Good news for people who have difficulty in remembering things. A memory technique invented by the ancient Greeks has recently been proved to be able to greatly improve ordinary people's memory ability. You may even become a memory champion if you practice hard enough.

This is according to a study published in the journal Neuron. Researchers fro

Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands found that memory champions aren't all that different to us. People with an average memory can greatly improve their memory ability by using what's known as the“ mind palace” method.

The method is the secret weapon (武器) of the fictional (虚构的) character Sherlock Holmes.

In order to do this, you need to picture a place you're familiar with, such as your living room. Then, you have to remember this place in as much detail as possible as this is your own mind palace.

Suppose you want to remember a shopping list. You can start by spreading out all the items around your living room in your mind. This means each item on your list is connected with a remembered place in your living room. You travel to that remembered place as you recall the list.

To explore the effects of this method on the brain, researchers gathered 51 participants with average memory levels and no previous memory training. After 40 days of daily 30-minute training sessions (一段时间), participants doubled the amount of words they could remember - they went from recalling an average of 26 words out of 72, to an impressive 62. Four months later, even without continued training, their recall performance remained high.

“Once you are familiar with these strategies and know how to apply them, you can keep your performance high without much further training,” Martin Dresler, assistant professor from Radboud University Medical Center, told the Daily Mail.

In addition, the training also affects the way our brain cells connect. After training, the way that the participants' brain cells connect began to be like those of memory champions compared to scans(扫描检查) taken before training. Researchers believe this could be responsible for their increased memory.

But what makes this research so fascinating is that it seems to prove that the talent to store things in your mind isn't down to genes. Dresler found there was no deference in brain structure between memory champions and normal people, which means memory champions are not born with different brains.

“They, without a single exception, trained for months and years using methods to achieve these high levels of performance,” Dresler told Science Daily.

It’s clear that more studies are needed to find out what's going on here, but the “mind palace” method might be your best bet to never forget an important name, date or appointment ever again.

1.The main purpose of the text is to_____

A. present a research on a memory improvement strategy

B. explore the secrets of memory champions

C. argue whether good memory is natural or trained

D. explain how a memory improvement strategy works.

2.Which of the following statements is TRUE about the “mind place” method?

A. The method became popular because of Sherlock Holmes.

B. People need to draw a familiar place on paper before using the method.

C. The effects of this method are likely to fade when the raining stops

D. The method relies on a connection with a familiar environment to remember things.

3.What would Marin Dresler probably agree with?

A. People's memory level has a lot to do with their brain structure.

B. Memory champions are often born with outstanding memory ability

C. Memory training could change the way our brain cells connect.

D. With continued training, everyone can develop into a memory champion.

In the movie Jurassic Park (1993) a billionaire creates a theme park filled with dinosaurs, brought back from extinction through cloning by a team of scientists.

Although the film is of course fictional, the methods used in it to bring animals back from the dead may soon become reality.

Scientists from Harvard University in the US are currently working on resurrecting the woolly mammoth, a mammal that became extinct around 4,000 years ago.

However, it wouldn't be an exact copy of the hairy beast. "Our aim is to produce a hybrid elephant-mammoth embryo,” Professor George Church, head of the team of scientists, told The Guardian.

“Actually, it would be more like an elephant with a number of mammoth traits. We're not there yet, but it could happen in a couple of years."

The team is hoping to make a “mammophant”- a mix between an elephant and a mammoth. It would be like a regular elephant but have features from the mammoth that would make it more adaptable to cold weather.

Small ears, a thick layer of body fat and, of course, long hair are what helped the mammoth live in freezing temperatures.

So why go through all the effort and expense to bring back an animal that died out thousands of years ago? The answer lies in climate change.

It's hoped that the creatures will stop frost in the world's tundra from melting and releasing huge amounts of harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Mammoths used to keep the tundra from thawing by punching through snow and allowing cold air to come in," said Church. In the summer, they knocked down trees and helped the grass grow."Church and his team are attempting to mix mammoth DNA, recovered from frozen samples of the animal found in Siberia, with that of the Asian elephant, which is its closest relative.

There are critics who believe that the media has got carried away with the story though, after several websites ran headlines such as Woolly mammoths will be roaming Earth again within two years.

“So far, scientists have managed to incorporate traits of the mammoth into elephant DNA. In a few years, they hope to make an embryo, but that's a long way from creating a viable embryo, "Popular Science magazine wrote.

Some have even gone so far as to call the story “fake news". Paleoanthropologist(古人类学家)John Hawks wrote on blog platform Medium: Is this just another case of the media sensationalizing(大肆渲染) what is otherwise a good science story?"

Although we may not be seeing woolly mammoths at the zoo any time in the near future, it's still exciting to know that there is still the possibility of a real Jurassic Park someday, however tiny that possibility may be.

1.The underlined word “resurrecting” in Paragraph 3 probably means__________.

A. making something adaptable to current condition

B. studying a sample of something

C. bringing something back to life

D. producing a hybrid embryo of something

2.What would a mammophant look like according to the text?

