Of all the components of a good night's sleep, dreams seem to be least within our control. In dreams, a window opens into a world where logic is suspended and dead people speak. A century ago, Freud formulated his revolutionary theory that dreams were the disguised shadows of our unconscious desires and fears; by the late 1970s, neurologists had switched to thinking of them as just ''mental noise''-the random byproducts of the neural-repair work that goes on during sleep. Now researchers suspect that dreams are part of the mind's emotional thermostat(恒温器), regulating moods while the brain is ''off-line''. And one leading authority says that these intensely powerful mental events can be not only harnessed but actually brought under conscious control, to help us sleep and feel better, ''It's your dream'', says Rosalind Cartwright, chair of psychology at Chicago's Medical Center, ''If you don't like it, change it''.
Evidence from brain imaging supports this view. The brain is as active during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep-when most vivid dreams occur-as it is when fully awake, says Dr. Eric Nofzinger at the University of Pittsburgh. But not all parts of the brain are equally involved; the limbic system (the ''emotional brain'') is especially active, while the prefrontal cortex (the center of intellect and reasoning) is relatively quiet. ''We wake up from dreams happy or depressed, and those feelings can stay with us all day'', says Stanford sleep researcher Dr. William Dement.
The link between dreams and emotions shows up among the patients in Cartwright's clinic. Most people seem to have more bad dreams early in the night, progressing toward happier ones before awakening, suggesting that they are working through negative feelings generated during the day. Because our conscious mind is occupied with daily life we don't always think about the emotional significance of the day's events-until, it appears, we begin to dream.
And this process need not be left to the unconscious. Cartwright believes one can exercise conscious control over recurring bad dreams. As soon as you awaken, identify what is upsetting about the dream. Visualize how you would like it to end instead; the next time occurs, try to wake up just enough to control its course. With much practice people can learn to, literally, do it in their sleep.
At the end of the day, there’s probably little reason to pay attention to our dreams at all unless they keep us from sleeping of ''we wake up in a panic'', Cartwright says. Terrorism, economic uncertainties and general feelings of insecurity have increased people’s anxiety. Those suffering from persistent nightmares should seek help from a therapist. For the rest of us, the brain has its ways of working through bad feelings. Sleep-or rather dream-on it and you'll feel better in the morning.
1. Researchers have come to believe that dreams__________.| A．reflect our innermost desires and fears | B．are a random outcome of neural repairs |
| C．can be modified in their courses | D．are vulnerable to emotional changes |
| A．its difference from the prefrontal cortex | B．its function in our dreams |
| C．the mechanism of REM sleep | D．the relation of dreams to emotions |
| A．emerge in dreams early at night | B．develop into happy dreams |
| C．worsen in our unconscious mind | D．persist till the time we fall asleep |
| A．dreams should be left to their natural progression |
| B．dreaming may not entirely belong to the unconscious |
| C．visualizing bad dreams helps bring them under control |
| D．waking up in time is essential to the ridding of bad dreams |
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【推荐1】Dreams, according to Carl Jung, reveal a certain amount of reality hidden during waking consciousness. In Jungian philosophy, the conflict and chaos experienced in dreams finally bring order to our lives. While Jung’s mystical theories are debatable, he was not mistaken about the importance of dreaming. A growing number of reports show that a continuous lack of dreaming is damaging our waking hours in many ways.
This trend is causing damage to our immune and metabolic (新陈代谢的) systems, let alone the electronic products that keep us up late at night are ruining our sleep patterns, which has long-term consequences on our memory system. One study showed that not allowing mice to have adequate amounts of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, the stage in which we dream, the mice couldn’t strengthen memories.
You might think this is just a sleep problem, but dreaming is inseparable from our night-time rest. We sleep in cycles, each lasting about 90 minutes; in a sleep cycle, we go through non-REM sleep before hitting REM. As the night progresses, REM sleep periods increase in length while deep sleep (one of the stages of non-REM sleep) decreases. The longer we sleep, the more time we spend in REM, which is why we are often dreaming when waking up in the morning. If we sleep less than seven hours, however, it becomes harder to achieve this level of REM.
