Earthquake in Japan.Donald Trump is accused of planting story about actress’s height after she rejected him. Mexico arrests ex-police chief in case of 43 missing students. Do you really need to know all these things?
Three years ago, I began an experiment. I stopped reading all newspapers and magazines. Televisions and radios were rejected. I deleted the news apps from my iPhone. I didn’t touch a single free newspaper and deliberately looked the other way when someone tried to offer me any such reading material. The first weeks were hard. Very hard! I was constantly afraid of missing something. But after a while, I had a new understanding. The result after three years: clearer thoughts, more valuable ideas, better decisions, and much more time. And the best thing? I haven’t missed anything important.
A dozen reasons exist to give news a wide berth. Here are the top three: First, our brain reacts differently to different types of information. Shocking, people-based, fast-changing details all appeal to us. News producers capitalize on this. The result: Everything complex, abstract, and profound(深刻的) must be systematically singled out, even though such stories are much more relevant to our lives and to our understanding of the world. As a result, we walk around with a misrepresented mental map of the risks and threats we actually face.
Second, news is irrelevant. In the past year, you have probably consumed about ten thousand pieces of news. Be very honest: Name one of them, just one that helped you make a better decision—for your life, your career, or your business—compared with not having this piece of news. No one I have asked has been able to name more than two useful news stories—out of ten thousand. News organizations claim that their information gives you a competitive advantage. Too many fall for this. If news really helped people advance, journalists would be at the top of the income pyramid.
Third, news is a waste of time. An average human being spends half a day each week reading about current affairs. This is a huge loss of productivity. Take the 2008 terror attack in Mumbai. Let’s say a billion people viewed the minute-by-minute updates and listened to the chatter of a few “experts” and “commentators.” Thus our conservative calculation: One billion people multiplied by an hour’s distraction equals one billion hours of work stoppage. News wasted around two thousand lives—ten times more than the attack.
I would predict that turning your back on news will benefit you as much as removing any of the other ninety-eight errors we have covered in the pages of this book. Read long background articles and books. Nothing beats books for understanding the world.
1.How did the author feel at the beginning of his experiment?
A. He was in constant fear.
B. He enjoyed it very much.
C. He had a better vision about life.
D. He missed his friends and relatives.
2.What does the underlined phrase in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
A. Refuse to read news.
B. Select newscarefully.
C. Question news.
D. Help circulate news.
3.In the author’s opinion, news ________.
A. represents a competitive advantage
B. offers a mental map of the world
C. leads to a loss of productivity
D. brings journalists’ income up
4.What’s the main purpose of writing the passage?
A. To offer tips on choosing news.
B. To advocate giving up reading news.
C. To share experiences on avoiding news.
D. To criticize media’s misleading choice of news.
This week at the British Science Festival, Prof Rory Wilson of Swansea University has been revealing (揭示) the secrets of the animal kingdom, including penguins’diving habits and the emotional(情感的) states of elephants.
“The problem with animals is that we often want to know things about them that they don’t want to tell us or that aren’t easy to find out. The only way to do it is to put something on the animal that will accompany it,” Prof Wilson said. Addressing a crowd of journalists, Prof Wilson said his work was all made possible by a small electronic chip (芯片) his team developed specifically to monitor animals in their private hours.
This chip contains pressure, temperature and light sensors—offering an extraordinary view of an animal’s life. The chip, Prof Wilson explained, does exactly what our smartphones or fitness monitors do, continually tracking and recording the wearer’s position and movements. “This is a novel written by an animal. It’s very exciting to be the first person to open that novel.” This earlier chip was about five times larger than the current version, 27mm across and 4mm thick—and weighing 1.2g.
So far the group at Swansea has recorded the lives of more than 1,000 animals and 100 different species. Prof Wilson said the whole enterprise was a team effort. His group consists of academics, postdocs and students, who spend months searching through all the data collected by the chips.
Presenting results from a chip on a penguin in Argentina, he said the penguin was a personal favorite; he still analyzes these birds’ data himself. Looking at the huge screen in Prof Wilson’s lab, we could see the penguin’s individual steps. A change in movement and a drop in temperature indicate the exact moment of a dive into the water. The sensors within the chip are so accurate that they can easily detect behaviors that humans might not notice—even offering deep understanding into some animals’ emotional state.
