Do you believe that blood types can determine your personality? People in Japan take blood types very seriously, according to a recent BBC report. They have big implications for life, work and love. “What’s your blood type?” is often a key question in everything from matchmaking to job applications.
Last year, four of Japan’s top 10 best-sellers were about how blood type determines personality, selling more than 5 million copies altogether. Why is it such a popular belief that they determine one’s character? Taku Kabeya, chief editor, the publisher of one of the books, told The Huffington Post that he thought the appeal of these books comes from having one’s self-image confirmed. Readers discover the definition of their blood type and “It’s like ‘Yes, that’s me!’” A popular reason often given about the craze is that in a relatively homogenous (一致) society, it provides a simple framework to divide people up into easily recognizable groups. “Being the same is considered a good thing here in Japanese society,” translator Chie Kobayashi told the BBC. “But we enjoy finding little differences that distinguish people.”
As defined by the books, type As are sensitive perfectionists and good team players, but they tend to be over-anxious. Type Os are curious and generous but stubborn, while ABs are artistic but also mysterious and unpredictable. Type Bs are cheerful, but have eccentric (怪癖的), individualistic and selfish traits (特点).
The beliefs surrounding blood groups have been used in unusual ways. The women’s softball team that won gold for Japan at the Beijing Olympics is reported to have used blood type theories to design training for each player. Major companies reportedly make decisions about assignments based on employees’ blood types, for example, in 1990 the Asahi Daily newspaper reported that Mitsubishi Electronics (日本三菱电器) had announced the creation of a team made up entirely of A workers.
1. What is the popular belief in Japan according to the passage?| A．Being the same is considered a good thing. |
| B．Blood types can determine personality. |
| C．Happy marriage is based on personality. |
| D．It is fashionable to buy top 10 best-sellers. |
| A．Fashion. | B．Behavior. |
| C．Attraction. | D．Habit. |
| A．Because they are mysterious artistic and unpredictable. |
| B．Because they are perfectionists, good team players. |
| C．Because they are curious and generous but stubborn. |
| D．Because they are cheerful, but have eccentric traits. |
| A．medicine | B．teamwork |
| C．geography | D．culture |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】As we all know, behavior and words sometimes are interpreted differently in some countries or areas, which is generally called cultural differences. For example:
Shaking the head in a horizontal direction in most countries means "no", while in India it means "yes".
Showing the thumb held upwards means in Latin America, especially Brazil, and in many other countries, including China, everything is "OK", while it is understood in some Islamic countries as well as Sardinia and Greece as a rude sign.
Laughing is connected in most countries with happiness — in Japan it is often a sign of confusion, insecureness and embarrassment.
In the UK and Ireland, the word "compromise" has a positive meaning(an agreement where both parties win something); in the USA it may rather have negative meanings (both parties lose something).
In Mediterranean European countries, Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa, it is normal, or at least widely tolerated, to arrive half an hour late for a dinner invitation, but in Germany and Switzerland this would be extremely rude. If invited to dinner, in many Asian countries and Central America, it is well-mannered to leave right after the dinner: the ones who don’t leave may indicate they have not eaten enough. In the Indian subcontinent, European and North American countries this is considered rude, indicating that the guests only wanted to eat but wouldn’t enjoy the hosts’ company.
In Africa, saying to a female friend who you haven’t seen for a while that she has put on weight means she is physically healthier than before or had a nice holiday, while this would be considered as an insult(侮辱) in Europe, North America and Australia.
1. Where does "showing the thumb held upwards" have a bad meaning?| A．In Greece. | B．In Mexico. |
| C．In China. | D．In Brazil. |
| A．Arrive half an hour late for dinner. |
| B．Have food left on the plate. |
| C．Leave right after the dinner. |
| D．Eat up the food immediately. |
| A．You can express your puzzlement by laughing. |
| B．You can praise women for their gaining weight. |
| C．"Compromise" has a positive meaning. |
| D．Shaking the head means "yes". |
| A．Strange behavior in some countries |
| B．Customs are different in different countries |
| C．Some typical examples of cultural differences |
| D．Cultural values should be paid much attention to |
【推荐2】There is a festival in China that has three names. It’s known as the Chongyang Festival. Also, it is called the Double Ninth Festival because it falls on the ninth day of the ninth month of the Chinese lunar calendar (阴历). Finally it has been Senior’s Day (老人节) since 1989. This year, it fell on Oct 23rd.