The combination of sleeping and dreaming acts as an emotional stabiliser. We recover from emotional hurt faster when we sleep and dream properly. However, we’re not getting enough sleep to cycle through the stages to take advantage of this natural circadian anti-depressant (抗抑郁剂) — dreams. Instead, we get depressed and turn to alcohol or medicines to get to sleep, which only makes things worse because even one drink leads to late REM while anti-depressants promote deep sleep at the expense of REM.
We’re paying for this lack of dreaming in many ways. For example, a 2021 study stated that compared with quiet rest and non-REM sleep, REM promoted the formation of associative networks and the integration (整合) of unassociated information. Volunteers that experienced more REM sleep were better equipped for solving problems requiring creative solutions.
Rowan Hooper, the managing editor at New Scientist, writes that dreams that include an “emotional core” appear to be a main function of REM sleep and that we should look at sleep patterns as seriously as we do diet and exercise habits.
1. What’s Carl Jung’s view about dreams?| A．They cause chaos. | B．They mirror reality. |
| C．They reveal secrets. | D．They damage immunity. |
| A．Insufficient sleep. | B．A constant state of dreamlessness. |
| C．Addiction to electronic products. | D．More research on sleep and dreams. |
| A．REM helps people fight depression. |
| B．REM can be improved by anti-depressants. |
| C．REM sleep occurs before non-REM sleep. |
| D．The brain receives new information during REM sleep. |
| A．The importance of sleep lies in dreams. |
| B．The absence of dreams is harmful to human beings. |
| C．Dreaming patterns are more important than we realise. |
| D．Dreaming has mystical power of strengthening memories. |
【推荐2】People who laugh frequently in their everyday life may be better equipped to deal with stressful events ——although this does not seem to apply to the intensity(强度）(strong, medium or weak ) of laughter . These are the findings reported by a research team from the University of Basel in the journal PLOS ONE.
It is suggested that people typically laugh 18 times a day. Researchers have also reported differences related to time of day, age, and sex--for example, women smile more than men on average. Now, researchers from the Department of Psychology at the University of Basel have recently conducted a study on the relationship between stressful events and laughter in terms of sensed stress in everyday life.
In the study, a sound signal from a mobile phone app required participants to answer questions eight times a day at irregular intervals(间隔） for a period of 14 days. The questions related to the frequency and intensity of laughter and the reason for laughing-as well as any stressful events or stress symptoms experienced-in the time since the last signal.
Using this method, the researchers were able to study the relationships between laughter, stressful events, and physical and psychological symptoms of stress ("I had a headache" or "I felt restless") as part of everyday life. The newly published analysis was based on data from 41 psychology students, 33 of whom were women, with an average age of just under 22.
The first result of the observational study was expected based on the specialist literature: in stages in which the subjects laughed frequently, stressful events were connected with lighter symptoms of stress. However, the second finding was unexpected. When it came to the interaction between stressful events and the intensity of laughter, there was no statistical correlation(关联）with stress symptoms."This could be because people are better at judging the frequency of their laughter, rather than its intensity, over the last few hours," says the research team.
1. What does Paragraph 2 intend to show?| A．The identity of the subjects. | B．The purpose of the research. |
| C．The conclusion of the new study. | D．The basic theory of the experiment. |
| A．Why did you choose to major in psychology? |
| B．Which event impressed you recently? |
| C．How do you find the given app? |
| D．What makes you laugh? |
| A．Women are much friendlier than men. |
| B．Both of the results are beyond expectation. |
| C．The intensity of laughter is difficult to measure. |
| D．Stressful events are related to the subjects' occupations. |
| A．Laughter acts as a stress reducer |
| B．People in their twenties laugh more |
| C．Psychology students feel restless more often |
| D．Symptoms of stress vary from person to person |
【推荐3】During an interview for one of my books, my interviewer said something I still think about often. Annoyed by the level of distraction (干扰) in his open office, he said, “That’s why I have a membership at the coworking space across the street — so I can focus”. His comment struck me as strange. After all, coworking spaces also typically use an open office layout (布局). But I recently came across a study that shows why his approach works.
