As Internet users become more dependent on the Internet to store information, are people remember less? If you know your computer will save information, why store it in your own personal memory, your brain? Experts are wondering if the Internet is changing what we remember and how.
In a recent study, Professor Betsy Sparrow conducted some experiments. She and her research team wanted to know the Internet is changing memory. In the first experiment, they gave people 40 unimportant facts to type into a computer. The first group of people understood that the computer would save the information. The second group understood that the computer would not save it. Later, the second group remembered the information better. People in the first group knew they could find the information again, so they did not try to remember it.
In another experiment, the researchers gave people facts to remember, and told them where to find the information on the Internet. The information was in a specific computer folder (文件夹). Surprisingly, people later remember the folder location (位置) better than the facts. When people use the Internet, they do not remember the information. Rather, they remember how to find it. This is called “transactive memory (交互记忆)”
According to Sparrow, we are not becoming people with poor memories as a result of the Internet. Instead, computer users are developing stronger transactive memories; that is, people are learning how to organize huge quantities of information so that they are able to access it at a later date. This doesn’t mean we are becoming either more or less intelligent, but there is no doubt that the way we use memory is changing.
1.The passage begins with two questions to ________.
A.introduce the main topic B.show the author’s attitude
C.describe how to use the Internet D.explain how to store information
2.What can we learn about the first experiment?
A.Sparrow’s team typed the information into a computer.
B.The two groups remembered the information equally well.
C.The first group did not try to remember the formation.
D.The second group did not understand the information.
3.In transactive memory, people ________.
A.keep the information in mind
B.change the quantity of information
C.organize information like a computer
D.remember how to find the information
4.What is the effect of the Internet according to Sparrow's research?
A.We are using memory differently.
B.We are becoming more intelligent.
C.We have poorer memories than before.
D.We need a better way to access information.
The oddness of life in space never quite goes away. Here are some examples.
First consider something as simple as sleep. Its position presents its own challenges. The main question is whether you want your arms inside or outside the sleeping bag. If you leave your arms out, they float free in zero gravity, often giving a sleeping astronaut the look of a funny ballet（芭蕾）dancer. “I’m an inside guy,” Mike Hopkins says, who returned from a six-month tour on the International Space Station. “I like to be wrapped up.”
On the station, the ordinary becomes strange. The exercise bike for the American astronauts has no handlebars. It also has no seat. With no gravity, it’s just as easy to pedal violently. You can watch a movie while you pedal by floating a microcomputer anywhere you want. But station residents have to be careful about staying in one place too long. Without gravity to help circulate air, the carbon dioxide you exhale（呼气）has a tendency to form an invisible（隐形的）cloud around your head. You can end up with what astronauts call a carbon-dioxide headache.
Leroy Chiao, 54, an American retired astronaut after four flights, describes what happens even before you float out of your seat. “Your inner ear thinks you’re falling. Meanwhile your eyes are telling you you’re standing straight. That can be annoying－that’s why some people feel sick. “Within a couple of days truly terrible days for some－astronauts’ brains learn to ignore the panicky signals from the inner ear, and space sickness disappears.
Space travel can be so delightful but at the same time invisibly dangerous. For instance, astronauts lose bone mass’ That’s why exercise is considered so vital that National Aeronautics and Space Administration（NASA）puts it right on the workday schedule. The focus on fitness is as much about science and the future as it is about keeping any individual astronaut healthy. NASA is worried about two things: recovery time once astronauts return home, and, more importantly, how to maintain strength and fitness for the two and a half years or more that it would take to make a round-trip to Mars’
1.What is the major challenge to astronauts when they sleep in space?
A. Deciding on a proper sleep position.
B. Choosing a comfortable sleeping bag.
C. Seeking a way to fall asleep quickly.
D. Finding a right time to go to sleep.
2.The astronauts will suffer from a carbon-dioxide headache when .
A. they circle around on their bikes
B. they use microcomputers without a stop
C. they exercise in one place for a long time
D. they watch a movie while pedaling
3.Some astronauts feel sick on the station during the first few days because .
A. their senses stop working
B. they have to stand up straight
C. they float out of their seats unexpectedly
D. their brains receive contradictory messages
4.One of NASA’s major concerns about astronauts is .
A. how much exercise they do on the station
B. how they can remain healthy for long in space
C. whether they can recover after returning home
D. whether they are able to go back to the station
1. TrueCar.com
Top dealers compete for your business by offering lower prices. TrueCar spends a lot of money and resources on making sure the entire car renting experience is simple and straightforward. If you’re in the market for a new car, give this site a try first.
TrueCar’s network checks many of the prices in your area and gets you the best price for the car you’re looking for.
