The following places will give you an unexpected travelling experience.
Svalbard
If you’re a fan of winter activities, but in need of some sun, then perhaps a May trip to Svalbard is in order. Svalbard is located about 620 miles south of the North Pole. In late spring, the sun never dips below the horizon, and it means you can take in all the Vitamin D you desire for. Popular activities in the area include hiking and wildlife spotting.
Namibia
During spring, Namibia is considered as the perfect destination with reduced travel costs and cooler evenings. National Geographic Travel says that the watering holes start to dry up again in late May, which attracts giraffes and black rhinos from their hiding spots. If you’re more of an adventurous explorer, head to the Namib Desert for a spot of sand boarding on the dunes (沙丘).
Japan
If you want to catch the wonderful cherry blossom season in Japan, National Geographic Travel says you should head there between January and May. Recommended activities include taking a dip in the hot springs in Kawazu and boating down the Kitakami River to Tenshochi Park where 10,000 cherry trees turn into charming pale pink avenues.
Upper Amazon, Peru
For travelers looking for a sense of adventure, National Geographic Travel proposes a trip to the upper Amazon in Peru. It notes that by May, the water levels will have increased, allowing for improved navigation and cooler temperatures.
1.Which place is fit for visitors fond of desert adventures?
A.Svalbard. B.Namibia
C.Japan. D.Upper Amazon, Peru.
2.What can you do when travelling in Tenshochi Park in May?
A.Plant cherry trees. B.Swim in the hot springs.
C.Enjoy beautiful flowers. D.Take a boat on the river.
3.Which month is the best time for people to visit the four places?
A.May. B.March.
C.April. D.February.
请认真阅读下面有关我国出国留学低龄化现象的图表及相关文字，并按照要求用英语写一篇150词左右的文章。
（写作内容）
1. 用约30个单词概述两张图表信息的主要内容；
2. 出国留学低龄化的原因有哪些，简要谈谈你的看法（上述文字信息仅供参考，原因不少于两点）；
3. 作为高中生，你会选择在国内上大学还是出国留学？请简要说明理由（不少于两点）。
（写作要求）
1. 表明个人观点，同时提供理由或论据；
2. 阐述观点或提供论据时，不得直接引用原文中的句子；
3. 文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称；
4. 不必写标题。
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请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意：每个空格只填1个单词，请将答案写在答题卷上相应题号的横线上。
Could a Doodle （涂鸦）Replace Your Password?
Nearly 80 percent of Americans own a smartphone, and a growing proportion of them use smartphones to surf the Internet, not just when they’re on the go. This leads to people storing considerable amounts of personal and private data on their mobile devices.
Often, there is just one layer of security protecting all that data--emails and text messages, social media profiles, bank accounts and credit cards, even other passwords to online services. It’s the password that unlocks the smartphone’s screen. Usually this involves entering a number, or just laying a fingertip a sensor.
Over the past couple of years, my research group, my colleagues and I have designed, created and tested a better way. We call it “user-generated free-form gestures,” which means smartphone owners can draw their own security pattern on the screen. It’s a very simple idea that is surprisingly secure.
1. IMPROVING TODAY'S WEAK SECURITY
It might seem that biometric (生物识别的) authentication (认证), like a fingerprint, could be stronger. But it’s not, because most systems that let a user allow fingerprint access also require a PIN (Personal Identification Number) or a password as a backup method. A user or thief could skip the biometric method and instead just enter (or guess) a PIN or a password. Compared to other methods, our approach dramatically increases the potential length and complexity of a password. Users simply draw a pattern across an entire touchscreen, using any number of locations on the screen.
2. MEASURING DRAWINGS
As users draw a shape or pattern on the screen, we track their fingers, recording the directions and speed. We compare that track to one recorded when they set up the gesture-based login. This protection can be added just by software changes; it needs no specific hardware or other modifications to existing touchscreen devices. As touchscreens become more common on laptop computers, this method could be used to protect them too.
