E-cigarettes began as a way to stop people from smoking tobacco. But a new study among teens suggests a scary effect: E-cigarettes are now appealing to non-smokers as well. In a survey of over 2 ,000 California high school juniors and seniors, researchers from the University of Southern California discovered that over 40 percent of teen e-cigarette smokers have never smoked traditional cigarettes.
The National Youth Tobacco Survey reports a nearly 9 percent increase in the number of high school students using e-cigarettes from 2013 to 2014,more than enough to stifle (掩盖) the 3. 5 percent decrease in teen cigarette use, as recorded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While 9 percent may not sound like a ton, the amount of middle and high school students using e-cigarettes has actually tripled(增至三倍) .
How, despite decades of anti-smoking advocacy efforts, have e-cigarettes gained such massive popularity in such a short time? Scientists say that the “renormalization” of teen smoking may not be entirely self-inflicted(自己造成的) .A study found that 34 percent of adolescent e-smokers are exposed to electronic cigarettes via a member of their family or friend groups.
Advertising also makes e-cigarettes look cool. E-cigarettes, which are not very expensive, are marketed as a safe alternative to traditional cigarettes, and teens are buying the message. In a recent study in North Carolina, high schoolers easily made a list of the dangers of smoking tobacco, but when asked to do the same with regard to e-cigarettes, the teens were unsure whether the devices could be considered safe. Some weren't even aware that e-cigarettes contain nicotine. But e-cigarettes do contain nicotine. It is highly addictive, which is why some consider e-cigarettes a gateway drug.
If stressing the dangers of tobacco helped make cigarettes uncool, we can do the same to destroy e-cigarettes.
1.From 2013 to 2014 student e-cigarette smokers in high school increased by about ____.
A. 3. 5% B. 9% C. 27% D. 40%
2.About one third of teen e-smokers use e-cigarettes because of ____ .
A. e-cigarettes’ low prices B. cool designs of e-cigarettes
C. the influence of people around them. D. their dislike of traditional cigarettes
3.What can we infer from Paragraph 4?
A. E-cigarettes are different from drugs.
B. Teens are unsure whether e-cigarettes can be considered safe.
C. E-cigarettes are safer than traditional cigarettes.
D. Teens are misled by e-cigarette advertisements.
4.What is the author’s attitude to e-cigarettes?
A. favorable B. objective C. opposed D. indifferent
As any plane passenger will confirm, a crying baby is almost impossible to ignore, no matter how hard you try. Now scientists believe they may have worked out why. A baby’s cry pulls at the heartstrings(扣人心弦)in a way while other cries don’t, researchers found.
Researchers found that a baby’s cry can trigger unique emotional responses in the brain, making it impossible for us to ignore them—whether we are parents or not. Other types of cries, including calls of animals in great pain, fail to get the same response, suggesting the brain is programmed to respond specifically to a baby’s cry.
A team of Oxford University scientists scanned the brains of 28 men and women as they listened to a variety of calls and cries. After 100 milliseconds, roughly the time it takes to blink (眨眼) , two parts of the brain that respond to emotion lit up. Their response to a baby’s cry was particularly strong. The response was seen in both men and women, even if they had no children.
Researcher Dr Christine Parsons said, “You might read that men should just notice a baby and step over it and not see it, but it’s not true. There is a special processing in men and women, which makes sense from an evolutionary(演化的)view that both men and women would be responding to these cries.” The study was in people who were not parents, yet they are all responding at 100ms to these particular cries, so this might be a fundamental response present in all of us regardless of parental status.
Fellow researcher Katie Young said it may take a bit longer for someone to recognize their own child’s cries because they need to do more “fine-grained analysis”. The team had previously found that our reactions speed up when we hear a baby crying. Adults performed better on computer games when they heard the sound of a baby crying than after they heard recordings of adults crying.
1.A baby’s cry is difficult to ignore because it ____.
A. keeps on crying B. makes people feel strong emotions
C. causes people great pain D. cries harder than adults
2.The underlined word “trigger” in Paragraph 2 probably means “____”.
A. remove B. cause C. avoid D. cure
3.What may Christine Parsons agree to?
A. A crying baby makes no sense to people without children.
B. Almost everyone makes certain response to a baby’s cry.
C. Men pay less attention to a crying baby than women.
D. Parents can hardly recognize their own babies’ cries.
4.What’s the main idea of the text?
A. Why you can’t get a baby’s cry out of your head.
B. How to recognize different babies’ cries.
C. Why a baby is easy and likely to cry.
D. How to prevent a baby crying.
One day a professor entered the classroom and asked his students to prepare for a surprise test. They waited anxiously at their desks for the test to begin. The professor handed out the question paper, with the text facing down as usual. Once he handed them all out, he asked his students to turn the page and begin. To everyone's surprise, there were no questions but a black dot in the center of the page. The professor seeing the expression on everyone' face, told them the following, “I want you to write what you see there.”
