| 1. 难度：中等 | |
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As data and identity theft becomes more and more common, the market is growing for biometric(生物测量) technologies—like fingerprint scans—to keep others out of private e-spaces. At present, these technologies are still expensive, though. Researchers from Georgia Tech say that they have come up with a low-cost device(装置) that gets around this problem: a smart keyboard. This smart keyboard precisely measures the cadence(节奏) with which one types and the pressure fingers apply to each key. The keyboard could offer a strong layer of security by analyzing things like the force of a user’s typing and the time between key presses. These patterns are unique to each person. Thus, the keyboard can determine people’s identities, and by extension, whether they should be given access to the computer it’s connected to—regardless of whether someone gets the password right. It also doesn’t require a new type of technology that people aren’t already familiar with. Everybody uses a keyboard and everybody types differently. In a study describing the technology, the researchers had 100 volunteers type the word “touch” four times using the smart keyboard. Data collected from the device could be used to recognize different participants based on how they typed, with very low error rates. The researchers say that the keyboard should be pretty straightforward to commercialize and is mostly made of inexpensive, plastic-like parts. The team hopes to make it to market in the near future. 1.Why do the researchers develop the smart keyboard? A.To reduce pressure on keys. B.To improve accuracy in typing. C.To replace the password system. D.To cut the cost of e-space protection. 2.What makes the invention of the smart keyboard possible? A.Computers are much easier to operate. B.Fingerprint scanning techniques develop fast. C.Typing patterns vary from person to person. D.Data security measures are guaranteed. 3.What do the researchers expect of the smart keyboard? A.It’ll be environment-friendly. B.It’ll reach consumers soon. C.It’ll be made of plastics. D.It’ll help speed up typing. 4.Where is this text most likely from? A.A diary. B.A guidebook C.A novel. D.A magazine.
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| 2. 难度：中等 | |
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Bacteria are an annoying problem for astronauts. The microorganisms(微生物) from our bodies grow uncontrollably on surfaces of the International Space Station, so astronauts spend hours cleaning them up each week. How is NASA overcoming this very tiny big problem? It’s turning to a bunch of high school kids. But not just any kids. It is depending on NASA HUNCH high school classrooms, like the one science teachers Gene Gordon and Donna Himmelberg lead at Fairport High School in Fairport, New York. HUNCH is designed to connect high school classrooms with NASA engineers. For the past two years, Gordon’s students have been studying ways to kill bacteria in zero gravity, and they think they’re close to a solution(解决方案). “We don’t give the students any breaks. They have to do it just like NASA engineers,” says Florence Gold, a project manager. “There are no tests,” Gordon says. “There is no graded homework. There almost are no grades, other than ‘Are you working towards your goal?’ Basically, it’s ‘I’ve got to produce this product and then, at the end of year, present it to NASA.’ Engineers come and really do an in-person review, and...it’s not a very nice thing at times. It’s a hard business review of your product.” Gordon says the HUNCH program has an impact(影响) on college admissions and practical life skills. “These kids are so absorbed in their studies that I just sit back. I don’t teach.” And that annoying bacteria? Gordon says his students are emailing daily with NASA engineers about the problem, readying a workable solution to test in space. 1.What do we know about the bacteria in the International Space Station? A.They are hard to get rid of. B.They lead to air pollution. C.They appear in different forms. D.They damage the instruments. 2.What is the purpose of the HUNCH program? A.To strengthen teacher-student relationships. B.To sharpen students’ communication skills. C.To allow students to experience zero gravity. D.To link space technology with school education. 3.What do the NASA engineers do for the students in the program? A.Check their product. B.Guide project designs. C.Adjust work schedules. D.Grade their homework. 4.What is the best title for the text? A.NASA: The Home of Astronauts B.Space: The Final Homework Frontier C.Nature: An Outdoor Classroom D.HUNCH: A College Admission Reform
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| 3. 难度：困难 | |
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Monkeys seem to have a way with numbers. A team of researchers trained three Rhesus monkeys to associate 26 clearly different symbols consisting of numbers and selective letters with 0-25 drops of water or juice as a reward. The researchers then tested how the monkeys combined—or added—the symbols to get the reward. Here’s how Harvard Medical School scientist Margaret Livingstone, who led the team, described the experiment: In their cages the monkeys were provided with touch screens. On one part of the screen, a symbol would appear, and on the other side two symbols inside a circle were shown. For example, the number 7 would flash on one side of the screen and the other end would have 9 and 8. If the monkeys touched the left side of the screen they would be rewarded with seven drops of water or juice; if they went for the circle, they would be rewarded with the sum of the numbers—17 in this example. After running hundreds of tests, the researchers noted that the monkeys would go for the higher values more than half the time, indicating that they were performing a calculation, not just memorizing the value of each combination. When the team examined the results of the experiment more closely, they noticed that the monkeys tended to underestimate(低估) a sum compared with a single symbol when the two were close in value—sometimes choosing, for example, a 13 over the sum of 8 and 6. The underestimation was systematic: When adding two numbers, the monkeys always paid attention to the larger of the two, and then added only a fraction(小部分) of the smaller number to it. “This indicates that there is a certain way quantity is represented in their brains, ”Dr. Livingstone says. “But in this experiment what they’re doing is paying more attention to the big number than the little one.” 1.What did the researchers do to the monkeys before testing them? A.They fed them. B.They named them. C.They trained them. D.They measured them. 2.How did the monkeys get their reward in the experiment? A.By drawing a circle. B.By touching a screen. C.By watching videos. D.By mixing two drinks. 3.What did Livingstone’s team find about the monkeys? A.They could perform basic addition. B.They could understand simple words. C.They could memorize numbers easily. D.They could hold their attention for long. 4.In which section of a newspaper may this text appear? A.Entertainment. B.Health. C.Education. D.Science.
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| 4. 难度：中等 | |
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California has lost half its big trees since the 1930s, according to a study to be published Tuesday and climate change seems to be a major factor(因素). The number of trees larger than two feet across has declined by 50 percent on more than 46, 000 square miles of California forests, the new study finds. No area was spared or unaffected, from the foggy northern coast to the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the San Gabriels above Los Angeles. In the Sierra high country, the number of big trees has fallen by more than 55 percent; in parts of southern California the decline was nearly 75 percent. Many factors contributed to the decline, said Patrick McIntyre, an ecologist who was the lead author of the study. Woodcutters targeted big trees. Housing development pushed into the woods. Aggressive wildfire control has left California forests crowded with small trees that compete with big trees for resources(资源). But in comparing a study of California forests done in the 1920s and 1930s with another one between 2001 and 2010, McIntyre and his colleagues documented a widespread death of big trees that was evident even in wildlands protected from woodcutting or development. The loss of big trees was greatest in areas where trees had suffered the greatest water shortage. The researchers figured out water stress with a computer model that calculated how much water trees were getting in comparison with how much they needed, taking into account such things as rainfall, air temperature, dampness of soil, and the timing of snowmelt(融雪). Since the 1930s, McIntyre said, the biggest factors driving up water stress in the state have been rising temperatures, which cause trees to lose more water to the air, and earlier snowmelt, which reduces the water supply available to trees during the dry season. 1.What is the second paragraph mainly about? A.The seriousness of big-tree loss in California. B.The increasing variety of California big trees. C.The distribution of big trees in California forests. D.The influence of farming on big trees in California. 2.Which of the following is well-intentioned but may be bad for big trees? A.Ecological studies of forests. B.Banning woodcutting. C.Limiting housing development. D.Fire control measures. 3.What is a major cause of the water shortage according to McIntyre? A.Inadequate snowmelt. B.A longer dry season. C.A warmer climate. D.Dampness of the air. 4.What can be a suitable title for the text? A.California’s Forests: Where Have All the Big Trees Gone? B.Cutting of Big Trees to Be Prohibited in California Soon C.Why Are the Big Trees Important to California Forests? D.Patrick McIntyre: Grow More Big Trees in California
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| 5. 难度：中等 | |
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By the end of the century，if not sooner，the world’s oceans will be bluer and greener thanks to a warming climate，according to a new study. At the heart of the phenomenon lie tiny marine microorganisms(海洋微生物) called phytoplankton. Because of the way light reflects off the organisms，these phytoplankton create colourful patterns at the ocean surface. Ocean colour varies from green to blue，depending on the type and concentration of phytoplankton. Climate change will fuel the growth of phytoplankton in some areas，while reducing it in other spots，leading to changes in the ocean's appearance. Phytoplankton live at the ocean surface，where they pull carbon dioxide(二氧化碳) into the ocean while giving off oxygen. When these organisms die，they bury carbon in the deep ocean，an important process that helps to regulate the global climate. But phytoplankton are vulnerable to the ocean's warming trend. Warming changes key characteristics of the ocean and can affect phytoplankton growth，since they need not only sunlight and carbon dioxide to grow，but also nutrients. Stephanie Dutkiewicz，a scientist in MIT's Center for Global Change Science，built a climate model that projects changes to the oceans throughout the century. In a world that warms up by 3℃，it found that multiple changes to the colour of the oceans would occur. The model projects that currently blue areas with little phytoplankton could become even bluer. But in some waters，such as those of the Arctic，a warming will make conditions riper for phytoplankton，and these areas will turn greener. “Not only are the quantities of phytoplankton in the ocean changing. ”she said，“but the type of phytoplankton is changing. ” 1.What are the first two paragraphs mainly about? A. The various patterns at the ocean surface. B. The cause of the changes in ocean colour. C. The way light reflects off marine organisms. D. The efforts to fuel the growth of phytoplankton. 2.What does the underlined word “vulnerable” in Paragraph 3 probably mean? A. Sensitive. B. Beneficial C. Significant D. Unnoticeable 3.What can we learn from the passage? A. Phytoplankton play a declining role in the marine ecosystem. B. Dutkiewicz's model aims to project phytoplankton changes C. Phytoplankton have been used to control global climate D. Oceans with more phytoplankton may appear greener. 4.What is the main purpose of the passage？ A. To assess the consequences of ocean colour changes B. To analyse the composition of the ocean food chain C. To explain the effects of climate change on oceans D. To introduce a new method to study phytoplankton
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| 6. 难度：困难 | |
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How does an ecosystem(生态系统) work? What makes the populations of different species the way they are? Why are there so many flies and so few wolves? To find an answer, scientists have built mathematical models of food webs, noting who eats whom and how much each one eats. With such models, scientists have found out some key principles operating in food webs. Most food webs, for instance, consist of many weak links rather than a few strong ones. When a predator(掠食动物) always eats huge numbers of a single prey(猎物), the two species are strongly linked; when a predator lives on various species, they are weakly linked. Food webs may be dominated by many weak links because that arrangement is more stable over the long term. If a predator can eat several species, it can survive the extinction(灭绝) of one of them. And if a predator can move on to another species that is easier to find when a prey species becomes rare, the switch allows the original prey to recover. The weak links may thus keep species from driving one another to extinction. Mathematical models have also revealed that food webs may be unstable, where small changes of top predators can lead to big effects throughout entire ecosystems. In the 1960s, scientists proposed that predators at the top of a food web had a surprising amount of control over the size of populations of other species—including species they did not directly attack. And unplanned human activities have proved the idea of top-down control by top predators to be true. In the ocean, we fished for top predators such as cod on an industrial scale, while on land, we killed off large predators such as wolves. These actions have greatly affected the ecological balance. Scientists have built an early-warning system based on mathematical models. Ideally, the system would tell us when to adapt human activities that are pushing an ecosystem toward a breakdown or would even allow us to pull an ecosystem back from the borderline. Prevention is key, scientists say, because once ecosystems pass their tipping point(临界点), it is remarkably difficult for them to return. 1.What have scientists discovered with the help of mathematical models of food webs? A.The living habits of species in food webs. B.The rules governing food webs of the ecosystems. C.The approaches to studying the species in the ecosystems. D.The differences between weak and strong links in food webs. 2.A strong link is found between two species when a predator ________. A.has a wide food choice B.can easily find new prey C.sticks to one prey species D.can quickly move to another place 3.What will happen if the populations of top predators in a food web greatly decline? A.The prey species they directly attack will die out. B.The species they indirectly attack will turn into top predators. C.The living environment of other species will remain unchanged. D.The populations of other species will experience unexpected changes. 4.What conclusion can be drawn from the examples in Paragraph 4? A.Uncontrolled human activities greatly upset ecosystems. B.Rapid economic development threatens animal habitats. C.Species of commercial value dominate other species. D.Industrial activities help keep food webs stable. 5.How does an early-warning system help us maintain the ecological balance? A.By getting illegal practices under control. B.By stopping us from killing large predators. C.By bringing the broken-down ecosystems back to normal. D.By signaling the urgent need for taking preventive action.