There are many traditions for this festival. In the past, people climbed mountains, drank chrysanthemum (菊花) wine, and wore a plant called zhuyu to celebrate it. Climbing mountains in autumn brings people close to nature and it’s good for health. Both chrysanthemum and zhuyu are also clean plants and they can clean houses and make people healthy.
In China, nine has the similar pronunciation with the word “forever”, meaning long life. So the Chinese government set the day as the Senior’s Day in 1989—a day to respect the old. Many companies and communities organize autumn trips for old people. Young people bring elders to the countryside to enjoy nature. They also give them gifts.
In China, it is a tradition to respect old people. In the past, if young people didn’t take good care of their parents, they would be seriously punished. Now we have the 24 Filial Exemplars (《新二十四孝》). It includes 24 things we should do for elders, such as calling them up every week and going to see them more often. On this three-named festival, remember to show your love to your elders.
1. Which is NOT a name for the festival?| A．Chongyang Festival. | B．the Double Ninth Festival. |
| C．Senior’s Day. | D．Youth Day. |
| A．Climbing mountains. | B．Calling them up every week. |
| C．Drinking chrysanthemum wine. | D．Wearing a plant called zhuyu. |
| A．思念 | B．尊重 | C．保护 | D．照顾 |
| A．History of Chongyang Festival. | B．Introduction of Chongyang Festival. |
| C．Traditions of Chongyang Festival. | D．Symbols of Chongyang Festival. |
| A．American History | B．Chinese History |
| C．Western Festivals | D．Traditional Festivals |
【推荐3】Choosing the right name for a baby can be a really big issue. Parents can think about --- and even argue over --- name choices for months.
New parents consider many things before deciding on a name.
A few countries ban a number of names for different reasons.
In the United States, there are few rules governing the names of children. Rules differ from state to state. Some states limit the number of letters you can use in a name. Others ban the use of numbers or symbols.
Since many English names do not have an exact meaning, people sometimes choose words that mean something they like.
| A．You could, however, in the US. |
| B．There are general trends in baby names. |
| C．A few states have no naming laws at all. |
| D．Some bans are designed to protect children. |
| E．They might use names from family members. |
| F．Pop culture plays a big part in some parents’ choice of names. |
| G．So words like King, Rebel, and Hope can easily be used to make a name. |
【推荐1】Bruce Springsteen played at MetLife Stadium last weekend in New Jersey, which is about an hour’s drive from my home. I’ve been a huge fan of his music for a long time, but I’ve never seen him at a concert. There were still tickets available, and yet I held back. I didn’t want to go there alone.
I’m an independent woman who has lived alone since graduating from college. I love living alone and I need lots of solo (单独的) time to recharge my batteries from a demanding job. I enjoy spending time with small groups of friends and seeing my brother and his family, but I hesitate when leisure time involves large crowds, such as concerts or even movies. I don’t have social anxiety, so I often wonder why I hesitate when it comes to going somewhere alone.
A previous study stated that people hesitate about doing things by themselves because they’re afraid of how they’ll be perceived. The good news is that no one is going to notice that. The reason is “the spotlight effect” which has been tested and proven through the use of bright yellow T-shirts. Students were forced to wear these bright shirts to class and were asked how many students they thought would notice them. The subjects thought, on average, about 50% of the class would notice them. In reality, fewer than 20%of the students noticed the shirts.
I believe that some activities, such as listening to one’s favorite music at a concert, would be greater pleasure if it was a shared experience. However, according to some studies, people actually had about as much fun doing fun activities alone as they thought they would be accompanied by friends.
If enjoying the free time we have depends on finding others to join us, we’ll go from having serious FOMO(Fear of missing out) to absolutely MO as people work more hours and have less free time these days. So if I had another chance to go to Bruce’s concert, even alone, I would surely go.
