【推荐1】We experience the full range of emotions during the final scenes of the movie trilogy, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. Watching Frodo being surrounded by the fire we hold our breath; we overjoy when Gandalf saves him. So what’s going on? There must be a special kind of movie magic that makes us care about what we know isn’t real. As it happens, there is a special kind of magic, but it’s not in the movie. It’s in the minds of people who watch it. Dr. Brian Schwartz, professor of the University of Chicago, believes this magic is especially potent when we watch movies on the big screen.

“What happens first,” he argues, “is that you give up control. The movie is in control.” In normal life our brains are like tractor beams (牵引光束), busy taking in any information that seems important or interesting. This is called the attentional system. But as the characters come alive on screen, we stop sensing our body. Psychologists call this kind of mental state “flow”: when our attention is completely absorbed in one activity and there isn’t any juice left in our attentional system to take in any more information. We are effortlessly swept along in the currents of the ride. This is why we love the movies: it’s like going on a roller coaster (过山车) for the brain.

However, there’s something else magic at work here too: in a movie theater, as we give up control, our sense of reality changes. Deep down we know that what we’re seeing is make-believe, but because we’re not going to act upon it, because it doesn’t have a direct physical bearing upon us, we don’t test if it is real. It’s like that part of our brain goes on a temporary vacation. Something else is happening in the brain to make this possible too. The mind has different abilities, and each one has a distinct place in the brain. Our knowledge that we’re only watching a movie happens in the front part of our brain. But emotions come from the limbic system (边缘系统), in the back of the brain. Even though our front brain knows that a movie isn’t real, the back brain never gets the message.

It’s a sad fact that the intensity of the emotions that movies produce in us may be decreasing. At home, or on our smart phones, movies are wonderfully convenient. But watching in this way limits their magic because we’re in control; we have the power to stop the film or fast forward bits we don’t like. “If you’re not giving up control to the movie,” Schwartz says, “you’re getting a thinned-out movie experience.” More control might be more convenient, but it won’t mean more magic. Surely, we deserve better than that, and Frodo does too.

1. What can be inferred from this passage?

A．Distinct parts of our brain are interactive.

B．Movies on phones can take us to the state of flow conveniently.

C．The limbic system can help us sense the reality.

D．Going to theaters creates better viewing experience.

2. Why does the author mention a roller coaster?

A．To demonstrate the strong feeling of the attentional system.

B．To explain the filmmaking techniques used by directors.

C．To describe psychological methods involved in seeing a movie.

D．To illustrate the excitement that a movie can provide.

3. What does the underlined word “potent” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．Subjective.

B．Complicated.

C．Effective.

D．Temporary.

4. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Emotions out of Control	B．Different Choices of Moviegoers
C．Your Brain on Movies	D．The Rise of Movie Theaters

【推荐2】Judge Frank Caprio is a famous person in the city of Providence, Rhode Island. And, he is starting to get noticed around the world, too. He is an 80-year-old judge in the capital city of Rhode Island, the smallest state in the U. S.. One of his jobs is to take charge of traffic court. That involves talking to people who have gotten traffic tickets for going though red lights or parking illegally. They go to traffic court to question the tickets. Caprio hears what they have to say. Then, he decides whether or not the ticket is legal.

Caprio recently heard the case of a young man who was driving his mother’s car. He went through a light after it turned red. After he spoke with the high school student, Caprio decided to let him off with a warning----if he promised to go to college and graduate.

Another video from the Providence traffic court came out earlier this week. It showed a woman speaking with Judge Caprio about a parking ticket. She went to traffic court after getting a ticket for parking in an area that only permitted parking after 10 a. m. . The ticket was written at 9:59 a. m. . The woman said the clock in her car showed 10 a. m., so she thought it would be OK. After some conversation, the judge decided to dismiss the ticket.

But Caprio did tell her, “You violated the city laws.” He held up a large book of rules. He smiled and the woman laughed. He said: “Our parking enforcement officers are second to none in the country!” After talking with the court officer, he said “I think 9:59 is close enough. Matter is dismissed.”

The video was viewed over 1 million times in just two days. One person wrote of the video: “This is so cute. What a great judge. LOVE THIS.” Others wondered if the video was real, because it seemed so funny. But, there actually are judges out there like Frank Caprio. He is as real as they come.

1. What punishment did the young man receive?

A．None	B．Fine
C．Education	D．Blame

2. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “violated” in Paragraph 4?

A．ignored	B．followed
C．understood	D．broke

3. What did the author think of the video about the parking ticket?

A．It was funny	B．It was so cute
C．It was not real	D．It was quite true

【推荐3】Full House was an American :television show from the 1980s to the 1990s. It was among the most popular TV shows of its time The show followed a single father who asks his friends to help him raise his three young girls. The last episode (集）of Full House aired in May 1995.