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| 7. 难度：中等 | |
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In the 1960s, while studying the volcanic history of Yellowstone National Park, Bob Christiansen became puzzled about something that, oddly, had not troubled anyone before: he couldn’t find the park’s volcano. It had been known for a long time that Yellowstone was volcanic in nature — that’s what accounted for all its hot springs and other steamy features. But Christiansen couldn’t find the Yellowstone volcano anywhere. Most of us, when we talk about volcanoes, think of the classic cone(圆锥体) shapes of a Fuji or Kilimanjaro, which are created when erupting magma(岩浆) piles up. These can form remarkably quickly. In 1943, a Mexican farmer was surprised to see smoke rising from a small part of his land. In one week he was the confused owner of a cone five hundred feet high. Within two years it had topped out at almost fourteen hundred feet and was more than half a mile across. Altogether there are some ten thousand of these volcanoes on Earth, all but a few hundred of them extinct. There is, however, a second less known type of volcano that doesn’t involve mountain building. These are volcanoes so explosive that they burst open in a single big crack, leaving behind a vast hole, the caldera. Yellowstone obviously was of this second type, but Christiansen couldn’t find the caldera anywhere. Just at this time NASA decided to test some new high-altitude cameras by taking photographs of Yellowstone. A thoughtful official passed on some of the copies to the park authorities on the assumption that they might make a nice blow-up for one of the visitors’ centers. As soon as Christiansen saw the photos, he realized why he had failed to spot the caldera: almost the whole park—2.2 million acres—was caldera. The explosion had left a hole more than forty miles across—much too huge to be seen from anywhere at ground level. At some time in the past Yellowstone must have blown up with a violence far beyond the scale of anything known to humans. 1.What puzzled Christiansen when he was studying Yellowstone? A.Its complicated geographical features. B.Its ever-lasting influence on tourism. C.The mysterious history of the park. D.The exact location of the volcano. 2.What does the second paragraph mainly talk about? A.The shapes of volcanoes. B.The impacts of volcanoes. C.The activities of volcanoes. D.The heights of volcanoes. 3.What does the underlined word “blow-up” in the last paragraph most probably mean? A.Hot-air balloon. B.Digital camera. C.Big photograph. D.Bird’s view.
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| 8. 难度：困难 | |
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We may think we're a culture that gets rid of our worn technology at the first sight of something shiny and new, but a new study shows that we keep using our old devices(装置) well after they go out of style. That’s bad news for the environment — and our wallets — as these outdated devices consume much more energy than the newer ones that do the same things. To figure out how much power these devices are using, Callie Babbitt and her colleagues at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York tracked the environmental costs for each product throughout its life — from when its minerals are mined to when we stop using the device. This method provided a readout for how home energy use has evolved since the early 1990s. Devices were grouped by generation — Desktop computers, basic mobile phones, and box-set TVs defined 1992. Digital cameras arrived on the scene in 1997. And MP3 players, smart phones, and LCD TVs entered homes in 2002, before tablets and e-readers showed up in 2007. As we accumulated more devices, however, we didn't throw out our old ones. "The living-room television is replaced and gets planted in the kids' room, and suddenly one day, you have a TV in every room of the house," said one researcher. The average number of electronic devices rose from four per household in 1992 to 13 in 2007. We're not just keeping these old devices — we continue to use them. According to the analysis of Babbitt's team, old desktop monitors and box TVs with cathode ray tubes are the worst devices with their energy consumption and contribution to greenhouse gas emissions（排放）more than doubling during the 1992 to 2007 window. So what's the solution（解决方案）? The team's data only went up to 2007, but the researchers also explored what would happen if consumers replaced old products with new electronics that serve more than one function, such as a tablet for word processing and TV viewing. They found that more on-demand entertainment viewing on tablets instead of TVs and desktop computers could cut energy consumption by 44%. 1.What does the author think of new devices? A.They are environment-friendly. B.They are no better than the old. C.They cost more to use at home. D.They go out of style quickly. 2.Why did Babbitt's team conduct the research? A.To reduce the cost of minerals. B.To test the life cycle of a product. C.To update consumers on new technology. D.To find out electricity consumption of the devices. 3.Which of the following uses the least energy? A.The box-set TV. B.The tablet. C.The LCD TV. D.The desktop computer. 4.What does the text suggest people do about old electronic devices? A.Stop using them. B.Take them apart. C.Upgrade them. D.Recycle them.
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| 9. 难度：中等 | |
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There’s a new frontier in 3D printing that’s beginning to come into focus: food. Recent development has made possible machines that print, cook, and serve foods on a mass scale. And the industry isn’t stopping there. Food production With a 3D printer, a cook can print complicated chocolate sculptures and beautiful pieces for decoration on a wedding cake. Not everybody can do that — it takes years of experience, but a printer makes it easy. A restaurant in Spain uses a Foodini to “re-create forms and pieces” of food that are “exactly the same,” freeing cooks to complete other tasks. In another restaurant, all of the dishes and desserts it serves are 3D-printed,rather than farm to table. Sustainability(可持续性） The global population is expected to grow to 9.6 billion by 2050, and some analysts estimate that food production will need to be raised by 50 percent to maintain current levels. Sustainability is becoming a necessity. 3D food printing could probably contribute to the solution. Some experts believe printers could use hydrocolloids (水解胶体) from plentiful renewables like algae(藻类) and grass to replace the familiar ingredients(烹饪原料). 3D printing can reduce fuel use and emissions. Grocery stores of the future might stock "food" that lasts years on end, freeing up shelf space and reducing transportation and storage requirements. Nutrition Future 3D food printers could make processed food healthier. Hod Lipson, a professor at Columbia University, said, “Food printing could allow consumers to print food with customized nutritional content, like vitamins. So instead of eating a piece of yesterday’s bread from the supermarket, you’d eat something baked just for you on demand.” Challenges Despite recent advancements in 3D food printing, the industry has many challenges to overcome. Currently, most ingredients must be changed to a paste(糊状物) before a printer can use them, and the printing process is quite time-consuming, because ingredients interact with each other in very complex ways. On top of that, most of the 3D food printers now are restricted to dry ingredients, because meat and milk products may easily go bad. Some experts are skeptical about 3D food printers, believing they are better suited for fast food restaurants than homes and high-end restaurants. 1.What benefit does 3D printing bring to food production? A.It helps cooks to create new dishes. B.It saves time and effort in cooking. C.It improves the cooking conditions. D.It contributes to restaurant decorations. 2.What can we learn about 3D food printing from Paragraphs 3? A.It solves food shortages easily. B.It quickens the transportation of food. C.It needs no space for the storage of food. D.It uses renewable materials as sources of food. 3.According to Paragraph 4, 3D-printed food ________. A.is more available to consumers B.can meet individual nutritional needs C.is more tasty than food in supermarkets D.can keep all the nutrition in raw materials 4.What is the main factor that prevents 3D food printing from spreading widely? A.The printing process is complicated. B.3D food printers are too expensive. C.Food materials have to be dry. D.Some experts doubt 3D food printing. 5.What could be the best title of the passage? A.3D Food Printing: Delicious New Technology B.A New Way to Improve 3D Food Printing C.The Challenges for 3D Food Production D.3D Food Printing: From Farm to Table
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| 10. 难度：困难 | |
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Plastic-Eating Worms
Researchers in Spain and England recently found that the worms of the greater wax moth can break down polyethylene, which accounts for 40% of plastics. The team left 100 wax worms on a commercial polyethylene shopping bag for 12 hours, and the worms consumed and broke down about 92 milligrams, or almost 3% of it. To confirm that the worms’ chewing alone was not responsible for the polyethylene breakdown, the researchers made some worms into paste(糊状物) and applied it to plastic films. 14 hours later the films had lost 13% of their mass — apparently broken down by enzymes (酶) from the worms’ stomachs. Their findings were published in Current Biology in 2017. Federica Bertocchini, co-author of the study, says the worms’ ability to break down their everyday food — beeswax — also allows them to break down plastic. ＂Wax is a complex mixture, but the basic bond in polyethylene, the carbon-carbon bond, is there as well, ＂she explains, ＂The wax worm evolved a method or system to break this bond. ＂ Jennifer DeBruyn, a microbiologist at the University of Tennessee, who was not involved in the study, says it is not surprising that such worms can break down polyethylene. But compared with previous studies, she finds the speed of breaking down in this one exciting. The next step, DeBruyn says, will be to identify the cause of the breakdown. Is it an enzyme produced by the worm itself or by its gut microbes(肠道微生物)? Bertocchini agrees and hopes her team’s findings might one day help employ the enzyme to break down plastics in landfills. But she expects using the chemical in some kind of industrial process — not simply ＂millions of worms thrown on top of the plastic.＂ 1.What can we learn about the worms in the study? A.They take plastics as their everyday food. B.They are newly evolved creatures. C.They can consume plastics. D.They wind up in landfills. 2.According to Jennifer DeBruyn, the next step of the study is to . A.identify other means of the breakdown B.find out the source of the enzyme C.confirm the research findings D.increase the breakdown speed 3.It can be inferred from the last paragraph that the chemical might . A.help to raise worms B.help make plastic bags C.be used to clean the oceans D.be produced in factories in future 4.What is the main purpose of the passage? A.To explain a study method on worms. B.To introduce the diet of a special worm. C.To present a way to break down plastics. D.To propose new means to keep eco-balance.