1. What was the reason for the author’s missing Bruce’s concert?| A．A lack of time. | B．Having no companion. |
| C．The long travel distance. | D．Being unable to get a ticket. |
| A．She enjoys socializing with familiar people. |
| B．She suffers from severe social anxiety. |
| C．She prizes family ties over friendships. |
| D．She gets bored with her present job. |
| A．The fear of being judged by others. |
| B．The fact that bright clothes attract more attention. |
| C．The tendency to focus on what’s happening around us. |
| D．The belief that we’re being noticed more than we really are. |
| A．To express her fondness for Bruce. |
| B．To explain the busyness of our daily life. |
| C．To encourage people to do activities alone. |
| D．To stress the close relationship between people. |
The problem that those people create is that a lot of people from Europe are unemployed and they don’t have jobs because immigrants have taken so many jobs. But the question is also: Would European people want a job such as cleaning or hard labor? I think that most of them wouldn’t. So we should stop criticizing for a moment and think. We would then maybe realize that it’s not that bad to have immigrants at home.
The only problem is that it’s not right that immigrants want to impose (强加于) their religion on other countries by leading and building mosques (清真寺). Because if they had done that in other countries they would have caused trouble. Phenomena like these happened a few years ago in Great Britain: It was forbidden to switch on Christmas lights outside, because Christmas is a Catholic (天主教的) recurrence and it was offensive for the Islamic people who lived there. That is not right. The country that gives hospitality to immigrants has the task to allow them to enter society, to be free to believe in their religion and their culture, but every country does not have to forget its tradition and culture. This is one of the many facts which happened in the past years, and I think that many others are going to happen because this phenomenon is developing every day more and more.
1. The first paragraph is mainly about__________.
| A．what a life Europeans lived |
| B．why some Europeans migrated |
| C．how Europeans migrated |
| D．what migration caused |
| A．Native people and immigrants fight for the same job opportunities. |
| B．Native people always leave the worst jobs to the immigrants. |
| C．Different religions and cultures often result in some conflicts. |
| D．Native people refuse the immigrants to enter their country. |
| A．It takes them too much trouble to migrate. |
| B．They have made contributions to the host country. |
| C．They are offered hard jobs but paid less. |
| D．They should be accepted in the host country. |
| A．some people reject foreigners’ immigrating to their own country |
| B．the author thinks immigrating can help mix different cultures together |
| C．immigrants to Great Britain were all Islamic people |
| D．immigrants can only find hard and dirty jobs in other countries |
| A．people with different religions won’t be allowed to migrate to another country |
| B．immigrants are not free to believe in their own culture |
| C．no other European countries but Great Britain have conflicts |
| D．problems caused by different religions and cultures will exist long |
【推荐3】Technology dependence has been linked to anxiety and depression. Whether this comes from the fact that we are away from others, the pressures from social media, the rise of cyber bullying, or the bright phone screen that is harmful to our sleep, all of this is doing harm to our mental health.
Technology has made us much more impatient than ever before. Because people can be available and accessible at all times. Most of them may get frustrated when someone does not answer their phone right away, or if they see that someone has seen a message but has not yet responded. For many, many years, hearing back from someone could take a long time; it was the norm (常态).
Another way that our dependence on technology is dangerous is because it can impact our memory and the happy emotions that come with the memory. Since technology has given us the ability to use memory cards on a device to store our information, we have not been accessing our brain’s memory as much as possible.
Technology has increased the rate of technological addiction, which is characterized as the uncontrollable urge to constantly and consistently (持续不断地) use technological devices or the programs, apps, and platforms that come with them. Technological addiction is more common among teenagers, but children and adults are seeing the effects as well.
Then what can we do to prevent ourselves from relying too much on technology? Like with anything, moderation (适度) is a good way to not become too dependent. To reduce the reliance, we need to find a healthy balance between technology and society. This could mean limiting the amount of time you spend on your phone, and giving yourself an opportunity to find the answer to a problem without immediately searching for it online.
