Pinocchio may be just a children's fairy tale, but Spanish scientists at the University of Granada recently investigated the so-called ''Pinocchio effect'' and found that our noses don't grow when we tell a lie, but actually shrink a bit.
Dr. Emilio Gómez Milán and his team developed a lie detector test that used thermography to tell if people were lying, and found that whenever participants in their research were being untruthful, the temperature of the tips of their noses dropped up to 1.2℃, while the temperature of their forehead increased up to 1.5℃. Scientists also found that drop in temperature at nose level actually caused it to slightly shrink, although the difference is undetected by the human eye.
''One has to think in order to lie, which rises the temperature of the forehead, '' Dr. Gomez Milan explained the findings. ''At the same time we feel anxious, which lowers the temperature of the nose. ''
For this study, researchers asked a number of 60 students to perform various tasks while being scanned by thermal imaging technology. One of these tasks involved calling a 3 to 4 minutes call to their parents, partner or a friend and telling a significant lie. Participants had to devise the lie by themselves during the call, and the thermal cameras picked up this ''reverse Pinocchio effect'' caused by the fluctuation (起伏) in temperature in the nose and forehead.
Interestingly, the thermal lie doctor picked up the temperature difference in 80 percent of test subjects, which is a better rate of success than that of any modern lie doctor.
''With this method we have achieved to increase accuracy and reduce the occurrence of 'false positives', something that is frequently with other methods such as the polygraph (测谎仪) , '' said Dr. Emilio Gómez Milán, who added that law enforcement interviewers could one day combine other lie detection technology with thermal imaging to achieve better results.
The thermal lie doctor has been the most reliable in the world, 10% more than the popular polygraph.
1.Why does the author mention ''Pinocchio'' at the beginning?
A.To tell a fairy story B.To warn us not to lie.
C.To introduce a research. D.To inspire us to doubt old beliefs.
2.According to the research, what might happen if you tell a lie?
A.Your nose gets longer.
B.Your nose becomes smaller.
C.Your temperature gets higher.
D.Your temperature remains stable.
3.What can we learn about the research?
A.Researchers conduct the study by interviewing.
B.Researchers design difference lies for participants.
C.The thermal lie detector will prove a popular one.
D.The thermal lie doctor may assist law enforcement.
4.Which might be the best title for the passage?
A.Will lie detectors tell the truth?
B.Will lying make your nose longer?
C.Will lying make your temperature rise?
D.Will thermal imaging technology be reliable?
Your first big-screen experience is likely to have been Disney productions --- whether we are talking about Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs or Frozen --- that have long been considered safe, healthy choices for kids, and pictures that parents can feel they don’t need to screen in advance.
When you are a big person, a movie seen in a theatre is much larger than life; when you're a little person, it can be like a new entry opening in the universe. Those experiences matter, and Disney knows the power --- and the profit potential --- of what's in its values, which helps explain the studio's ongoing strategy of remaking its most popular animated films, often in live-action versions.
How do you feel about director's interpretation of these movies, a combination of live-action filmmaking techniques, virtual-reality methods and computer-generated imaginary, depends largely on how you feel about the original. The stories, even with a gently updated script, are roughly the same. If you've seen the original, you know how the rest of them go.
In the following years, we'll also watch other Disney’s remakes such as Mulan. Any children raised by Disney films would think that this is a great time to be alive. Right?
But judging by critics’ ratings of some live-action movies, it seems that the powerful studio has been unable to wow audiences.
So why more live actions?
The money
Let's face it: Walt Disney Pictures is all about generating more revenue. Even though it did not manage to capture critics, it still managed to catch the audience's hearts. And that is more than enough. After all, films are not made to entertain critics; it's all about creating an ultimate cinematic experience for casual moviegoers. And as long as they're entertained with new interpretations of beloved stories, why stop making live-action films?
Inclusion
When you spend your entire childhood dancing and singing along to these characters, it's beyond magical to see them again when you’re an adult and are the same age as them. That's one of the few magical effects of movies. Not to mention, Aladdin's South Asian cast is also a strong statement for the world. Perhaps this is also the reason why Disney wants Mulan to have an all Asian cast. Let's hope they're not the only ones and Disney is bringing more diverse stories to be told.
Nostalgia (怀旧)
All of these Disney remakes are designed to fuel the nostalgia of boomers, Gen X-ers and millennials, and many of the moviegoers who grew up with these movies, in particular, now have young kids of their own. Little wonder the studio is seeing big dollar signs in them.
1.Disney productions are parents' first choice for kids because they _______.
A.promote children's overall health
B.don't need booking in advance
C.don't need a screen to enjoy them
D.have been enjoying a good reputation
2.Your feeling about the live-action films remade mainly relies on _______.