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| 11. 难度：困难 | |
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Hollywood’s theory that machines with evil(邪恶) minds will drive armies of killer robots is just silly. The real problem relates to the possibility that artificial intelligence(AI) may become extremely good at achieving something other than what we really want. In 1960 a well-known mathematician Norbert Wiener, who founded the field of cybernetics（控制论）, put it this way: “If we use, to achieve our purposes, a mechanical agency with whose operation we cannot effectively interfere(干预), we had better be quite sure that the purpose put into the machine is the purpose which we really desire.” A machine with a specific purpose has another quality, one that we usually associate with living things: a wish to preserve its own existence. For the machine, this quality is not in-born, nor is it something introduced by humans; it is a logical consequence of the simple fact that the machine cannot achieve its original purpose if it is dead. So if we send out a robot with the single instruction of fetching coffee, it will have a strong desire to secure success by disabling its own off switch or even killing anyone who might interfere with its task. If we are not careful, then, we could face a kind of global chess match against very determined, super intelligent machines whose objectives conflict with our own, with the real world as the chessboard. The possibility of entering into and losing such a match should concentrate the minds of computer scientists. Some researchers argue that we can seal the machines inside a kind of firewall, using them to answer difficult questions but never allowing them to affect the real world. Unfortunately, that plan seems unlikely to work: we have yet to invent a firewall that is secure against ordinary humans, let alone super intelligent machines. Solving the safety problem well enough to move forward in AI seems to be possible but not easy. There are probably decades in which to plan for the arrival of super intelligent machines. But the problem should not be dismissed out of hand, as it has been by some AI researchers. Some argue that humans and machines can coexist as long as they work in teams—yet that is not possible unless machines share the goals of humans. Others say we can just “switch them off” as if super intelligent machines are too stupid to think of that possibility. Still others think that super intelligent AI will never happen. On September 11, 1933, famous physicist Ernest Rutherford stated, with confidence, “Anyone who expects a source of power in the transformation of these atoms is talking moonshine.” However, on September 12, 1933, physicist Leo Szilard invented the neutron-induced(中子诱导) nuclear chain reaction. 1.Paragraph 1 mainly tells us that artificial intelligence may . A.run out of human control B.satisfy human’s real desires C.command armies of killer robots D.work faster than a mathematician 2.Machines with specific purposes are associated with living things partly because they might be able to . A.prevent themselves from being destroyed B.achieve their original goals independently C.do anything successfully with given orders D.beat humans in international chess matches 3.According to some researchers, we can use firewalls to . A.help super intelligent machines work better B.be secure against evil human beings C.keep machines from being harmed D.avoid robots’ affecting the world 4.What does the author think of the safety problem of super intelligent machines? A.It will disappear with the development of AI. B.It will get worse with human interference. C.It will be solved but with difficulty. D.It will stay for a decade.
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| 12. 难度：困难 | |
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Before birth, babies can tell the difference between loud sounds and voices. They can even distinguish their mother’s voice from that of a female stranger. But when it comes to embryonic learning (胎教), birds could rule the roost. As recently reported in The Auk: Ornithological Advances, some mother birds may teach their young to sing even before they hatch (孵化). New-born chicks can then imitate their mom’s call within a few days of entering the world. This educational method was first observed in 2012 by Sonia Kleindorfer, a biologist at Flinders University in South Australia, and her colleagues. Female Australian superb fairy wrens were found to repeat one sound over and over again while hatching their eggs. When the eggs were hatched, the baby birds made the similar chirp to their mothers—a sound that served as their regular ＂feed me!＂ call. To find out if the special quality was more widespread in birds, the researchers sought the red-backed fairy wren, another species of Australian songbird. First they collected sound data from 67 nests in four sites in Queensland before and after hatching. Then they identified begging calls by analyzing the order and number of notes. A computer analysis blindly compared calls produced by mothers and chicks, ranking them by similarity. It turns out that baby red-backed fairy wrens also emerge chirping like their moms. And the more frequently mothers had called to their eggs, the more similar were the babies’ begging calls. In addition, the team set up a separate experiment that suggested that the baby birds that most closely imitated their mom’s voice were rewarded with the most food. This observation hints that effective embryonic learning could signal neurological (神经系统的) strengths of children to parents. An evolutionary inference can then be drawn. ＂As a parent, do you invest in quality children, or do you invest in children that are in need?＂ Kleindorfer asks. ＂Our results suggest that they might be going for quality.＂ 1.The underlined phrase in Paragraph 1 means＂____________＂. A.be the worst B.be the best C.be the as bad D.be just as good 2.What are Kleindorfer’s findings based on? A.Similarities between the calls of moms and chicks. B.The observation of fairy wrens across Australia. C.The data collected from Queensland’s locals. D.Controlled experiments on wrens and other birds. 3.Embryonic learning helps mother birds to identify the baby birds which ____________. A.can receive quality signals B.are in need of training C.fit the environment better D.make the loudest call
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| 13. 难度：困难 | |
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Old problem，new approaches While clean energy is increasingly used in our daily life，global warming will continue for some decades after CO2 emissions (排放) peak. So even if emissions were to begin to decrease today，we would still face the challenge of adapting to climate change. Here I will stress some smarter and more creative examples of climate adaptation. When it comes to adaptation，it is important to understand that climate change is a process. We are therefore not talking about adapting to a new standard，but to a constantly shifting set of conditions. This is why, in part at least，the US National Climate Assessment says that：“There is no ‘onesize fits all’ adaptation.” Nevertheless，there are some actions that offer much and carry little risk or cost. Around the world, people are adapting in surprising ways，especially in some poor countries. Floods have become more damaging in Bangladesh in recent decades. Mohammed Rezwan saw opportunity where others saw only disaster. His notforprofit organization runs 100 river boats that serve as floating libraries，schools，and health clinics，and are equipped with solar panels and other communicating facilities. Rezwan is creating floating connectivity(连接) to replace flooded roads and highways. But he is also working at a far more fundamental level：his staff show people how to make floating gardens and fish ponds to prevent starvation during the wet season. Elsewhere in Asia even more astonishing actions are being taken. Chewang Norphel lives in a mountainous region in India, where he is known as the Ice Man. The loss of glaciers (冰川) there due to global warming represents an enormous threat to agriculture. Without the glaciers, water will arrive in the rivers at times when it can damage crops. Norphel's inspiration came from seeing the waste of water over winter, when it was not needed. He directed the wasted water into shallow basins where it froze, and was stored until the spring. His fields of ice supply perfectly timed irrigation(灌溉) water. Having created nine such ice reserves, Norphel calculates that he has stored about 200，000m3 of water. Climate change is a continuing process, so Norphel's ice reserves will not last forever. Warming will overtake them. But he is providing a few years during which the farmers will, perhaps, be able to find other means of adapting. Increasing Earth's reflectiveness can cool the planet. In southern Spain the sudden increase of greenhouses (which reflect light back to space) has changed the warming trend locally, and actually cooled the region. While Spain as a whole is heating up quickly, temperatures near the greenhouses have decreased. This example should act as an inspiration for all cities. By painting buildings white, cities may slow down the warming process. In Peru, local farmers around a mountain with a glacier that has already fallen victim to climate change have begun painting the entire mountain peak white in the hope that the added reflectiveness will restore the lifegiving ice. The outcome is still far from clear. But the World Bank has included the project on its list of “100 ideas to save the planet”． More ordinary forms of adaptation are happening everywhere. A friend of mine owns an area of land in western Victoria. Over five generations the land has been too wet for cropping. But during the past decade declining rainfall has allowed him to plant highly profitable crops. Farmers in many countries are also adapting like this—either by growing new produce, or by growing the same things differently. This is common sense. But some suggestions for adapting are not. When the polluting industries argue that we've lost the battle to control carbon pollution and have no choice but to adapt, it's a nonsense designed to make the case for business as usual. Human beings will continue to adapt to the changing climate in both ordinary and astonishing ways. But the most sensible form of adaptation is surely to adapt our energy systems to emit less carbon pollution. After all, if we adapt in that way, we may avoid the need to change in so many others. 1.The underlined part in Paragraph 2 implies ________． A.adaptation is an everchanging process B.the cost of adaptation varies with time C.global warming affects adaptation forms D.adaptation to climate change is challenging 2.What is special with regard to Rezwan's project? A.The project receives government support. B.Different organizations work with each other. C.His organization makes the best of a bad situation. D.The project connects flooded roads and highways. 3.What did the Ice Man do to reduce the effect of global warming? A.Storing ice for future use. B.Protecting the glaciers from melting. C.Changing the irrigation time. D.Postponing the melting of the glaciers. 4.What do we learn from the Peru example? A.White paint is usually safe for buildings. B.The global warming trend cannot be stopped. C.This country is heating up too quickly. D.Sunlight reflection may relieve global warming. 5.According to the author, polluting industries should ________． A.adapt to carbon pollution B.plant highly profitable crops C.leave carbon emission alone D.fight against carbon pollution 6.What's the author's preferred solution to global warming? A.Setting up a new standard. B.Reducing carbon emission. C.Adapting to climate change. D.Monitoring polluting industries.