A. It would be a combination of elephant, mammoth and dinosaur.

B. It would be an exact copy of the woolly mammoth with long hair.

C. It would look like a normal elephant but also share some mammoth traits.

D. It would be like a bigger sized elephant with small ears and short hair.

3.What is the main purpose of producing mammophants according to Church?

A. To improve biodiversity.

B. To help fight global warming.

C. To remove frost in the tundra.

D. To help grass grow in the tundra.

4.What can be concluded from the text?

A. The media holds a cautious attitude toward the mammophant program.

B. A hybrid elephant- mammoth embryo is likely to be produced within two years

C. The method used to produce mammophants was borrowed from the movie Jurassic Park,

D. Scientists still have a long way to fulfill the goals of the mammophant program.

It’s a rink which has become synonymous with a healthy life style-but is green tea the magical potion many heath sites would have us believe? Green tea has been popular in China for centuries and has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat a number of health issues-including depression.

Its virtues have also been extolled by celebrities and so-called heath experts for a number of reasons. These include its ability to help weight-loss as well as containing antioxidants which are believed to help combat different types of cancer. heart disease and Alzheimer's. Given these claims, it’s easy to see green tea as sort of magical elixir.

1.Green tea and weight loss

Green tea contains B vitamins, folate (naturally occurring folic acid), manganese, potassium, magnesium, caffeine and other antioxidants, such as catechins. It’s catechins along with green tea’s naturally occurring caffeine which are thought to help the body burn more calories. Weight-loss products containing green tea have a higher concentration of catechins and caffeine than the typical green tea beverage. However, there's some bad news. A review from 2012 of 18 studies   involving 1,945 people found no significant effect of weight loss from drinking green tea.

2. Green tea and cholesterol

Thanks again to the catechins, in a reputable review from 2013 of 11 studies involving 821 people, it was found daily consumption of green and black tea (as a drink or a capsule) could help lower cholesterol and blood pressure.

It's important to note, however, that the authors of the study pointed out the trials were short-term, and cautioned longer-term trials would be needed to substantiate their findings.   These were back up by an earlier review in 2011, which found drinking green tea enriched with catechins led to a small-reduction in cholesterol, a main cause of heart disease and stroke.

Though no one could say for certain how much green tea a person would need to drink to reap the benefits.

3. Green tea and cancer

On this the NHS is clear. There is no evidence drinking green tea protects against different types of cancer.

1.What's the meaning of the underlined word in the second paragraph?

A. Criticized    B. Commented    C. Praised    D. Exaggerated(夸张)

2.People think the ingredients in green tea that can burn more calories are_______.

①vitamins ② folate ③catechins④magnesium ⑤ caffeine

A. ①②    B. ④⑤    C. ③⑤    D. ②⑤

3.According to Part 2, we can infer that______

A. further researches are needed to prove the findings

B. the short-term research is not right

C. the long-term research is not in the works

D. over drinking green tea benefits health

听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。

1.What is the first thing to celebrate the festival?

A. A group discussion.

B. A lecture.

C. A women's program.

2.Who is Dr. Linda Thompson?

A. Author of Gender Connection.

B. President of the university.

C. Secretary of an organization.

3.What will follow Thomas Lane's talk?

A. A reception.    B. A competition.    C. A group discussion

4.How can student poets participate in women's History Month?

A. By writing for the newspaper.    B. By reading their own poets.    C. By giving lectures.

听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。

1.Which people were probably leaving big cities to live in the countryside?

A. The British.    B. The Brazilians.    C. The Mexicans.

2.What was the likely population in New York in 2000 according to the conversation?

A. 12 million.    B. 14 million.    C. 26 million.

3.Which is not mentioned as the problem caused by increasing population?

A. Transportation.    B. Education.    C. Housing.

4.Which city wouldn't be in the top ten in terms of population?

A. London.    B. Mexico City.    C. New York City

听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。

1.Who is the man?

A. A repairman.    B. The woman’s husband.    C. the Kid’s tutor.

2.When will the man see about the window?

A. Tomorrow afternoon.    B. In a few weeks.    C. In a short time

3.Who broke the window this time?

A. The woman's children.    B. The woman.    C. The man.

听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。

1.Where does the man come for?

A. Victoria.    B. Montreal    C. Halifax

2.How many days will the man stay in the city in total?

A. 2.    B. 3    C. 5

听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。

1.Where will the package go to?

A. The UK.    B. The US    C. Mexico.

2.How much more will the man pay for the package than normal?

A. 10 cents.    B. 50 cents    C. 90 cents·

What does the man mean?

A. A cold drink can be relaxing.

B. Scott and Tina like to play jocks on each other.

C. Humor can be helpful in embarrassing situations

What does the woman mean?

A. She is encouraged.    B. She appreciate the offer.    C. She needs a friend

What surprises the man?

A. Jane dropped school.    B. Jane made much money    C. Jane is still working.

What will the woman probably do next?

