Finding the Real You
Psychometric testing—personality testing—has been very popular nowadays as studies show their results to be three times more accurate in predicting your job performance. These tests are now included in almost all graduate recruitment (招聘) and are widely used in the selection of managers.
The most popular of these personality tests is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). It is based on the theory that we are born with a tendency to one personality type which stays more or less fixed throughout life. You answer 88 questions and are then given your “type”, such as Outgoing or Quiet, Feeling or Thinking.
Critics of personality testing raise doubts about “social engineering”. Psychologist Dr. Colin Gill warns that the “popular” personality traits (特性) have their disadvantages. “People who are extremely open to new experiences can be butterflies, going from one idea to the next without mastering any of them.” However, the psychometric test is here to stay, which may be why a whole sub-industry on cheating personality tests has sprung up. “It’s possible to cheat,” admits Gill, “but having to pretend to be the person you are at work will be tiring and unhappy and probably short-lived.”
So can we change our personality? “Your basic personality is fixed by the time you’re 21,”says Gill,“ but it can be affected by motivation and intelligence. If you didn’t have the personality type to be a doctor but desperately wanted to be one and were intelligent enough to master the skills, you could still go ahead. But trying to go too much against type for too long requires much energy and is actually to be suffered for long. I think it’s why we’re seeing this trend for downshifting—too many people trying to fit in to a type that they aren’t really suited for.”
Our interest in personality now exists in every part of our lives. If you ask an expert for advice on anything, you’ll probably be quizzed about your personality. But if personality tests have any value to us, perhaps it is to free us from the idea that all of us are full of potential, and remind us of what we are. As they say in one test when they ask for your age: pick the one you are, not the one you wish you were.
1.The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is based on the belief that ______.
A. certain personality traits are common
B. personality is largely decided from birth
C. some personality types are better than others
D. personality traits are various from time to time
2.According to Dr. Gill, what is the problem with personality tests?
A. Employers often find the results unclear.
B. They may have a negative effect on takers.
C. People can easily lie about their true abilities.
D. The results could be opposite to what employers want.
3. In Dr. Gill’s view, how easy is it to change your personality?
A. It’s possible in your adult life.
B. It’s easy if you have great motivation.
C. It’s difficult before the age of 21.
D. It’s unlikely because it requires much energy.
4.What final conclusion does the author reach about the value of personality tests?
A. They are not really worth doing.
B. They may encourage greater realism.
C. They are of doubtful value to employers.
D. They can strengthen the idea we have of our abilities.
Phone Soap: Charge and Clean Your Phone
You may charge your phone every day, but do you clean your phone as much? Whatever your hands touch, your phones touch. It has been discovered that some phones have 18 times more bacteria and viruses than any surface in a public restroom. So it probably won’t surprise you that a 2011 University of London study found that one in six of our phones have bacteria and viruses on them—specifically, the bacteria called E. coli.
The research on bacteria and viruses led to the invention of Phone Soap. It is not actually liquid like dishwasher soap. It is a phone charger that uses the electromagnetic radiation (辐射) used in hospitals to kill 99.9 percent of bacteria and viruses, cleaning your phone while it charges.
“There are really certain types of bacteria and viruses that we should not be in touch with, and they are really on our phones,” says Wes Barnes, the Phone Soap co-founder. It all started while his cousin and co-founder, Dan LaPorte, was in his cancer research lab at college. “He realized he got the idea of getting rid of bacteria and viruses on the phones,” said Barnes. “In the lab they used UV-C light for destroying them. He realized this would be the fastest, most powerful way to kill any bacteria and viruses living on electronic machines.”
Phone Soap looks like a little metal suitcase. Your phone rests in to charge and get cleaned at the same time. Instead of plugging your phone into the wall, you’d plug it into the Phone Soap charger box. The process only takes a few minutes but, Barnes says, “The idea is that you can leave it in there overnight if you want to keep charging. Reflective paint keeps the light completely around the phone so it cleans the phone fully.”