But on Friday，the No 1 trending topic on Twitter in the U.S. was Fuller House. The new show is the long-awaited sequel (续集）series that follows the now-adult characters from Full House. The streaming service Netflix released 13 episodes of the new series at midnight Friday.

Fuller House trended throughout the night and into Friday morning on Twitter and Facebook. The actors on the show were among :he :op 10 U.S. Google searches，as well Longtime fans of Full House admitted that they stayed up all night to watch the entire season.

Excited fans tweeted about having waited more than 20 years for the sequel. But some viewers were not impressed with Fuller House. And television critic Hank Steuver of The Washington Post called the show, “a retread' He says the show is not some golden treasure* of family-friendly programming.

Although most of the main characters from the original Full House have returned for Fuller House, the show’s youngest character，Michelle Tanner，refused. Michelle was played by twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. The Olsens are now active in the fashion world. One episode of Fuller House even joked about their absence. One of her sisters on the show asks where Michelle is. Her father，Danny Tanner， responds: “Oh，she’s busy in New York running her fashion empire.”

1. What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?

A．The last episode of Full House was exciting.

B．Full House tells a story about a poor father.

C．It was Netflix that played Full House in 1995.

D．The original characters come back in the sequel.

2. The fans of Full House_.

A．don’t like its characters

B．think highly of Full House

C．show great interest in its sequel

D．like to watch its sequel at night

3. What did Hank Steuver think of Full Housel？

A．Disappointing.	B．Exciting.
C．Interesting.	D．Encouraging.

4. What does the last paragraph mainly tell us?

A．The twins didn’t appear in the new show.

B．The Olsens are successful businesswomen.

C．Danny Tanner is not satisfied with the Olsens.

D．Michelle was an important role in Full House.

【推荐1】Amazon is reportedly working on a free, ad-supported music offering as another option to its paid Amazon Music Unlimited and Prime Music services to better compete with Apple Music, Google Music and Spotify. According to Billboard, the free plan could go live as soon as possible. At this time, the service is only available in the US for users who request music by a trial version (HIA), but a full-fledged version of the free ad- based music service is expected to be launched sometime in the future.

Billboard reports that Amazon is now in talks to make an ad-based free level available for its music service. The company is expected to advertise the plan with its Echo speakers. By now, Amazon Music Unlimited runs $ 10 per month standalone (单机), the same as Apple Music and Sportify. Meanwhile Prime Music offers Amazon Prime members a more limited selection of content for no extra charge. A new ad supported free level would make Amazon the third music offering.

Billboard notes that it's not clear how many paying users Amazon currently has, though it may have been around 20 million last year for all of its services. In contrast, Apple Music reportedly hit 28 million paying users in the US alone, beaten by Spotify.

Amazon hasn't disclosed how many paying music users it has, but some reports last year estimated it counts over 20 million users across its offerings and expect it to gain steadily thanks to integration with its market-leading smart speakers.

But Spotify is still the market leader for global users when it comes to music services with close to 100 million users. Amazon’s move could attract more and more users.

1. What does the underlined word "full-fledged" in paragraph 1mean?

A．Modern.

B．Junior.

C．Powerful.

D．Perfect.

2. What can we infer about Amazon from the second paragraph?

A．It wants support from users.

B．It has too many advertisements.

C．It would be the third biggest Music offering.

D．It will lose more free users.

3. Which of the following has the most music users?

A．Spotify.

B．Amazon.

C．Google Music.

D．Apple Music.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．Amazon has the most piece of music.

B．Amazon will release a free music service.

C．Amazon will defeat Apple Music and Spotify.

D．Amazon has defeated Apple Music and Spotify.

【推荐2】The US airline industry is facing a new threat to its profits-heavier passengers, a report has found. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average US adult put on ten pounds(4.5kg) of weight during the 1990s. Transporting the extra weight cost airlines an extra $275 million in fuel costs in 2000, the report says.

Earnings at airlines have already been under pressure due to the decreasing demand and a record increase in the price of crude oil(原油). In the US, a number of airlines have gone bust while others are struggling to survive in an ever more competitive market place. While it is relatively easy to check the weight of a traveler’s luggage and charge those that burst limits, it is much harder to regulate a person’s waistline. Some firms have toyed with the idea of (jokingly suggested) charging overweight travelers for two seats, but it is not a practice that has taken off industry-wide.

Last year, the American Federal Aviation Administration increased the average passenger weight they use to calculate aircraft loads by ten pounds. Since then, crude oil prices have hit record levels, with many firms responding by raising the fuel charge they add to ticket prices.