Our system also allows people to use more than one finger — though some participants wrongly assumed that making simple gestures with multiple fingers would be more secure than the same gesture with just one finger. The key to improving security using one or more fingers is to make a design that is not easy to guess.
3. EASY TO DO AND REMEMBER, HARD TO BREAK
Some people who participated in our studies created gestures that could be articulated as symbols, such as digits, geometric shapes (like a cylinder) and musical notations which are easy for them to remember. Even a relatively simple symbol, like an eighth note, can be drawn in so many different ways that calculating the possible variations is computationally intensive and consumes plenty of time. This is unlike text passwords, for which variations are simple to try out.
4. REPLACING MORE THAN ONE PASSWORD
Our research has extended beyond just using a gesture to unlock a smartphone. We have explored the potential for people to use doodles instead of passwords on several websites. Unappeared to be easier to remember multiple gestures than it is to recall different passwords for each site.
In fact, it was faster. Logging in with a gesture took two to six seconds less time than doing so with a text password. It’s faster to generate a gesture than a password, too. People spent 42 percent less time generating gesture credentials than people we studied who had to make up new passwords. We also found that people could successfully enter gestures without spending as much attention on them as they had to with text passwords.
Gesture-based interactions are popular and prevalent on mobile platforms, and are increasingly making their way to touchscreen-equipped laptops and desktops. The owners of those types of devices could benefit from a quick,easy and more secure authentication methods like ours.
Could a Doodle Replace Your Password? | ||
Passage outline | Detailed information | |
Introduction | •An increasing number of people use smartphones for Internet1.The free-form gesture drawn with a doodle is a very simple but surprisingly secure idea. | |
Characteristics | Improving today’s weak security. | •A user or thief could skip fingerprint authentication by employing an2.like just guessing a PIN or a password. •In3. to other methods, the passwords our approach is dramatically longer and complex than that of other methods. |
Measuring drawings | •A shape or pattern drawn on the screen, where the user's fingers go and 4.quickly they move. •To make a design with one or more fingers that is difficult to guess is of great 5.to the improvement of security. | |
Easy to do and remember, hard to break | •Even a relatively simple symbol can be drawn in diverse ways so that the6. of the possible variations is intensive and time-consuming. | |
7. the place of more than one password | • It is more8.to recall different password for each site than to remember multiple gestures. •Having new passwords9.takes 42 percent more time than generating gesture credentials with a doodle. | |
Conclusion | •Gesture-based interactions are gaining10.and are widely applied to touchscreen-equipped laptops and desktops. |
"Why do we have to learn all this dumb stuff?"
Of all the complaints and questions I have heard from my students during my years in the classroom, this was the one most frequently asked. I would answer it by telling the following legend.
One night a group of nomads(游牧民) were preparing to retire for the evening when suddenly they were surrounded by a great light. They knew they were in the presence of a godly being. With great expectation, they awaited a heavenly message of great importance that they knew must be especially for them.
Finally, the voice spoke, "Gather as many pebbles (鹅卵石) as you can. Put them in your bags. Travel a day's journey and tomorrow night will find you glad and it will find you sad."
The nomads shared their disappointment and anger with each other. They had expected the
inspiration of a great universal truth that would enable them to create wealth, health and purpose for the world. But instead they were given a silly task that made no sense to them at all. However, the memory of the brilliance of their visitor caused each one to pick up a few pebbles and store them in their bags while voicing their displeasure.
They traveled a day's journey and that night while making camp, they reached into their bags and discovered every pebble they had gathered had become a diamond. They were glad they had diamonds. They were sad they had not gathered more pebbles.
It was an experience I had with a student, whom I shall call Alan, early in my teaching career that illustrated the truth of that legend to me.
When Alan was in the eighth grade, he majored in "trouble" with a minor in "suspensions (停学)". He had studied how to be a bully and was getting his master's degree in "thievery".
Every day I had my students memorize a quotation from a great thinker. As I called roll, I would begin a quotation. To be counted present, the student would be expected to finish the thought.