2. Carvoy.com
It offers more control by allowing you to “build your car” and select your rental plan. The “build your car” option is one of the better options for those looking to add on features to their car. If you’re looking for cars with options like a sunroof or navigation (导航), it’s Carvoy that makes it very easy to get started with the process.
3. CarsDirect.com
They have a large collection of new and used cars, and also provide resources for car comparisons. In the business for many years, they are one of the first online car outlets. They have a staff that can usually help you if you give them a call. Their phone support is very good and they are mostly located in the United States.
4. CarRent.com
It delivers your rental car to the door, which is actually a huge selling point. Many people don’t like to go to a dealership or even drive somewhere to pick up a car. Imagine renting a car and having it delivered right to your doorstep, no driving necessary!
5. CostcoAuto.com
It offers member-only savings, many car selections and an easy sign-up process. The deals through Costco are great and unique. Many times they have deals with General Motors cars like Chevrolet. There are a lot of deals to be done, but the one thing that Costco does not do is negotiate the price.
1.What’s the selling point of TrueCar.com?
A. Its most reasonable prices for cars.
B. The diversity of its used cars.
C. Its delivery service to your door.
D. The special offers to its members.
2.What is the special service that Carvoy.com provides?
A. You can have other functions added to your car.
B. You can rent a car more easily than elsewhere.
C. You can design the whole car by yourself.
D. You can have better operation over your car.
3.If you are a good bargainer, it’s wise to avoid dealing with _______.
A. CarsDirect.com B. Carvoy.com
C. CarRent.com D. CostcoAuto.com
Some universities have reportedly canceled the men' s 5,000-meter race and the women' s 3,000-meter race in their sports meetings due to worries that the students couldn't cope with the race. Students' physical conditions are worrying in the nation.
In ancient China, Confucian culture stressed the values of knowledge and morality and considered people with physical strength uncivilized. Having a strong body was the most obvious distinction between manual workers and civilized intellectuals.
In today's China, knowledge, which is regarded as the source of productivity, is more highly valued than physical strength. Parents and teachers value clever heads over strong bodies.
The physical condition of Chinese people has improved a lot since China's reform and opening-up policy in the early 1980s,as nutrition and food are no longer a problem for most people.
Chinese people should develop the habit of sports exercise starting from childhood. The government and education authorities must create more conditions for the people, especially for students, to do sports regularly.
A healthy and strong body is a basic guarantee for a healthy life. The health of the whole nation will also have an impact on China's future development.
（写作内容）
1.用约30个单词概述上述信息的主要内容；
2.用约120个单词阐述你对加强体育锻炼的看法。内容包括：
①目前中国大部分学生的身体状况与精神状态；
②建议学生多参加体育锻炼，如跑步、跳绳、打篮球等；
③加强体育锻炼的意义（不少于两点）。
（写作要求）
1.写作过程中不能直接引用原文语句；
2.作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称；
3.不必写标题。
（评分标准）
内容规范，语言规范，语篇连贯，词数适当。
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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。
Nowadays, reading for pleasure is declining among primary-age pupils, and increasing numbers of “time poor” parents are dropping the practice of sharing bedtime stories with their children once they start school.
Research found that while parents read to preschoolers, by the final year of primary school only around 2% read to their children every day. Once children can read skillfully, parents tend to step back, and this usually happens at the age of seven or eight. The research also found that most teachers blame the government’s “target-driven” education policies for the fact that fewer children are reading for pleasure.
They believe that a straitjacket (束缚) of strictly organized schooling is containing young people’s ability to read more widely. Two-thirds of teachers surveyed said they lacked time in the school day to introduce a variety of books and that this was a “major obstacle to being able to develop a level of reading”. Teachers also cited as main factors the reduction in the number of school librarians, who could put interesting books before children, and the rise in “screen time”, switching children from reading to playing games.
The majority of teachers said the curriculum’s “emphasis on reading as a skill to be mastered” was increasing the pressure, which also came from parents who saw reading as a focus of learning, a skill critical to career advancement in a competitive world.
There was a real love of reading among teachers, and a strong desire to encourage more children to read for pleasure. However, the teachers also had an overpowering sense of frustration with their situation. “Touch-screen phone and computers are naturally attractive to children,” the survey said, and predicted a period of awkwardness as everyone else adapts. By 2021, children’s television will have adopted the presence of this second screen, and it will be strange not to have children, at home drawing along on computers and then having these appearing live in the show.
The hope is that user-friendly screens could, if material is adapted and downloaded easily, present an opportunity for more ambitious publishing — for example, books children like to read or digital books with moving pictures instead of photos to clarify factual and scientific points. Parental controls that are easy to use would be key. And they should be allowed to shut off access to children in the home.