The researchers examined various levels of noise on participants as they completed tests of creative thinking. They were randomly divided into four groups and exposed to various noise levels in the background, from total silence to 50 decibels (分贝), 70 decibels, and 85 decibels. The differences between most of the groups were statistically insignificant; however, the participants in the 70 decibels group — those exposed to a level of noise similar to background chatter in a coffee shop — significantly outperformed the other groups. Since the effects were small, this may suggest that our creative thinking does not differ that much in response to total silence and 85 decibels of background noise.
But since the results at 70 decibels were significant, the study also suggests that the right level of background noise — not too loud and not total silence — may actually improve one’s creative thinking ability. The right level of background noise may interrupt our normal patterns of thinking just enough to allow our imaginations to wander, without making it impossible to focus. This kind of “distracted focus” appears to be the best state for working on creative tasks.
So why do so many of us hate our open offices? The problem may be that, in our offices, we can’t stop ourselves from getting drawn into others’ conversations while we’re trying to focus. Indeed, the researchers found that face-to-face interactions and conversations affect the creative process, and yet a coworking space or a coffee shop provides a certain level of noise while also providing freedom from interruptions.
1. Why does the interviewer prefer a coworking space?| A．It helps him concentrate. |
| B．It blocks out background noise. |
| C．It has a pleasant atmosphere. |
| D．It encourages face-to-face interactions. |
| A．Total silence. |
| B．50 decibels |
| C．70 decibels. |
| D．85 decibels. |
| A．Personal privacy unprotected. |
| B．Limited working space. |
| C．Restrictions on group discussion. |
| D．Constant interruptions. |
【推荐1】In a large survey of people’s first memories, nearly 40% of participants reported a first memory that is likely to be fictional, according to findings published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
Current research indicates that people’s earliest memories date from around 3 to 3. 5 years of age. However, the study from researchers at City, University of London, the University of Bradford, and Nottingham Trent University found that 38.6% of 6, 641 participants claimed to have memories from age 2 or younger, with 893 people claiming memories from age 1 or younger. This was particularly prevalent among middle-aged and older adults.
As many of these memories dated before the age of 2 and younger, the authors suggest that these fictional memories are based on remembered fragments (碎片) of early experience — such as a pram (婴儿车), family relationships and feeling sad — and some facts or knowledge about their own infancy or childhood which may have been derived from photographs or family conversations.
“Further details may be unconsciously inferred or added” added Shazia Akhatr, first author on the study and Senior Research Associate at the University of Bradford.
“When we looked through the responses from participants we found that a lot of these first ‘memories’ were frequently related to infancy, and a typical example would be a memory based around a pram,” explained Martin Conway, Director at the Centre for Memory and Law at City, University of London and coauthor of the paper.
“For this person, this type of memory could have resulted from someone saying something like ‘mother and a large green pram’. The person then imagines what it would have looked like. Over time these fragments then become a memory and often the person will start to add things in such as a string of toys along the top,” he added.
“Crucially, the person remembering them doesn’t know this is fictional,” Conway noted. “In fact when people are told that their memories are false they often don’t believe it. This partly due to the fact that the systems that allow us to remember things are very complex, and it’s not until we’re 5 or 6 that we form adult-like memories due to the way that the brain develops and due to our maturing understanding of the world.”
1. What can be inferred from the study mentioned in the passage?| A．Some people have clear knowledge about their own infancy. |
| B．Added details are an important clue to recall the childhood. |
| C．Most people claimed to have memories from age 2 or younger. |
| D．Talks between family members affect the earliest memories. |
| A．By making comparison. | B．By setting examples. |
| C．By analyzing data. | D．By referring to documents. |
| A．They have a strong desire to remember things accurately. |
| B．They have a tendency to trust their own memories without questioning them. |
| C．Their brain development makes it hard to distinguish real and false memories. |
| D．Their memories are closely related to complex things in life. |
| A．Many people’s earliest memories may be fictional. |
| B．People’s earliest memories can date back to 2 or younger. |
| C．The middle-aged and adults specialize in detailing their first memory. |
| D．Memories develop due to our maturing understanding of the world. |
【推荐2】It’s important to learn about protecting our environment. Here is a 5R rule for us:
1. Reduce
If you want to reduce waste, you should use things wisely. A large number of trees are being cut down to make paper. If everyone uses a little paper carelessly and throws it out, soon we would not have any trees left. Other things are also being wasted, and people don’t know what to do with the waste in big cities. So it is necessary to reduce the waste.
