Much of the work in today’s world is accomplished(完成) in teams. Most people believe the best way to build a great team is to gather a group of the most talented individuals. 1.Companies spend millions hiring top business people. Is their money well spent?
2.They focused on football, basketball and baseball. The results are mixed. For football and basketball, adding talented players to a team proves a good method, but only up to the point where 70% of the players are top talent; above that level, the team’s performance begins to decline. Interestingly, this trend isn’t evident in baseball, where additional individual talent keeps improving the team’s performance.
To explain this phenomenon, the researchers explored the degree to which a good performance by a team requires its members to coordinate(协调) their actions. 3.In baseball, the performance of individual players is less dependent on teammates. They conclude that when task interdependence is high, team performance will suffer when there is too much talent, while individual talent will have positive effects on team performance when task interdependence is lower. If a basketball star is, for example, trying to gain a high personal point total, he may take a shot himself when it would be better to pass the ball to a teammate, affecting the team’s performance. Young children learning to play team sports are often told, “There is no I in TEAM.” 4.
Another possibility is that when there is a lot of talent on a team, some players may make less effort. Just as in a game of tug-of-war(拔河比赛), whenever a person is added, everyone else pulls the rope with less force.
5. An A-team may require a balance--not just A players, but a few generous B players as well.
A.It’s not a simple matter to determine the nature of talent.
B.Sports team owners spend millions of dollars attracting top talent.
C.The group interaction and its effect drew the researchers’ attention.
D.Stars apparently do not follow this basic principle of sportsmanship.
E.Several recent studies examined the role of talent in the sports world.
F.Building up a dream team is more complex than simply hiring the best talent.
G.This task interdependence distinguishes baseball from football and basketball.
Young children often “read” picture books. They’re attracted by the colorful scenery and the realistic characters that contribute to fascinating plots.
Unfortunately, some children can’t use these resources, even if they do know how to read. Take three-year old Elodie Bateson, for example. Elodie was born with under-developed eyes and has retinal detachments（视网膜脱落），making her visually impaired.
It is because of people like Elodie that Tom Yeh, head of the Tactile Picture Books Project, has started printing 3D books, so they can feel the illustrations in picture books.
The first book Tom Yeh printed was Goodnight Moon, a popular children’s book about a rabbit going to sleep and wishing good night to his surroundings. In the 3D version of this book， children can feel each thing that the rabbit says good night to, whether it is a cow jumping over the moon, a balloon, or a dollhouse.
Generally, when children grow older, they read by using Braille, a language that was invented by Louis Braille in 1824. It uses different patterns of raised dots representing different letters. Readers can then feel the dots and mentally translate the patterns they feel into words. The only problem is that many blind children do not start learning Braille until they are about six years old.
Another reason why 3D printed books are such a valuable resource is that children don’t have to know how to read to understand them. However, without these, visually impaired kids are losing six developmental years vital to their growth since they can ’t take advantage of picture books.
When 3D picture books are printed, plastic is layered（分层放置）repeatedly over a single shape: the shape of the illustration. These raised pictures created through layered plastic serve as substitutes for the Braille letters that little children have no knowledge of.
1.What does the underlined word “impaired” in paragraph 2 mean？
A.Unmatched. B.Disappeared.
C.Defeated. D.Damaged.
2.What can we know about Braille from Paragraph 5？
A.The blind at any age can read by using Braille.
B.Most people can translate Braille into words.
C.Blind kids begin learning Braille at about six years old.
D.Braille uses similar patterns of raised dots to stand for different letters.
3.We can know that the illustrations in 3D books are raised ______ .
A.dots B.pictures
C.letters D.plastic
4.What is the aim of the Tactile Picture Books Project？
A.To teach the blind children Braille.
B.To encourage kids to read books.
C.To cure visually impaired children.
D.To help the blind children read picture books.