The co-founders spent 2013 finding the right companies and they started shipping the product in late November. By last week’s International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Phone Soap was all grown-up. Both co-founders have left their previous jobs and are selling Phone Soap nonstop. “We’re shipping almost more than we can handle each day,” Barnes says. “It’s been a great adventure.”
1.We can learn from the first paragraph that ______.
A. phones can be very dirty
B. phones are where bacteria are born
C. most phones are attacked by bacteria
D. phones store more bacteria in a restroom
2.According to the passage, Phone Soap ______.
A. takes a whole night to kill bacteria
B. deals with bacteria with radiation
C. is a kind of liquid like dishwasher soap
D. has to be plugged into the wall to work
3. From what Barnes said in the last paragraph, we can infer that ______.
A. Phone Soap is in great demand now
B. Phone Soap is really hard to handle
C. they can’t produce enough Phone Soap
D. they’ll make improvements to Phone Soap
4.What’s the passage mainly about?
A. Methods of cleaning phones.
B. Tips on charging phones quickly.
C. Soap killing harmful bacteria on phones.
D. A phone charger keeping your phone clean.
Looking good, feeling good
Born to a model mom and a suit maker dad, fashion was actually in my blood. I always had a strong desire to dress in a certain way and to stand out from the crowd.
I made my own toys when I was a young child and sewed my first skirt at just 10 years old. A friend’s mother took one look at my skirt and told me that I should be a patternmaker. In high school I started making my own clothes, mostly changing other things because I never liked anything how it was when I bought it. During the last two years of school, I worked part-time for a small business that made hand-painted silk clothing and bags. The owner became the teacher who got me into design in the first place. Another useful bit of work experience then came when I worked at a showroom during fashion week and found it very exciting. From there I worked at a top clothing store while I got my business started.
For my business I started out with the idea that everything I did would be hand-made and one-of-a-kind, specially made for one individual who hopefully had the same tastes as me. Every morning I jumped out of bed, went to my studio and worked on my projects. This just showed how enthusiastic I felt about my work. And at night I even dreamed of new designs!
Fashion design is functional art. What I mean is that it’s something close to you and something you can touch and feel, and actually interact with. My advice to any young person who wants to be a fashion designer is to get the basic skills early on, such as sewing and pattern-making. Even if you end up specializing, it’s really important to understand all aspects of design in order to make high-quality clothes.
Also, if you dream of having your own clothing line, the best thing to do is start wearing your clothes. You have to try and do this because that’s the way you’re going to develop something that’s all yours and unlike anyone else’s. I passionately believe that the right clothing can make people feel better and give them more confidence.
1.When the author was in high school, she ______.
A. wore the latest fashions
B. was fond of hand-painted clothing
C. began to make clothes on her own
D. dressed in the same way as her classmates
2.What does the underlined word “functional” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A. Practical. B. Standard. C. Decorative. D. Complex.
3.What advice does the author give to those who want to be fashion designers?
A. Creating basic designs in high school.
B. Wearing high-quality clothes all the time.
C. Looking at what their friends are wearing.
D. Deciding what is unique about their clothes.
4.According to the author, well-designed clothes _______.
A. cost people a lot of money
B. bring people great success
C. provide people with popular taste
D. help people feel sure of themselves
A Pen That Draws in Any Color
The Scribble is a magical pen that can scan colors and instantly reproduce the colors. Hold the Scribble’s scanner up to any color, and within a second that color is stored in its memory. Once stored, that color can be used to draw on paper or on a digital screen.
Who can use the Scribble ?
Children will love the Scribble because it can create different colors, replacing even their biggest box of crayons (蜡笔). Besides, anyone working with color in their professional lives, such as artists, will be able to scan and reproduce colors instantly.
The Scribble is the best color—Green
One of the most important characteristics of the Scribble is that, since it can reproduce any color, it replaces marking pens, greatly reducing the huge amount of plastic waste.
What’ s inside the Scribble ?