A. Check the battery.    B. Repair the display.    C. Buy a new phone.

What does the woman ask the man to do?

A. Have lunch first    B. Eat slowly.    C. Join in a game.

假定你是李华。你的交换生朋友Mary在你市举办的青年舞蹈比赛中荣获一等奖。请你用英语给她写封信。内容包括：

1. 表示祝贺；

2. 询问比赛情况；

3. 邀请她周末到你家教你跳舞。

注意：

1. 词数100左右；

2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；

3. 开头和结尾已经为你写好，不计入总词数。

Dear Mary,

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua

假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线（/）划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

Last week, my English teacher let us did some research on “How to study English well”, She asked us to form a small group, that was made up with five students. In my group, there are three girls and two boys. I suggested we each play different role in it. Then I prepared the questions, and the rest of my group collected students’ answer. Because we worked as a team, so the research went very good and ended within two hours. The teacher praised me group, and I learned the important of cooperation（合作）.

阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

During the summer vacation, I took part in 1. 16th Natural English Contest (竞赛), in which I was listed in the top 10 and 2. (gain) valuable experience.

I never expected 3. (go) that far. And I had never thought about standing that high on the stage. 4. at that moment, I set out for the long ride. All I had to do was try.

Preparing for the contest, practicing a 3-minute speech, and overcoming stage fright (怯场), I spared no effort to take part in the competition.

One of my 5. (teammate), my good friend in my school, gave me lots of encouragement and advice during the contest. Her ideas were new and powerful and she stayed quite calm when she was fighting against her 6. (compete). She was like my coach, 7. showed me how to search for related materials online and how to express my own view 8. (logical).

Thanks 9. the contest and the help of my friend, I now feel relaxed on stage and confident when 10. (talk).

I used to travel to make myself relaxed. Two years ago, I was rather busy with my business and under a lot of ____ , so I went to Las Vegas for a holiday. I just wanted to get away and ____ for a while.

When I was on holiday, a(n) ____ suddenly came to me. I had long wished to pay a visit to the Greek island of Santorini. Therefore, the idea of a two-week European ____ alone was born.

I’d driven ____ across the US before, but traveling to other ____ whose languages aren’t the same as mine ____ me. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to ____ with anyone.

But I soon ____ that if I wanted to follow my dreams, I had to ____ out of my comfort area. If I let ____ take control of me, I’d get nowhere.

As I ____ for more places to visit on my trip, I found Mykonos, Greece, which I ____ just as much as I liked Santorini. When I arrived in ____ , it was like I was in a dream.

What I appreciated best was the bus ride to Venice. As I rode the bus and enjoyed every new thing I saw, I was completely ____ from the pressure of my work. How ____ it was to see people riding their bikes to the ____ they would like to go to!

Some people might say, “It’s not a big ____ ; it’s just Venice. Thousands of people go there every day.” But it was more than that to me. It was about having a ____ and when it was time for it to come true, don’t be afraid to let it ____ .

1.A. joy    B. pressure    C. loss    D. pain

2.A. relax    B. sleep    C. work    D. wait

3.A. invitation    B. incident    C. stranger    D. idea

4.A. stay    B. research    C. vacation    D. study

5.A. fast    B. alone    C. entirely    D. together

6.A. cities    B. parks    C. countries    D. companies

7.A. attracted    B. frightened    C. surprised    D. interested

8.A. communicate    B. play    C. agree    D. travel

9.A. selected    B. responded    C. realized    D. suggested

10.A. look    B. leave    C. make    D. step

11.A. fear    B. pride    C. anger    D. courage

12.A. asked    B. provided    C. searched    D. cared

13.A. explored    B. visited    C. doubted    D. liked

14.A. Asia    B. Africa    C. America    D. Europe

15.A. absent    B. free    C. different    D. tired

16.A. peaceful    B. generous    C. hard    D. nice

17.A. castles    B. places    C. situation    D. homeland

18.A. deal    B. reality    C. order    D. event

19.A. business    B. future    C. dream    D. journey

20.A. explore    B. go    C. decrease    D. disappear

    The smell of campfires attract many people into the woods and mountains for camping trips. Especially, the start of summer or perhaps fall is the perfect time to take a camp. Here are several reasons you should consider packing up the sleeping bags and heading into the mountains.

You get closer to nature

1. Campgrounds are about as close as you can get to some of the most beautiful places on the earth.

You get far away from technology

Communicate with nature. 2. So you and your children can leave the cellphones at home. You may get up close with wildflowers and the fresh air.

Food tastes much better in the outdoors

Cooking over an open fire gives meat a special taste which can’t be done well on the stove at home. 3..

Camping is affordable

When short of cash for a vacation, many families can keep it cheap by heading into the woods for a camping trip. Camping equipment can be bought for very little money. 4.

