Translation 1.近年来，旅游业对环境的影响引起了人们的关注。 (ef...

    Obesity is a problem often associated with North America. However, China is providing that East Asians are having issues battling the problem as well. In fact, it is estimated that there are over 40 million obese people in China. To address weight problems of its students, Nanjing Agricultural University is offering weight reduction classes in which the students who loses the most weight gets the highest mark. 1.

Given the many complications that come with it, it’s not hard to realize that obesity is a problem that needs to be acted upon. It was not long age that a plus size student in Nanjing University fainted during a 1,000-meter race and died tragically. He was 168 centimeters and 92 kilograms, which was not exactly an ideal shape for competitive racing. 2. In fact, depression and social anxiety often go hand in hand with obesity along with heart and breathing problems.

In terms of motivation, signing up for a course like the one offered in Nanjing Agricultural University is very likely to inspire individuals. It’s like signing a contract for a goal that promises rewards and recognition. 3. Meanwhile, students get college credits for completing course by submitting a paper related to weight loss at the end of the semester.

However, there’s also a dark side to offering a course that resembles the plot of a reality television show. While entertaining and possibly inspiring for students, this course could lead to an extreme lifestyle change. As a result, there is no guarantee that students will still keep their newfound good habits with respect to eating and exercising after the course is completed.

4. The goal should be to find out the reason why people become overweight and change people’s habits in general instead of focusing on the effects.

A.Apart from influencing athletic ability, being overweight affects young people’s mental health.

B.There are currently a few initiatives in place that could help combat this problem.

C.While it sounds like a good idea, the course should only be a part of a larger movement to maintain a healthy body through changes in diet and lifestyle.

D.Aside from that, working out with like-minded people can provide moral support.

E.With this in mind, we can see that such classes should only be the first step of many when it comes to solving the obesity problem in China.

F.Due to the current cultural views on obesity there is a significant need for anti-obesity education.

    The number of devices you can talk to is multiplying-first it was your phone, then your car, and now you can boss around your appliances. Children are likely to grow up thinking everything is sentient(有感觉能力的，有知觉的), or at least interactive: One app developer told The Washington Post that after interacting with Amazon’s Alexa, his kid started talking to coasters. But even without chatty gadgets, research suggests that under certain circumstances, people anthropomorphize everyday products.

We personify things because we’re lonely. In one experiment, people who reported feeling isolated were more likely than others to give free will and consciousness to various devices. In turn, feeling attached to objects can reduce loneliness. When college students were reminded of a time they’d been excluded socially, they made up by lying abut their number of friend on social networks- unless they were first given tasks that caused them to interact with their phone as if it had human qualities. The phone apparently stood in for real friends.

When we personify products, they become harder to cast off. After being asked to evaluate their car’s personality, people were less likely to say they are intended to replace it soon. And anthropomorphizing objects is associated with a tendency to accumulate.

So how do people assign characteristics to an object? In part, we rely on looks. On humans, wide faces are associated with dominance. Similarly, people rated cars, clocks, and watches with wide faces as more dominant-looking than narrow-faced ones, and preferred them-especially in competitive situations. An analysis of car sales in Germany found that cars with grilles(格栅) that were upturned like smiles and headlights that were slanted(倾斜的) like narrowed eyes sold best. The purchasers saw these features as increasing a car’s friendliness and aggressiveness, respectively. It’s little wonder so many companies use mascots(吉祥物) to bring brands to life. An analysis of 1151 brand characters found symbols that were human or humanlike to be common.

Personifying products and brands can backfire, however. When a coffee maker was anthropomorphized in an ad (“I am Aroma” versus just “Aroma”), consumers felt betrayed by increases in its price. Now that speech-enabled coffee makers are on the market, maybe the machines can sweet-talk their way back into consumers’ hearts.

1.The word “anthropomorphize” (in paragraph 1) most probably means ________.

A.think highly of something B.find a better way to rate something

C.see something as humans D.use something as often as possible

2.The writer mentions an analysis of car sales in Germany in order to ________.

A.show that friendliness is better received than aggressiveness

B.highlight that a symbol looking like a smile appeals more to people

C.explain why so many companies use mascots to promote their brands

D.illustrate that people will judge something according to its appearance

3.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A.Consumers should know more about a product before it is on the market.

B.Products with a mascot are more likely to win consumers’ hearts.

C.Increases in a product’s price may be accepted with a good advertisement.

D.The personification of a product may not always work.

    According to Nielsen, the average number of mobile phone calls we make is dropping every year, after hitting a peak in 2007. And our calls are getting shorter: In 2005 they averaged three minutes in length;  now they’re almost half that.

We are moving, in other words, toward a fascinating cultural transition: the death of the telephone call. This shift is particularly plain among the young. Some college students I know go days without talking into their smartphones at all.

This generation doesn’t make phone calls, because everyone is in constant, lightweight contact in so many other ways: texting, chatting, and social-network messaging. And we don’t just have more options than we used to. We have better ones: These new forms of communication have exposed the fact that the voice call is badly designed. It deserves to die. Consider: If I suddenly decide I want to dial you up, I have no way of knowing whether you’re busy, and you have no idea why I’m calling.

We have to open Schrodinger’s box every time, having a conversation to figure out whether it’s OK to have a conversation. Plus, voice calls are emotionally high-bandwidth, which is why it’s so weirdly exhausting to be interrupted by one. (We apparently find voicemail even more torturous: Studies show that more than a fifth of all voice messages are never listened to.)