2. Reuse
You should always think of reusing the usable things before throwing them out. Give your clothes you do not use or the ones which are too small to the poor. In a family, you may pass on such clothes to younger brothers or sisters.
3. Recycle
Bottles, cans and paper can easily be recycled. By doing so, we save lots of time and money. For example, coke cans are sent to a factory, where they are smashed flat and melted and the metal things are made for new coke cans.
4. Recover
When you buy a box of apples, there may be a few rotten apples, you have two choices: one is to throw the whole apples away, or you could cut off the rotten parts and use the good parts. In this way, you are recovering the eatable parts of food.
5. Repair
If one of the legs of your table is broken, you can repair it. If you want to change for better ones, it is better for you to sell the old things or give them to other people who can use them after doing some repair. It is true that North America is a “throw-away” society, but the time has come to change our way of life so that we can protect our environment. Every one of us should try our best.
1. The “Reduce” rule mainly requires us ______.| A．to use things wisely | B．to cut down many trees |
| C．to use a lot of paper | D．to throw away your old clothes |
a. collect the used cans b. melt them c. smash them flat d. send them to a factory
| A．a b c d | B．a d c b | C．d b c a | D．c a b d |
| A．to throw waste things away | B．to cover waste things with earth |
| C．to get back the useful parts | D．to throw the whole things away |
| A．Throwing them away. | B．Repairing them. |
| C．Selling them. | D．Putting them away. |
【推荐3】Two vaccines（疫苗）developed by a Maryland company are showing promise in the fight against malaria（疟疾）. One vaccine was 100 percent effective in preventing the deadly disease malaria.
Malaria is a disease caused by parasites（寄生虫）and carried by mosquitoes. Parasites are organisms that live on or in an organism of another species and feed off it or get protection from it. Mosquitoes spread the disease to people by biting on their skin. The World Health Organization says there are 214 million cases of malaria each year. And the deadly disease kills over 400,000 people a year worldwide. People who have malaria often have a fever, chills, and flu-like illness. Serious complications happen, including death, when the disease is left untreated.
The new vaccines work by preparing the immune system to fight the disease. Researchers do this by introducing live, but weakened, young parasites called sporozoites. They are injected into the body by infected mosquitoes. Both vaccines target Plasmodium Falciparum（恶性疟原虫），which is the most common and deadly form of the disease.
One successful trail was carried out in Germany. Different amounts of the vaccine were injected into 27 healthy people who volunteered for the study. Another group of 15 was given a placebo, which is a substance given to a patient like a drug, but t has no physical effect on the person. Eight to 10 weeks after the last vaccine amount, both groups were then exposed to the parasites that carried the malaria.
Stephen Hoffman is chief executive and scientific officer of Sanaria. He says the researchers were surprised by the results from nine of the people who received the highest vaccine amount. “We got 100% protection against malaria at ten weeks after the last amount of the vaccine. That is really beginning to look like something quite extraordinary and that's never been done before.”
1. What can we know about malaria?| A．It is a disease that can't be treated. |
| B．It kills people when left untreated. |
| C．It is a deadly disaster with a high death rate. |
| D．It is a flu-like disease caused by mosquitoes. |
| A．By killing parasites in the mosquitoes. |
| B．By getting rid of most of the mosquitoes. |
| C．By injecting parasites into mosquitoes' body. |
| D．By restarting the immune system of people's body. |
| A．Remarkable. | B．Unpredictable. | C．Unsatisfactory. | D．Unreasonable. |
| A．Science &technology. | B．Education. |
| C．Lifestyle. | D．Politics. |
I was going to have my examination the next day. “When can I go to bed？”I asked myself. I didn't answer, in fact I dared not.
The clock struck twelve. “Oh, dear！”I cried. “Ten more books to read before I can go to bed！”We pupils are the most wretched creatures in the world. Dad does not agree with me on this. He did not have to work so hard when he was a boy.
