1 . A few years ago my sister moved from her home in Alabama to Buffalo, New York. Since moving to Buffalo she’s become a big hockey (曲棍球) fan and has encouraged me to start watching it. Unfortunately it’s very difficult to find hockey on television here in Alabama. Since hockey games don’t air very much on television, I’ve had to look for different ways to watch hockey games.
I often see websites that claim if you go to their website you can watch television on your computer. I try out many of these websites, hoping that one of the television stations is a northern station that airs hockey games. Unfortunately, most of them don’t work. Either the site doesn’t really give you what they advertise or their video player doesn’t work properly. But finally I’ve found one websites that actually works.
Free Tube is a site that you can go to and watch Television online for free. You don’t have to download any kind of special software or pay money or even sign up for anything. All you have to do is go to Free Tube, choose your channel and start watching.
The different channels to choose from are separated into different categories like news, business, entertainment, music and sports. You’re not going to find channels like NBC or ABC, so you can watch the latest episode of Heroes or Grey’s Anatomy but it does include some popular channels like Cartoon Network and ESPN.
There is also a movie section. Each movie channel airs different sorts of films like adventure, classics, comedy or horror and that channel will always air that kind of movies. The movie section also includes my favorite station called Max Trailers (预告片). Max Trailers airs nothing but movies trailers 24 hours a day. Some of the trailers are for movies coming out and some are for movies that have already been released but already released movies don’t go back farther than a couple of months.
So far I haven’t had any problems with Free Tube’s video player either. Whenever I choose a channel the video almost always works and usually loads every quickly. The only problem I have with Free Tube is that there is currently a fault if you’re using Firefox. Once you choose a channel you can’t select another channel to change to, your web browser will freeze up. So if you’re using Firefox, the only way to switch channels is to leave the site and re-enter the site, when choosing what channel you want to go to. However, Free Tube is aware of this fault and is working with Mozilla to get it fixed right away.
If you’re missing some show everyone is talking about like Grey’s Anatomy or Heroes, this isn’t really a solution for that. But Free Tube is a good way to find channels that you weren’t aware of; there are several good stations to be found.
1. The author mainly ________ in this passage.| A．tells us his experience in using the Web. | B．shows us the disadvantages of Free Tube |
| C．introduces Free Tube to the readers | D．shows us how to enjoy films online |
| A．because he is a sports fan | B．because he has nothing to do all day long |
| C．since everyone enjoys the games | D．due to his sister’s influence |
| A．the author is also very fond of movies |
| B．Max Trailers airs to-be-released movies |
| C．ABC is a very famous TV station in America |
| D．Firefox is the only software used to watch films online |
2 . Five years ago, French navy officer Chardon was listening to a radio program about the journey of the bar-tailed godwit (斑尾塍鹬) , a bird that flies 14,000 kilometers between New Zealand and Alaska. Chardon understood how dangerous the journey would be, as heavy storms frequently hit Pacific island communities. Yet, somehow, bar-tailed godwits routinely pass through the area uninjured. Chardon wondered whether learning how godwits navigate (导航) could help coastal communities avoid disasters. Could tracking birds help save lives?
This past January, a team began experiments designed to test Chardon’s idea. Researchers led by Jiguet equipped 56 birds of five species with cutting-edge animal tracking technology. The team were transported to remote islands in French Polynesia, where they attached tags (追踪器). These tags send the birds’ locations to the International Space Station, which sends the data back to scientists on Earth who can then follow the birds — all the while waiting to see how the birds respond to natural disasters.
The project is focusing on birds’ ability to hear infrasound, the low-frequency sound humans cannot hear. Researchers believe it’s the most likely signal birds would use to sense storms and tsunamis. In a 2014 study, scientists tracking golden-winged warblers in the central and southeastern US founded the birds flew up to 1,500 kilometers to escape from the outbreak of tornadoes that killed 35 people. This showed they’d heard the storm system in advance.
The team plan on tagging more birds across the Pacific to prepare for a potential tsunami. “I think if there’s one wave that spreads across islands, we should get data from different species at different locations,” says Jiguet. “That’d definitely show it’s worth continuing to tag birds and to develop local systems to better analyze this.”
Even if the attempt to develop a bird-based tsunami early warning system fails, the project will still help scientists protect birds. In that sense, the research will have already gained results by that time. Jiguet says their first season’s tracking data shows Hawaii is an important stepping stone for the birds they tagged — a useful clue to the protection of these species above rising seas.
1. What is the purpose of Jiguet’s experiments?| A．To learn more about birds’ lifestyles. | B．To know birds’ reactions to disasters. |
| C．To test an animal tracking technology. | D．To study birds’ adaptation to nature. |
| A．To present a fact. | B．To make comparisons. |
| C．To take a guess. | D．To introduce a new sound. |
| A．Successful. | B．Challenging. | C．Regrettable. | D．Rewarding. |
| A．Can birds predict most natural disasters? |
| B．How do we develop a warning system? |
| C．Can birds warn us of natural disasters? |
| D．How do birds avoid natural disasters? |
3 . An American company has developed a new technique (技术) to make bread stay fresh for 60 days.
