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It was a hot July day. The five boys and I wanted to find some new tricks to play. “Hey!” Ned said, “We haven’t climbed the cliff for a long while.” “Let’s go!” said someone else. And off they went. I hesitated. I longed to be brave and active, like them, but I’d been a sickly child most of my eight years and my mother often told me not to adventure.

“Come on!” called Jerry, my best friend. “Just because you’ve been sick is no reason to be timid.” “I’m coming!” I yelled, and ran along after them.

Through the park and into the woods, we finally approached the cliff, which was only about 60 feet high, but to me it just seemed impossible because it was almost vertical (垂直的).

One by one, the other boys began to climb upward. Then trembling and sweating, I began to climb, my heart beating widely in my skinny chest. At some point, I looked back and was horrified. The ground at the base of the cliff seemed very far below; one slip and I would fall. Soon, the boys were u to the top. Then they left, leaving me clinging (紧握) to the rock alone.

I looked down and was overcome by dizziness: I could never climb back down. It was much too far to go and I would fall and die. But the way up to the top was even worse — higher, steeper and more dangerous; I would never make it.

Time passed and it was getting dark. I began to sob.

After what seemed one hundred years, I heard my father’s comforting voice: “Come on down, boy.”

“No, I can’t,” I howl. “It’s too far, it is too hard, I can’t do it.”

“Listen to me,” my father said. “Don’t think about how far it is and all you have to think about is taking one little step.” I inched backward. Eventually I took the last step down onto rocks at the bottom.

Now whenever I’m faced with a frightening situation, I’ll remind myself not to look at the rocks far below, but at the first small and relatively easy step, feeling a sense of accomplishment with each move, until I have done what I wanted to do.

1.Why did the writer hesitate to climb the cliff at first?(no more than 10 words)

2.What does the underlined word in Paragraph 2 probably mean? (no more than 2 words)

3.How does the writer like the cliff?(no more than 10 words)

4.What is the embarrassing situation the writer have to face in Paragraph 5? (no more than 15 words)

5.What’s your attitude towards “fear” in life? Please explain.(no more than 20 words)

    If you’ve ever found yourself scratching your head over a decision when the answer is obvious, now there’s a scientific reason behind it. “The problem is ‘decision fatigue’ — a psychological phenomenon that influences the quality of your choices after a long day of decision making, causing indecision or poor choices.” says Evan Polman, a leading psychologist.

Physicians who have been on the job for several hours, for example, are more likely to prescribe antibiotics (开抗生素) to patients when it's unwise to do so. “Probably it’s because it’s simple and easy to write a prescription and consider a patient case closed rather than investigate further,” Polman says.

But interestingly, decision fatigue goes away when you are making the decision for someone else. When people imagine themselves as advisers and imagine their own choices as belonging to someone else, they feel less tired and rely less on decision shortcuts to make those choices. “By taking upon the role of adviser rather than decision maker, one does not suffer the consequences of decision fatigue,” he says. “It’s as if there’s something fun and relieving about making someone else’s choice.”

“Getting input from others not only offers a fresh idea and thought process; it often also includes riskier choices. While this sounds undesirable, it can be quite good,” says Polman. “When people experience decision fatigue, they have a tendency to choose to go with the status quo (现状),” he says. “But the status quo can be problematic, since a change in the course of action can sometimes be important and lead to a positive outcome.” In order to achieve a successful outcome or reward, some level of risk is almost always essential. “People with decision fatigue will likely choose to do nothing over something,” he says, “That’s not to say that risk is always good, but it is related to taking action whereas decision fatigue certainly leads to inaction.”

“Just because you can make good choices for others doesn’t mean you’ll do the same for yourself,” Polman cautions. “Research has found that women negotiate higher salaries for others than they do for themselves,” he says, adding that people slip in and out of decision roles.

1.Decision fatigue may cause people to make decisions that are_______________.

A.reasonable B.objective

C.unwise D.smart

2.Which of the following may be made by a person with decision fatigue?

A.A consumer buys a lot of food to prepare for a dinner.

B.A judge makes a less convincing judgment late in the day.

C.A student plans to finish his math homework in the morning.

D.A physician advises the patient to drink more water after examination.

3.When do people feel less decision fatigue?

A.When they take decision shortcuts.

