Can you trust your very first childhood memories? Maybe not, a new study suggests.
Past researches show that people's earliest memories typically form around 3 to 3. 5 years of age. But in a recent survey of more than 6,600 people, British scientists have found that 39 percent of participants claimed to have memories from age 2 or younger. These first memories are likely false, the researchers said. This was particularly the case for middle -aged and older adults.
For the study, researchers asked participants to describe their first memory and the age at which it occurred. Participants were told they had to be sure the memory was the one that had happened. For example, it shouldn't be based on a photograph, a family story or any source other than direct experiences. Then the researchers examined the content, language and descriptive details of these earliest memories and worked out the likely reasons why people would claim to have memories from an age when memories cannot form.
As many of these memories dated before the age of 2, this suggests they were not based on actual facts, but facts or knowledge about their babyhood or childhood from photographs or family stories. Often these false memories are fired by a part of an early experience, such as family relationships or feeling sad, the researchers explained.
"We suggest that what a rememberer has in mind when recalling fictional early memories is …a mental representation consisting of remembered pieces of early experiences and some facts or knowledge about their own babyhood or childhood, " study author Shania Kantar said in a journal news release, "Additionally, further details may be unconsciously inferred or added. Such memory-like mental representations come~ over time, to be collectively experienced when they come to mind, so for the individual, they quite simply are memories, which particularly point to babyhood. "
"Importantly, the person remembering them doesn't know this is fictional," study co-author Martin Conway said "In fact, when people are told that their memories are false they often don't believe it. "
1.What can we learn from a recent study?
A. Memories form after the age of 3. B. Participants are good at telling stories
C. Adults are likely to form false memories D. Earliest memories may play a trick on us
2.Which source did the researchers require for the earliest memories?
A. A direct experience. B. A family story.
C. A family photo. D. A sad feeling.
3.What are these fictional early memories according to Kantar?
A. They are repeated mental representations.
B. They are a collection of early experiences.
C. They are a combination of both facts and fictions.
D. They are further details of remembered experiences.
4.Which part of a newspaper is this text probably taken from?
A. Society. B. Psychology. C. Technology. D. Health.
Your next Saturday night takeaway could be brought to you by a robot after a major food delivery company announced plans to use automated vehicles to transport meals. Europe’s biggest online takeaway food company Just Eat has partnered with Starship Technologies to deliver food with robots on the streets of London later this month. “Nobody has ever done deliveries with land-based robots,” said Allan Martinson, the chief operating officer of Starship.
The robot courier can travel up to 4 miles per hour for about 10 miles. It uses a GPS signal and nine cameras to navigate (确定方向). Instead of a person arriving at their door, customers could find themselves receiving a notification on their phone that says a robot is on its way and a code to unlock the automated courier. “Put the code in, the robot opens up, and there’s your food,” said David Buttress, chief manager of Just Eat.
The robot, which has so far been tested in Greenwich, Milton Keynes and Glastonbury, costs £ 1 to transport within 3 miles, compared with the £3 to £6 it costs for a human courier. To date 30 robots have driven nearly 5,000 miles without getting into an accident or finding themselves picked on by passers-by. They have driven in more than 40 cities around the world, including London and Tallinn, Estonia.
An initial worry was how the public would react to robots. But Martinson said the public has been calm when passing the delivery machine on the streets. “The most surprising reaction has been the lack of reaction,” said Martinson.
Another significant fear was that people would disrupt (扰乱) the robots, or try to steal them and their contents. To prevent this, the robot is fitted with nine cameras, two way audio, and movement sensors that send a warning if it is lifted off the ground. And it opens only with a passcode provided to the customer via a notification. “It’s much easier to shoplift than it is to steal a robot,” said Martinson.
1.Which of the following can replace the underlined word “courier” in Paragraph 2?
A.deliverer B.collector
C.provider D.guide
2.According to the text, the Starship robot ________.
A.opens up upon hearing the code
B.travels 10 miles per hour at most
C.finds its way by means of GPS and cameras
D.sends a message to the customer upon arrival
3.Which of the following is one of the worries about Starship robots?
A.Safety of the robot delivery.
B.Accuracy of the robot delivery
C.Peoples indifference to the robots.
D.People’s concern about public traffic.
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A.Great Improvement of Just Eat
B.Global Trend of Food Companies
C.New Robots to Move on the road
D.Delivery Robots to Replace Takeaway Drivers
Lawrence Ferlinghetti, the poet, publisher, painter, social activist and bookstore owner, has been San Francisco’s honored poet. He turns 100 this month, and the city is making preparations to celebrate him in style. Readings and performances and an open house will take place at City Lights, the sacred bookstore he co-founded in 1953.
On March 24, 1919, Lawrence Ferlinghetti was born in Yonkers, New York. After spending his early childhood in France, he received his BA from the University of North Carolina, an MA from Columbia University, and a PhD from the Sorbonne.