1. What is the impact of technology dependence that makes the author worried?| A．Development of skills. | B．Separation from family and friends. |
| C．Better communication. | D．More knowledge of the world. |
| A．We should get used to delayed answers of calls. |
| B．Adults can hardly get addicted to technology. |
| C．Relying on technology can fail our memory. |
| D．People usually don’t respond to the messages they receive. |
| A．risk | B．belief | C．pressure | D．dependence |
| A．Using the computer only when necessary. |
| B．Starting to use your brain instead of searching online. |
| C．Using the computer and your mind at the same time. |
| D．Stopping using computers in any case. |
【推荐1】Jamie Wardley is a special kind of artist—an ice sculptor. He first trained as a sand sculptor. Later,he learnt about ice sculpture. Now he does sand sculpture in the summer. And in the winter, he sculpts ice.
When sculpting ice,Wardley has to work in cold temperatures. If the weather is cold enough, he can work outside. But winter in the United Kingdom is not always very cold. So often he works in a large freezer where the temperature is about -12℃.
Wardley enjoys sculpting ice outside in the winter. When he sculpts in the open air, people can watch. They can be part of the creative process.
Wardley makes ice sculpting sound simple. But the tools Wardley uses are sharp and dangerous. And the ice is very heavy. Each block of ice weighs 120 kilos. And some larger sculptures are made from several combined blocks of ice. Sometimes ice sculptures can be as big as buildings. In Kemi, Finland there is an ice hotel called the Snow Castle. Each year, Wardley helps build the Snow Castle.
Inside the Snow Castle, the temperature is -50℃. Even the dining tables are made of ice. So you have to wear winter clothes when eating and wear a hat when sleeping. “The ice hotel is built every year in January. Then it melts in April. Each year we rebuild it and create a new design,” Wardley said.
The Snow Castle is a large and amazing work of ice, but Wardley's smaller ice sculptures are special too. One winter, in the city of Bradford, the UK,Wardley created several small sculptures. He used the sculptures to tell a story which contained an important message about goodwill and understanding.
Ice sculptures are temporary works of art. When the temperature rises, they will melt. But that does not mean that their beauty is lost. The sculptures from that day in Bradford have now melted away, but their message of goodwill, understanding, and acceptance remains.
1. According to the text, Wardley________.| A．loves sand sculpture more than ice sculpture | B．sculpts ice in a large freezer in the summer |
| C．worked as an ice sculptor in the beginning | D．enjoys carving ice outdoors in the winter |
| A．Easy and amazing. | B．Special but difficult. |
| C．Boring and dangerous. | D．Simple but temporary. |
| A．It lies in the city of Bradford, the UK. | B．It is too cold for people to live in. |
| C．It requires to be built every year. | D．It is built between January and April. |
| A．They never melt in people's hearts. | B．It takes time to understand them. |
| C．Their beauty doesn't last forever. | D．They add more beauty to Bradford. |
【推荐2】English is the most widely used language in the history of our planet. One in every seven human beings can speak it. More than half of the world’s books and three quarters of international mail are in English. Of all languages, English has the largest vocabulary — perhaps as many as two million words.
However, let’s face it: English is a crazy language. There is no egg in an eggplant, neither pine nor apple in a pineapple and no ham in a hamburger. Sweet-meats are candy, while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat.
We take English for granted. But when we explore its paradoxes (探讨它的矛盾), we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, public bathrooms have no baths in them.
And why is it that a writer writes, but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce, and hammers don’t ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn’t the plural of booth be beeth? One goose, two geese — so one moose, two meese?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell the next?
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects (反映) the creativity of human beings. That’s why, when stars are out, they are visible (能看见的); but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it; but when I wind up this essay, I end it.
1. According to the passage ________.| A．sweet-meats and sweetbreads are different things |
| B．there should be egg in an eggplant |
| C．pineapples are the apples on the pine tree |
| D．boxing rings should be round |
| A．Beeth. | B．Geese. | C．Meese. | D．Tooth. |
| A．A wise man and a wise guy. | B．Overlook and oversee. |
| C．Quite a lot and quite a few. | D．Hot as hell and cold as hell. |
| A．blow | B．roll up | C．get hurt | D．finish |
| A．clever | B．crazy | C．lazy | D．dull |
【推荐3】SPECIAL EVENTS THIS WEEKEND
Captain Good Fellow
Do your children enjoy interesting stories, funny games, and exciting dances? Captain Good Fellow will be ready to teach all these things to children of all ages at the City Theatre on Saturday morning at 10:00, Free.