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| 14. 难度：困难 | |
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A build-it-yourself solar still(蒸馏器) is one of the best ways to obtain drinking water in areas where the liquid is not readily available. Developed by two doctors in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it’s an excellent water collector. Unfortunately, you must carry the necessary equipment with you, since it’s all but impossible to find natural substitutes. The only components required, though, are a 5＇×5＇ sheet of clear or slightly milky plastic, six feet of plastic tube, and a container— perhaps just a drinking cup — to catch the water. These pieces can be folded into a neat little pack and fastened on your belt. To construct a working still, use a sharp stick or rock to dig a hole four feet across and three feet deep. Try to make the hole in a damp area to increase the water catcher’s productivity. Place your cup in the deepest part of the hole. Then lay the tube in place so that one end rests all the way in the cup and the rest of the line runs up — and out — the side of the hole. Next, cover the hole with the plastic sheet, securing the edges of the plastic with dirt and weighting the sheet’s center down with a rock. The plastic should now form a cone(圆锥体) with 45-degree-angled sides. The low point of the sheet must be centered directly over, and no more than three inches above, the cup. The solar still works by creating a greenhouse under the plastic. Ground water evaporates (蒸发) and collects on the sheet until small drops of water form, run down the material and fall off into the cup. When the container is full, you can suck the refreshment out through the tube, and won’t have to break down the still every time you need a drink. 1.What do we know about the solar still equipment from the first paragraph? A. It’s delicate. B. It’s expensive. C. It’s complex. D. It’s portable. 2.What does the underlined phrase “the water catcher” in paragraph 2 refer to? A. The tube. B. The still. C. The hole. D. The cup. 3.What’s the last step of constructing a working solar still? A. Dig a hole of a certain size. B. Put the cup in place. C. Weight the sheet’s center down. D. Cover the hole with the plastic sheet. 4.When a solar still works, drops of water come into the cup form ________. A. the plastic tube B. outside the hole C. the open air D. beneath the sheet
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| 15. 难度：困难 | |
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Terrafugia Inc. said Monday that its new flying car has completed its first flight, bringing the company closer to its goal of selling the flying car within the next year. The vehicle —named the Transition – has two seats, four wheels and wings that fold up so it can be driven like a car. The Transition, which flew at 1,400 feet for eight minutes last month, can reach around 70 miles per hour on the road and 115 in the air. It flies using a 23-gallon tank of gas and burns 5 gallons per hour in the air. On the ground, it gets 35 miles per gallon. Around 100 people have already put down a $10,000 deposit to get a Transition when they go on sale, and those numbers will likely rise after Terrafugia introduces the Transition to the public later this week at the New York Auto Show. But don’t expect it to show up in too many driveways. It’s expected to cost $279,000.And it won’t help if you’re stuck in traffic. The car needs a runway. Inventors have been trying to make flying cars since the 1930s, according to Robert Mann, an airline industry expert. But Mann thinks Terrafugia has come closer than anyone to making the flying car a reality. The government has already permitted the company to use special materials to make it easier for the vehicle to fly. The Transition is now going through crash tests to make sure it meets federal safety standards. Mann said Terrafugia was helped by the Federal Aviation Administration’s decision five years ago to create a separate set of standards for light sport aircraft, which are lower than those for pilots of larger planes. Terrafugia says an owner would need to pass a test and complete 20 hours of flying time to be able to fly the Transition, a requirement pilots would find relatively easy to meet. 1.What is the first paragraph mainly about? A.The basic data of the Transition. B.The advantages of flying cars. C.The potential market for flying cars. D.The designers of the Transition. 2.Why is the Transition unlikely to show up in too many driveways? A.It causers traffic jams. B.It is difficult to operate. C.It is very expensive. D.It burns too much fuel. 3.What is the government’s attitude to the development of the flying car? A.Cautious B.Favorable. C.Ambiguous. D.Disapproving. 4.What is the best title for the text? A.Flying Car at Auto Show B.The Transition’s First Flight C.Pilots’ Dream Coming True D.Flying Car Closer to Reality
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| 16. 难度：中等 | |
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The Intelligent Transport team at Newcastle University have turned an electric car into a mobile laboratory named “DriveLAB” in order to understand the challenges faced by older drivers and to discover where the key stress points are. Research shows that giving up driving is one of the key reasons for a fall in health and well-being among older people, leading to them becoming more isolated(隔绝) and inactive. Led by Professor Phil Blythe, the Newcastle team are developing in-vehicle technologies for older drivers which they hope could help them to continue driving into later life. These include custom-made navigation(导航) tools, night vision systems and intelligent speed adaptations. Phil Blythe explains: “For many older people, particularly those living alone or in the country, driving is important for preserving their independence, giving them the freedom to get out and about without having to rely on others.” “But we all have to accept that as we get older our reactions slow down and this often results in people avoiding any potentially challenging driving conditions and losing confidence in their driving skills. The result is that people stop driving before they really need to.” Dr Amy Guo, the leading researcher on the older driver study, explains, “The DriveLAB is helping us to understand what the key points and difficulties are for older drivers and how we might use technology to address these problems.” “For example, most of us would expect older drivers always go slower than everyone else but surprisingly, we found that in 30mph zones they struggled to keep at a constant speed and so were more likely to break the speed limit and be at risk of getting fined. We’re looking at the benefits of systems which control their speed as a way of preventing that.” “We hope that our work will help with technological solutions(解决方案) to ensure that older drivers stay safer behind the wheel.” 1.What is the purpose of the DriveLAB? A.To explore new means of transport. B.To design new types of cars. C.To find out older driver’s problems. D.To teach people traffic rules. 2.Why is driving important for older people according to Phil Blythe? A.It keeps them independent. B.It helps them save time. C.It builds up their strength. D.It cures their mental illnesses. 3.What do researchers hope to do for older drivers? A.Improve their driving skills. B.Develop driver-assist technologies. C.Provide tips on repairing their cars. D.Organize regular physical checkups. 4.What is the best title for the text? A.A new Model Electric Car B.A Solution to Traffic Problem C.Driving Service for elders D.Keeping Older Drivers on the Road
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| 17. 难度：困难 | |
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Getting less sleep has become a bad habit for most American kids. According to a new survey(调查) by the National Sleep Foundation, 51% of kids aged 10 to 18 go to bed at 10 pm or later on school nights, even though they have to get up early. Last year the Foundation reported that nearly 60% of 7- to 12-year-olds said they felt tired during the day, and 15% said they had fallen asleep at school. How much sleep you need depends a lot on your age. Babies need a lot of rest: most of them sleep about 18 hours a day! Adults need about eight hours. For most school-age children, ten hours is ideal(理想的). But the new National Sleep Foundation survey found that 35% of 10- to 12-year-olds get only seven or eight hours. And guess what almost half of the surveyed kids said they do before bedtime? Watch TV. “More children are going to bed with TVs on, and there are more opportunities(机会) to stay awake, with more homework, the Internet and the phone,” says Dr. Mary Carskadon, a sleep researcher at Brown University Medical School. She says these activities at bedtime can get kids all excited and make it hard for them to calm down and sleep. Other experts say part of the problem is chemical. Changing levels of body chemicals called hormones not only make teenagers’ bodies develop adult characteristics, but also make it hard for teenagers to fall asleep before 11 pm. Because sleepiness is such a problem for teenagers, some school districts have decided to start high school classes later than they used to. Three years ago, schools in Edina, Minnesota, changed the start time from 7:25 am to 8:30 am. Students, parents and teachers are pleased with the results. 1.What is the new National Sleep Foundation survey on? A.American kids’ sleeping habits. B.Teenagers’ sleep-related diseases. C.Activities to prevent sleeplessness. D.Learning problems and lack of sleep. 2.How many hours of sleep do 11-year-olds need every day? A.7 hours. B.8 hours. C.10 hours. D.18 hours. 3.Why do teenagers go to sleep late according to Carskadon? A.They are affected by certain body chemicals. B.They tend to do things that excite them. C.They follow their parents’ examples. D.They don’t need to go to school early.