5. Most of your friends will wish they had come along with you.

A. Give your friends some advice about camp

B. You may want to enjoy yourself in your house

C. Most campgrounds don’t have Wi-Fi or even a phone signal

D. The biggest cost is usually the gas to get to the campground

E. Post a few photos of your camping trip to mountains when at home

F. While camping, you’re most likely to be in a national park or national forest lands

G. Camping food is some of the best-tasting food and it tastes even better in the fresh air.

Public Health England (PHE) is targeting pizzas, ready meals, ready meat and takeaways. The government has also required the food industry to start using healthier food and encourage the public to opt for lower calorie foods.

It is all part of an effort to cut calorie (卡路里) intake by 20% by 2024. The target will point to 13 different food groups, which are equal to about a fifth of the calorie taken by children. If action is not taken, PHE said, it would be prepared to ask the government to pass laws.

PHE would be strictly monitoring progress by looking at which products people were buying and would be prepared to punish companies which do not take their duties. The government is also organizing a program encouraging adults to consume (消耗) 400 calories at breakfast and 600 each at lunch and dinner.

At present, adults consume between 200 and 300 calories more than they should each day. PHE chief nutritionist Dr. Alison Tedstone said the 400-600-600 tip would make it easier for “people to make healthier choices” by being able to judge what they should be eating in each sitting.

How many calories should we eat? It is suggested that women eat no more than 2,000 calories a day, while men should limit their intake to 2,500. For children, it depends on age. A four-year-old should consume no more than 1,300, while for teens aged 17 and 18, it is about 3,000, but overweight children are eating up to 500 calories more than that.

Prof Russell Viner, of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said it was a necessary move. He said, “Over the past 40 years, there had been a slow growth in food sizes, with pizzas and hamburgers simply much bigger than they were in our parents’ time,” The convenience of fast food at pocket money prices and the advertisement of unhealthy food and drinks to children add to the problem.

1.What does the underlined word “opt” in paragraph 1 mean?

A. Sell.    B. Choose.

C. Produce.    D. Bite.

2.What will happen to a company if it encourages high calorie food?

A. It will be punished by law.

B. It will be forced to stop producing foods.

C. It will be punished by Public Health England.

D. It will be asked to produce low calorie food.

3.Which of the following people should take in the most calories?

A. Teens aged 18.    B. Babies.

C. Adult women.    D. Adult men.

4.What can be inferred from the text?

A. The government has passed laws about using healthier food.

B. PHE is concerned about the British health problems.

C. Hamburgers are no bigger than before.

D. Men should eat no more than 2,000 colonies.

We all know that nothing lasts forever. It’s changes that have guided the development of our society.

Without change, there is no progress, creativity, or encouragement for improvement. Improvement means moving forward. It means making life better. It doesn’t just happen on a large level, across time and culture. It happens to all of us in our daily life, too. And how we react to change determines our results.

Fearing the unknown can be a main reason in refusing change. When change is invited, even in the best of condition, it can often be worried. You have every reason to think that way about the future, because you might not know where you’ll end up.

But if your mindset (心态) is right, you can trust that your direction is right.

When we learn to manage mindset, paying attention to the positive outcomes, we more often make the most of each change. When we come across common changes and realize if we can reduce some of the fear, we are better equipped to deal with the new situation.

Some changes just prove that your life is moving forward to a new stage—a stage full of new challenges and experiences. Why does change make you frightened? It could be that you haven’t a proper mindset. Here are two tips for managing a proper mindset.

Ask for help.

Examine your family and your friends, and determine who would be the most equipped to help you with your present life changes.

Look for positives.

Don’t fight against changes, but do find healthy ways to deal with these situations. The better you deal with changes, the farther you will leave those around you behind.

1.What can we learn about changes according to the text?

A. It can make our mindset better.

B. It may bring us improvement.

C. It can make us relax.

D. It may make us hopeless.

2.What is the main reason for people to refuse changes?

A. Always forgetting the past.

B. Being satisfied with the present situation.

C. Worrying about the unknown.

D. Having a good mindset.

3.Which of the following is a proper way to face a new situation?

A. Taking some adventures.

B. Moving your life forward.

C. Turning to somebody for help.

D. Focusing on surrounding changes.

4.What can be a suitable title for the text?

A. The unknown in the life

B. People’s attitude to the future

C. The importance of being positive

D. Welcome the change

Many young people would like to make a booth (货摊) in the name of entrepreneurship (创业精神) and sell lemon. It might seem like an easy sell—kids offering cool drinks. Some entrepreneurs offer their tips on how to make money from this.

Joe Mansueto, founder of the investment company Morningstar, sold lemonade as a kid. “You should always pay attention to customers,” he said. “When somebody’s walking down the street, get out from behind the booth, greet them, talk to them and just make friends with them to attract more customers.”

However, his two sons decided to sell a different drink. When they were 8 and 10, his boys sold cocoa outside their home. “The great thing about business is that there are really no rules. You can be creative and try something different,” Mansueto said.

But it wasn’t enough for US representative Mike Quigley and his older brother to sell drinks. They sold old books at the booth and would rent them out for customers to read while they enjoyed their drinks.

