While some scientists overlook the existence of a sixth sense for danger, a new research from Washington University in St. Louis has discovered a brain area that clearly acts as an early warning system and helps us adjust our behavior to avoid dangerous situations.
"Our brains are better at picking up not obvious warning signs than we previously thought," said Joshua Brown, a PhD in psychology in the issue of the journal Science.
The findings offer exact scientific evidence for a new way to form a concept of the complex control processes taking place in and around the ACC, a brain area located near the top of the frontal lobes(耳垂) and along the walls that divide the left and right hemispheres(大脑半球).
"In the past, we found activity in the ACC when people had to make a difficult decision, or after they make a mistake," Brown said. "But now we find that this brain area can actually learn to recognize when you might make a mistake, even before a difficult decision has to be made. So the ACC appears to act as an early warning system—— it learns to warn us in advance when our behavior might lead to a negative outcome, so that we can be more careful and avoid making a mistake."
By providing a clearer picture by which we self monitor and control our behavior, the study is an important step in efforts to develop more effective treatments for mental illnesses. It also provides a new way of understanding inappropriate behaviors that often accompany mental illnesses.
"Our results suggest how injury of the ACC can lead to breakdowns in the early warning system, so that the brain fails to stop or control inappropriate behavior ahead of time," said Brown. "On the other hand, in those persons with mental disorder, the ACC might warn us of an upcoming problem even when no problem is in the existence."
Known to be an important part of the brain's control system, the ACC is believed to help adjust between cold, hard, fact-based reasoning and emotional responses, such as love, fear or expectation.
1.According to the passage, the ACC____________.
A. refers to the sixth sense for danger
B. deals with obvious warning situations
C. connects the left and right hemispheres
D. sends warning messages in advance
2.The new research is beneficial because it ________ .
A. provides a new way of avoiding mistakes
B. adjusts emotional responses in time of danger
C. helps find better treatments for mental illnesses
D. assists people in predicting and avoiding danger
3.The new research helps us understand _________.
A. why we are likely to make mistakes when the ACC is badly injured
B. why people with illnesses usually have so many strange behaviors
C. how the ACC works when something dangerous happens
D. how our brain warns us of failure in advance
Singles' Day ---- the Chinese opposite of Valentine’s Day has turned into a massive online shopping event. It is a day when single people are supposed to buy themselves presents. But there are sociological reasons behind China's “celebration” of single life. And the imbalance could have big consequences for the country.
There were 34 million more men than women in China in 2011. Part of that is natural – usually there are 105 boys born for every 100 girls. But the Chinese gender ratio (性别比例) at birth is much more obvious. It was 116 boys to 100 girls in 2012. The one child policy is largely to blame. Brought in to limit population expansion, the policy allows only one child per family. But because male children are seen as more valuable, as well as more likely to support their parents in old age, some parents choose to have a son over a daughter. The result is that large numbers of men will likely never get married. In fact, one study has predicted that by 2030, 1 in 5 Chinese men in their 30s will never have married, while another states that 94% of unmarried people in China are men.
Traditionally, China has seen high levels of marriage, usually among the young. Besides, the increased education and career opportunities for women have meant that marriages are happening later. It is also traditional that women often marry men of a higher socioeconomic status than themselves. So women at the top and men at the bottom find themselves alone. One study has even suggested a link between an imbalanced gender ratio and growth in violent crime in the country.
Singles’ Day can’t solve all the problems China’s singles face. Indeed, it is possible that it is causing even more problems, as men resort to increasingly risky lines of work to increase their chances of gaining money and thus a wife. I am worried that as money starts to overcome romance, there is evidence that China ' s marriage market is increasingly materialistic.
1.In 2012, if 50 girls were born, how many boys were probably born?
A. 50. B. 52. C. 58. D. 60.
2.What made women in China get married late?
A. Their support of the government’s late marriage policy.
B. Their higher education level and more work chances.
C. That they expect to enjoy their single time when young.
D. That there are too many excellent young men to choose from.
3.What’s the writer’s attitude to the imbalance gender ratio in China?
A. Optimistic B. Concerned
C. Indifferent D. Unknown
4.We can learn from the passage that .
A. Singles' Day is celebrated all over the world.
B. by 2030, 1 in 5 Chinese women in their 30s will be out of marriage.
C. an imbalanced gender ratio is related to the growth in violent crime.
D. Singles' Day will solve all the problems China’s singles face.
The world's first hamburger doesn't come from where you think it comes from. It wasn't invented in the United States, and it didn't originate in Germany. No, the world's first hamburger comes from China.
If you're scratching your head right now, you're not alone. But Chinese hamburgers are very real and they definitely predate the hamburgers we call our own in the U.S. Known as rou jia mo, which translates to "meat burger" or "meat sandwich", they consist of chopped meat inside a pita-like bun, and they've been around since the Qin Dynasty, from about 221 BC to 207 BC. Despite the differences between this Chinese street food and our American-style burgers, the rou jia mo has been called the world's first hamburger.