The clock struck one. I was quite desperate (绝望的) now. I forgot all I had learned. I was too tired to go on. I did the only thing I could. I prayed, “Oh, God, please help me pass the exam tomorrow. I do promise to work hard afterwards, Amen.” My eyes were so heavy that I could hardly open them. A few minutes later, with my head on the desk, I fell asleep.
1. When the author was going over his lessons, all the others in the house were ________.
| A．asleep | B．working in bed |
| C．outside | D．quietly laughing at him |
| A．it was too late at night |
| B．he was very tired |
| C．his eyes lids were so heavy that he couldn't keep them open |
| D．he hadn't studied hard before the examination |
| A．He went to a church to pray again. |
| B．He passed the exam by sheer luck. |
| C．He failed in the exam. |
| D．He was punished by his teacher. |
| A．The Night Before the Examination |
| B．Working Far into the Night |
| C．A Slow Student |
| D．Going Over My Lessons |
【推荐2】The killdeer, a small bird known for its high-pitched ( 声调高的) call, could lead to the cancellation of one of Canada's biggest music festivals.
The first hint of trouble for Ottawa's Bluesfest, an outdoor festival that draws around 300, 300 people each year, came last week after workers at the site found one of the birds. It had laid four eggs nearby, effectively claiming the main stage area as its nesting ground. “This is one of the most challenging problems we're been presented with, but we feel we can work through this, said Mark Monahan, executive director of the festival. "Anything that changes the schedule has a major effect, so we're taking it very seriously. "
The discovery meant that government officials rushed to protect the nest and the eggs, hiring a security guard to watch over them 24 hours a clay. Environmentalists were also brought in. "We don't know when the eggs might hatch, “said Monahan. What is known is that the young killdeer will likely leave the nest soon after they are hatched, leading many to hope that the eggs hatch in the next day or so.
The festival is now asking permission from Environment Canada to relocate the nest some 50 meters away or take it to a wildlife center. Moving the nest would also ensure the bird and its young would be protected during the festival’s 11 - day run, said Monahan. It’s highly likely that the festival thousands of attendees would cause huge problems for the bird and its eggs. Monahan was confident that the festival would go on as planned, however. ‘‘ Most of the people we’re working with …are looking for a positive solution," Monahan said. “There is no one saying that the festival can't go on. "
As news of the dilemma spread, it left residents divided. Some supported the bird, saying that moving the nest might result in the eggs being abandoned. Others expressed annoyance that protecting the eggs of the small bird, which is widespread across North America, was risking an annual festival that contributes millions of dollars to the local economy.
The killdeer's tendency to build its nest in open fields or flat areas has caused issues in other areas of the US: earlier this year, construction on a health center in Wisconsin was temporarily stopped after a killdeer and its four eggs were discovered.
1. What can we learn about Bluesfest?| A．It is the first music festival in Canada. |
| B．It is a music festival held every two years. |
| C．It is a challenging outdoor activity in Ottawa. |
| D．It is an important event for music lovers |
| A．Pressure from the government. |
| B．Disagreements with the public. |
| C．The need to protect the bird's eggs. |
| D．The lack of experience in hosting the event. |
| A．Ask government officials for help. |
| B．Move the nest to another place. |
| C．Seek advice from environmentalists. |
| D．Hire security guards to protect the eggs. |
| A．encouraging | B．difficult | C．extreme | D．dangerous |
【推荐3】Modem agriculture and its ability to feed billions of people may be one of humanity's greatest achievements. However it comes with hidden costs. For example, have you ever considered how much water is needed to provide you with a steak or a salad? It may surprise you.
In a recent study published in the journal Nutrients, scientists from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization(CSIRO). Australia's national science organization, took a close look at the diets of 9,341 adult Australians — specifically, their "water-scarcity footprints(水消耗足迹)". It turns out that a sweet tooth not only adds to our waistlines but also stresses our water resources.
The water-scarcity footprint is a widely recognized measurement of water consumption. First, it counts the liters of water you used. Then, it looks at the place where the water was used. Using a liter of water in the desert is not the same as using a liter of water in a tropical rainforest. The more scarce water is in your area, the larger your water-scarcity footprint.