The students were confused and got started on the inexplicable (令人不解的) task.
At the end of the class the professor took all the answer papers and started reading each one of them aloud in front of all the students. All of them with no exceptions, described the black dot, explained its position in the middle of the sheet, imagined what the black dot stood for and so on.
After all had been read, the classroom was silent. The professor began to explain, “I am not going to grade on you this time. I just wanted to give you something to think about. No one wrote about the white part of the paper. Everyone focused on the black dot and the same happens in our lives. We have a white paper to observe and enjoy, but we always focus on the dark spots. Our life is filled with love and care, and we always have reasons to celebrate—nature renewing itself every day, our friends around us, the job that provides our livelihood, the miracles we see every day…”
In fact, we insist on focusing only on the dark spots—the health issues that bother us, the lack of money, the complicated relationship with a family member, the disappointment with a friend, etc. Take your eyes away from the black spots in your life. The dark spots are very small compared to everything we have in our lives, so enjoy each moment that life gives you.
1.Why did the students feel confused about the test?
A. The professor didn’t ask them to prepare for the test.
B. There was totally nothing on the question paper.
C. It was too hard for them to answer the questions.
D. They hadn't seen such an unusual question paper before.
2.Which of the following is NOT mentioned on the students’ answer papers?
A. The meaning of the black dot.
B. The description of the black dot.
C. The white part of the paper.
D. The position of the black dot.
3.What is the professor’s purpose in giving this test?
A. To show the students how hard the life is.
B. To remind the students of the joys in life.
C. To let the students know their shortcomings.
D. To encourage the students to study harder.
4.What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?
A. Don't pay attention to the hardship in life.
B. Remove the black spots out of our life.
C. Don't focus on others’ faults but yours.
D. Remember you can’t see all the things in life.
The annual World Economic Forum took place in Davos, Switzerland, in Jan. 23-26, 2018. What did Chinese entrepreneurs speak in the forum? Are there some quotable quotes for you?
★Jack Ma, founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group
“I think globalization cannot be stopped — no one can stop globalization, no one can stop trade. If trade stops, the world stops. Trade is the way to dissolve (结束) the war not cause the war,” said Ma in Davos, “Google, Facebook, Amazon and Alibaba — we are the luckiest companies of this century. But we have the responsibility to have a good heart, and do something good.”
★Richard Liu, founder and chief executive officer of JD
“Business is not only a way to make money but also a way to contribute yourself, to help people,” Liu said in a speech in Davos. “How can we face the fractured (分化的) world? That’s the topics of the Davos this year. I think a very important thing in business is cooperation. If we can unite, work together, if we work very closely, I think we can bring more hope to the people and we can build more trust between the people, countries and companies and partners,” he said.
★Jane Sun, CEO of Ctrip
“Tourism is a sunrise industry. Since I entered Ctrip, every year there are new comers, which, first of all, shows that tourism is booming.” Sun told Sina.com in Davos. “We invested heavily in ABC. A refers to AI, B is big data, and C is cloud computing. As we continue to expand overseas, these three will be very good weapons for us. So we think those mean opportunity,” she said.
★Hu Xiaoming, president of Aliyun
“In 2018, people will see the development in various countries more closely connected with cloud computing. More manufacturing enterprises and financial institutions will start to use ‘cloud’, and cloud computing will increase the efficiency of technology and finance,” Hu told Xinhua in Davos.
1.What do Chinese entrepreneurs like Jack Ma and Richard Liu focus more on?
A. More huge jumps in profits. B. The joined efforts of mankind.
C. Reducing production costs. D. The role of science in business.
2.What is the main business of Ctrip?
A. Tourism. B. The creation of AI.
C. Computer. D. Financial service online.
3.What does Hu think will promote global economic development?
A. Economy recovery. B. The World Economic Forum.
C. Cloud computing. D. Financial efficiency.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.Where is the apartment the speaker rent?
A. Next to his company. B. Next to his parents’ house. C. Next to a bus station.
2.What is$100 paid for?
A. The gas. B. The water. C. The Internet service.
3.Whom does the speaker live with?
A. His pet. B. His roommate. C. No one.
4.What does the speaker say about the apartment?
A. It has no kitchen. B. It isn’t well-equipped. C. It’s comfortable enough.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Where are the speakers probably?
A. In a cinema. B. At home. C. In the car.
2.How does the man find the plot?
A. Unbelievable. B. Fantastic. C. Realistic.
3.Who amazes the girl?
A. The airship officer. B. The captain. C. The airship’s doctor.
4.What will the girl do next?
A. Go home. B. Review lessons. C. Go to sleep.