Think of the way we humans walk. If someone is happy, this can be reflected in our physical behavior—it is often said that they “have a spring in their step”. To observe if this sort of phenomenon also occurs in animals, Prof Wilson’s team analyzed the walking movement of elephants in a zoo. They realized that an elephant walking towards something it liked would walk in a particular way. When that same elephant though was made to go away from the thing it liked, it would walk in a different manner. “How well you can predict the behavior of animals and protect them is dependent on how well you understand the rules by which they’re working.” Prof Wilson said.
1.According to Prof Wilson, what contributes most to his team’s discovery?
A. The cooperation of experts from different fields.
B. The use of a special electronic chip.
C. The personal interest in penguins.
D. The special way of data analysis.
2.It can be learned from the passage that the sensors can ________.
A. evaluate stress resulting from animals’ fighting
B. examine penguins’ unusual behavior while diving
C. distinguish different walking manners of elephants
D. provide information about the animals’ inner feelings
3.Monitoring animals’ behavior helps ________.
A. set rules for them
B. control their behavior
C. change their habits
D. understand and protect them
4.Which is the best title of the passage?
A. Inspiring ‘Novels’ Written by a Group from Swansea University
B. Pioneering ‘Diaries’ Uncover the Secret Lives of Animals
C. Penguins and Elephants Tracked for Emotional State
D. Scientists Made a Breakthrough in Animal Study
When the telephone rings late at night, most women guess it must be one of only four or five people calling. A sister?Maybe.An emergency?Possibly.A mother?Probably not at that time of night. Much more probably it is a close female friend calling to tell you that she has split up with her boyfriend again or perhaps simply that a good movie has just started on TV.
At a time when families are spread far and wide and marriages often end in divorce, friendships are becoming more and more important. Erika, a 32-year-old lawyer, is strengthened by her ten-year friendship with her married friend Jane. “I was very sick one night, so I called Jane at about 3:00 a.m. to talk about it,” she says. “She was very supportive and even came over to take me to the doctor’s the next morning.”
As American TV shows like Friends, which follows the lives of a very close group of young friends, have become more popular, many of us are beginning to see the value of such friendships. TV shows like this tell us that our romantic relationships may not last, but we need to keep in touch with our close friends if we want to survive.
A TV show called Real Women is about the lives and relationships of five former school friends. In this show, family, husbands, and work are all less important than friendships. One of its actresses says the show reflects her own experience. “Friendship is about commitment. I don’t see some of my friends for ages but when we get together, it is as if time hasn’t passed.”
This is true of Erika and Jane’s friendship. With Erika’s family 200 miles away, it is Jane who keeps a spare set of keys to Erika’s apartment and waters her plants whenever she is away. “Having Jane around gives me a certain amount of freedom. It is not the kind of thing that you could ask anyone to do, but she knows I would do the same for her.” Erika feels that because she no longer sees her family every day, she now enjoys a closer relationship with her best friend. Jane, who may move to a different city soon, is worried about leaving such a support system of friends. “My friends have more to do with my life than my parents and, therefore, I don’t have to spend a lot of time explaining things to them. Friends are more up to date with what is happening.”
1.According to the passage, a late-night phone call for most women is probably from ________.
A. a friendB. a relativeC. a strangerD. a doctor
2.TV shows like Friends tell us that ________.
A. marriages with friends often end up in failure
B. families and work are as important as friends
C. close friends help us face problems in life
D. friendship fades as time goes by
3.From the passage, we can learn that Erika and Jane ________.
A. live far away from each other
B. have been friends for 32 years
C. spend a lot of time explaining things
D. trust and support each other in daily life
4.Which of the statements will the author probably agree with?
A. A near friend is more helpful than a faraway relative.
B. Both marriage and friendship demand commitment.
C. However far away we’re, parents worry about us.
D. Long distance makes the hearts closer.
Dear Mr. Smith,
I am seeking an opportunity to work with World Destiny as a Computer Systems Manager. My professional experience and my awareness of your high reputation and great achievements have led me to want to work for World Destiny.
Since 1998 I have focused on computer-system design and training. As Systems Administrator for Newport Museum for the past two years, I have directed accounting, capital campaign and publication production. We designed the system from scratch, developing all applications, policies, procedures, and training programs. I was well prepared for such a challenge by my previous positions as a Systems Support Specialist and MicroComputer Assistant for the Imperial Corporation of America.
Over the years, I have worked with Novell, using programs including dBase, Wordstar and Microsoft Word. This familiarity with a variety of hardware and software has helped me to get up to speed on nearly any computer with a minimum training period.