The scientists found that the average Australian's diet had a water-scarcity footprint of 362 liters per day. Snacks and beverages — cookies, cakes, sodas and alcohol — accounted for 25 percent of the water-scarcity footprint. The research also included a glass of wine (41 liters), a single serving of potato chips (23 liters), and a small bar of milk chocolate (21 liters).
Not surprisingly, cutting down on snacks would be the top priority if we wanted to lower our own water-scarcity footprint.
Earth's surface is 70 percent water, but only 2.5 percent of that can be used for drinking or farming. While humanity faces an uphill battle to feed its growing population, climate change is causing droughts and extreme weather in agricultural centers like California and eastern Australia. Cities aren't safe, either. In 2018, Cape Town, South Africa, nearly ran out of water due to a drought. Its freshwater reservoir(储藏)stayed at just above 13.5 percent of full capacity. By 2030, a world of about 8.6 billion people will need 35 percent more water, 40 percent more energy, and 50 percent more food, according to the United States National Intelligence Council.
So, we need to watch what we eat, not just for our personal health but for the health of our societies.
1. Scientists find from their studies that .| A．Modem agriculture has the ability to feed billions of people |
| B．A steak or a salad consumes much water |
| C．A sweet tooth puts pressure on water resources |
| D．Snacks consume 85 liters of water per day |
| A．Doubtful | B．Approving |
| C．Negative | D．Indifferent |
| A．by explaining an experiment | B．by analyzing a problem |
| C．by making comparisons | D．by listing numbers |
| A．Water-scarcity footprint is measured | B．Water waste starts with snacks |
| C．Water resources are reduced | D．Water consumption faces an uphill battle |
【推荐1】A widely-used gas that is currently produced from fossil fuels can instead be made by an artificial leaf that uses only sunlight, carbon dioxide and water, and which could eventually be used to develop a sustainable liquid fuel alternative to petrol.
The carbon-neutral (碳中和) device sets a new standard in the field of solar fuels, after researchers at the University of Cambridge demonstrated that it can directly produce the gas---called syngas (合成气) ---in a sustainable and simple way.
Rather than running on fossil fuels, the artificial leaf is powered by sunlight, although it still works efficiently on cloudy and overcast days. And unlike the current industrial processes for producing syngas, the leaf does not release any additional carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The results are reported in the journal Nature Materials.
Syngas is currently made from a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide (氧化碳)， and is used to produce a range of products, such as fuels, medicines, plastics and fertilizers.
“You may not have heard of syngas itself but every day, you consume products that were created using it. Being able to produce it sustainably would be a critical step in closing the global carbon cycle and establishing a sustainable chemical and fuel industry," said senior author Professor Erwin Reisner from Cambridge's Department of Chemistry, who has spent seven years working towards this goal.
The device Reisner and his colleagues produced is inspired by photosynthesis--- the natural process by which plants use the energy from sunlight to turn carbon dioxide into food.
On the artificial leaf, two light absorbers, similar to the molecules in plants that harvest sunlight, are combined with a catalyst (催化剂) made from the naturally abundant element cobalt (钴). When the device is dipped in water, one light absorber uses the catalyst to produce oxygen. The other carries out the chemical reaction that reduces carbon dioxide and water into carbon monoxide and hydrogen, forming the syngas mixture.
As an added bonus, the researchers discovered that their light absorbers work even under the low levels of sunlight on a rainy or overcast day.
“This means you are not limited to using this technology just in warm countries or only operating the process during the summer months,” said PhD student Virgil Andrei, first author of the paper. “You could use it from dawn until dusk, anywhere in the world.”
1. With the artificial leaf, we can _____.| A．produce syngas in a sustainable and simple way |
| B．prevent carbon dioxide from being release into the atmosphere |
| C．make products like medicines, plastics and fertilizers out of fossil fuels |
| D．harvest abundant sunlight through petrol and close the global carbon cycle |
| A．get rid of one light absorber |
| B．block the contact with sunlight |
| C．provide a special catalyst |
| D．keep the artificial leaf far away from water |
| A．Syngas has already been in widespread use around the world. |
| B．The artificial leaf is powered by fossil fuels rather than sunlight. |
| C．The artificial leaf doesn't depend too much on the weather or location. |
| D．Syngas is currently made from a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. |
Yes, there really is a job where you can get paid to taste ice cream. Just ask John Harrison, an “Official Taste Tester” for the past 21 years. Testing helps producers to be sure of a product’s quality. During his career Harrison has been responsible for approving large quantities of the sweet ice cream –as well as for developing over 75 flavors(味道).