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| 18. 难度：中等 | |
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California Condor’s Shocking Recovery
California condors are North America’s largest birds, with wind-length of up to 3 meters. In the 1980s, electrical lines and lead poisoning(铅中毒) nearly drove them to dying out. Now, electric shock training and medical treatment are helping to rescue these big birds. In the late 1980s, the last few condors were taken from the wild to be bred(繁殖). Since 1992, there have been multiple reintroductions to the wild, and there are now more than 150 flying over California and nearby Arizona, Utah and Baja in Mexico. Electrical lines have been killing them off. “As they go in to rest for the night, they just don’t see the power lines,” says Bruce Rideout of San Diego Zoo. Their wings can bridge the gap between lines, resulting in electrocution(电死) if they touch two lines at once. So scientists have come up with a shocking idea. Tall poles, placed in large training areas, teach the birds to stay clear of electrical lines by giving them a painful but undeadly electric shock. Before the training was introduced, 66% of set-freed birds died of electrocution. This has now dropped to 18%. Lead poisonous has proved more difficult to deal with. When condors eat dead bodies of other animals containing lead, they absorb large quantities of lead. This affects their nervous systems and ability to produce baby birds, and can lead to kidney(肾) failures and death. So condors with high levels of lead are sent to Los Angeles Zoo, where they are treated with calcium EDTA, a chemical that removes lead from the blood over several days. This work is starting to pay off. The annual death rate for adult condors has dropped from 38% in 2000 to 5.4% in 2011. Rideout’s team thinks that the California condors’ average survival time in the wild is now just under eight years. “Although these measures are not effective forever, they are vital for now,” he says. “They are truly good birds that are worth every effort we put into recovering them. ” 1.California condors attract researchers’ interest because they _________. A. are active at night B. had to be bred in the wild C. are found only in California D. almost died out in the 1980s 2.Researchers have found electrical lines are _________. A. blocking condors’ journey home B. big killers of California condors C. rest places for condors at night D. used to keep condors away 3.According to Paragraph 5, lead poisoning _________. A. makes condors too nervous to fly B. has little effect on condors’ kidneys C. can hardly be gotten rid of from condors’ blood D. makes it difficult for condors to produce baby birds 4.This passage shows that _________. A. the average survival time of condors is satisfactory B. Rideout’s research interest lies in electric engineering C. the efforts to protect condors have brought good results D. researchers have found the final answers to the problem
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| 19. 难度：中等 | |
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A scientist working at her lab bench and a six-old baby playing with his food might seem to have little in common.After all,the scientist is engaged in serious research to uncover the very nature of the physical world,and the baby is,well, just playing…right?Perhaps,but some developmental psychologists have argued that this “play” is more like a scientific investigation than one might think. Take a closer look at the baby playing at the table. Each time the bowl of rice is pushed over the table edge, it falls in the ground—and, in the process, it belongs out important evidence about how physical objects interact; bowls of rice do not flood in mid-sit, but require support to remain stable. It is likely that babies are not born knowing the basic fact of the universe; nor are they ever clearly taught it. Instead, babies may form an understanding of object support through repeated experiments and then build on this knowledge to learn even more about how objects interact. Though their ranges and tools differ, the baby’s investigation and the scientist’s experiment appear to share the same aim(to learn about the natural world), overall approach (gathering direct evidence from the world), and logic (are my observations what I expected?). Some psychologists suggest that young children learn about more than just the physical world in this way—that they investigate human psychology and the rules of language using similar means. For example, it may only be through repeated experiments, evidence gathering, and finally overturning a theory, that a baby will come to accept the idea that other people can have different views and desires from what he or she has. For example, unlike the child, Mommy actually doesn’t like Dove chocolate. Viewing childhood development as a scientific investigation throws on how children learn, but it also offers an inspiring look at science and scientists. Why do young children and scientists seem to be so much alike? Psychologists have suggested that science as an effort—the desire to explore, explain, and understand our world—is simply something that comes from our babyhood. Perhaps evolution provided human babies with curiosity and a natural drive to explain their worlds, and adult scientists simply make use of the same drive that served them as children. The same cognitive systems that make young children feel good about figuring something out may have been adopted by adult scientists. As some psychologists put it, “It is not that children are little scientists but that scientists are big children.” 1.According to some developmental psychologists, ________. A.a baby’s play is nothing more than a game. B.scientific research into babies; games is possible C.the nature of babies’ play has been thoroughly investigated D.a baby’s play is somehow similar to a scientist’s experiment 2.We learn from Paragraph 2 that ________. A.scientists and babies seem to observe the world differently B.scientists and babies often interact with each other C.babies are born with the knowledge of object support D.babies seem to collect evidence just as scientists do 3.Children may learn the rules of language by ________. A.exploring the physical world B.investigating human psychology C.repeating their own experiments D.observing their parents’ behaviors 4.What is the main idea of the last paragraph? A.The world may be more clearly explained through children’s play. B.Studying babies’ play may lead to a better understanding of science. C.Children may have greater ability to figure out things than scientists. D.One’s drive for scientific research may become stronger as he grows. 5.What is the author’s tone when he discusses the connection between scientists’ research and babies’ play? A.Convincing. B.Confused. C.Confidence. D.Cautious.
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| 20. 难度：中等 | |
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Chimps(黑猩猩) will cooperate in certain ways, like gathering in war parties to protect their territory. But beyond the minimum requirements as social beings, they have little instinct (本能) to help one another. Chimps in the wild seek food for themselves. Even chimp mothers regularly decline to share food with their children. Who are able from a young age to gather their own food. In the laboratory, chimps don’t naturally share food either. If a chimp is put in a cage where he can pull in one plate of food for himself or, with no great effort, a plate that also provides food for a neighbor to the next cage, he will pull at random ---he just doesn’t care whether his neighbor gets fed or not. Chimps are truly selfish. Human children, on the other hand are extremely corporative. From the earliest ages, they decide to help others, to share information and to participate a achieving common goals. The psychologist Michael Tomasello has studied this cooperativeness in a series of experiments with very young children. He finds that if babies aged 18 months see an worried adult with hands full trying to open a door, almost all will immediately try to help. There are several reasons to believe that the urges to help, inform and share are not taught .but naturally possessed in young children. One is that these instincts appear at a very young age before most parents have started to train children to behave socially. Another is that the helping behaviors are not improved if the children are rewarded. A third reason is that social intelligence. Develops in children before their general cognitive（认知的）skills,at least when compared with chimps..In tests conducted by Tomtasell, the children did no better than the chimps on the physical world tests, but were considerably better at understanding the social world The cure of what children’s minds have and chimps’ don’t in what Tomasello calls what. Part of this ability is that they can infer what others know or are thinking. But that, even very young children want to be part of a shared purpose. They actively seek to be part of a “we”, a group that intends to work toward a shared goal. 1.What can we learn from the experiment with chimps? A. Chimps seldom care about others’ interests. B. Chimps tend to provide food for their children. C. Chimps like to take in their neighbors’ food. D. Chimps naturally share food with each other. 2.Michael Tomasello’s tests on young children indicate that they____. A. have the instinct to help others B. know how to offer help to adults C. know the world better than chimps D. trust adults with their hands full 3.The passage is mainly about ____. A. the helping behaviors of young children B. ways to train children’s shared intentionality C. cooperation as a distinctive human nature D. the development of intelligence in children
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| 21. 难度：中等 | |
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El Nifio, a Spanish term for “the Christ child”, was named by South American fisherman who noticed that the global weather pattern, which happens every two to seven years, reduced the amount of fishes caught around Christmas. El Nifio sees warm water, collected over several years in the western Pacific, flow back eastwards when winds that normally blow westwards weaken, or sometimes the other way round. The weather effects both good and bad, are felt in many places. Rich countries gain more from powerful Nifio, on balance, than they lose. A study found that a strong Nifio in 1997 helped American’s economy grow by 15 billion, partly because of better agricultural harvest, farmers in the Midwest gained from extra rain. The total rise in agricultural in rich countries in growth than the fall in poor ones. But in Indonesia extremely dry forests are in flames. A multi-year drought (干旱）in south-east Brazil is becoming worse. Though heavy rains brought about by El Nino may relieve the drought in California, they are likely to cause surface flooding and other disasters. The most recent powerful Nino, in 1997-98, killed around 21,000 people and caused damage worth $36 billion around the globe. But such Ninos come with months of warning, and so much is known about how they happen that governments can prepare. According to the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), however, just 12% of disaster-relief funding in the past two decades has gone on reducing risks in advance, rather than recovery and rebuilding afterwards. This is despite evidence that a dollar spent on risk-reduction saves at least two on reconstruction. Simple improvements to infrastructure (基础设施）can reduce the spread of disease. Better sewers (下水道）make it less likely that heavy rain is followed by an outbreak of the disease of bad stomach. Stronger bridges mean villages are less likely to be left without food and medicine after floods. According to a paper in 2011 by Mr Hsiang and co-authors, civil conflict is related to El Nino’s harmful effects—and the poorer the country, the stronger the link. Though the relationship may not be causal, helping divided communities to prepare for disasters would at least reduce the risk that those disasters are followed by killing and wounding people. Since the poorest are least likely to make up for their losses from disasters linked to El Nino, reducing their losses needs to be the priority. 1.What can we learn about El Nino in Paragraph 1? A.It is named after a South American fisherman. B.It takes place almost every year all over the world. C.It forces fishermen to stop catching fish around Christmas. D.It sees the changes of water flow direction in the ocean. 2.What may El Ninos bring about to the countries affected? A.Agricultural harvests in rich countries fall. B.Droughts become more harmful than floods. C.Rich countries’ gains are greater than their losses. D.Poor countries suffer less from droughts economically. 3.The data provided by ODI in Paragraph 4 suggest that_________. A.more investment should go to risk reduction B.governments of poor countries need more aid C.victims of El Nino deserve more compensation D.recovery and reconstruction should come first 4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage? A.To introduce El Nino and its origin. B.To explain the consequences of El Nino. C.To show ways of fighting against El Nino. D.To urge people to prepare for El Nino.