There will be two different versions of the Scribble, the Scribble INK and the Scribble STYLUS. The INK will be able to reproduce exact colors on paper. It includes a color sensor, 1 GB of internal memory that will store over 100,000 colors, a rechargeable battery, Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, a processor and 5 ink cartridges (盒). The STYLUS is exactly the same as the INK, minus the ink cartridge as it is intended for use on screen.
How did we create the Scribble?
We’ve been in the design process for two years and the Scribble has gone through various design changes to get it to where we are now. Because of its small size we have created some ideas never seen before in the color reproduction industry. We created the Scribble for YOU and want you to be a part of the process!
Thank you for your support
Thank you so much for your concern about the Scribble. Thank you also for your support! Make sure to bookmark our website and check back often to see the progress as well as the updated times for production and delivery of your Scribble.
1. According to the passage, the Scribble ______.
A. has replaced the common pens
B. brings environmental problems
C. is the product of high technology
D. is designed for a certain group of people
2. How is the Scribble different from other pens?
A. It can copy colors.
B. It is smaller in size.
C. It has different versions.
D. It can only be used on screen.
3.The main purpose of the passage is to ______.
A. seek advice about the Scribble
B. introduce the Scribble to readers
C. compare the Scribble with other pens
D. provide methods of using the Scribble
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A Person Who Has Influenced My Life
There is always a time in one’s life when a hero comes along. Someone who has inspired you can really help you learn what life is about.
I ____ it as if it was yesterday. I was fifteen years old that year. It was around eight o’clock one evening when my mother ____ a phone call from her brother-in-law, who told us my aunt was in hospital and that the doctor ____ themshe would need an operation immediately. My family became very ____ about my aunt’s situation.
While my aunt was in the hospital with special ____, my cousin Mark, who is mentally disabled, spent time with my family. Mark was seventeen at the time, and had been born with severe mental disorders, which ____ a wide range of social and physical problems for him throughout everyday life. He never had any true friend____ no one could relate to him. I must ____ that at the beginning I was filled with uncertainty as to how much of a____ my cousin would bring on my family. Now looking back it saddens me to see the ____ I once showed.
Over the two weeks when Mark lived with my family, I probably ____ more about life and its meanings. Thinking back, I took ____ in daily life for granted, believing it would always be there. I never even thought about being able to do things like walking, brushing my teeth, or going to the bathroom on my own. Now I see how____ I am to be able to do these things independently.
Mark was seventeen, but learned on a nine-year-old ____. Although his learning ability was slower than most, he could still learn. He explored ____ to do most of the things everyone else did. ____ he did pretty well and succeeded at almost everything he tried to do. He ___ his illness and showed an ambition to love life. To him, having a successful life means achieving goals on his own terms and at his own ____.
Mark is my hero, for his disability has forever ____ my viewpoint on life. It seems like a well-deserved life when you’re fifteen, and it is amazing how in a period of time your point of view can change so ____.
1.A. accept B. remember C. imagine D. discover
2.A. made B. missed C. received D. used
3.A. informed B. promised C. showed D. begged
4.A.sure B. curious C. disappointed D. worried
5.A. care B. interest C. purpose D. action
6.A. found B. faced C. created D. influenced
7.A. until B. although C. unless D. because
8.A. believe B. admit C. decide D. regret
9.A. puzzle B. failure C.burden D. conflict
10.A. ignorance B. weakness C. relief D. mercy
11.A. required B. understood C. questioned D. dreamed
12.A. anything B. something C. nothing D. everything
13.A. powerful B. brave C. lucky D. successful
14.A. level B. variety C. job D. balance
15.A. achievements B. possibilities C. functions D. difficulties
16.A. Typically B.Occasionally C. Accidentally D. Actually
17.A. treated B. prevented C. challenged D. reported
18.A. pace B. cost C. business D. request
19.A. represented B. changed C. formed D. supported
20.A. easily B. normally C. properly D. completely
As a doctor, I spend most of the time with my patients, and that’s ______ it is in my day.
A. how B. when C. why D. where
