To an outsider，any culture can seem confusing.And the UK's got a thing or two that raises a few eyebrows.However，understand the why and things might be less puzzling.1..
In a world where 61％of nations drive on the right，Brits drive on the left.Why? Most people think it goes back to Medieval，maybe even Roman times.2. when you remember that right-handed people wear a sword on their left hip.Travelling on the left allowed you to keep your weapon arm toward your opponent，who would be on your right.This practice continued until the 18th century when a law was passed requiring all traffic crossing London Bridge to keep to the left.
Visitors to the UK that have just washed their hands in an old-fashioned sink might be wondering why one tap is only for hot water，the other cold.3..So，why this oddity? It relates to a time when hot and cold water were kept separate to prevent pollution.Drinkable cold water came from a mains supply，but hot water came from attic tanks and was not considered suitable for consumption.So they were kept apart.
Millions of people drink tea worldwide，but the odd Brits put milk in theirs.Why? This mysterious practice relates to the quality of china cup used in the 18th century when tea was first imposed.For the majority of Brits，the cups available couldn’t stand the heat of the boiling water and would break，so milk was added first.4..And this practical tweak soon became a national habit.
5..As you can see，these odd Brits have perfectly clear reasons for left-hand driving，two-tap sinks and tea with milk.Even if they still seem strange，at least now you’re in the know.
A.This makes it difficult to improve
B.There is a method to the madness
C.This unusual behavior makes sense
D.You can know the origins of the practices
E.Either can make washing very uncomfortable
F.This cooled the cup enough to resist the boiling water
G.Here are the reasons for three of Britain’s more puzzling practices
Would you buy a car that released calming smells into the air when you are stuck in heavy traffic? Would you buy a robot that smells like a human being?
Many people have seen the 3-D computer-made environments of virtual (虚拟的) reality (VR). Now these virtual worlds will not just look and sound real. Researchers have created VR environments that even smell like the real things. With the new technology, users open a virtual door and step into a new environment, like a rainforest. After they enter this virtual world, special equipment releases forest-like smells into the air to make the experience seem more real.
Suzanne Fisher-Murray said, “It is a really wonderful experience that you have because you reexploring this environment and you have smells with it.”
In the United States, Smell-O-Vision was designed to provide smells during the showing of a movie. The Smell-O-Vision system was once popular in the 1960s. Now, Emanuela Maggioni says it is close to becoming popular again. “People will be impressed by the connection with emotions, memories, and ... the sense of smell,” Maggioni said. “It is unbelievable what we can do with technology.”
The uses for smell technology are not just limited to films and the performing arts. Researchers showed a computer program where users could imagine themselves driving a car. The system included a special smell-spraying machine. Dmitrijs Dmitrenko said, “We want to deliver the smell of lavender (薫衣草) every time the person drives over the speed limit. We choose lavender because it's a very calming smell.”
Scientists are experimenting with smell instead of sounds or image-based warnings on telecommunications equipment. And businesses are already using smell to influence people's behavior. “Not only...in stores... But on the other side, you can create and stimulate (刺激) immediate buying,” Maggioni said. “So you're in a library and you smell coffee and actually you are unconsciously having the need to drink a coffee.”
1.Using smell technology, researchers make VR environments ________.
A.have a smell of a rainforest B.even smell like real ones
C.look like a 4-D environment D.impress people with a virtual world
2.The example of Smell-O-Vision proves that ___________.
A.smell technology has been tried before
B.America is the first to use smell technology
C.cinemas are the most suitable for smell sense
D.it was out of date to use smell-spraying devices
3.How is smell technology used by businessmen?
A.To make buyers understand salesmen better.
B.To remind people of their unrealistic buying.
C.To help customers choose their favorite goods.
D.To encourage people to buy something suddenly.
4.What is the main idea of the passage?
A.The advanced smell-spraying machines.
B.The developments of smell technology.
C.A major breakthrough of smell technology.
D.The sense of smell in human communication.
Failure is an unavoidable part of life. Though science has named some life skills that promise success, we're told over and over again that no great success was ever achieved without failure -- or many failed attempts. One of life's most important lessons, therefore, has to be how to handle failure best. But what is the message?
For starters, ignore advice from anyone that tells you, “Don't beat yourself up about it,” no matter how well-meaning they are. According to the new research from the University of Kansas, we absolutely should be beating ourselves up when we fail. Marketing professor Noelle Nelson and her team found that the more emotional a person's response is to failure, the more likely they are to achieve better results the next time they deal with a related task.