A.the film-making technology
B.the popularity of the films
C.the familiarity with the story line
D.the computer-generated imaginary
3.In the author's opinion, what could be the main reason for Disney's more live actions?
A.It's trying its best to satisfy both critics and audience.
B.It's sparing no efforts to earn as much revenue as possible.
C.It's seeking and adding global elements to make diverse stories.
D.It's bringing back those sweet memories to its loyal aging fans.
When you throw something in the trash, soon a garbage truck will come to take it away. Then where does it go? That depends on where you live. Different towns deal with trash in different ways. | |
Recycling A recycling truck picks up paper, cardboard, metal, plastic and glass. These go to the recycling plant to be sorted and made into new things. |
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Incinerator An incinerator is a huge stove that burns trash to make heat and electricity. The ash that’s left gets buried in a landfill. Trash ash can be poisonous, so it has to be stored carefully. But is takes up a lot less room than just plain trash. |
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Compost Food waste might go to a composter. In a compost heap (堆肥堆), bacteria and worms break down dead plants and old food. They turn it in into good, rich oil. Some people keep compost heaps in their gardens. Big commercial composters handle waste from restaurants and farms. |
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Landfills Some trash gets buried in landfills. A landfill starts as a big hole. Trucks dump trash. Big earth movers push it into place and crush it down. They cover the trash with dirt to keep scavengers (食腐动物) away. The bottom of a landfills is lined with a barrier to keep bad things from leaking into the ground. Pipes drain away liquid. When the landfill is full, it’s covered with earth. It might become a park or lawn. |
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1.What can we learn from the passage?
A.Recycling helps to generate energy.
B.Bacteria and worms helps handle food waste.
C.The landfill is used to drive scavengers away.
D.Trash ash is carefully handled to save room.
2.What’s the purpose of the passage?
A.To inform us of trash treatment.
B.To appeal for trash classification.
C.To discuss solutions to trash pollution.
D.To raise awareness of the harm of trash.
When I was a kid, we were out and about all the time, playing with our friends, in and out of each other’s houses, sandwich in pocket, making our own _______. Our parents _______ saw us from morning to night. We didn't have much stuff, but we came and went as we liked. ” This is roughly what you will _______ if you ask anyone over 30 about their _______ in a rich country.
Today such children will spend most of their time _______, often with parents rather than with friends, be supervised (监管) more closely, be driven everywhere _______ walking or cycling, take part in many more _______ activities, and probably engage with a screen of some kind. All this is done with the best of _______. Parents intend to protect their offspring from traffic, crime and other dangers, and to give them every opportunity to _______.
The children themselves seem fairly ________ with their lives. In a survey across the OECD, 15-year-olds were asked to ________ their satisfaction with their life on a scale from zero to ten. The ________ score was 7.3, with Finnish kids the ________ at nearly 7.9, and Turkish ones the gloomiest (灰暗的), at 6.1.
________, that is not surprising. ________ parents these days, especially in America, invest a huge amount of time and money in their children to ensure that they will do ________ as well as the parents themselves have done, and preferably better. Those ________ and extra tutoring, music lessons and educational visits, together with lively discussions at home have proved effective at securing the good ________ that will open the doors to top universities and well-paid jobs. But working-class parents in America, for their part, ________ the means to engage in such intensive parenting. As a result, social divisions from one generation to the next are set to ________. A recent report by the World Bank showed that intergenerational social mobility in America is now among the lowest in all rich countries.
1.A.plans B.schedule C.decisions D.entertainment
2.A.often B.hardly C.willingly D.reluctantly
3.A.say B.cite C.hear D.mention
4.A.study B.hobby C.family D.childhood
5.A.alone B.socially C.indoors D.outdoors
6.A.instead of B.regardless of C.due to D.next to
7.A.casual B.desired C.organized D.physical
8.A.rewards B.intentions C.guidance D.discipline
9.A.risk B.fail C.relax D.succeed
10.A.happy B.bored C.familiar D.unsatisfied
11.A.rate B.predict C.anticipate D.connect
12.A.final B.average C.minimum D.maximum
13.A.lowest B.poorest C.funniest D.sunniest
14.A.However B.Therefore C.Unluckily D.Hopefully
15.A.Rich B.Poor C.Kind D.Strict
16.A.at most B.at last C.at first D.at least
17.A.dull B.limited C.endless D.meaningless
18.A.fame B.grades C.positions D.identity
19.A.deny B.lack C.possess D.require
20.A.appear B.shorten C.disappear D.broaden
— I feel really bad about all the mess.
— _______. I can clear it up later.
A.Forgive me B.Don't worry C.Don't mention it D.You're telling me
There are many privacy concerns surrounding cybercrime when confidential information is revealed, lawfully or _______.
A.regardless B.instead C.rather D.otherwise