Scientists found that a kind of mould (霉菌) caused bread to go bad. The new technique kills the mould and keeps the food for longer time. This means there will be less waste of food in the world in future.
Food waste is a big problem in most developed countries. In the US, an average (普通的) family throws away 40% of the food they buy, which adds up to $165bn every year, about 330 million tons in weight. Bread takes a larger part. In the UK, 32% of the bread they buy is thrown away as waste when they can still be eaten.
The bread usually goes mouldy (发的) in around 10 days, but the American company says the new technique will keep the bread free from mould for two months.
”We treated a piece of bread in a special machine. At 60 days it had the same amount of mould as it was first made,“ says Mr. Stull, the leader of the company.
Although there are a lot of bread makers interested in the new technique, few customers like the idea. They say they don’t think a piece of bread which lasts for 60 days tastes good.
”We’ll have to make our customers accept the idea. But it will take some time,“ says Mr. Stull.
1. What is the key point of the new technique?| A．It can prevent the world from wasting food. |
| B．It kills the mould and keeps bread fresh for longer time. |
| C．It keeps the same amount of mould. |
| D．It makes bread taste good. |
| A．Nearly half. | B．A quarter. | C．More than half. | D．About one-third. |
| A．Food waste can be reduced immediately (立刻) with the new technique. |
| B．We will buy bread that can last longer. |
| C．Few customers are sure about the technique. |
| D．Poor countries are in great need of food. |
| A．A new technique has been invented to keep bread fresh longer. |
| B．There is great waste of food in developed countries. |
| C．There is a kind of mould that causes food to go bad. |
| D．Customers don’t like food that lasts for two months. |
Nowadays, computers and Internet are playing an important part in our life. Some people even say that they can’t live
How can you make your computer and Internet passwords safe? Experts have some tips for you. You’d better remember the tips and they are
First, make your password out of capital letters. If your password is made of capital letters, it
Third, never use personal information for passwords and use different passwords for different accounts. Experts say that a user should change his or her passwords every 90 days. In this way, hackers won’t guess your passwords.
5 . Will your job be done by a robot in the future? Bank of England economists predict that almost half of all UK jobs are under threat of robots. Those most at risk are physical labor, such as factory workers. But could even teachers soon have to compete against powerful electronic educators?
At first sight, it might seem impossible for teachers to be replaced by robots. Teachers use a lot of soft skills that machines find hard to copy. They judge pupil’s needs and adapt materials to make them more engaging(有趣的) and effective. And they provide special care: looking out for students who drop behind or make trouble in class.
Anyhow, some believe the future of education will be technological. In an interview, the futurist Thomas predicts that “by 2030 the largest company on the Internet is going to be an education-based company that we haven’t heard of yet”.
He thinks that online robot teachers will make education so efficient that students will be able to finish an entire undergraduate degree in six months of learning. A robot teacher learns what your character, interests and reference points are, and it figures out how to teach you in a faster and faster way over time, according to Thomas.
Over the last decade there has been a huge increase in online learning. Many companies produce courses that allow millions of people to learn at home for free, at their own pace. But there are limitations. Without the face-to-face stimulation(激励) of a classroom environment, most of the students fail to complete online courses. How to stimulate students to learn is one more skill that online teachers will need to master.
Indeed, Thomas admits there is some way to go and he thinks that we should hug the change, even though people will lose their jobs.
1. What seems to make it hard for robots to replace teachers at first sight?| A．The various teaching materials. |
| B．The teacher’s character. |
| C．The teacher’s emotion. |
| D．The soft teaching skills. |
| A．Robots can hardly replace all teachers. |
| B．Half of teaching jobs will be replaced by robots. |
| C．Robot teachers will make teaching more effective. |
| D．Online education-based companies will decrease. |
| A．The teaching approaches are limited. |
| B．The explanations are mostly difficult. |
| C．Students don’t learn at their own pace. |
| D．Students won’t get face-to-face stimulation. |
| A．The Job Threat of the Future | B．The Robot Teacher of the Future |
| C．The Trend of Future Education | D．The Future of Online Learning |
The Earth’s ozone layer (臭氧层)is on its way to
The international community was alarmed after experts discovered a hole in the ozone layer in May 1985. Previously, scientists
Two years later, international bodies adopted a global agreement called the Montreal Protocol. This established the phaseout (逐步结束) of almost 100 synthetic chemicals that were tied to the
In the latest report
The depletion of the ozone layer is not a major cause of climate change.
“Ozone action sets a model for climate action,” said World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. “Our success in phasing out ozone-eating chemicals shows us
Dyson has become a byword (代名词) for high-performing products, technology, design, and invention. James Dyson, the inventor and entrepreneur who made it all happen, tells his remarkable and inspirational story in Invention: A Life.