Languages have been coming and going for thousands of years, but in recent times there has been less coming and a lot more going. When the world was still populated by hunter-gatherers, small, tightly knit(联系) groups developed their own patterns of speech independent of each other. Some language experts believe that 10,000 years ago, when the world had just five to ten million people, they spoke perhaps 12,000 languages between them.
Soon afterwards, many of those people started settling down to become farmers, and their languages too became more settled and fewer in number. In recent centuries, trade, industrialization, the development of the nation-state and the spread of universal compulsory education, especially globalisation and better communications in the past few decades, all have caused many languages to disappear, and dominant languages such as English, Spanish and Chinese are increasingly taking over.
At present, the world has about 6,800 languages. The distribution of these languages is hugely uneven. The general rule is that mild zones have relatively few languages. Often spoken by many people while hot, wet zones have lots, often spoken by small numbers. Europe has only around 200 Languages: the Americas about 1,000, Africa 2,400; and Asia and the Pacific perhaps 3,200, of which Papua New Guinea alone accounts for well over 800. The median number(中位数) of speakers is a mere 6.000, which means that half the worlds languages are spoken by fewer people than that.
Already well over 400 of the total of 6,800 languages are close to extinction(消亡), with only a few elderly speakers left. Pick, at random, Busuu in Cameroon (eight remaining speakers), Chiapaneco in Mexico(150). Lipan Apache in the United States(two or three) or Wadjigu in Australia (one, with a question-mark): none of these seems to have much chance of survival.
1.What can we infer about languages in hunter-gatherer times?
A.They developed very fast. B.They were large in number.
C.They had similar patters. D.They were closely connected
2.Which of the following best explains "dominant" underlined in paragraph 2？
A.Complex. B.Advanced.
C.Powerful. D.Modern.
3.How many languages are spoken by less than 6, 000 people at present?
A.About 6,800 . B.About 3,400
C.About 2,400 D.About 1,200.
4.What is the main idea of the text?
A.New languages will be created.
B.Peoples lifestyles are reflected in languages.
C.Human development results in fewer languages.
D.Geography determines language evolution.
Alice Moore is a teenager entrepreneur(创业者), who in May 2015 set up her business AilieCandy. By the time she was 13, her company was worth millions of dollars with the invention of a super-sweet treat that could save kids’ teeth, instead of destroying them.
It all began when Moore visited a bank with her dad. On the outing, she was offered a candy bar. However, her dad reminded her that sugary treats were bad for her teeth. But Moore was sick of missing out on candies. So she desired to get round the warning, “Why can’t I make a healthy candy that’s good for my teeth so that my parents can’t say no to it?” With that in mind, Moore asked her dad if she could start her own candy company. He recommended that she do some research and talk to dentists about what a healthier candy would contain.
With her dad’s permission, she spent the next two years researching online and conducting trials to get a recipe that was both tasty and tooth-friendly. She also approached dentists to learn more about teeth cleaning. Consequently, she succeeded in making a kind of candy only using natural sweeteners, which can reduce oral bacteria.
Moore then used her savings to get her business off the ground. Afterwards, she and her father secured their first business meeting with a supermarket owner, who finally agreed to sell Moore’s product—CanCandy.
As CanCandy’s success grows, so does Moore’s credibility as a young entrepreneur. Moore is enthusiastic about the candy she created, and she’s also positive about what the future might bring. She hopes that every kid can have a clean mouth and a broad smile.
Meanwhile, with her parents’ help, Moore is generally able to live a normal teenage life. Although she founded her company early on in life, she wasn’t driven primarily by profit. Moore wants to use her unique talent to help others find their smiles. She donates 10% of AilicCandy’s profits to Big Smiles. With her talent and determination, it appears that the sky could be the limit for Alice Moore.
1.How did Moore react to her dad’s warning?
A.She argued with him. B.She tried to find a way out.
C.She paid no attention. D.She chose to consult dentists.
2.What is special about CanCandy?