Adam Ochstein, founder of StratEx Partners, a human resources service company, gave frequent visitors cards which were printed with a lemon. Every five drinks, customers got one card which allowed them to pay less than half of the next drink. However, they didn’t price the drinks. “If you want to give nothing, give nothing. If you want to give $2, give $2. I think we had let the adults give more money than they probably would like to, “Today, he suggests kids use social media for marketing.” He said, “It can tell people where the booth is going to be and what unique specials you’re running.”

1.What is paragraph 2 mainly about?

A. How to set up a big company.

B. How to tell apart rich customers.

C. How to make friends with others.

D. How to attract more customers.

2.How did Mike Quigley make his booth different from the others?

A. By selling cocoa outside their home.

B. By renting used books to the customers.

C. By making friends with his customers.

D. By lending new books to his customers.

3.What advice about the booth does Ochstein give to kids?

A. Giving visitors free drinks.

B. Taking advantage of social media.

C. Giving visitors cards printed with a lemon.

D. Allowing customers to pay less money.

4.What is the text mainly about?

A. Street business.    B. Marketing fashion.

C. Service culture.    D. Social activities.

Vacation Packages in Los Angeles

A Disney in Los Angeles Vacation package

Enjoy a fantastic and magical adventure in the Los Angeles area with a Disney Vacation in Los Angeles, which includes four nights of stay and a 1-day Disneyland Park Hopper (通票) with transport which will help you set up a perfect experience to Disney.

Details:

4 Nights stay in your choice of over 85 hotels

Disneyland 1-day Park Hopper with transport

Description:

People of all ages love Disneyland, and you will have the park’s all kinds of rides and attractions. If you would prefer to look for excitement on exciting rides like Space Mountain, you are sure to find something new and exciting at Disneyland!

Experience of the Hollywood Stars Vacation package

With Experience of the Hollywood Stars, you can get a two-night stay at a hotel and the chance to see some of the most popular stars of Los Angeles!

Details:

2 Nights’ stay in your choice of over 85 hotels

Stars’ Homes and Rodeo Drive Shopping Tour

Description:

The package includes the Stars Homes and Rodeo Drive Shopping Tour, so you are sure to have a fantastic time in having a look at the houses of your favorite stars and having a fantastic time in shopping as well.

Places of Interest in Los Angeles Vacation package

The fantastic city of Los Angeles has much to offer, and you can take full advantage of it with the Places of Interest in Los Angeles Vacation, offering three nights of stay at your choice of hotels.

Details:

3 Nights’ stay in your choice of over 85 hotels

Half Day Hollywood and Beverly Hills Tour

Description:

Visit the most beautiful sights in the area and come back to your freshly-made bed for all three nights of your stay. You’ll be able to enjoy every moment of your vacation whether in your room or out on the town.

1.What can you do in the Experience of the Hollywood Stars Vacation package?

A. Enjoy all kinds of rides and shows.

B. Visit the most wonderful sights.

C. Have great fun in shopping.

D. Meet your favourite stars in their homes.

2.Which activity can you enjoy in the Vacation Packages in Los Angeles?

A. Watching Disneyland cartoons.

B. Having dinner with stars.

C. Riding bikes around Los Angeles.

D. Seeing the houses of stars.

3.In which part of newspaper can you read the text?

A. Travelling.    B. Art.

C. Fashion.    D. Sport.

请阅读下面短文，并按照要求用英语写一篇150词左右的文章。

You return from work on a hot August evening. Your unwashed son is on the sofa playing Honor of Kings, as he has been doing for the past eight hours. Not for the first time, you ask yourself: why are school summer holidays so insufferably long?

This is a more serious question than it sounds. Many children will return from the long break having forgotten much of what they were taught the previous year. One study from the American South found that this “summer learning loss” could be as high as a quarter of the year’s education.

Students will hate the idea of a longer school year. But plenty of children could usefully spend a bit longer at their books. More time in school need not mean repeating the same old lessons. Some extra drilling would be beneficial, particularly for those falling behind. But the summer could also be a time for different kinds of learning. Schools should be free to experiment.

（写作内容）

1.用约30个单词写出上文概要；

2.用约120个单词阐述你对暑假长度的看法，并提出至少两条合理利用暑被时间的建议。

（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；

（评分标准）

内容完整，语言规范，语篇连贯，词数适当。

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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The 17th-century French tragedian Pierre Corneille wrote: The manner of giving is worth more than the gift”. He had a point, according to Charles Spence, head of Crossmodal Research Laboratory at the University of Oxford.

The professor’s work focuses on how our brains sense the world around us. His research has shown that high-frequency sounds and curved shapes seem to increase the sweetness wine tastes better if it is accompanied by the popping sound of a cork and drunk from all these created multisensory experiences.

So, what’s his advice if you want to impress this holiday season?

Bulk it up hide

“We’ve just published research on eating a box of chocolates，” Mr Spence said. “If you are 30-gram weight in a box of chocolates, that weight translates to a significant increase perceived(感知)quality of the chocolate.”