"Alice Adams--- 'There is no failure except..."'
"'In no longer trying.' I'm present, Mr. Schlatter."
So, by the end of the year, my young pupils would have memorized 150 great thoughts.
"People nowadays know the price of everything and the value of nothing."
"No pains, no gains."
"If you can conceive it, and believe it, you can achieve it."
No one complained about this daily routine other than Alan - right up to the day he was expelled(开除) and I lost touch with him for five years. Then one day, he called. He was in a special program at one of the neighboring colleges and had just finished parole（假释）.
He told me that after being sent to juvenile hall (少管所) and finally being shipped off to the
California Youth Authority for his wrong doings, he had become so disgusted with himself that he had taken a razor blade and cut his wrists.
He said, "You know what, Mr. Schlatter, as I lay there with my life running out of my body, I
suddenly remembered that quote you made me write 20 times one day." There is no failure except in no longer trying." Then it suddenly made sense to me. As long as I was alive, I wasn't a failure, but if I allowed myself to die, I would most certainly die a failure. So with my remaining strength, I called for help and started a new life."
At the time he had heard the quotation, it was a pebble. When he needed guidance in a moment of crisis, it had become a diamond. And so it is to you I say, gather all the pebbles you can, and you can count on a future filled with diamonds.
1.What does the underlined sentence "it will find you sad" mean?
A.The God told the nomads to gather pebbles that made no sense to them.
B.The pebbles won't enable the nomads to create fortune.
C.The God didn't give the nomads the message they expected.
D.The nomads regretted not having gathered as many pebbles as possible.
2.Which of following sentences from the passage brings out the author's sense of humor?
A.They were given a silly task that made no sense to them at all. (Para. 5)
B.He majored in "trouble" with a minor in "suspensions. (Para. 8)
C.People nowadays know the price of everything and the value of nothing. (Para. 13)
D.You can count on a future filled with diamonds. (Para. 19)
3.Which of the following is FALSE according to the passage?
A.Not all the nomads gathered and stored some pebbles in their bags.
B.Students who finished the half-sentence quotation were counted present.
C.All students don't like the daily routine of finishing the half-sentence quotation.
D.It was the strong faith of never dying a failure that saved Alan's life.
4.Why did Alan commit suicide after being shipped off to the California Youth Authority?
A.He hated the hard life in the juvenile hall.
B.He was expelled by the school in the end.
C.He was badly treated at the California Youth Authority.
D.He felt so disappointed and hopeless about himself and his future.
5.According to the passage, we can conclude that Mr. Schlatter is an educator of _____.
A.sympathy and kindness B.wisdom and patience
C.generosity and creativity D.faith and devotion
6.Which of the following may probably be the best title?
A.A naughty trouble-marker. B.Pebbles and nomads.
C.The magic pebble. D.A quotation that saved life.
Did you hear what happened at yesterday’s meeting? Can you believe it? If you find those sorts of quietly whispered questions about your co-workers irresistible, you're hardly alone. But why are we drawn to gossip?
A new study suggests it’s because the rumors are all about us”. Gossip receivers tend to use positive and negative group information to improve, promote, and protect the self,” writes a research team, led by Elena Martinescu of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. In the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, the researchers described two experiments team, led by Elena Martinescu of the University described two experiments testing the personal value gossip receivers get.
The first featured 178 university undergraduates, who had all previously worked on at least one course assignment with a group of four or more students. Participants were asked to recall and write a short description of an incident, in which a group member shared with them either positive or negative information about another group member’s secret. They then reported their level of agreement with a series of statements. Some of these measured the self-improvement value of the gossip (“The information received made me think I learn a lot from X”); others measured its self-promotion value (“The information I received made me feel that I am doing well compared to X”). Still others measured whether the gossip raised personal concerns (“The information I received made me feel that I must protect my image in the group”).
In the second experiment, 122 undergraduates were assigned the role of “sales agent” at a major company. They received gossip from a colleague that a third person either did very well or very badly at a performance evaluation, and were then asked about the emotions that information caused. They also responded to the above-mentioned set of statements presented to the participants in the first experiment.