A.It is beneficial to dental health. B.It is free of sweeteners.
C.It is sweeter than other candies. D.It is produced to a dentists’ recipe.
3.What does Moore expect from her business?
A.To earn more money. B.To help others find smiles.
C.To make herself stand out. D.To beat other candy companies.
4.What can we learn from Alice Moore’s story?
A.Fame is a great thirst of the young.
B.A youth is to be regarded with respect.
C.Positive thinking and action result in success.
D.Success means getting personal desires satisfied
Pacific Science Center Guide
◆Visit Pacific Science Center’s Store
Don’t forget to stop by Pacific Science Center’s Store while you are here to pick up a wonderful science activity or souvenir to remember your visit. The store is located(位于) upstairs in Building 3 right next to the Laser Dome.
◆Hungry
Our exhibits will feed your mind, but what about your body? Our café offers a complete menu of lunch and snack options, in addition to seasonal specials. The café is located upstairs in Building 1 and is open daily until one hour before Pacific Science Center closes.
◆Rental Information
Lockers are available to store any belongings during your visit. The lockers are located in Building 1 near the Information Desk and in Building 3. Pushchairs and wheelchairs are available to rent at the Information Desk and Denny Way entrance. ID required.
◆Support Pacific Science Center
Since 1962, Pacific Science Center has been inspiring a passion(热情) for discovery and lifelong learning in science, math and technology. Today, Pacific Science Center serves more than 1.3 million people a year and brings inquiry-based science education to classrooms and community events all over Washington State. It’s an amazing accomplishment and one we cannot achieve without generous support from individuals, corporations, and other social organizations. Visit pacificsciencecenter.org to find various ways you can support Pacific Science Center.
1.Where can you buy a souvenir at Pacific Science Center?
A.In Building 1.
B.In Building 3.
C.At the the Laser Dome.
D.At the Denny Way entrance.
2.What does Pacific Science Center do for schools?
A.Train Science teachers.
B.Distribute science books.
C.Inspire scientific research.
D.Take science to the classroom.
3.What is the purpose of the last part of the text?
A.To encourage donations.
B.To advertise coming events.
C.To introduce special exhibits.
D.To tell about the Center’s history.
阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。
Plant-Based Diet
What is a plant-based diet? Is it just a fashionable new term for a “vegan(严格素食主义者)”? While there is no set definition, a plant-based way of eating focuses on consuming plant-sourced wholefoods (全天然食物) that are least processed in their original form, for example whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. These are full of vitamins, minerals, and provide an abundance of nutrients for your body. Following a plant-based lifestyle doesn’t necessarily mean fully avoiding animal products like a vegan. For plant-based eaters, animal proteins can happily fit in with the lifestyle, yet they play more of a supporting role. Overall, “plant-based” is more of a broad and flexible way of thinking about nutrition rather than a rigid diet. With a plant-based diet, the focus is on simple, nutritious wholefoods.
Why people start following a plant-based diet? One of the main reasons is the health benefits. Now, more so than ever, research is showing how eating more plants and less meat can positively affect health. Particularly, a plant-based lifestyle has been linked to heart health. In a study of more than 10, 000 adults published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, it was shown that those who followed a more plant-based diet had a 16 percent lower risk of having cardiovascular (心血管的) disease and a 32 percent lower risk of dying of cardiovascular disease.
A plant-based lifestyle can also help to promote weight loss and help to maintain your goal weight. Weight loss commonly occurs because the diet consists of foods that are full of fiber and have a high-water content, which easily make you feel full up.
Another major reason to jump at the plant-based eating train is the external (外界的，外部的)benefits. Plant-based foods are loaded with vitamins, which help brighten your skin. One of the plant-based all-star vitamins is vitamin C, which is a powerful antioxidant. A large number of fruits and vegetables contain vitamin C. They assist in smoothing lines, and reducing wrinkles.
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