There are exceptions, but the association between weight and the perception of luxury(奢侈)applies to many items including tableware，perfume(香水)and wine，Mr. Spence said. “That's why in a restaurant，a waiter might artfully give you the bottle to weigh in your hand,” he added.

Black is basic

Black is the color most associated with luxury because, Mr. Spence said，“it seems to be the color that we perceive to be the heaviest.”

Such luxury indications are learned, rather than inborn, so they can change over time. I’m doing a lot of work on transparency(透明) at the moment; high-quality packaged goods should have a transparent window because it suggests freshness or quality,” he said.

But the trend is recent， the professor added, because “traditionally luxury goods used to have nontransparent packaging. I think it has to do with the current desire for originality.”

Layer it on

Unnecessary wrapping(包裹)can be an ecological concern but, when it comes to luxury goods like wine in a presentation case, it does make an impression.

“Tissue layers are really good,” Mr. Spence said，“because the crinkle adds an extra sense to the experience.”

Consider a little perfume in the box or wrapping, and, if you want to involve other senses, work out some way for classical music to be playing when the gift is opened because we associate it with quality.

Engaging several senses at once is beneficial.“The brain combines the inputs from each sense, both to determine what something is, but also to determine a reward value,”Mr. Spence said. Also,the more stimuli(刺激)to the senses，the more activity is produced in the orbitofrontal cortex, a small part of brain situated just beside the eyes. And the more activity there, the more rewarding something is perceived to be.

You can go too far

“Engaging an extra sense is more effective, but you can potentially have a disagreement if that extra sense doesn’t match the others.” the professor said.

Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood had a son called Michael and a daughter called Matilda ,who was so quick to learn that her ability should have been obvious even to the most stupid parents. But she was their daughter. To tell the truth, I doubt they had noticed she crawled into the house with a broken leg.

By the age of one and a half her speech was perfect and she knew as many words as most grown-ups. The parents, instead of praising her, called her a noisy chatterbox and told her sharply that small girls should be seen and not heard.

By the time she was three, Matilda had taught herself to read by studying newspapers and magazines that lay around the house. At the age of four, she could read fast and well and she naturally began seeking for books. The only book in the whole of this enlightened household was something called Easy Cooking belonging to her mother, and when she had read this from cover to cover, and had learnt all the recipes by heart, she decided she wanted something more interesting.

“Daddy,” she said, “do you think you could buy me a book?

“A book?” he said. “What do you want a book for?”

“To read, Daddy.”

“What's wrong with the telly? We've got a lovely telly with a twelve-inch screen and now you come asking for a book!”

Nearly every weekday afternoon Matilda was left alone in the house. Her brother went to school. Her father went to work and her mother went out playing bingo. On the afternoon of the day when her father had refused to buy her a book, Matilda set out all by herself to walk to the public library in the village. She asked Mrs. Phelps, the librarian, if she might sit a while and read a book. Mrs. Phelps, slightly surprised at the arrival of such a tiny girl unaccompanied by a parent, nevertheless told her she was very welcome.

“Where are the children's  books please!” Matilda asked.

“They’re over there on those lower shelves,” Mrs. Phelps told her. “Would you like me to help you find a nice one with lots of pictures in it?

“No, thank.you,” Matilda said. “I’m sure I can manage.”

From then on, every afternoon, as soon as her mother had left for bingo, Matilda would walk down to the library, where she spent two glorious hours sitting quietly by herself in a cosy comer devouring one book after another. When she had read every single children's book in the place, she started wandering around in search of something else.

Mrs. Phelps, who had been watching her with interest for the past few weeks, now got up from her desk and went over to her. “Can I help you, Matilda?” she asked.

“I’m wondering what to read next,” Matilda said. “I’ve finished all the children's books.”

“You mean you’ve looked at the pictures?”

“yes, but I’ve read the books as well. I thought some were very poor, but others were lovely. I like The Secret Garden best of all. It was full of mystery. The mystery of the room behind the closed door and the mystery of the garden behind the big wall”.

Mrs. Phelps was stunned.“Exactly how old are you, Matilda?”she asked.

“ Four years and three months,” Matilda said.“I would like a really good book that grown-ups read .A famous one.”

Mrs. Phelps looked along the shelves, taking her time.“Try this”, she said at last,“It’s very famous and very good If it’s too long for you, just let me know”.

“Great Expectations, ” Matilda read, “by Charles Dickens. I’d love to try it”

1.What does the writer think of Matilda’s parents?

A. They were too busy to pay attention to her.

B. They were too traditional to educate a girl.

C. They were too caring to put pressure on her.

D. They were too ignorant to raise children properly.

2.What does the writer want to say by mentioning the name of the book that the family had?

A. It is a good book for a little girl.

B. The family doesn't have a real book.

C. The mother likes cooking very much.

D. The family needs something interesting.

3.Which of the following words can best describe Matilda?

A. Original.    B. Hardworking.

C. Independent.    D. Delightful.

4.Why did Mrs. Phelps ask Matilda how old she was?