Additional experience in other fields also adds my value to World Destiny. As a Market Research Coordinator for Cushman & Wakefield of California, I not only researched and maintained（维护） a comprehensive database of Silicon Valley, but also produced statistical and written reports that support Cushman & Wakefield’s reputation. Previously, I organized companywide annual sales meetings for Qualogy, Inc.
Mr. Smith, while this experience more than qualifies me to join any number of successful companies, it is my personal goals that lead to my interest in being part of the World Destiny team. I believe my computer, promotional, and organizational skills, fueled by my beliefs, make World Destiny and me right for each other. Can we arrange an interview at your earliest convenience? I will call within the next week to arrange a meeting.
Sincerely, Beth Henning
1.Beth Henning’s work experience include ________.
A. Computer Systems Manager for Corporation of America
B. Systems Support Specialist for World Destiny
C. Systems Administrator for Newport Museum
D. MicroComputer Assistant for Novell
2.While working with Cushman & Wakefield of California, Beth’s work involved ________.
A. training new workers
B. maintaining a database
C. organizing sales meetings
D. developing company policies
3.Beth Henning proves herself qualified for the position mainly by ________.
A. stressing her personality strengths
B. promising her value to the company
C. listing relevant experiences and skills
D. expressing a strong interest in the company
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。
It was the third period of the day and time for the physical education class. Once outside, students broke into an easy jog toward the field until, all of a sudden, Marcus cried out, “Look! What happened to the ________? It looks…angry.”The students turned to see what he was pointing at all at once: Someone painted angry faces on the walls of the stadium!
During lunch, all of the students were whispering with ________ about the graffiti (涂鸦). Possible explanations spread like wildfire ________ the school.
Later in the afternoon, when Brian cleaned the blackboard, Marcus suddenly ________ the paint on his hands. He ________ that it was Brian who painted the graffiti, so after school, Marcusfollowed Brian to his locker and ________ on what he was doing. When Brian opened his locker, Marcus saw small cans of paint in there! He decided to ________ it to Mr. Johnson.
The next morning, Brian was called to the principal’s office. The moment Mr. Johnson asked ________ about the graffiti, tears started flowing down Brian’s cheeks. Filled with shame, he explained that he liked to paint, but he couldn’t join the ________ club because he had to go right home after school to baby-sit his little brother. “I don’t know why I painted those faces, and now I’ve ________ the stadium!” he sobbed.
Mr. Johnson was quite angry at first, but he began to ________ as he realized how miserable Brian was. “Brian, painting graffiti on school walls is a very ________ matter. We have to call your mother, and, of course, you will have to clean and ________ the walls.” Mr. Johnson paused. “________, I must say, those paintings are quite good. Did you have any ________ with them?”
Brian looked up and said,“No, I did them myself. Drawing and painting are the only things that I can do well.”
Mr. Johnson looked at Brian and thought for a moment before making a ________. “Well,” he said, “some teachers suggested that we hire a local ________ to paint our school mascot(吉祥物) on the stadium wall. How would you feel about participating in that?”
“Really?” Brian hesitated, ________ to believe what he just heard.
“Yes, but this project will be hard work, and you’ll be expected to complete the job on time. We can consider it part of your ________,” Mr. Johnson said, trying to hide his ________ as he picked up the phone.
1.A. fieldB. classroomC. officeD. stadium
2.A. curiosityB. excitementC. fearD. relief
3.A. toB. aroundC. fromD. beyond
4.A. wipedB. examinedC. spottedD. scanned
5.A. rememberedB. suspectedC. witnessesD. hoped
6.A. spiedB. reflectedC. commentedD. hit
7.A. makeB. reportC. describeD. retell
8.A. hesitantlyB. patientlyC. directlyD. sympathetically
9.A. artB. mathC. sportsD. music
10.A. changedB. decoratedC. cleanedD. ruined
11.A. worryB. softenC. relaxD. panic
12.A. strangeB. urgentC. seriousD. unusual
13.A. repaintB. hideC. buildD. repair
14.A. AndB. SoC. OrD. But
15.A. connectionB. difficultyC. experienceD. help
16.A. promiseB. choiceC. decisionD. judgment
17.A. reporterB. artistC. designerD. scientist
18.A. unableB. unwillingC. unlikelyD. unhappy
19.A. responsibilityB. talentC. devotionD. punishment
20.A. regretB. angerC. smileD. pride
________ by the heavy rain, we had to take shelter under a big tree.
A. DriveB. DrivenC. DrivingD. To drive