Some people think that it would be easy to do this job; after all, you just have to like ice cream, right? No — there’s more to the job than that, says Harrison, who has a degree in chemistry. He points out that a dairy or food-science degree would be very useful to someone wanting a career in this “cool” field.
In a typical morning on the job, Harrison tastes and rates 60 ice-cream samples. He lets the ice cream warm up to about 12 F. Harrisonexplains, “You get more flavor from warmer ice cream, which is why some kids like to stir it, creating ice-cream soup.”
While the ice cream warms up, Harrison looks over the samples and grades each one on its appearance. “Tasting begins with the eyes,”he explains. He checks to see if the ice cream is attractive and asks himself, “Does the product have the colour expected from that flavor?”Next it’s time to taste!
Continuing to think up new ideas, try out new flavors, and test samples from so many kinds of ice cream each day keeps Harrison busy but happy – working at once cool job.
1. What is John Harrison’s job?
| A．An official. | B．An ice-cream taster. |
| C．A chemist. | D．An ice-cream producer |
| A．keep a diary of work. | B．have a degree in related subjects. |
| C．have new ideas every day. | D．find out new flavors each day. |
| A．He stirs the ice cream. |
| B．He examines the colour of the ice cream. |
| C．He tastes the flavor of the ice cream. |
| D．He lets the ice cream warm up. |
| A．Tasting with Eyes. | B．Flavors of Ice Cream. |
| C．John Harrison’s Life. | D．One Cool Job. |
【推荐3】Mark and his brother Jason both were looking at the shining new computer enviously. Jason was determined not to go against their father's wishes but Mark was more adventurous than his brother. He loved experimenting and his aim was to become a scientist like his father.
“Dad will be really mad if he finds out you've been playing with his new computer.” said, “He told us not to touch it.”
“He won't find out,” Mark said, “I'll just have a quick look and shut it down.”
Mark had been scolded before for touching his father's equipment. But his curiosity was difficult to control and this new computer really puzzled him.
It was a strange-looking machine — one his dad had brought home from the laboratory where he worked. “It's an experimental model.” his father had explained, “so don't touch it under any circumstances.” But his father's warning only served to make Mark more curious. Without any further thought, Mark turned on the power switch. The computer burst into life and seconds later the screen turned into colours, shifting and changing, and then two big white words appeared in the centre of the screen: "SPACE TRANSPORTER."
“Yes!” Mark cried excitedly. “It's a computer game. I knew it! Dad's only been pretending to work. He's really been playing games instead!” A new message appeared on the screen:
“ENTER NAMES
VOYAGER 1:…
VOYAGER 2:…
Mark's fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed in both of their names.
“INPUT ACCEPTED. START TRANSPORT PROGRAM. AUTO-RETRIEVE INITIATED.”
The screen turned even brighter and a noise suddenly rose in volume.
“I think we'd better shut it off, Mark,” Jason yelled, reaching for the power switch. He was really frightened.
But his hand never reached the switch. A single beam of dazzling white light burst out of the computer screen, wrapping the boys in its glow, until they themselves seemed to be glowing. Then it died down just as suddenly as it had burst into life. And the boys were no longer there. On the screen, the letters changed:
“TRANSPORT SUCCESSFUL. DESTINATION: MARS. RETRIEVE DATE: 2025.”
1. Why did Mark touch the computer against his father's warning?| A．He wanted to take a voyage. | B．He wanted to practice his skill. |
| C．He was so much attracted by it. | D．He was eager to do an experiment. |
| A．In an information processing center. | B．In a scientific research center. |
| C．In an electronic factory. | D．In a computer company |
| A．He was afraid of being scolded. | B．He didn't like the loud noise and light. |
| C．He didn't want to play games any more | D．He was afraid something dangerous might happen. |
| A．They were sent to another planet. | B．They were blown into the air. |
| C．They were hidden in the strong light. | D．They were carried away to another country. |