A. She wanted to have a light conversation with her.

B. She thought she might need guidance while reading.

C. She wanted to find the best book for children of her age.

D. She was surprised at her mature understanding of books.

5.What do you think Mrs. Phelps would do after Matilda got Great Expectations?

A. She would read together with the little girl.

B. She would show her how to read the book.

C. She would watch her from behind her desk.

D. She would tell her how great the book was.

①About 43.5 million Americans are taking care of aging relatives and friends, sacrificing(牺牲) time, money and sometimes their careers and personal health. They are doing the work of professional caregivers, who spend years training for the job. As baby boomers age, the demand for unpaid caregivers is rising. Meanwhile ,the number of them is dropping rapidly thanks to smaller family sizes, higher divorce rates and increasingly demanding jobs. This November, actor Rob Lowe offered to tell his story and send some encouragement to the millions struggling to care for a loved one.

②I had my first experience with unpaid care giving fairly early. My father, Charles, was diagnosed(诊断)with lymphoma at age 50.I was 26.Luckily,he was financially successful and had a loving wife, my stepmother. It was challenging, but she was there from taking care of my father.

③In my late 30s, my mother, Barbara Hepler, was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. That was when I was introduced to the front lines of what so many millions are experiencing. She did not have a husband or a significant other, so it fell to me and my two brothers to handle everything from her initial diagnosis to doctor shopping, treatment options, driving her to appointments and, finally, the end of life-which was profoundly difficult, obviously.

④At the time, I was starring in and producing a network television show, The Lyon’s Den. It was fighting for its ratings life. If I took time off, the show would be canceled, I was responsible for 150 crew members ,so I had to find a way to do both.

⑤Besides. there is the negotiation of medical coverage, which requires phone calls, weeding through paperwork and talking to insurance companies and doctors. I remember thinking, Jesus Christ, if I were sick and had to do this on my own? I don’t think I could get out of bed in the morning.

⑥The people we are talking about-the friends and family members who are out there doing important work-are unpaid. Watching a loved one go through an illness, possibly ending in death, is stressful and depressing. Add economic and scheduling burdens, and the load for caregivers is heavy. To them I say, Don't forget about yourself. When you get on an airplane, the crew says, Secure your own mask first before helping others.”Why? Because without you taking care of yourself, you can’t take care of anybody else. That’s why I’ve partnered with EMD Serono andEmbracingCarers.com, where you’ll find invaluable information regarding everything you’ll be, or are, going through.

1.What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?

A. large number of Americans are taking care of their loved ones.

B. Unpaid caregivers are in great demand due to a variety of reasons.

C. Taking care of aging relatives and friends is increasingly demanding.

D. Many Americans have received training to become professional caregivers.

2.Why does Rob Lowe mention his father’s case?

A. To indicate the possible stress of a carer.

B. To introduce his family’s medical history.

C. To emphasize the importance of being healthy.

D. To prove Charles’ luck of having a loving wife.

3.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A. The TV show was then struggling to win a larger audience.

B. The TV show was quite popular among local unpaid caregivers.

C. The TV show was fighting to be allowed to shoot more seasons.

D. The TV show was about patients who were fighting against diseases,

4.Which of the following could probably be the best title?

A. What makes a good carer?    B. Where are the caregivers?

C. Why are carers necessary?    D. Who cares for the carer?

What is the single most effective way to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions? Go vegetarian (素食)？ Replant the Amazon? Cycle to work? None of the above. The answer is: make air-conditioners better. On one calculation， replacing refrigerants (制冷剂) damaging the atmosphere would reduce total greenhouse gases equaling 90bn tonnes of CO2 by 2050. Making the units more energy-efficient could double that. By contrast, if half the world’s population gave up meat, it would save 66bn tonnes. Replanting two-thirds of tropical forests would save 61 bn tonnes. A one-third increase in global bicycle journeys, just 2.3bn tonnes.

Air-conditioning is one of the world's great overlooked industries. Automobiles and air-conditioners were invented at roughly the same time, and both have had a huge impact on where people live and Work. Unlike cars, though， air-conditioners have drawn little criticism for their social impact, emissions or energy efficiency. Most hot countries do not have rules to govern their energy use. There is not even a common English word for “coolth” (the opposite of warmth).

Yet air-conditioning has done more than most things to benefit humankind. Lee Kuan Yew, the first prime minister of Singapore, called it “perhaps one of the signal inventions of history”. It has transformed productivity in the tropics(热带地区)and helped turn southern China into the workshop of the World. In Europe, its spread has pushed down heat-related deaths to 10% since 2003, Men 70,000 people than usual, most of them elderly, died in a heatwave. For children, air-conditioned classrooms are associated with better grades at school.

Environmentalists who call air-conditioning“a luxury we cannot afford” have half a point, however. In the next ten years, as many air-conditioners will be installed(安装)around the world as were put in between 1902(invention time)and 2005.Unless energy can be produced without carbon emissions, these extra machines will warm the world. At the moment, therefore, air-conditioners create a vicious cycle. The more the Earth warms, the more people need them. But the more there are, the warmer the world will be.

