I came home one day recently and, for reasons I don’t quite understand, my living room smelled like my grandmother’s house. Suddenly I felt as if I were 12 years old, happy and relaxed, sitting in her kitchen. I can remember what her house looked like, though it was sold 20 years ago – her three-level plant stand, the plates lining the walls, the window over her sink – but these visual memories don’t have the power that smell does. The funny thing is, I can’t even begin to describe the odor(气味) that was so distinctively hers. The best I can do is this: “It smelled like my grandmother’s house.”
It’s a common experience, and a common linguistic( 语言学的) problem. In cultures worldwide, people have powerful olfactory memories. This odor-memory link is also called “the Proust phenomenon,” after Marcel Proust’s famous description of the feelings aroused by a cake dipped in tea in “Remembrance of Things Past.”
Olfactory memories seem to be more closely bound up with emotions than are visual or auditory ones.
Not all these memories are pleasant, of course, and smells can also trigger feelings of pain.
It is surprisingly hard for English-speakers to describe the odors that occasion such strong emotions, however. English possesses almost no abstract smell words that pick out links or themes among unrelated aromas(芳香).
We have plenty of these in the visual field. “Yellow,” for example, identifies a characteristic that bananas, lemons, some cars, some flowers, old book pages, and the sun all share.
But for odors, we don’t have many more than the vague “musty” (smells old and stale) and “musky” (smells perfumey). We usually have no choice but to say that one thing smells like another – like a banana, like garlic, like diesel fuel.
A few languages, though, do have a rich odor vocabulary. Linguist Asifa Majid has found that the Jahai, the Semaq Beri, and the Maniq, hunter-gatherer groups in Malaysia and Thailand, employ a wide range of abstract smell words and can identify aromas as easily as we can colors. The Jahai have a word, for example, that describes “the seemingly dissimilar smell of petrol, smoke, bat poop, root of wild ginger and wood of wild mango.”
Last year my cat got sprayed by a skunk(臭鼬), and the vet told me to wash its face with coffee to cover the bad smell. Until then, I had never realized that coffee, which I find delicious, smells remarkably like skunk spray, which I do not.
Science has identified the chemicals that both share. They are called mercaptans (硫醇). But in oral English, we have no word for the underlying note that connects these two odors. If the Jahai drank coffee and encountered skunks, I bet they would.
1.The opening paragraph is mainly intended to .
A.express the writer’s affection for his grandmother
B.direct the readers’ attention to a linguistic problem
C.tell us the odor of the grandmother’s house stayed the same
D.prove smell has a greater power than visual memories
2.Which of the following is related to olfactory memories?
A.Forming an image in mind after seeing the word “injury”.
B.Feeling sympathetic when seeing a sick cat.
C.Dancing to the music upon hearing it played.
D.Missing fried eggs with garlic cooked by mum.
3.The example of the Jahai suggests that .
A.the Jahai don’t have many words in the visual field
B.English possesses many vague words like “musty” and “musky”
C.the Jahai has more abstract smell words than English
D.skunk and coffee have the same smell, but different functions
4.What can we learn from the passage?
A.The author feels pity about the limitation of his language.
B.English has a wide range of visual and odor vocabulary.
C.Olfactory memories can bring nothing but pleasant feelings.
D.Cultures worldwide always collide with each other.
What would you do if you had invited friends to your house and they asked you for directions? Well, you could draw a map! And, if you did, you most likely would include your street and theirs, as well as the landmarks between the two. Using these places on the map as markers, your friends can then plan the best route to take.
Generally speaking, a map is an illustration of the earth’s surface, and a person who draws maps is called a cartographer. But how are maps made? In prehistoric times, hunters would sometimes draw their hunting territories on cave walls. In the millennia that followed, maps would have been painted by hand on various materials, including clay, ivory, and even the hide of an animal.
Fast forward to modern times. With the invention of such tools as compasses, telescopes, and sextants, cartographers were able to define and show distances much more accurately. Today, aerial photography, satellite images, and computer software such as Geographical Information Systems (GIS) have made mapmaking even more precise. For example, mapmakers are now able to illustrate the physical features of our earth. Using satellite images, they can create three-dimensional maps that exceptionally correct.
Do all maps show the same contents? No! There are many different types of maps. Physical maps give us views of the earth’s continents, mountains, forests, and waterways. Political maps identify countries and their boundaries. Economic maps offer information about the agricultural products or minerals found in a certain region. There are also maps that detail the climate or the population density in a particular location.
Of course, there are maps that offer details other than those connected with land masses. Nautical maps, for instance, are important tools for ship captains. They include information about the depth of the water, land formations along the coastline, navigational dangers, harbors, and bridges. They also provide data on tides and currents, as well as the earth’s magnetic field. Aeronautical maps help airplane pilots to determine position and altitude, and assist ground controllers in airport towers with planning and deciding the best route to a particular destination. In emergency situations, aeronautical maps can help responders locate an alternative landing area.