He is the author of more than thirty books of poetry, including Poetry as Insurgent Art; A Coney Island of the Mind. He has translated the works of a number of poets, including Nicanor Parra, Jacques Prevert, and Pier Paolo Pasolini. In addition to poetry, he is also the author of more than eight plays and three novels, including Little Boy: A Novel, Love in the Days of Rage and Her.
In 1953, Ferlinghetti and Peter Martin opened the City Lights bookstore in San Francisco, California. It became a nerve center for the Beats and other writers. Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and other writers from that era were Easterners who dropped into San Francisco for a spell. In 2001 it was made an official historic landmark. Now City Lights is almost certainly the best bookstore in the United States. It’s filled with serious world literature of all kinds.
If City Lights is a San Francisco institution, Ferlinghetti himself is as much of one. He has loomed over the city’s literary life. As a poet, he’s never been a critical favorite. But his flexible and plain-spoken and often powerful work — he has published more than 50 volumes — has found a wide audience. His collection “A Coney Island of the Mind” has sold more than 1 million copies, making it one of the best-selling American poetry books ever published.
1.What can we learn about Ferlinghetti from Paragraph 2?
A.He had a happy childhood.
B.He received normal education.
C.He had a gift for writing novels.
D.He had written lots of poetry.
2.Which of the following best describes Ferlinghetti according to Paragraph 3?
A.Flexible. B.Optimistic. C.Outspoken. D.Productive.
3.Why is City Lights famous?
A.Because it is a nerve center for the youth.
B.Because its collections have a long history.
C.Because it is an official historic landmark.
D.Because it has many modern world literature.
4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A.To speak highly of a great poet.
B.To introduce some English poetry.
C.To promote values of City Lights.
D.To celebrate the birthday of Ferlinghetti.
Broken Wings
1-4 Aug: Musical adaptation of the poet Kahil Gibran's 1912 masterpiece. Set in New York in 1923, it transports you to turn-of-the-century Beirut.
7:30pm (& 2. 30pm 4 Aug). Tickets:￡l0-￡96. so. www. trh. co. uk. Theatre Royal Haymarket, Haymarket, SWIY 4HT. T: 020-7930 8800. E7. Station: Piccadilly Circus.
Chicago the Musical
Martin Kemp stars as Billy in this jazz musical based on real murder cases which shocked Chicago in the 1920s.
Mon-Sat 7:30pm; Wed & Sat 2:30pm Tickets: ￡25-￡150. www. phoenixtheatrelondon co. uk
Phoenix Theatre, 110 Charing Cross Rd, WC2HOJP. T: 0843-316 1082. E7. Station: Tottenham Court Road
Dreamgirls
Musical about a female singing group from Chicago. Classic songs include I Am Telling You I'm Not Going, I Am Changing , and Listen and One Night Only. Join these friends as they go on a musical rollercoaster ride through a world of fame, fortune and the ruthless realities of show business, testing their friendships to the very limit.
Mon-Sat 7: 30pm; Wed & Sat 2:30pm Tickets: ￡15-￡75. www. savoytheatre org. savoy.
Strand WC2R OET. T: 0844-871 7687. E8. Station: Covent Garden.
Everybody ' s Talking about Jamie
This feel-good musical is set on a council estate in Sheffield, northern England, and tells the story of 16-year-old Jamie and how he overcomes bullies and prejudice. This is inspired by a true bully story.
Mon-Sat 7: 30pm; Wed & &t 2 30pm Tickets: ￡20-￡85. www. everybodystalkingaboutjarmie.co. uk
Apollo Theatre, 31 Shaftesbury Ava WID 7ES T: 0330-333 4809. E7. Station: Piccaddly Circus
1.Which number can one call to get more information on the musical about a murder story?
A.020-7930 8800. B.0843-316 1082.
C.0844-871 7687. D.0330-333 4809.
2.Which one of the musicals isn’t set in the U. S. ?
A.Dreamgirls. B.Chicago the Musical.
C.Broken Wings. D.Everybody's Talking about Jamie.
3.If one wants to enjoy classic songs, which website should he visit to book tickets?
A.www. trh. co.uk. B.www. phoenixtheatrelondon. co. uk.
C.www. savoytheatre. org. savoy. D.www. everybodystalkingaboutjamie.co. uk
手机给我们带来了很多便利的同时也带来了“低头族（phubber)”现象。请你表述低头族现象并发表看法。
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。
I read a story about a girl last week. The girl carried a pot of milk in her head to the market. Walked along the street, she began calculating what she would buy before she sold the milk. She said to her, "I'll buy a new dress, and when I go to the ball, all the young man will dance with me." When she spoke, she shakes her head happily. The pot immediately fell onto the ground, and milk was spilled(洒出) The girl went to back without anything. She felt very sadly. Her mother comforted her and said, “My child, don't count your chickens before they are hatching.”