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| 22. 难度：中等 | |
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The oddness of life in space never quite goes away. Here are some examples. First consider something as simple as sleep. Its position presents its own challenges. The main question is whether you want your arms inside or outside the sleeping bag. If you leave your arms out, they float free in zero gravity, often giving a sleeping astronaut the look of a funny ballet（芭蕾）dancer. “I’m an inside guy,” Mike Hopkins says, who returned from a six-month tour on the International Space Station. “I like to be wrapped up.” On the station, the ordinary becomes strange. The exercise bike for the American astronauts has no handlebars. It also has no seat. With no gravity, it’s just as easy to pedal violently. You can watch a movie while you pedal by floating a microcomputer anywhere you want. But station residents have to be careful about staying in one place too long. Without gravity to help circulate air, the carbon dioxide you exhale（呼气）has a tendency to form an invisible（隐形的）cloud around your head. You can end up with what astronauts call a carbon-dioxide headache. Leroy Chiao, 54, an American retired astronaut after four flights, describes what happens even before you float out of your seat. “Your inner ear thinks you’re falling. Meanwhile your eyes are telling you you’re standing straight. That can be annoying－that’s why some people feel sick. “Within a couple of days truly terrible days for some－astronauts’ brains learn to ignore the panicky signals from the inner ear, and space sickness disappears. Space travel can be so delightful but at the same time invisibly dangerous. For instance, astronauts lose bone mass’ That’s why exercise is considered so vital that National Aeronautics and Space Administration（NASA）puts it right on the workday schedule. The focus on fitness is as much about science and the future as it is about keeping any individual astronaut healthy. NASA is worried about two things: recovery time once astronauts return home, and, more importantly, how to maintain strength and fitness for the two and a half years or more that it would take to make a round-trip to Mars’ 1.What is the major challenge to astronauts when they sleep in space? A. Deciding on a proper sleep position. B. Choosing a comfortable sleeping bag. C. Seeking a way to fall asleep quickly. D. Finding a right time to go to sleep. 2.The astronauts will suffer from a carbon-dioxide headache when . A. they circle around on their bikes B. they use microcomputers without a stop C. they exercise in one place for a long time D. they watch a movie while pedaling 3.Some astronauts feel sick on the station during the first few days because . A. their senses stop working B. they have to stand up straight C. they float out of their seats unexpectedly D. their brains receive contradictory messages 4.One of NASA’s major concerns about astronauts is . A. how much exercise they do on the station B. how they can remain healthy for long in space C. whether they can recover after returning home D. whether they are able to go back to the station
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| 23. 难度：中等 | |
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Life in the Clear Transparent animals let light pass through their bodies the same way light passes through a window. These animals typically live between the surface of the ocean and a depth of about 3,300 feet---as far as most light can reach. Most of them are extremely delicate and can be damaged by a simple touch. Sonke Johnsen, a scientist in biology, says, “These animals live through their life alone. They never touch anything unless they’re eating it, or unless something is eating them.” And they are as clear as glass. How does an animal become see-through? It s trickier than you might think. The objects around you are visible because they interact with light. Light typically travels in a straight line. But some materials slow and scatter (散射) light, bouncing it away from its original path. Others absorb light, stopping it dead in its tracks. Both scattering and absorption make an object look different from other objects around it, so you can see it easily. But a transparent object doesn’t absorb or scatter light, at least not very much. Light can pass through it without bending or stopping. That means a transparent object doesn’t look very different from the surrounding air or water. You don’t see it you see the things behind it. To become transparent, an animal needs to keep its body from absorbing or scattering light. Living materials can stop light because they contain pigments (色素) that absorb specific colors of light. But a transparent animal doesn’t have pigments, so its tissues won’t absorb light. According to Johnsen, avoiding absorption is actually easy. The real challenge is preventing light from scattering. Animals are built of many different materials---skin, fat, and more---and light moves through each at a different speed. Every time light moves into a material with a new speed, it bends and scatters. Transparent animals use different tricks to fight scattering. Some animals are simply very small or extremely flat. Without much tissue to scatter light, it is easier to be see-through. Others build a large, clear mass of non-living jelly-like (果冻状的) material and spread themselves over it. Larger transparent animals have the biggest challenge, because they have to make all the different tissues in their bodies slow down light exactly as much as water does. They need to look uniform. But how they’re doing it is still unknown. One thing is clear: for these larger animals, staying transparent is an active process. When they die, they turn a non-transparent milky white. 1.According to Paragraph 1,transparent animals . A. stay in groups B. can be easily damaged C. appear only in deep ocean D. are beautiful creatures 2.The underlined word “dead” in Paragraph 3 means . A. silently B. gradually C. regularly D. completely 3.One way for an animal to become transparent is to . A. change the direction of light travel B. gather materials to scatter light C. avoid the absorption of light D. grow bigger to stop light 4.The last paragraph tells us that larger transparent animals . A. move more slowly in deep water B. stay see-through even after death C. produce more tissues for their survival D. take effective action to reduce light spreading
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| 24. 难度：中等 | |
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Suppose you become a leader in an organization. It’s very likely that you’ll want to have volunteers to help with the organization’s activities. To do so, it should help to understand why people undertake volunteer work and what keeps their interest in the work. Let’s begin with the question of why people volunteer. Researchers have identified several factors that motivate people to get involved. For example, people volunteer to express personal values related to unselfishness, to expand their range of experiences, and to strengthen social relationships. If volunteer positions do not meet these needs, people may not wish to participate. To select volunteers, you may need to understand the motivations of the people you wish to attract. People also volunteer because they are required to do so. To increase levels of community service, some schools have launched compulsory volunteer programs. Unfortunately, these programs can shift people’s wish of participation from an internal factor (e.g. “I volunteer because it’s important to me”) to an external factor (e.g. “I volunteer because I’m required to do so”). When that happens, people become less likely to volunteer in the future. People must be sensitive to this possibility when they make volunteer activities a must. Once people begin to volunteer, what leads them to remain in their positions over time? To answer this question, researchers have conducted follow-up studies in which they track volunteers over time. For instance, one study followed 238 volunteers in Florida over a year. One of the most important factors that influenced their satisfaction as volunteers was the amount of suffering they experienced in their volunteer positions. Although this result may not surprise you, it leads to important practical advice. The researchers note that attention should be given to “training methods that would prepare volunteers for troublesome situations or provide them with strategies for coping with the problem they do experience”. Another study of 302 volunteers at hospitals in Chicago focused on individual differences in the degree to which people view “volunteer” as an important social role. It was assumed that those people for whom the role of volunteer was most part of their personal identity would also be most likely to continue volunteer work. Participants indicated the degree to which the social role mattered by responding to statements such as “Volunteering in Hospital is an important part of who I am.” Consistent with the researchers’ expectations, they found a positive correlation(正相关) between the strength of role identity and the length of time people continued to volunteer. These results, once again, lead to concrete advice: “Once an individual begins volunteering, continued efforts might focus on developing a volunteer role identity....Items like T-shirts that allow volunteers to be recognized publicly for their contributions can help strengthen role identity”. 1.People volunteer mainly out of __________. A.academic requirements B.social expectations C.financial rewards D.internal needs 2.What can we learn from the Florida study? A.Follow-up studies should last for one year. B.Volunteers should get mentally prepared. C.Strategy training is a must in research. D.Volunteers are provided with concrete advice. 3.What is most likely to motivate volunteers to continue their work? A.Individual differences in role identity. B.Publicly identifiable volunteer T-shirts. C.Role identity as a volunteer. D.Practical advice from researchers. 4.What is the best title of the passage? A.How to Get People to Volunteer B.How to Study Volunteer Behaviors C.How to Keep Volunteers’ Interest D.How to Organize Volunteer Activities
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| 25. 难度：中等 | |
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Daniel Anderson, a famous psychologist, believes it’s important to distinguish television’s influences on children from those of the family. We tend to blame TV, he says, for problems it doesn’t really cause, overlooking our own roles in shaping children’s minds. One traditional belief about television is that it reduces a child’s ability to think and to understand the world. While watching TV, children do not merely absorb words and images (影像). Instead, they learn both explicit and hidden meanings from what they see. Actually, children learn early the psychology of characters in TV shows. Furthermore, as many teachers agree, children understand far more when parents watch TV with them, explaining new words and ideas. Yet, most parents use an educational program as a chance to park their kids in front of the set and do something in another room. Another argument against television is that it replaces reading as a form of entertainment. But according to Anderson, the amount of time spent watching television is not related to reading ability. TV doesn’t take the place of reading for most children; it takes the place of similar sorts of recreation, such as listening to the radio and playing sports. Things like parents’ educational background have a stronger influence on a child’s reading. “A child’s reading ability is best predicted by how much a parent reads.” Anderson says. Traditional wisdom also has it that heavy television-watching lowers IQ (智商) scores and affects school performance. But here, too, Anderson notes that no studies have proved it. In fact, research suggests that it’s the other way around. “If you’re smart young, you’ll watch less TV when you’re older,” Anderson says. Yet, people of lower IQ tend to be lifelong television viewers. For years researchers have attempted to show that television is dangerous to children. However, by showing that television promotes none of the dangerous effects as conventionally believed, Anderson suggests that television cannot be condemned without considering other influences. 1.By watching TV, children learn _________. A.images through words B.more than explicit meanings C.more about images than words D.little about people’s psychology 2.An educational program is best watched by a child _________. A.on his own B.with other kids C.with his parents D.with his teachers 3.Which of the following is most related to children’s reading ability? A.Radio-listening B.Television-watching C.Parents’ reading list D.Parents’ educational background 4.Anderson believed that _________. A.the more a child watches TV, the smarter he is B.the younger a child is, the more he watches TV C.the smarter a child is, the less likely he gets addicted to TV D.the less a child watches TV, the better he performs at school 5.What is the main purpose of the passage? A.To advise on the educational use of TV. B.To describe TV’s harmful effects on children. C.To explain traditional views on TV influences. D.To present Anderson’s unconventional ideas.