Today, people who have no special map training can observe the world from above without having to leave their homes. Most likely, you have used software such as Google Earth or Google Maps. Thanks to satellite images, we can now easily spot the smallest details of our house and environment by using the Internet. Not everyone, however, is fond of these tools, because their easy access may lead to violations of privacy. Lawmakers around the world are presently addressing this issue.
1.The author mentions inviting friends to your house at the beginning to indicate that ___ .
A.details in maps matter more than land masses
B.maps have a significant place in our life
C.planning routes is the key to reaching destinations
D.it is necessary to get satellite images accurately
2.Which of the following maps mainly focus on details?
A.Aeronautical maps. B.Political maps.
C.Climatic maps. D.Economic maps.
3.What is the main purpose of the passage?
A.To underline the importance of drawing maps.
B.To compare prehistoric maps and modern maps.
C.To appeal to address the issue of violations of privacy.
D.To introduce the development and functions of maps.
1.The purpose of making an anemometer in this way is to __.
A.measure the unknown speed of winds on a certain day
B.develop the producer’s creative thinking
C.know better about the working principle of an anemometer
D.develop the practical ability to make handcrafts
2.Which of the following is true according to the instruction above?
A.An anemometer made in this way can only measure gentle winds.
B.The wind speed put next to the mark can be obtained from local media.
C.The end of the strip is taped into a loop to add support to the paper strip.
D.The cardboard and paper strip are used for measuring gusts and slow winds separately.
A Colorado pair brings new meaning to the word “determination”. When one couldn’t walk and the other couldn’t see, they___ up to share their love of the great outdoors.
Melanie Knecht has to use a wheelchair to get around due to born spina bifida (脊柱裂). Trevor Hahn only recently became blind after he____ an eye disease five years ago. Both living in Fort Collins, Colorado, the two met at an adaptive boxing class — and they soon_____ each other again at an adaptive rock-climbing class.
They immediately____ over Knecht’s lifelong hobby of camping and Hahn’s passion for outdoor sports. When she told him about her recent trip to Easter Island, where she got the __________ to be carried on another person’s back, an unusual idea___ to her.
______his lost sight, he’d been able to scale a Himalayan peak, using poles and _______ directions from his companions.
They started small, but next month—with her vision and his____—they will trek to the top of a 14,000-foot mountain.
“It just seemed like common sense. He’s the legs, I’m the eyes!____, we’re the dream team.” said Knecht.
At the start of each hike, a friend lifts Knecht ________ a carrier on Hahn’s back. From that point on, she gives him oral directions to___ the way.
Hahn said, “It made me so happy to help someone experience what I’ve been able to experience my whole life. The___ part is being able to make her smile—that gives me_____.”
In addition to this sense of purpose, the two share an understanding of how___ it can be asking able-bodied or sighted people for assistance in everyday life. They get immeasurable______ from being able to do this on their own.
While the two accept that others___ what they’ve been able to do, they’re not looking for___ —they just want others to encourage inclusive and adaptive___ for their friends with disabilities. Don’t___ them because you think they won’t be able to do something.
1.A.rose B.made C.teamed D.ended
2.A.contracted B.cured C.spread D.diagnosed
3.A.learned from B.ran into C.corresponded with D.separated from
4.A.handed B.argued C.got D.bonded
5.A.opportunity B.competence C.permission D.honour
6.A.happened B.stuck C.took D.occurred
7.A.On account of B.In spite of C.On top of D.In view of
8.A.spoken B.opposite C.confusing D.gesturing
9.A.optimism B.strength C.guidance D.wisdom
10.A.Hopefully B.Instead C.Together D.Similarly
11.A.over B.up C.off D.into
12.A.get B.make C.lead D.smooth
13.A.best B.mere C.initial D.last
14.A.relief B.courage C.reward D.purpose
15.A.convenient B.difficult C.ridiculous D.essential
16.A.suffering B.wealth C.satisfaction D.improvement
17.A.appreciate B.oppose C.dismiss D.advocate
18.A.criticism B.attention C.praise D.curiosity
19.A.adventures B.assessments C.behaviors D.solutions
20.A.convince B.exclude C.desert D.approach
—Linda, would you like to come and taste the dishes I have cooked?
—Don’t ______. You even don’t know how to fry an egg.
A.rain cats and dogs B.pull my leg C.be all ears D.be all thumbs
—Your little brother is watering the flowers! Why?
—Well, I’m not feeling very well today—otherwise I ______ it myself.
A.did B.would be doing C.had done D.would have done