B.When they have advisers to turn to.

C.When they have major decisions to make.

D.When they help others to make decisions.

4.What are people likely to do when decision fatigue sets in?

A.They stop trying anything new.

B.They adopt a totally new idea.

C.They tend to make risky decisions.

D.They turn to physicians for advice.

5.What does Polman say about taking some risks in decision making?

A.It will often end in regret.

B.It is likely to cause serious consequences.

C.It will enable people to be more creative.

D.It is necessary to achieve successful outcome.

    Though not as mainstream as devices like smartphones and fitness trackers, more companies are now experimenting with the concept of connected garments. Among the pioneers is London-based CuteCircuit, which has been creating fashionable smart clothing since 2004. The company’s latest creation is the “Sound Shirt,” which allows deaf people to “feel” live music by transforming the tunes into touch sensations in real time.

The fashionable jacket achieves the incredible function using software that changes the music into data and wirelessly sends it to the 16-micro motors fitted inside the clothing’s fabric. The devices shake in sync (同步) to the intensity (强度) of the music being played, allowing the wearer to feel each instrument individually. The series of touch-like sensations across the wearer’s body enables them to feel the entire works, resulting in a fully amazing musical experience.

To ensure the shirt is comfortable, the designers chose to leave out wires and instead wove conductive textiles (纺织品) into the garment’s fabric. Francesca Rosella, co-founder and chief creative officer of CuteCircuit, explains, “There are no wires inside, so we’re only using smart fabrics — we have a combination of microelectronics and very thin, flexible and conductive fabrics. All these little electronic motors are connected with these conductive fabrics so that the garment is soft and stretchable.”

CuteCircuit, which has been testing the Sound Shirt for three years, expects to make it available to the general public shortly. Priced at $3,673 (3,000 pounds), the smart jacket will not be cheap. However, twin sisters Hermon and Heroda Berhane, who lost their hearing at a young age, believe the hi-tech garment is a worthwhile investment, especially for deaf people with a passion for dancing. “It’s almost like feeling the depth of the music,” says Hermon. “It just feels as though we can move along with it.” Heroda agrees, adding, “I think it could definitely change our lives.”

This is not CuteCircuit’s first groundbreaking smart garment. Over the years, the company has produced hundreds of shocking connected outfits. Among them is an interactive concert dress for American musical artist Nicole Scherzinger that displayed tweets from her fans. Also fun is the HugShirt which enables people to send hugs to loved ones who are not physically in the same area.

1.What is “sound shirt” meant for?

A.Children. B.Students.

C.Deaf people. D.Travelers.

2.Paragraph 2 mainly talks about the sound shirt’s_____________.

A.working principle B.powerful function

C.special materials D.fashionable design

3.How did the designers keep the shirt comfortable?

A.By using wires.

B.By using smart fabrics.

C.By using electronic motors.

D.By making it very thin.

4.Why did the writer mention twin sisters Hermon and Heroda Berhane?

A.To persuade us to learn from them.

B.To get the public to know them better.

C.To state the smart jacket is affordable.

D.To prove the smart jacket enjoys promising future.

5.The function of the last Paragraph is to ______________.

A.add some background information

B.introduce the company’s new products

C.praise the contributions the company has made

D.appeal to the public to buy the company’s products

    When it comes to U.S. middle school science and engineering, girls rule. Girls took the top five prizes at the 2019 Broadcom MASTERS, a competition for middle school students across the country.

The winners were announced last month. The winners were honored for their STEM successes, as well as for showing skills in critical thinking, communication, creativity and team-work. In first place was 14-year-old Alaina Gassler of West Grove, Pennsylvania. She designed a system to make driving safer by reducing blind spots — the areas that drivers cannot see outside their vehicle. Gassler developed the technology while in eighth grade. “She, along with the entire Class of 2019, are already leaders in their fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM),” said Paula Golden, president of the Broadcom Foundation. “These young creators give every one of us hope for the future.”

The Broadcom MASTERS competition is a project of the Society for Science & the Public. It was set up to motivate young people to attend college and pursue careers in STEM fields. It was open to students in grades 6, 7 and 8 across the country.

The top prize winner, Alaina Gassler, says she got the idea for her project after seeing her mother struggle with blind spots in her family’s car. Blind spots lead to many accidents — about 840,000 accidents a year nationwide.