Cutting the impact of cooling requires three things. First, air-conditioners must become much more efficient. The most energy-efficient models on the market today consume only about one-third as much electricity as average ones, Minimum energy-performance standards need to be raised raised, orintroduced in countries that lack them altogether, to push the average unit's performance closer to the standard of the best.

Next, manufacturers should stop using damaging refrigerants. One type called hydrofluoro-carbons, is over 1,000 times worse than carbon dioxide when it comes to trapping heat in the atmosphere. An international agreement to knock out these pollutants will come into force in 2019.

Last, more could. be done to design offices, malls and even cities so they do not need as many air-conditioners in the first place. More buildings should be built with overhanging roofs orbalconies for shade, or with natural ventilation (自然通风).Simply painting roofs white can help keep temperatures down. Providing indoor air-conditioned comfort need not come at the expense of an overheating world.

1.What’s the most effective way to reduce carbon gases?

A. Planting more trees.    B. Leading green lifestyles.

C. Improving cooling systems.    D. Buying new air-conditioners.

2.What can we learn from Paragraphs 2 and 3?

A. Air-conditioning enables factories to produce more in hot areas.

B. The heat-related deaths have dropped by 10% since 2003 in Europe.

C. There are many factories producing air-conditioners in southern China.

D. Air-conditioners have received little criticism for they have no negative impact.

3.Why do environmentalists call air-conditioning “a luxury we cannot afford” in Paragraph 4?

A. Because the price of air-conditioning is too high.

B. Because you can’t afford the time for installation.

C. Because the cost of energy consumption is too high.

D. Because the earth will suffer from its carbon emissions.

4.Which of the following measures can reduce the impact of cooling?

a.design natural cooling buildings

b.raise standards for energy-performance

c.make laws for international cooperation

d.stop applying harmful refrigerants to production

A. abc    B. abd    C. acd    D. bed

    Growing up in Georgia in the 1970s,I always felt that the bad old day of Southern prejudice (偏见) and ignorance had passed and that we were__a new South built upon hard-won racial equality, charity and the sense that no one was __ than anyone else.

I’m not so__anymore.Lately,I feel like our moral compass has been__,spinning to intolerance, greed and meanness.

In times of __ ,I put my faith in Elvis Presley, who__the South’s better angles. He was a hard worker, and __ he lived the high life, he never forgot that he had been born into __. I don't think you’ll ___hear an interview with the man when he didn’t express __for all that life had given him.

And he was a self-made talent, perhaps the__entertainer of all time, born in a two-room shack(棚屋) in Tupelo, Mississippi. I've been there many times, reflecting on what it says about America .Greatness can be born__.

Elvis was famous for his generosity---__cars, expensive gifts and other handouts to anyone in need. That’s how the Presleys__ the Great Depression(1929-1933). His father Vernon was a laborer who was often out of__ , and the Presleys relied on the kindness of family and neighbors to get them __ the hard time.

Today’s politicians please the crowds with messages that praise the rich and powerful and think of the poor as __ their fate__, the crowds believe that their problems could be solved if only the poor people below them didn't __ so much. To blame an immigrant (移民)for “ __ ” a job, instead of the CEO who won’t pay a living wage.

Yet, I still believe, as Elvis once said,“Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain’t goin’away”.

1.A. entering    B. finishing    C. deserting    D. keeping

2.A. jail    B. better    C. smarter    D. prettier

3.A. worried    B. sure    C. happy    D. calm

4.A. checked    B. fixed    C. broken    D. adjusted

5.A. danger    B. war    C. trouble    D. debt

6.A. considered    B. changed    C. improved    D. represented

7.A. after    B. since    C. although    D. because

8.A. honor    B. wealth    C. fame    D. poverty

9.A. never    B. ever    C. always    D. still

10.A. concern    B. anger    C. appreciation    D. surprise

11.A. greatest    B. richest    C. youngest    D. handsomest

12.A. nowhere    B. everywhere    C. somewhere    D. anywhere

13.A. giving away    B. taking up    C. picking up    D. putting away

14.A. suffered    B. survived    C. faced    D. avoided

15.A. work    B. mind    C. action    D. breath

16.A. by    B. over    C. behind    D. through

17.A. fighting    B. escaping    C. ignoring    D. deserving

18.A. Consequently    B. Fortunately    C. Surprisingly    D. Disappointedly

19.A. reflect on    B. ask for    C. take on    D. care for

20.A. losing    B. cutting    C. stealing    D. taking

---You don't so well, Betty. What's the matter with you?

---I’m going to have the first round of interview tomorrow, so I’m____.

A. feeling on cloud nine    B. feeling hot under the collar

C. felling down in the dumps    D. feeling butterflies in my stomach

Alice had graduated from university and ____as a volunteer in the countryside when I contacted her last year.

A. has been working    B. was working    C. has worked    D. had worked