When Denis wants to relax at work, he steps into a quiet room, sits in a chair, slips on a virtual-reality headset, and escapes to the beach. For Denis, those minutes are a tool he relies on regularly to both relieve and prevent stress.
He's not the only one at his company to use the room, where workers can also use a headset to watch a moon walk, take a virtual roller-coaster ride or access a meditation (冥想) app.
Research shows VR can help reduce pain and anxiety. But it's not yet clear why it works. Experts believe it's related to the technology's power to distract.
''Whatever their problems are, whatever their stresses are, they can literally neglect them and have a different emotional pulse, '' Denis said.
Virtual-reality headsets haven't taken off with consumers, but they're now powerful and inexpensive enough for companies to consider investing in them to help make workers and customers happier.
The headsets may help people take a virtual break from their surroundings, but there are challenges to consider. Ramon Llamas, a tech market researcher, noted that there could be challenges in handing out headsets. Some people get sick or dizzy while using virtual reality, and the headsets may get dirty or broken. There's also the task of quickly familiarizing people with using the headsets, especially since VR adoption has been so limited and the ways they are controlled can vary.
For now, Llamas said, he's concerned about privacy and security. What if, for instance, someone manages to back into a headset and insert some content into what you're watching?
Another potential issue is the managing of the headsets and software that goes along with them. This is likely not a complication for an office like Umber Realty's, where people can simply take a headset off if they feel something wrong. But it could be more of a problem if you're stuck in a dentist's chair. ''The last thing you want is that in the middle of extracting a tooth something goes wrong.'' Llamas said.
1.What does Denis's company use Virtual Reality for?
A.Improving the customers' experience.
B.Displaying the schedule of his company.
C.Relieving the staff's work pressure.
D.Saving the trouble of transportation.
2.How can the VR devices help the users by Denis?
A.Ignoring reality for the moment. B.Improving their thinking.
C.Designing work for the company. D.Investing in a new industry.
3.What does the author focus on in the last three paragraphs?
A.The potential problems with VR.
B.The privacy policy available for VR.
C.The management of these devices in the market.
D.The standards the VR technology is to follow.
4.What is the best title of the passage?
A.VR, a promising business in future! B.Is VR always making us relax?
C.The adoption of VR needs investments. D.Are we saying ''goodbye'' to VR?
Having hundreds of friends online is no substitute for a handful of close friends in real life. Researchers discovered that people with only a few friends were at least as happy as those with far more if many of theirs were online. The number of ''peripheral others'', someone connected with online — former classmates and coworkers, for example — had no connection with how satisfied they felt.
Scientists did their study using data from two online surveys conducted on 1,496 people by a non-profit research organization. People taking part in the study revealed their ages, the make-up of their social networks, how often they had different types of social interactions, and their own feelings of well-being. They included details of how often and how they interacted with family or neighbours, and whether they included people who provided services for them in their networks. The number of close friends someone had was the only thing that influenced how satisfied they were with their social life.
''Loneliness has less to do with the number of friends you have, and more to do with how you feel about your friends,'' said Dr Bruine, an expert of the study. ''If you feel lonely, it may be more helpful to make a positive connection with a friend than to try and seek out new people to meet.''
In the study, they found older people tended to have smaller social networks. Younger people's were larger but this was mostly made up of ''peripheral others'' — not true friends, just people they knew — and did not contribute to their happiness.
Even variations in the number of family members or neighbours somebody spent time with did not affect how happy they were with their social life. Dr Bruine said her research echoed other findings showing people would be happier if a larger proportion of their online friends were actually their friends in reality.
She added, ''Stereotypes of aging tend to paint older adults in many cultures as sad and lonely. But the research shows that older adults' smaller networks didn't weaken social satisfaction and well-being. In fact, older adults tend to report better well-being than younger adults.''
1.What has a good influence on one's happiness according to the study?
A.Having impersonal networks of friends.
B.Meeting with close friends face to face.
C.Helping familiar coworkers.
D.Keeping in touch with family members online.
2.What did the 1,496 people taking part in the study have to do?
A.Keep off using the Internet.
B.Show their attitudes to happiness.
C.Reveal their social life thoroughly.
D.Find ''peripheral others'' from their friends.
3.Who is more likely to be attacked by loneliness from the study?
A.Parents living with their children.
B.Older adults with fewer friends online.
C.Those having fewer relatives or neighbours.
D.Young people without friends in reality.
4.What does the underlined word ''paint'' mean in the last paragraph?
A.treat B.draw
C.describe D.criticize
The year was 1999. I was 18, living with friends in a town about an hour north of Milwaukee. Desperate for adventure, we often talked about haunted (闹鬼的) locations, and even wandered around the woods near Rienzi Cemetery. So when a friend shared a story about an abandoned house just down the road from Rienzi, how could I possibly resist? The group of us jumped in the car and headed off into the wild unknown, completely unaware of the misfortune that would soon befall us.