Walking Tour of the Town
Forget your worries on Saturday morning. Take a beautiful walk and learn about local history. Meet at the front entrance of City Hall at 9:30. Wear comfortable shoes!
Films at the Museum
Two European films will be shown on Saturday afternoon at the Museum Theatre. See Broken Window at 1:30. The workers will be at 3:45. For further information, call 4987898.
International Picnic
Are you tired of eating the same food every day? Come to Central Park on Saturday and enjoy food from all over the world. Delicious and not expensive. Noon to 5:00 pm.
Do You Want to Hear “The Zoo”
“The Zoo”, a popular rock group from Australia, will give their first US concert tomorrow night at 8:00 at Rose Hall, City College.
1. You can probably eat Chinese, Italian, and Arab food_____________.| A．at the front entrance of City Hall | B．at the Ballgame |
| C．at 5:00 pm | D．at Central Park on Saturday |
| A．the City College | B．the Museum Theatre |
| C．the City Theatre | D．the Central Park |
| A．your worries | B．your beautiful walk |
| C．your learning about local history | D．your comfortable shoes |
| A．a park with lots of animals | B．US concert |
| C．a music group | D．going to give the concert at 8:00 am |
Dementia is a brain disease that damages thinking and memory processes, which scientists call “cognitive (认知) abilities.” Dementia is difficult to treat. Taking care of someone who has dementia is extremely demanding. And the disease is very frightening to sufferers. Chris Roberts suffers from dementia. He says the worst part of living with this disease was getting lost while driving. “The worst thing that I found was getting lost in the car, not just forgetting where I was going— I wouldn’t know where I was.” More than 47 million people around the world suffer from dementia. The World Health Organization reports that 60 percent of them live in low- and middle-income countries.
We get vitamin D from some foods like nuts, lentils (扁豆) and fatty fish. We also get vitamin D from the sun. But that is not dependable. In some parts of the world, there is not enough sunlight to provide enough vitamin D. Also, sunblock prevents the vitamin from entering the body. To add to the problem, the skin’s ability to process vitamin D weakens as a person ages.
Researchers at Rutgers University in New Jersey are exploring the relationship between vitamin D and dementia. The team recently measured vitamin D levels and cognitive ability in older people. Nutritional sciences professor Joshua Miller led the team. He said cognitive abilities differed among the study subjects. He said tests showed that about 60 percent of the group was low in vitamin D.
1. Which of the following is true about vitamin D?
| A．Vitamin D can decrease people’s risk of heart diseases. |
| B．Vitamin D helps the body fight against cancer. |
| C．Vitamin D is mainly obtained from the sun. |
| D．The need for Vitamin D decreases as people age. |
| A．Boring but rewarding. |
| B．Disturbing and frightening. |
| C．Disgusting and stressful. |
| D．Hard and tiresome. |
| A．How vitamin D affects people’s health. |
| B．Where people get vitamin D. |
| C．Whether sunlight can produce vitamin |
| D．D. Why people’s age influences the production of vitamin D. |
| A．In a travel brochure. |
| B．In a literature magazine. |
| C．In a science journal. |
| D．In a commercial advertisement. |
【推荐2】New research has found that young adults who smoke both tobacco cigarettes and e-cigarettes appear to have a higher risk of stroke than those who only smoke tobacco.
Carried out by researchers at George Mason University, the new study looked at 161,529 participants aged 18 to 44 years of age, who were surveyed about their cigarette and e-cigarette use.
The researchers also calculated the participants’ risk of experiencing a stroke, taking into account factors such as how much participants smoked, high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol levels, body mass index and physical activity levels.