Over a four-year period, James Dyson made 5,127 prototypes of the dual cyclonic vacuum cleaner (双气旋真空吸尘器) that would transform the way houses are cleaned around the world. In d
This was an outcome of his time studying at the Royal College of Art in the 1960s, when he was inspired by some of the most famous and
In Invention: A Life, Dyson reveals how he came to set up his own company and led it to become one of the most
Whether you are someone who has an idea for a better product or a(n)
1. What is the speaker mainly talking about?
| A．The importance of regular exercise. |
| B．The health risks of being overweight. |
| C．The influence of certain foods on health. |
| A．They often go to the gym. |
| B．They are not heavy and fat. |
| C．They lack physical exercise. |
| A．It causes many diseases. |
| B．It increases our chances of getting ill. |
| C．It takes away energy from our bodies. |
| A．Eating sugar-free foods only. |
| B．Shopping less at supermarkets. |
| C．Trying to remove added sugar from daily diet. |
We need to get back to the natural, built-in mechanisms that we have for self- preservation and health. Laughter is one of them.
Laughter Yoga is a way for people to use laughter without telling jokes and being able to get the laughter to help them feel better. The interesting thing is that it helps ease pain, it can ease depression, it’s a way to move and get into your inner child and it’s a lot of fun. And adults don’t remember necessarily how to have fun
The bottom line of our research is that laughter not only makes us feel good but it has a direct effect on our blood vessels. And our blood vessels control the likelihood of us developing a heart attack or a stroke. So if we keep the blood vessels healthy, then we’re going to be healthy.You can burn up to 40 calories for 5-10 minutes of laughter. But equally important is that the blood vessel opening that we see is the same as going jogging or even taking one of our cholesterol medications. You get the same effect in terms of opening up your blood vessels as you do with a good, deep, belly laugh. Laughing on a regular basis is not only good for our soul, but also great for our heart.
Laughter is a way of communication and that’s why it’s contagious. Because when I’m laughing, you’re looking at me and you’re like “wow, this is a positive energy” and you’re more likely to join me in the laughter.
But laughter’s not present at birth. It appears about 3-4 months of age and it’s one of the most important early means of communication between babies and mothers. A mother will tickle the baby and the baby will smile and laugh. And the mother will do more of that. If the baby does not like it, the baby will fuss or cry and the mother stops. It’s a kind of instinctive language that exists before we learn to talk. Laughter, like speech, evolved to change the behavior of other individuals. Does it have to have other purposes? It probably does, but we’re just now starting to tease out what those differences are. Did the benefits of laughter come from the act of laughing or is it the social context, spending time with friends, family, and lovers? All of these are very difficult scientific issues that haven’t been teased out. But laughter clearly feels good when we do it. Isn’t that enough?
1. What are the functions of Laughter Yoga?2. How does laughter help us medically?
3. What role does laughter play in a person’s growth?
10 . You know the feeling — you have left your phone at home and feel anxious, as if you have lost your connection to the world. “Nomophobia” (无手机恐惧症) affects teenagers and adults alike. You can even do an online test to see if you have it. Last week, researchers from Hong Kong warned that nomophobia is infecting everyone. Their study found that people who use their phones to store, share and access personal memories suffer most. When users were asked to describe how they felt about their phones, words such as “hurt” (neck pain was often reported) and “alone” predicted higher levels of nomophobia.
“The findings of our study suggest that users regard smartphones as their extended selves and get attached to the devices,” said Dr Kim Ki Joon. “People experience feelings of anxiety and unpleasantness when separated from their phones.” Meanwhile, an American study shows that smartphone separation can lead to an increase in heart rate and blood pressure.
So can being without your phone really give you separation anxiety? Professor Mark Griffiths, psychologist and director of the International Gaming Research Unit at Nottingham Trent University, says it is what is on the phone that counts — the social networking that creates Fomo (fear of missing out).
“We are talking about an Internet-connected device that allows people to deal with lots of aspects of their lives,” says Griffiths. “You would have to surgically remove a phone from a teenager because their whole life is ingrained in this device.”
Griffiths thinks attachment theory, where we develop emotional dependency on the phone because it holds details of our lives, is a small part of nomophobia. For “screenagers”, it is Fomo that creates the most separation anxiety. If they can’t see what’s happening on WeChat or Weibo, they become panic-stricken about not knowing what’s going on socially. “But they adapt very quickly if you take them on holiday and there’s no Internet,” says Griffiths.
1. Which of the following may Dr Kim Ki Joon agree with?| A．We waste too much time on phones. |
| B．Phones have become part of some users. |
| C．Addiction to phones makes memories suffer. |
| D．Phones and blood pressure are closely linked. |
| A．We worry we may miss out what our friends are doing |
| B．We fear without phones we will run into a lot of trouble |
| C．We are accustomed to having a phone on us |
| D．We need our phones to help us store information |
| A．Approved of. | B．Relied on. | C．Opposed to. | D．Determined by. |
| A．In a research report. |
| B．In a science textbook. |
| C．In a popular science magazine. |
| D．In a fashion brochure. |