The 1. situation | The change in the number of primary-age pupils who read for pleasure is 2.to that in the number of parents who fail to tell bedtime stories to their children. | |
The reasons | The government | Its “target-driven” education policies are to 3.for the fact that fewer children are reading for pleasure. |
Schools | ●The strictly organized schooling plays a 4. role for the children to read more widely. ●The number of school librarians is 5. ●The curriculum 6.reading skills too much, which burdens the children. | |
Most teachers | They can do nothing to introduce various books because they are 7. in time in the school day. | |
Parents | They 8.to reading as a focus of learning and a critical skill to career advancement in a competitive world. | |
Children | They 9. their attention from reading to the second screen. | |
The hopes | ●Publish books children like to read or 10. books. ●Allow parents to shut off access to children in the home. |
I remember the thrill of first seeing you at law school orientation. You looked happy in a sea of dour, nervous faces. And you swept me off my feet immediately and I was eager to know everything about you. It quickly became clear that you were kind, down-to-earth, engaging and loyal to family and friends. By graduation, we were inseparable. We took the bar exam and were married. The future looked bright-two freshly minted lawyers with supportive families and a dream of starting a family of our own some day.
I started my career with the exhausting hours and high stress that are traditionally visited on young lawyers. You were unexpectedly ambivalent (矛盾情绪的） about finding a good job-or any job. After gentle pressure from me, and more from the student loan payments, you puttered around in some non-legal positions more suited for someone with half your education and intelligence, which offered low pay.
Pregnancy-something we both wanted-gave you the most important job in the world. After a few years, we were blessed with a second child. You have never returned to work, although both kids have been at school full-time for years, and our firstborn is heading to college soon.
I've climbed the professional ladder reasonably well. We have the trappings of middle-class success-a nice house in a safe, quiet neighborhood; annual holidays; happy, healthy children; money saved for their college years. But it has come at enormous personal cost to me. My stress level has increased dramatically with added responsibilities at work and my health has become worse. People who haven't seen me for years flinch (退缩） when we meet again and I've attended more than one event at which I have overheard someone remarking on how much I've aged.
I don't think I can do this for another 25 years. I often dream of leaving my firm for a less demanding position, with you making up any financial deficit with a job-even a modest one-of your own. I've asked, and sometimes pleaded, for years with you to get a job, any job. Many of my free hours are spent helping with the housework and the kids, and I recognize that traditional gender roles are often oppressive, but that cuts both ways. I would feel less used and alone if you pitched in financially, even a little. That's not going to happen. It has become clear that you are OK with my working myself to death at a high-stress career that I increasingly hate, as long as you don't have to return to the workforce.
You keep busy volunteering, exercising and pursuing a variety of hobbies. You socialize with similarly situated women who also choose to remain outside the paid workforce. You always say you are not satisfied with the family income, but never once consider that you could relieve the stress on both our budgets and your burnt-out husband by earning some money yourself.
Our family is grateful for all that we enjoy and we know that we're far more fortunate than millions who work far harder than I ever have, or will. And I know all too well that work can be unpleasant. But I don't want you to work so I can buy a Jaguar or a holiday home. I want you to work so I can get a different position and we can still maintain a similar standard of living.
I want you to get a job so I don't wake up in the middle of the night worrying that my career is the only one between us and financial ruin. I want you to work so our marriage can feel more like a partnership and I can feel less like your financial beast of burden. I want our daughter to see you in the workforce and I want her to pursue a career so she is never as dependent on a man as you are on me, no matter how much he loves her(and he will).But mostly I want you to get a job because I want to feel loved.
1.What can we know about the author?
A.He has a family of five.
B.He got married before graduation.
C.He dreams of being a successful lawyer.
D.He fell for his wife at first sight.
2.What does the author think is the most important job to his wife?
A.Choosing a like-minded life partner.
B.The mother's having a baby inside her body.
C.The woman's being able to support her family.
D.Applying for a high-paid job once again.
3.What message is delivered in the fourth paragraph?
A.The author is not so good at socializing.
B.The author is a person of wealth and power.
C.Great responsibility comes with great power.
D.The heavy work pressure has aged the author.
4.What does the underlined sentence imply?
A.The author's wife won't take high-pressure jobs.
B.The author's wife is not satisfied with his work.
C.The author's wife will not go to work.
D.The author's wife can't keep the work-life balance.
5.We can infer from Paragraph 6 that the author's wife_
A.complains about financial pressure
B.usually volunteers with nearby women
C.always thinks of her husband's feelings
D.determines to earn some money herself
6.Why does the author want his wife to get a job?
A.To raise their standard of living.
B.To improve her ability to be independent.
C.To assist him in buying a nice holiday home.
D.To set a good example to their daughter.