The rou jia mo originated in the Shanxi Province of China, and is now eaten all over the country. It's typically prepared and eaten on the street. The dough for the bun, or mo, consists of a simple mixture of wheat flour, water and maybe yeast. Of course recipes may vary, but this basic equation makes for a chewy and subtle pillow for the delicious filling. While the mo is traditionally baked in a clay oven, today it's often fried in a pan. They may look a little like Chinese steamed buns or baozi, but the dough for those are, of course, steamed, not baked or fried.
The meat filling might consist of chopped pork, beef, lamb or chicken that has been stewed with a variety of spices, like ginger, cloves, coriander and star anise. You might also find herbs like cilantro or greens like lettuce garnishing the sandwich.
1.What does the underlined word mean?
A. noodle B. food C. bread D. beverage
2.Which of the following is TRUE?
A. The mo people eat today is baked in a clay oven.
B. The world's first hamburger which was originated in the Shanxi Province of China is popular around the world.
C. The rou jia mo has a history of more than 2200 years.
D. The rou jia mo and American-style burgers share a similar cooking process.
3.What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Delicious hamburger
B. How to cook hamburger
C. Chinese invented hamburger
D. History of hamburger
Most of us are expecting high-quality customer service in our daily life, but actually enjoying a happy purchase is easier said than done.
Shoppers seldom complain to the manager or owner of a retail store, but instead they will alert their friends, relatives, co-workers, strangers—and anyone who will listen.
Store managers are often the last to hear complaints, and often find out only when their regular customers decide to frequent their competitors, according to a study jointly conducted by Verde Group and Wharton School.
“Storytelling hurts retailers and entertains consumers,” said Paula Courtney, President of the Verde Group. “The store loses the customer, but the shopper must also find a replacement.”
On average, every unhappy customer will complain to at least four others, and will no longer visit the specific store. For every dissatisfied customer, a store will lose up to three more due to negative review. The resulting “snowball effect” can be disastrous to retailers.
According to the research, shoppers who purchased clothing encountered the most problems. Ranked second and third were grocery and electronic customers.
The most common complaints include filled parking lots, cluttered (塞满了的) shelves, overloaded racks, out-of-stock items, long check-out lines, and rude salespeople.
During peak shopping hours, some retailers solved parking problems by getting moonlighting (业余兼职的) local police to work as parking attendants. Some hired flag wavers to direct customers to empty parking spaces. This guidance eliminated the need for customers to circle the parking lot endlessly, and avoided confrontation between those eyeing the same parking space.
Retailers can relieve the headaches by redesigning store layouts, pre-stocking sales items, hiring speedy and experienced cashiers, and having sales representatives on hand to answer questions.
Most importantly, salespeople should be diplomatic and polite with angry customers.
“Retailers who’re responsive and friendly are more likely to smooth over issues than those who aren’t so friendly,” said Professor Stephen Hoch. “Maybe something as simple as a greeter at the store entrance would help.”
Customers can also improve future shopping experiences by filing complaints to the retailer, instead of complaining to the rest of the world. Retailers are hard-pressed to improve when they have no idea what is wrong.
1.Why are store managers often the last to hear complaints?
A. Most customers won’t bother to complain even if they have had unhappy experiences.
B. Customers have no easy access to store managers.
C. Few customers believe the service will be improved.
D. Customers would rather relate their unhappy experiences to people around them.
2.What does Paula imply by saying “the shopper must also find a replacement” ?( Para. 4)
A. New customers are bound to replace old ones.
B. Most stores provide the same kind of service.
C. Not complaining to manager causes the shopper some trouble too.
D. It is not likely the shopper can find the same products in other stores.
3.Shop owners often hire moonlighting police as parking attendants so that shoppers________.
A. can stay longer browsing in the store
B. won’t have trouble parking their cars
C. won’t have any worrier about security
D. can find their cars easily after shopping
4.What contributes most to smoothing over issues with customers?
A. Design of store layout.
B. Hiring of efficient employees
C. Huge supply of goods for sale.
D. Manners of the salespeople.
5.To achieve better shopping experiences, customers are advised to ________.
A. exert pressure on stores to improve their service
B. voice their dissatisfaction to store managers directly
C. settle their disputes with stores in a diplomatic
D. shop around and make comparisons between stores
书面表达
假如你是李华，前几天你收到了你的朋友Vince的来信，询问你的高三生活，你打算在回信中介绍以下三个方面的内容：
1．生活安排； 2．学习计划； 3．理想的大学及专业。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2．可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3．开头与结尾已为你写好，不计入总词数。
Dear Vince，
I'm very glad to hear from you._________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Best wishes!
Yours sincerely，
Li Hua
短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词。
2．只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
How can a person recover from emotional problems? Many people suggest that he or she watches humorous films. And a recent study proves it to be wrong. The study also shows that watching at sad films can make getting over a negative mood a easier job.
Emotional experiences is important to people's wellbeing. People are less likely to share their feelings with these who have had similar experiences. Similar, people prefer movies that reflect their mood. That's the reason a sad film rather than a pleasant one can contribute to comfort a sad person.