The researchers carried out two experiments in which undergraduate students were required to perform specific tasks. In one experiment, they were asked to search online for a squeezer and report the lowest price they could find with the possibility of winning a $50 cash prize. However, the task was controlled, and all participants were told (by a computer) that the lowest price was $3.27 less than their reported price. Consequently, no participant won the cash prize. When the results were announced, some participants were asked to focus on their emotional response, and others on their cognitive (认知的) response. During the next similar task, participants who focused on their emotional response to failure made more effort than those who focused on a cognitive response.
Everybody has their own unique challenges, responsibilities, duties, and projects, but these findings are related to all of us. Your personal failure may be a cake that fails to rise, a presentation that goes wrong, or a deadline that gets missed—it doesn't matter. What matters is how you react to it. Instead of thinking about the failure, let yourself feel bad about it. Then follow this advice on how to bounce back after your failure.
1.What's the relationship between failure and success?
A.Failure promises success. B.Failure is the key to success.
C.Failure does damage to success. D.Well-handled failure is good for success.
2.Why does the writer support beating oneself up when failing?
A.It's a well-meaning suggestion for failure.
B.It's been proved by the study of a university.
C.Being emotional is good for his future success.
D.It can make people less emotional about failure.
3.Which can be the best title for the passage?
A.Personal Failure Is a Cake That Fails to Appear
B.The Most Productive Way to Handle Any Failure
C.Different Methods to Change Failure into Success
D.The Reason Why Failure Is the Mother of Success
Forget losing weight or saving money—we suggest one simple task to add to your list of inspiring New Year's decisions: read a book. Trust us, and your brain will thank you. Not only does reading increase the amount of daily pleasure in your life, but it could also delay dementia (痴呆) and even help you live longer.
But still, picking the perfect novel isn't easy. Thankfully, Business Insider asked a Harvard professor to recommend the one book he thinks every student should read in 2019—and we suggest adding it to your list, too. (No time for all the books on your list? Here's a shortcut: Read the endings to some of the world's most famous books, instead.)
Steven Pinker, Professor of Psychology at Harvard, recommends The Internationalists by legal scholars Hathaway and Shapiro. The book makes a surprising statement that the Kellogg-Briand Paris Peace Pact (条约) of 1928, which declared war illegal, has caused a steady drop in war throughout history.
“But in their fascinating and evidence-rich book, they make a lifelike case,” Pinker said. “And like The Clash of Civilizations and The End of History, the book presents a sweeping vision (视野) of the international scene, making sense of many developments in the news and recent history.”
Other professors at Harvard recommended classics like Anna Karenina by Tolstoy, as well as Just Mercy by Stevenson, The Theory of Moral Sentiments by Adam Smith, and Robot-Proof by Joseph Aoun.
So, go ahead and give (at least) one of these books a read in 2019! And while you're at it, you should add the following 20 books you really should have read by now to your list, too…
1.Which has the closest meaning to the underlined word “shortcut” in the 2nd paragraph?
A.A time-saving way to read books.
B.A lazy person's way to read books.
C.A quick way to know about endings of books.
D.A wise way to deal with too many books to read.
2.What or who has reduced the number of wars throughout history?
A.The Paris Peace Pact. B.The Internationalists.
C.Hathaway and Shapiro. D.A wide vision of the international scene.
3.What may be written in the next or last paragraph of the passage?
A.More advice on reading books.
B.The names of the 20 books recommended.
C.The main contents of the 20 books recommended.
D.The brief introduction of the 20 books recommended.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What is the speaker mainly talking about?
A.All kinds of animals.
B.His job as an animal doctor.
C.Special treatment for animals.
2.What animals does the speaker see the most?
A.Rabbits. B.Cows and sheep. C.Dogs and cats.
3.How was the giraffe's neck problem solved?
A.With a piece of metal.
B.With a piece of plastic.
C.With a piece of water pipe.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What did Helen decide to do?
A.Go on a business trip. B.Look for a new job. C.Start volunteering.
2.What does the man think Helen should do?
A.Have a relaxed life. B.Run her own business. C.Join a community group.
3.What is Jessica's attitude toward Helen's decision?
A.Concerned. B.Surprised. C.Supportive.
4.Where are Helen's kids now?
A.At primary school. B.At college. C.At work.