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| 26. 难度：中等 | |
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C The production of coffee beans is a huge, profitable business, but, unfortunately, full-sun production is taking over the industry and bringing about a lot of damage. The change in how coffee is grown from shade-grown production to full-sun production endangers the very existence of, certain animals and birds, and even disturbs the world’s ecological balance. On a local level, the damage of the forest required by full-sun fields affects the area’s birds and animals. The shade of the forest trees provides a home for birds and other special(物种) that depend on the trees’ flowers and fruits. Full-sun coffee growers destroy this forest home. As a result, many special are quickly dying out. On a more global level, the destruction of the rainforest for full-sun coffee fields also threatens(威胁)human life. Medical research often makes use of the forests' plant and animal life, and the destruction of such species could prevent researchers from finding cures for certain diseases. In addition, new coffee-growing techniques are poisoning the water locally, and eventually the world's groundwater. Both locally and globally, the continued spread of full-sun coffee plantations (种植园)could mean the destruction of the rainforest ecology. The loss of shade trees is already causing a slight change in the world's climate, and studies show that loss of oxygen-giving trees also leads to air pollution and global warming. Moreover, the new growing techniques are contributing to acidic(酸性的) soil conditions. It is obvious that the way much coffee is grown affects many aspects many aspects of life, from the local environment to the global ecology. But consumers do have a choice. They can purchase shade-grown coffee whenever possible, although at a higher cost. The future health of the planet and mankind is surely worth more than an inexpensive cup of coffee. 1.What can we learn about full-sun coffee production from Paragraph 4? A.It limits the spread of new growing techniques. B.It leads to air pollution and global warming. C.It slows down the loss of shade trees. D.It improves local soil conditions. 2.The purpose of the text is to . A.entertain B.advertise C.instruct D.persuade 3.Where does this text probably come from ? A.An agricultural magazine. B.A medical journal. C.An engineering textbook. D.A tourist guide. 4.Which of the following shows the structure of the whole text? A. C.
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| 27. 难度：中等 | |
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D Their cheery song brightens many a winter's day. But robins are in danger of wearing themselves out by singing too much. Robins are singing all night一as well as during the day, British-based researchers say. David Dominoni, of Glasgow University, said that light from street lamps, takeaway signs and homes is affecting the birds' biological clocks, leading to them being wide awake when they should be asleep. Dr Dominoni, who is putting cameras inside nesting boxes to track sleeping patterns, said lack of sleep could put the birds’ health at risk. His study shows that when robins are exposed to light at night in the lab, it leads to some genes being active at the wrong time of day. And the more birds are exposed to light, the more active they are at night. He told people at a conference, "There have been a couple of studies suggesting they are increasing their song output at night and during the day they are still singing. Singing is a costly behaviour and it takes energy. So by increasing their song output, there might be some costs of energy." And it is not just robins that are being kept awake by artificial light. Blackbirds and seagulls are also being morenocturnal. Dr Dominoni said, "In Glasgow where I live, gulls are a serious problem. I have people coming to me saying `You are the bird expert. Can you help us kill these gulls?'.During the breeding(繁殖)season, between April and June, they are very active at night and very noisy and people can't sleep." Although Dr Dominoni has only studied light pollution, other research concluded that robins living in noisy cities have started to sing at night to make themselves heard over loud noise. However, some birds thrive(兴旺)in noisy environments. A study from California Polytechnic University found more hummingbirds in areas with heavy industrial machinery. It is thought that they are capitalising on their predators(天敌)fleeing to quieter areas. 1.According to Dr Dominoni's study, what cause robins to sing so much? A. The breeding season. B. The light in modern life C. The dangerous environment. D. The noise from heavy machinery. 2.What is the researchers' concern over the increase of birds' song output? A. The environment might be polluted. B. The birds' health might be damaged. C. The industry cost might be increased. D. The people's hearing might be affected. 3.What does the underlined word "nocturnal" in Paragraph 5 mean? A. Active at night. B. Inactive at night. C. Active during the day. D. Inactive during the day. 4.Why do some birds thrive in noisy environments? A. Because there are fewer dangers. B. Because there is more food to eat. C. Because there is less light pollution D. Because there are more places to take shelter.
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| 28. 难度：中等 | |
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E No one is sure how the ancient Egyptians built the pyramids near Cairo. But a new study suggests they used a little rock‘n’roll. Long-ago builders could have attached wooden pole s to the stones and rolled then across the sand, the scientists say. “Technically, I think what they’re proposing is possible,” physicist Daniel Bonn said. People have long puzzled over how the Egyptians moved such huge rocks. And there’s no obvious answer. On average, each of the two million big stones weighed about as much as a large pickup truck. The Egyptians somehow moved the stone blocks to the pyramid site from about one kilometer away. The most popular view is that Egyptian workers slid the blocks along smooth paths. Many scientists suspect workers first would have put the blocks on sleds(滑板). Then they would have dragged them along paths. To make the work easier, workers may have__________either with wet clay or with the fat from cattle. Bonn has now tested this idea by building small sleds and dragging heavy objects over sand. Evidence from the sand supports this idea. Researchers found small amounts of fat, as well as a large amount of stone and the remains of paths. However, physicist Joseph West thinks there might have been a simpler way , who led the new study . West said , “I was inspired while watching a television program showing how sleds might have helped with pyramid construction . I thought , ‘Why don’t they just try rolling the things?’“A square could be turned into a rough sort of wheel by attaching wooden poles to its sides , he realized . That , he notes , should make a block of stone” a lot easier to roll than a square”. So he tried____. He and his students tied some poles to each of four sides of a 30-kilogram stone block. That action turned the block into somewhat a wheel. Then they placed the block on the ground. They wrapped one end of a rope around the block and pulled. The researchers found they could easily roll the block along different kinds of paths. They calculated that rolling the block required about as much force as moving it along a slippery(滑的)path. West hasn’t tested his idea on larger blocks, but he thinks rolling has clear advantages over sliding. At least, workers wouldn’t have needed to carry cattle fat or water to smooth the paths. 1.It’s widely believed that the stone blocks were moved to the pyramid site by ______. A. rolling them on roads B. pushing them over the sand C. sliding them on smooth paths D. dragging them on some poles 2.The underlined part “lubricated the paths” in Paragraph 4 means____. A. made the path wet B. made the path hard C. made the path wide D. made the path slippery 3.What does the underlined word “it”in Paragraph 7 refer to? A. Rolling the blocks with poles attached. B. Rolling the blocks on wooden wheels. C. Rolling poles to move the blocks. D. Rolling the blocks with fat. 4.Why is rolling better than sliding according to West ? A. Because more force is needed for sliding. B. Because rolling work can be done by fewer cattle. C. Because sliding on smooth road is more dangerous. D. Because less preparation on path is needed for rolling. 5.What is the text mainly about ? A. An experiment on ways of moving blocks to the pyramid site. B. An application of the method of moving blocks to the pyramid site. C. An argument about different methods of moving blocks to the pyramid site. D. An introduction to a possible new way of moving blocks to the pyramid site.
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| 29. 难度：中等 | |
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Whether in the home or the workplace, social robots are going to become a lot more common in the next few years. Social robots are about to bring technology to the everyday world in a more humanized way, said Cynthia Breazeal, chief scientist at the robot company Jibo. While household robots today do the normal housework, social robots will be much more like companions than mere tools. For example, these robots will be able to distinguish when someone is happy or sad. This allows them to respond more appropriately to the user. The Jibo robot, arranged to ship later this year, is designed to be a personalized assistant. You can talk to the robot, ask it questions, and make requests for it to perform different tasks. The robot doesn’t just deliver general answers to questions; it responds based on what it learns about each individual in the household. It can do things such as reminding an elderly family member to take medicine or taking family photos. Social robots are not just finding their way into the home. They have potential applications in everything from education to health care and are already finding their way into some of these spaces. Fellow Robots is one company bringing social robots to the market. The company’s ＂Oshbot＂ robot is built to assist customers in a store, which can help the customers find items and help guide them to the product’s location in the store. It can also speak different languages and make recommendations for different items based on what the customer is shopping for. The more interaction the robot has with humans, the more it learns. But Oshbot, like other social robots, is not intended to replace workers, but to work alongside other employees. ＂We have technologies to train social robots to do things not for us, but with us,＂ said Breazeal. 1.How are social robots different from household robots? A. They can control their emotions. B. They are more like humans. C. They do the normal housework. D. They respond to users more slowly. 2.What can a Jibo robot do according to Paragraph 3? A. Communicate with you and perform operations. B. Answer your questions and make requests. C. Take your family pictures and deliver milk. D. Obey your orders and remind you to take pills. 3.What can Oshbot work as? A. A language teacher. B. A tour guide. C. A shop assistant. D. A private nurse. 4.We can learn from the last paragraph that social robots will _______. A. train employees B. be our workmates C. improve technologies D. take the place of workers 5.What does the passage mainly present? A. A new design idea of household robots. B. Marketing strategies for social robots. C. Information on household robots. D. An introduction to social robots.