The house was isolated, overgrown and barely visible from the road. Most of its windows were broken. It seemed completely neglected except the locked door and a NO ENTRY sign outside. How would anyone notice, or possibly even care, if we went in and looked around?
We stole inside, hoping for anything to prove the legend. Nothing valuable was found until an old letter, addressed to a Mr. J. Witherell, caught my eye. Its paper was stiff and yellowed. Excited by the physical evidence, I slipped the letter into my back pocket. I was about to exit the house when I noticed firetrucks and police cars lining up out on the road. While most of us were exploring the house, one of us managed to knock a fire detector off the ceiling, which triggered an automated alarm at the fire department. I quickly alerted the others, but there would be no escape.
After a moment of panic, we decided to go outside and face the music. To avoid a theft charge, I left the letter where it was before stepping outside.
The result? Not only did we all get fined for entering, we were required to pay for property damage totaling $1,500 each — too much for us to afford.
For so many years, I have been wondering: Why is the deserted house so heavily protected with detectors and other security measures? Why is the property regularly maintained? What's the story behind that mysterious letter?
1.What did the shabby appearance of the house seem to remind the kids?
A.They would have no trouble entering it.
B.Their entry would bring them a surprise.
C.Their entry would disturb the neighbours.
D.Their behavior would be noticed by its owner.
2.Why did the author attempt to take the letter away?
A.It might reveal who had been maintaining the house.
B.It might help uncover the mystery of the abandoned house.
C.It must have been written to disclose a tragedy.
D.It was an evidence of the house being heavily protected.
3.What led the police cars and firetrucks to arrive so quickly?
A.The police officers were checking there.
B.The house owner reported to the police.
C.The police cars were passing by accident.
D.Some boy started the fire alarm system.
4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A.The empty house has been under strict protection.
B.The author wonders why they got fined.
C.No maintenance to the house is conducted regularly.
D.There is much mystery about the abandoned house.
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1.Who is iD tech summer camp intended for?
A.The iD tech instructors. B.World-famous universities.
C.Students seeking success in STEM. D.Parents interested in iD.
2.Why is ''iD tech'' flexible for students?
A.Registration can be changed free.
B.It allows students to study online.
C.Instructors create a good environment.
D.It leads to more job opportunities.
3.The record of student success is used to make the ad more _____.
A.technical B.interesting
C.professional D.persuasive
根据题目所提出的具体要求，在答题卡上写出一篇连贯完整的短文。词数不少于60。
假如你是李华，你们学校将为留学生举办“中国文化节”活动。请参考下表提供的信息，写邮件告诉交换生Jack此次活动的相关安排，邀请他参加并说明理由。
短文的开头已为你写好，不计入总词数。
Time: January 18th
Place: the school hall
Activities: ● learn to play Chinese instrumental music;
● see an exhibition of Chinese paintings;
…
Dear Jack,
I’m writing to tell you that our school will hold a Chinese Culture Day for the international students.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Best regards,
Li Hua
阅读下面短文和问题，根据短文内容和每小题后的具体要求，在答题卡相应题号后的横线上写下相关信息，完成对该问题的回答。答语要意思清楚，结构正确，书写工整。
It might surprise you that Tejana music did not start either in Texas or in Mexico, but in Europe. It all began with the polka. This was a folk dance from Bohemia. It was for young lovers, and so was very lively. It was made up of a hop and three short steps, and the music that went with it had a marked beat. The polka appeared in Paris in about 1843, and immediately became a great success. It quickly spread throughout Europe. Eventually even serious musicians such as Smetana and Dvorak used its beats in their work. It traveled east to the Russian court at St. Petersburg, and as far west as the new world. German introduced the polka and its music to Texas, where once again it became a huge popular success.
It was there on the US-Mexican border that local musicians started to mix the European polka with Mexican mariachi music. Mariachi music was traditionally played at weddings in Mexico, and it is possible that that is how it got its name. Mariachi might well be a Spanish version of the French word for marriage. Soon the pleasant European accordions (手风琴) mixed with the Mexican bass guitar to produce a completely new and very unusual type of music. This music acquired two different names: “Tejana” in the United States and “Nortena” in Mexico.
For decades Tejana music did not go beyond the dance halls and popular gatherings of it birthplace. It was not until about seventy years after its appearance that Tejana music began to spread widely. Then a young Mexican-American singer, “Selena”, made it popular throughout the United States, and in other countries too.
In the hundred years since its birth Tejana music has suffered great changes. The accordion still there, but the electric guitar has replaced the Mexican bass. The latest Tejana/Nortena hits more elements of US country and western and rock, as well as Colombian cumbia. The unique musical form that began with a European folk dance continues to develop and grow in popularity.
1.According to the passage, what was a polka? (不多于三个单词)
2.In what occasion (场合) was Mexican mariachi music traditionally played? (不多于两个单词)
3.When did Tejana music begin to spread widely? (不多于六个单词)
4.What does the passage mainly talk about? (不多于五个单词)