Gassler’s system helps drivers see “through” the A-frame pillar (A柱) — the part of the vehicle, in the front, that joins the top and front window. The A-frame pillar is important for safety, and cannot be removed. Gassler used a camera to help drivers look “through” the structure to see what is blocked. The camera sends video to a device that shows images on the other side of the pillar. The driver then can “see” what’s in the blind spot.

The young inventor won a $25,000 prize for her invention. She told Popular Mechanics she can make improvements on her device with that money. Gassler said she wants to improve the picture — making it easy to see in any weather, or any time of the day. She also told the magazine she hopes to sell her idea.

1.What does the writer try to convey by saying “girls rule” in Paragraph1?

A.Girls tend to break rules.

B.Girls prefer to control others.

C.Girls perform better in the competition.

D.Girls are superior to boys in all aspects.

2.Which best describes Paula Golden’s attitude toward these young creators?

A.Proud. B.Indifferent.

C.Critical. D.Cautious.

3.The purpose of the Broadcom MASTERS competition is to_____________.

A.offer students hands-on training

B.collect money for scientific research

C.arouse students’ interest in STEM fields

D.persuade students not to drop out of school

4.What drives Alaina Gassler to invent the system?

A.Her strong curiosity.

B.Her school’s task.

C.The breakdown of her family car.

D.Her mother’s experience.

5.What can we infer about Gassler’s system?

A.It gets rid of blind spots.

B.It is still far from perfect.

C.It has been put into market.

D.It can avoid accidents automatically.

    Does your ideal vacation include going skiing across frozen ice, spying the northern lights, and playing in the snow? Then you’ll want to skate straight to these winter spots.

Fairbanks, Alaska

Alaska is a good choice for a great winter getaway. For winter fun, head to Fairbanks, where you can stay at a new cottage with glass-ceiling domes for aurora (极光) viewing in comfort and then head out ice fishing and snowmobiling. Want even more adventure? Consider a guided adventure that combines northern lights, cross-country skiing, and dog mushing.

Kirkenes, Norway

The Kirkenes Snow hotel here welcomes visitors to its ice-sculpted rooms. Besides, you can jump on a sled (雪橇) pulled by dogs or bring your appetite for a King Crab Safari. First, you’ll be on a sled pulled by a snowmobile across the icy sea. Then crab fishermen drill into the ice to create a hole to pull up the large crabs. Another quick sled trip and you’ve reached a cozy cottage where crab claws as long as your forearm are served up minutes after being pulled from the cold waters, tasting of salt water. A rich reward for braving the cold.

St. Moritz, Switzerland

Skiing down the Alps is obviously a highlight here, but did you know that night skiing in this Swiss town is some of the best in the world? Picture it: Clear sky, full moon, inky quiet, and a sky full of stars. If you need energy for skiing, you can always refuel with pizza from the wood-fired oven at Murtèl middle station. You can keep skiing until the last cable car at 1:40 a. m. Then, check into your room at the Carlton Hotel, where there are a series of daylight activities.

Quebec City, Canada

In the summer months, Quebec City is an excellent destination thanks to its French features and historic old port. But in the winter, don’t miss the Winter Carnival, the Carnaval de Quebec, the largest winter carnival in the world. During 17 days the Carnival offers more than 200 activities and welcomes nearly 500,000 people (upcoming dates are January 26 to February 11, 2018, and February 1 to 17, 2019).

1.What is considered to be the most adventurous activity in Fairbanks, Alaska?

A.Going snowmobiling.

B.Going ice fishing.

C.Appreciating aurora viewing.

D.Conducting a guided adventure.

2.What does the underlined part “a rich reward” refer to?

A.Living in ice-sculpted rooms.

B.Having a sled trip.

C.Tasting the freshly-cooked crabs.

D.Having a taste of salt water.

3.What is the special attraction of St. Moritz, Switzerland?

A.Skiing down the Alps. B.Night skiing.

C.Watching stars. D.Tasting pizza.

4.What can we learn about the Carnaval de Québec?

A.It’s second to none in the world.

B.It lasts throughout the winter.

C.Few people show interest in it.

D.It is famous for its French features.

5.Where is the text most likely from?

A.A diary. B.A novel.

C.A tour brochure. D.A textbook.