In each experiment, participants found both negative and positive gossip to be of personal value with different reasons. “Positive gossip has self-improvement value,” they write. “'Competence-related positive gossip about others contains lessons about how to improve one's own competence. On the other hand, negative gossip has self-promotion value, because it provides individuals with social comparison information that justifies self-promoting judgments which results in feelings of pride.”
In addition, the results showed that negative gossip brought about self-protection concerns, the researchers write. “Negative gossip makes people concerned that their reputations may be at risk, as they may personally become targets of negative gossip in the future, which generates fear”. Fear is hardly a pleasant sensation (感觉), but it can be a motivating one. As researchers put it: “Gossip conveniently provides individuals with indirect social-comparison information about relevant others.”
1.Why are we drawn to gossip according to the researchers?
A.We need evaluative information about others to evaluate ourselves.
B.We are interested in the news that arouses our personal concerns.
C.We tend to gain a sense of pride from judging others.
D.We are likely to learn lessons from others’ mistakes.
2.According to the first experiment, which of the following shows self-promotion value?
A.I have to learn from Mary according to what Tom said about her.
B.I should behave myself in case of being gossiped about like Mary.
C.I’ve done better than Mary according to what Tom said about her.
D.I have no comments on what Tom said about Mary.
3.What’s the critical difference of the second experiment compared with the first one?
A.The identities of the participants.
B.The number of the participants studied.
C.The time during which the experiment lasted.
D.The role-play technique used in experiment.
4.What role does “negative gossip” play according to the researchers?
A.A fear killer. B.A protector.
C.A motivator. D.A subject provider.
Give yourself a test. Which way is the wind blowing? How many kinds of wildflowers can be seen from your front door? If your awareness is as sharp as it could be, you”ll have no trouble answering these questions.
Most of us observed much more as children than we do as adults. A child’s day is filled with fascination, newness and wonder. Curiosity gave us all a natural awareness, but distinctions that were sharp to us as children become unclear, we are numb (麻木的) to new stimulation (剌激), new ideas. Relearning the art of seeing the world around us is quite simple, although it takes practice and requires breaking some bad habits.
The first step in awakening senses is to stop predicting what we are going to see and feel before it occurs. This blocks awareness. One chilly night when I was hiking in the Rocky Mountains with some students, I mentioned that we were going to cross a stream. The students began complaining about how cold it would be. We reached the stream and they unwillingly walked ahead. They were almost knee-deep when they realized it was a hot spring. Later they all admitted they'd felt cold water at first.
Another block to awareness is the obsession (痴迷) many of us have with naming things. I saw bird watchers who spotted a bird, immediately looked it up in field guides , and said, a “ruby-crowned kinglet” and checked it off. They no longer paid attention to the bird and never learned what it was doing.
The pressures of “time” and “destination” are further blocks to awareness. I encountered many hikers who were headed to a distant camp-ground with just enough time to get there before dark. It seldom occurred to them to wander a bit, to take a moment to see what’s around them. I asked them what they’d seen. “Oh, a few birds,” they said. They seemed bent on their destinations.
Nature seems to unfold to people who watch and wait next time you take a walk, no matter where it is, take in all the sights, sounds and sensations. Wander in this frame of mind and you will open a new dimension to your life.
1.According to Paragraph 2, compared with adults, children are more ______.
A.anxious to do wonders B.sensitive to others’ feelings
C.likely to develop unpleasant habits D.eager to explore the world around them
2.Why do the hikers take no notice of the surroundings during the journey?
A.They are keen to see rare birds at the destination.
B.They focus on arriving at the camp in time.
C.The natural beauty isn’t attractive to them.
D.The forest in the dark is dangerous for them.
3.In the passage, the author intends to tell us we should ______.
A.fill our senses to feel the wonders of the world
B.get rid of some bad habits in our daily life
C.open our mind to new things and ideas
D.try our best to protect nature