The findings, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, showed that the participants who smoked cigarettes and used e-cigarettes were nearly two times more likely to have a stroke compared to current cigarette — only smokers, and nearly three times more likely than non-smokers.
The team also found that participants who used only e-cigarettes had a lower risk of stroke than those who smoked only tobacco cigarettes. In fact, those who used e-cigarettes on their own did not have a significantly greater risk of stroke than non-smokers.
However, the researchers failed to find any clear benefit from switching from cigarette smoking to using e-cigarettes, even though many people believe that e-cigarettes are a “healthy” alternative to cigarettes, and a way to help smokers kick the habit. They also noted that the nicotine dependence and toxicity associated with e-cigarettes is worrying, particularly among young adults who smoke them for fun and the range of flavors.
“It’s long been known that smoking cigarettes is among the most significant risk factors for stroke. Our study shows that young smokers who also use e-cigarettes put themselves at an even greater risk,” explained lead investigator Tarang Parekh, MBBS, MSc. “This is an important message for young smokers whoperceivee-cigarettes as less harmful ones and consider them a safer alternative.We have begun understanding the health impact of e-cigarettes and concomitant cigarette smoking, and it’s not good.”
“Our findings demonstrate an additive harmful effect of e-cigarettes on smokers’ blood vessels, hearts and brains,” explained Parekh.
“Consider this study as a wake-up call for young vapers, clinicians, and healthcare policymakers. There is an urgency to regulate such products to avoid economic and population health consequences and a critical need to conduct further research on the benefits and risks of smoking cessation altermatives,” warned Parekh.
1. What does the text belong to?| A．A science fiction. | B．A news report. |
| C．A short story. | D．A public announcement. |
| A．A few elderly people were surveyed. |
| B．Some of them are non smokers . |
| C．All of them use cigarettes and e-cigarettes. |
| D．They have a lower risk of stroke than others . |
| A．Think. | B．Practise. |
| C．Predict. | D．Receive. |
| A．Smoking cigarettes is among the most significant risk factors for stroke. |
| B．E-cigarettes are a “healthy” alternative to cigarettes. |
| C．Smoking both tobacco and e-cigarettes can make young adults at an greater risk of stroke. |
| D．It is beneficial to switch from cigarette smoking to using e-cigarettes. |
【推荐3】China Science Daily announced Thursday that it has used software to automatically generate news stories about the latest discoveries from the world’s leading science journals. The robot science reporter, called “Xiaoke”, was co-created by the newspaper and researchers from Peking University in about half a year.
It is the latest case of Chinese news organizations using computer technology to create content. According to its inventors, Xiaoke has generated over 200 stories based on the English abstract of papers published in journals such as Science, Nature, Cell and the New England Journal of Medicine.
Before publication, the automatically generated articles will go through a review process. A group of scientists and the newspaper’s editors will check the content or give supplementary (补充的) information.
Zhang Mingwei, head of the program and vice editor-in-chief of the newspaper, said inventors would make Xiaoke a “cross-linguistic (跨语言的) academic secretary” to help Chinese scientists overcome language barriers and have easy and quick access to the latest scientific advances in English-language publication. Lead researcher Wan Xiaojun, of Peking University in charge of the system’s design and technology, stressed that the content generation tool could do far more than translation. According to Wan, Xiaoke is good at selecting complex words and sentences, which can help turn articles full of confusing technical terms into easy and readable news reports.
The readers of the robot reporter is not limited to professionals but also includes the general public. Science reporting is important in spreading information about discoveries and in popularizing knowledge to people.
1. What can we learn about “Xiaoke”?| A．It is a professional translator. |
| B．It has the most advanced AI. |
| C．It can make up fiction stories. |
| D．It generates science news reports. |
| A．Upgrade the artificial intelligence. |
| B．Select complex words and sentences. |
| C．Check the content and add information. |
| D．Help it get the latest scientific advances. |
| A．Science. |
| B．Education. |
| C．Entertainment. |
| D．Health. |
| A．The robot writer of science news. |
| B．The readers of the science reports. |
| C．The editor-in-chief of the newspaper. |
| D．The latest case of news organizations. |