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| 30. 难度：中等 | |
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C If humans were truly at home under the light of the moon and stars，we would go in darkness happily，the midnight world as visible to us as it is to the vast number of nocturnal(夜间活动的) species on this planet. Instead，we are diurnal creatures, with eyes adapted to living in the sun’s light. This is a basic evolutionary fact, even though most of us don’t think of ourselves as diurnal beings. Yet it’s the only way to explain what we’ve done to the night: We’ve engineered it to receive us by fillingitwith light. The benefits of this kind of engineering come with consequences 一 called light pollution 一 whose effects scientists are only now beginning to study. Light pollution is largely the result of bad lighting design，which allows artificial light to shine outward and upward into the sky. III-designed lighting washes out the darkness of night and completely changes the light levels 一 and light rhythms — to which many forms of life, including, ourselves, have adapted. Wherever human light spills into the natural world, some aspect or life is affected . In most cities the sky looks as though it has been emptied of stars, leaving behind a vacant haze(霾) that mirrors our fear of the dark. We’ve grown so used to this orange haze that the original glory of an unlit nigh, - dark enough for the planet Venus to throw shadow on Earth, is wholly beyond our experience, beyond memory almost. We’ve lit up the night as if it were an unoccupied country, when nothing could be further form the truth. Among mammals alone, the number of nocturnal species is astonishing, Light is a powerful biological force, and on many species it acts as a magnet(磁铁). The effect is so powerful that scientists speak of songbirds and seabirds being “captured” by searchlights on land or by the light from gas flares on marine oil platforms. Migrating at night, birds tend to collide with brightly lit tall buildings. Frogs living near brightly lit highways suffer nocturnal light levels that are as much as a million times righter than normal, throwing nearly every aspect of their behavior out of joint including most other creatures ,we do need darkness .Darkness is as essential to our biological welfare, to our internal clockwork, as light itself. Living in a glare of our making,we have cut ourselves off from our evolutionary and cultural heritage—the light of the stars and the rhythms of day and night .In a very real sense light pollution causes us to lose sight of our true place in the universe, to forget the scale of our being, which is best measured against the dimensions of a deep night with the Milky Way—the edge of our galaxy arching overhead. 1.According to the passage, human being . A.prefer to live in the darkness B.are used to living in the day light C.were curious about the midnight world D.had to stay at home with the light of the moon 2.What does “it”(Paragraph 1) most probably refer to? A.The night. B.The moon C.The sky D.The planet 3.The writer mentions birds and frogs to . A.provide examples of animal protection B.show how light pollution affects animals C.compare the living habits of both species D.explain why the number of certain species has declined 4.It is implied in the last paragraph that . A.light pollution dose harm to the eyesight of animals B.light pollution has destroyed some of the world heritages C.human beings cannot go to the outer space D.human beings should reflect on their position in the universe 5.What might be the best title for the passage? A.The Magic light. B.The Orange Haze. C.The Disappearing Night. D.The Rhythms of Nature.
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| 31. 难度：简单 | |
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As Internet users become more dependent on the Internet to store information, are people remember less? If you know your computer will save information, why store it in your own personal memory, your brain? Experts are wondering if the Internet is changing what we remember and how. In a recent study, Professor Betsy Sparrow conducted some experiments. She and her research team wanted to know the Internet is changing memory. In the first experiment, they gave people 40 unimportant facts to type into a computer. The first group of people understood that the computer would save the information. The second group understood that the computer would not save it. Later, the second group remembered the information better. People in the first group knew they could find the information again, so they did not try to remember it. In another experiment, the researchers gave people facts to remember, and told them where to find the information on the Internet. The information was in a specific computer folder (文件夹). Surprisingly, people later remember the folder location (位置) better than the facts. When people use the Internet, they do not remember the information. Rather, they remember how to find it. This is called “transactive memory (交互记忆)” According to Sparrow, we are not becoming people with poor memories as a result of the Internet. Instead, computer users are developing stronger transactive memories; that is, people are learning how to organize huge quantities of information so that they are able to access it at a later date. This doesn’t mean we are becoming either more or less intelligent, but there is no doubt that the way we use memory is changing. 1.The passage begins with two questions to ________. A.introduce the main topic B.show the author’s attitude C.describe how to use the Internet D.explain how to store information 2.What can we learn about the first experiment? A.Sparrow’s team typed the information into a computer. B.The two groups remembered the information equally well. C.The first group did not try to remember the formation. D.The second group did not understand the information. 3.In transactive memory, people ________. A.keep the information in mind B.change the quantity of information C.organize information like a computer D.remember how to find the information 4.What is the effect of the Internet according to Sparrow's research? A.We are using memory differently. B.We are becoming more intelligent. C.We have poorer memories than before. D.We need a better way to access information.
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| 32. 难度：中等 | |
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In its early history, Chicago had floods frequently, especially in the spring, making the streets so muddy that people, horses, and carts got stuck. An old joke that was popular at the time went something like this: A man is stuck up to his waist in a muddy Chicago street. Asked if he needs help, he replies, “No, thanks. I've got a good horse under me.” The city planner decided to build an underground drainage (排水) system, but there simply wasn't enough difference between the height of the ground level and the water level. The only two options were to lower the Chicago River or raise the city. An engineer named Ellis Chesbrough convinced me the city that it had no choice but to build the pipes above ground and then cover them with dirt. This raised the level of the city's streets by as much as 12 feet. This of course created a new problem: dirt practically buried the first floors of every building in Chicago. Building owners were faced with a choice: either change the first floors of their buildings into basements, and the second stories into main floors, or hoist the entire buildings to meet the new street level. Small wood-frame buildings could be lifted fairly easily. But what about large, heavy structures like Tremont Hotel, which was a six-story brick building? That's where George Pullman came in. He had developed some house-moving skills successfully. To lift a big structure like the Tremont Hotel, Pullman would place thousands of jackscrews (螺旋千斤顶) beneath the building's foundation. One man was assigned to operate each section of roughly 10 jackscrews. At Pullman's signal each man turned his jackscrew the same amount at the same time, thereby raising the building slowly and evenly. Astonishingly, the Tremont Hotel stay open during the entire operation, and many of its guests didn't even notice anything was happening. Some people like to say that every problem has a solution. But in Chicago's early history, every engineering solution seemed to create a new problem. Now that Chicago's waste water was draining efficiently into the Chicago River, the city's next step was to clean the polluted river. 1.The author mentions the joke to show ______. A. horses were fairly useful in Chicago B. Chicago's streets were extremely muddy C. Chicago was very dangerous in the spring D. the Chicago people were particularly humorous 2.The city planners were convinced by Ellis Chesbrough to_______. A. get rid of the street dirt B. lower the Chicago River C. fight against heavy floods D. build the pipes above ground 3.The underlined word “hoist”in Paragraph 4 means “_______”. A. change B. lift C. repair D. decorate 4.What can we conclude about the moving operation of the Tremont Hotel? A. It went on smoothly as intended. B. It interrupted the business of the hotel. C. It involved Pullman turning ten jackscrews. D. It separated the building from its foundation. 5.The passage is mainly about the early Chicago's ______. A. popular life styles and their influences B. environmental disasters and their causes C. engineering problems and their solutions D. successful businessmen and their achievements
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| 33. 难度：中等 | |
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Your house may have an effect on your figure. Experts say the way you design your home could play a role in whether you pack on the pounds or keep them off. You can make your environment work for you instead of against you. Here are some ways to turn your home into part of your diet plan. Open the curtains and turn up the lights. Dark environments are more likely to encourage overeating, for people are often less selfconscious (难为情) when they’re in poorly lit places—and so more likely to eat lots of food. If your home doesn’t have enough window light, get more lamps and flood the place with brightness. Mind the colors. Research suggests warm colors fuel our appetites. In one study, people who ate meals in a blue room consumed 33 percent less than those in a yellow or red room. Warm colors like yellow make food appear more appetizing, while cold colors make us feel less hungry. So when it’s time to repaint, go blue. Don’t forget the clock—or the radio. People who eat slowly tend to consume about 70 fewer calories (卡路里) per meal than those who rush through their meals. Begin keeping track of the time, and try to make dinner last at least 30 minutes. And while you’re at it, actually sit down to eat. If you need some help slowing down, turn on relaxing music. It makes you less likely to rush through a meal. Downsize the dishes. Big serving bowls and plates can easily make us fat. We eat about 22 percent more when using a 12inch plate instead of a 10inch plate. When we choose a large spoon over a smaller one, total intake (摄入) jumps by 14 percent. And we’ll pour about 30 percent more liquid into a short, wide glass than a tall, skinny glass. 1.The text is especially helpful for those who care about ____________. A.their home comforts B.their body shape C.house buying D.healthy diets 2.A home environment in blue can help people ______________. A.digest food better B.reduce food intake C.burn more calories D.regain their appetites 3.What are people advised to do at mealtimes? A.Eat quickly. B.Play fast music. C.Use smaller spoons. D.Turn down the lights. 4.What can be a suitable title for the text? A.Is Your House Making You Fat? B.Ways of Serving Dinner C.Effects of SelfConsciousness D.Is Your Home Environment Relaxing?
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| 34. 难度：中等 | |
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Conflict is on the menu tonight at the café La Chope. This evening, as on every Thursday night, psychologist Maud Lehanne is leading two of France’s favorite pastimes, coffee drinking and the “talking cure”. Here they are learning to get in touch with their true feelings. It isn’t always easy. They customers—some thirty Parisians who pay just under $2 (plus drinks) per session-care quick to intellectualize (高谈阔论), slow to open up and connect. “You are forbidden to say ‘one feels,’ or ‘people think’,” Lehane told them. “Say ‘I think,’ ‘Think me’.” A café society where no intellectualizing is allowed? It couldn’t seem more un-French. But Lehanne’s psychology café is about more than knowing oneself: It’s trying to help the city’s troubled neighborhood cafes. Over the years, Parisian cafes have fallen victim to changes in the French lifestyle-longer working hours, a fast food boom and a younger generation’s desire to spend more time at home. Dozens of new theme cafes appear to change the situation. Cafes focused around psychology, history, and engineering are catching on, filling tables well into the evening. The city’s psychology cafes, which offer great comfort, are among the most popular places. Middle-aged homemakers, retirees, and the unemployed come to such cafes to talk about lover, anger, and dreams with a psychologist. And they come to Lehance’s group just to learn to say what they feel. There’s a strong need in Paris for communication, says Maurice Frisch, a cafe La Chope regular who works as religious instructor in a nearby church. “People have few real friends. And they need to open up” Lehanne says she’d like to see psychology cafes all over France. “If people had normal lives, these cafes wouldn’t exist”, she says, “If life weren’t a battle, people wouln’t need a special place just to speak.” But then, it wouldn’t be France. 1.What are people encouraged to do at the cafe La Chope? A.Learn a new subject B.Keep in touch with friends. C.Show off their knowledge. D.Express their true feelings. 2.How are cafes affected by French lifestyle changes? A.They are less frequently visited. B.They stay open for longer hours. C.They have bigger night crowds. D.They start to serve fast food. 3.What are theme cafes expected to do? A.Create more jobs. B.Supply better drinks. C.Save the cafe business. D.Serve the neighborhood. 4.Why are psychology cafes becoming popular in Paris? A.They bring people true friendship. B.They give people spiritual support. C.They help people realize their dreams. D.They offer a platform for business links.
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