for some reason, unable to do the things the others kids could do. I felt inadequate.
While in my second semester of college, I ran into some information on the Internet about something called social anxiety. I didn't really know much of the disorder. Thus I began to read about some of the symptoms and realized that social anxiety was the thing that hurt me so much.
It is common knowledge that people with social anxiety experience nervousness in social situations. What a lot of people don't know is that one of the main causes of social anxiety is negative thinking. People having a negative idea of themselves often think that they are ugly or stupid.
I realized what I was truly afraid of: not being good enough. I was afraid that people would look at me and would not like what they saw; I was scared of rejection. To help deal with these problems, I began to practice meditation(沉思) and other mindfulness exercises. My mind slowly began to change.
I realized that everyone, from star athletes to noble prize winners, experiences fear in their lives. Whether people are afraid of heights, planes, spiders, or talking to girls, we all experience anxiety and fear. There is no reason for anyone to feel excluded(排除在外的) because something scares them. People with anxiety disorders might have "problems", but there is nothing wrong with them as people. They are just as humans as everyone else.
1.What do we know about the author from the first two paragraphs?
A. He was poor at his subjects.
B. He grew up in an awful environment.
C. He was shy and lacked confidence.
D. He did not show respect for his teachers.
2.What are the characteristics of people with social anxiety?
A. They want to have high social status in society.
B. They desire to get more with less effort.
C. They talk a lot about themselves in public.
D. They often believe that others are better than them.
3.How did the author recover from his social anxiety?
A. He did a lot of exercise.
B. He adjusted his way of thinking.
C. He sought help from his professors.
D. He surrounded himself with something positive.
4.What is the writer' s attitude towards people with anxiety?
A. He believes that they should overcome it together.
B. He argues that people treat them equally.
C. He insists that they be given some help.
D. He thinks people should sympathize with them.
Most of us feel very tired after working for eight hours a day, five days a week. When we get home, we watch at least one film because it's well-deserved and the only time we get to "relax" before going to sleep. Wake up and repeat. No wonder you feel tired. So how do you get out of this vicious circle? How do you restart your life?
1. YOUR MINDSET
"Oh man, another one of these self-improvement things. I hope I can do it, but I've tried these things before, and I just never stick to it."
This was something I used to say to myself every time I try to start something new for myself. There's a fear-driven side of your brain which tells you, "You can't do this."
What can you do? Well, the tip here is to talk to yourself like you're talking to a friend, or a coworker. So the next time you try something new, be kind to yourself like you would be kind to others. You are your own worst critic. But you can also be your firm defender.
2. YOUR DIET
If you are looking at what you eat for the reason to feel energized, then the general rules are:
1) Eat when you're hungry. Don't eat when you're not.
2) Be mindful when you eat. Chew at least 20 times. Let yourself taste and digest your food.
3) Don't do three things at once when you're eating. Your body wasn't made for that.
4) Preferably, eat "real" food. Eat what your great-grandmother would recognize as food.
Don't let your days pass by in a boring way. Start by re-examining these key habits in your life to build a body that can start doing things you want.
3. YOUR SLEEP
Without enough sleep, we're basically going through the day drunk. This means tiredness, difficulty to respond quickly and smartly to anything that comes up. The sleeping hours needed for an average adult ranges from 7 to 9 hours.
1.What does the underlined word "vicious" most probably mean?
A. Strange. B. Awful.
C. Friendly. D. Worthy.
2.When the author starts something new, he .
A. often feels he can't stick to it B. puts everything else aside
C. always keeps on doing it D. believes he can complete it
3.What should one do if he thinks he can't do something new?
A. He should persuade himself to have a try.
B. He should defend himself from being hurt.
C. He should think about it and give it up.
D. He should force himself to do it.
4.What will most likely be discussed after the last paragraph?
A. Why is sleep important? B. How long should we sleep?
C. How can we sleep properly? D. Why do people dream when sleeping?
假定你是新华中学的高三学生李华，你校的外教Mr Pearson开设了一个英语辅导班(English Tutorial),可根据学生的实际需要进行辅导。报名者须根据个人实际情况提出申请并选择辅导内容。请你给外教写一封电子邮件申请加入辅导班。内容主要包括：
1. 介绍个人情况；
2. 说明辅导意向（如口语、语法、写作、文化知识等其中的一项或几项）；
3. 表达愿望。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
3. 邮件的开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Mr Pearson,
I’m more than delighted that you have started English Tutorial. _____________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
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Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
短文改错
In my spare time, I often read some books written by famous writers in or abroad. I ever read China’s Four Great Classical novel such as Journey to the West. Beside, I enjoy reading Tang poetry. I have been writing from I was nine years old. I am remember the first time my parents and I talked about my dream of becoming writer. They laughed out happy when they read the short story I write about robots. They think that my story is well worth read and that I am good at writing. I believe I will achieve their dream.