The telephone, in other words, doesn’t provide any information about status, so we are constantly interrupting one another. The other tools at our disposal are more polite. Instant messaging lets us detect whether our friends are busy without our annoying them, and texting lets us ping one another but not at the same time. (Plus, we can spend more time thinking about what we want to say.) Despite the hue and cry about becoming an “always on” society, we’re actually moving away from the demand that everyone should be available immediately.

We’ll still make fewer phone calls, as most of our former phone time will migrate to other media. But the calls we do make will be longer, reserved for the sort of deep discussion that the medium does best.

As video chatting becomes more common, enabled by the new iPhone and other devices, we might see the growth of persistent telepresence, leaving video-chat open all day so we can speak to a spouse or colleague spontaneously. Or, to put it another way, we’ll call less but talk more.

1.The writer of the text thinks that what is happening with mobile phone calls is ________.

A.an unexpected occurrence B.a strange but very predictable fact

C.an interesting social phenomenon D.negative for social interaction

2.In paragraph 3, the writer’s attitude towards phone voice calls is ________.

A.doubtful B.concerned

C.positive D.negative

3.What does the writer think will happen to voice calls in the future?

A.They will only be used in emergencies.

B.They will continue to get more expensive.

C.They will only be used between family members.

D.They will be used mainly for intimate and detailed discussions.

    Some plants get so hungry that they eat flies, spiders, and even small frogs. What’s more amazing is that these plants occur naturally (in special environment) in every state. In fact, they’re found on every continent except Antarctica.

You’ve probably seen a Venus’ flytrap. It’s often sold in museum gift stores, department stores, and even supermarkets. A small plant, it grows 6 to 8 inches tall in a container. At the end of its stalks(茎) are specially modified leaves that act like traps. Inside each trap is a lining of tiny trigger(触发) hairs. When an insect lands on them, the trap suddenly shut. Over the course of a week or so, the plant feeds on its catch.

The Venus’ flytrap is just one of more than 500 species of meat-eating plants, says Barry Meyers-Rice, the editor of the International Carnivorous(食肉的) Plant Society’s Newsletter. Note: Despite any science-fiction stories you might have read, no meat-eating plant does any danger to humans.

Dr. Meyers-Rice says a plant is meat-eating, only if it does all four of the following: “attract, kill, digest, and absorb” some forms of insects, including flies, butterflies, and moths. Meat-eating plants look and act like other green plants ---well, most of the time.

All green plants make sugar through a process called photosynthesis(光合作用). Plants use the sugar to make food. What makes “meat-eating” plants different is their bug-catching leaves. They need insects for one reason: nitrogen(氮). Nitrogen is a nutrient that they can’t obtain any other way. Why almost all green plants on our planet get nitrogen from the soil, “meat-eating” plants can’t. They live in places where nutrients are hard or almost impossible to get from the soil because of its acidity. So they’ve come to rely on getting nitrogen from insects and small animals. In fact, nutrient-rich soil is poisonous to “meat-eating” plants. Never fertilize them! But don’t worry, either, if they never seem to catch any insects. They can survive, but they’ll grow very slowly.

1.According to the passage, carnivorous plants ________.

A.only grow in wild field B.are rare to see

C.are as common as flies D.cannot grow on Antarctica

2.We can conclude from the third paragraph that ________.

A.carnivorous plants are dangerous

B.carnivorous plants are fictional

C.carnivorous plants occasionally eat books

D.carnivorous plants are harmless to humans

3.In the eyes of the author, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A.Carnivorous plants cannot grow in acid soil.

B.Carnivorous plants can grow in nutrient-poor soil.

C.Carnivorous plants will die if they cannot catch any insects.

D.Carnivorous plants can get nitrogen from nutrient-rich soil.

University Shotokan Karate Club

Learn Karate—self-defense and fitness

The university karate club was founded in 1962. All grades from beginners to advanced are welcome. The classes are suitable for both men and women and several women have obtained their black belt.

TUESDAY AND THURSDAY

6.00—8.00 p.m.

WEAVER HOUSE GYM

FIRST LESSON FREE

Hardly any of us have experienced real violence, but, over the last few years, attacks on innocent people have increased. Each of us has some ability to defend ourselves, and by learning a form of self-defence, we are not only increasing that ability, but also doing something to build our own sense of respect. Karate will show you a lot of simple and effective techniques to protect yourself, giving you increase self-confidence.

Far too many people think martial arts (武术) are about violence. Martial arts training is based on a lot of respect, self-discipline, self-control and non-violence. We learn basic etiquette, courtesy and tolerance. Good manners and consideration for others are expected at all times.

Karate is the practice of blocking and striking techniques for the purpose of self-defence, health and self-development. Karate exercises the entire body. Techniques are practised on both sides of the body, therefore muscle imbalances do not occur and the strength, coordination, flexibility and agility of both sides of the body are improved. Regular training in Karate improves the body’s physical endurance and flexibility. It also helps concentration and produces the mental calm and assurance that come from knowing we can defend ourselves.

Karate has many benefits but they do not come easily or overnight. Training requires ongoing commitment and hard work. Some of you will give up, but a few of you will get your black belt.

1.The passage is mainly intended to_________.

A.tell readers the benefits of Karate

B.attract readers to join the club

C.encourage people to get their black belt

D.correct people’s misunderstand of Karate

2.What can be learned about University Shotokan Karate Club?

A.More men than women have been its members.

B.It tests members to see what level they are at.

C.Members don’t need to pay for the lessons.

D.It offers 4 hours of lessons every week.

3.According to the passage, which of the following statements about Karate is true?

A.It cultivates people’s respect for themselves as well as for others.

B.It involves people’s arm muscles more than body muscles

C.It makes people healthy physically instead of mentally.

D.It focuses as much on self-defence as on attack.