The rising level of obesity(过度肥胖) in the US and in Europe has promoted government health campaigns and harsh(严厉的) criticism of a number of food firms. Restaurant chain McDonald’s has taken the main force of the attack, and has in recent months reworked its menu to include healthier options, which has helped lift profits.

As with fast food restaurants, timely adjustment may be the best solution presently for American airlines. The prediction by experts, however, is that humans are set to become bigger.

1. This passage is most probably taken from ________.

A．a government report	B．a yearly economy review
C．an airline guidebook	D．a newspaper

2. The underlined phrase “gone bust”(paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to ________.

A．become stronger	B．got banned(禁止)
C．failed financially	D．expanded further

3. The underlined word “those”(paragraph 2) most probably refers to ________.

A．overweight travelers	B．overloaded cases
C．travelers’ waistlines	D．extra-large seats

4. What measures did many American airlines take in response to the record increase in the price of crude oil last year?

A．They increased the average passenger weight when calculating aircraft loads.

B．They brought up their ticket prices.

C．They charged obese travelers for two seats.

D．They overcharged travelers’ luggage.

5. What does the last sentence of the passage imply(暗示)?

A．Airline profits in America will be under even greater pressure.

B．The population of obese people will increase rapidly.

C．American airlines will charge more for fuels

D．Fast food restaurants will be forced to change their menus.

【推荐1】Many of us rarely check in with ourselves. We rarely wonder what we really want, what benefits us, what delights us, what hurts us, how we can respect ourselves, what people are actually healthy for us to be around and what the most supportive decision is. Or we may know these things but we don’t act on them.

One reason is that we get caught up in what everyone else is doing and thinking. I have to buy that, too! I need to be on that diet if she’s trying it. They think therapy is a waste of time and money. He suggests that I should lose weight. They completely disagree. Maybe I do, too?

When we get caught up like this, we silence ourselves. Here I don’t mean asking others for feedback(反馈) or advice or helpful insights. I’m referring to times when we ignore ourselves and when we let others’ perspectives set aside our own.

When we get caught up like this, what can help is to refocus. To ask ourselves: OK, but what do I want? What works for me? We can ask ourselves questions to check in with ourselves, our needs, our desires, our intentions, and our hearts. These questions reveal important answers. Asking these questions may lead to a new and deeper understanding or perspective. It puts us back in the driver’s seat.

And as I say many times, asking ourselves all sorts of questions means we are listening to ourselves. We’re admitting that our thoughts and feelings matter. Because they do. And in asking questions, in taking the time to listen to the answers, we are building self-trust. We are caring for ourselves in a powerful way.

1. What do we know about people described in Paragraph 1 and 2?

A．They tend to follow suit.	B．They like to learn from others.
C．They are too lazy to think hard.	D．They have a strong desire to win.

2. Why do we make ourselves silence?

A．Because we follow our own feelings.

B．Because we feel doubtful about things.

C．Because we don’t think about our own ideas.

D．Because we ask others for feedback or advice.

3. Which of the following questions can help you refocus?

A．Why are they happier than me?	B．What do my family need the most?
C．What matters most to me in this world?	D．How can I follow the traditional values?

4. How can you be in charge of your life?

A．Having a strong power.	B．Ready to start out.
C．Leading the way for others.	D．Back in the driver’s seat.

【推荐2】If you want to spark a heated debate at a dinner party, bring up the topic of genetically modified foods. For many people, the concept of genetically altered, high-tech crop production raises all kinds of environmental, healthy, safety and ethical questions. Particularly in countries with long a grain traditions—and vocal green lobbies—the idea seems against nature.

In fact, genetically modified foods are already very much apart of out lives. A third of corn and more than half the soybeans and cotton grown in the U. S. last year were the product of biotechnology, according to the Department of Agriculture. More than 65 million a-cres of genetically modified crops will be planted in the U. S. this year. The genetic genie(鬼怪) is out of the bottle.

Yet there are clearly some very real issues that need to be resolved. Like any new prod-uct entering the food chain, genetically modified foods must be subjected to rigorous testing. In wealthy countries, the debate about biotech is tempered by the fact that we have a rich array of foods to choose from and a supply that far exceeds our needs. In developing countries desperate to feed fast-growing and underfed populations, the issue is simpler and much more urgent: Do the benefits of biotech outweigh the risks？

The statistics on population growth and hunger are disturbing. Last year the world's population reached 6 billion. The U. N. estimates that nearly 800 million people around the world are undernourished. The effects are devastating. About 400 million women of child-bearing age are iron deficient, which means their babies are exposed to various birth defects. As many as 100 million children suffer from vitamin A deficiency, a leading cause of blindness.

How can biotech help？ Biotechnologists have developed genetically modified rice that is fortified with beta-carotene—which the body converts into vitamin A—and additional iron, and they are working on other kinds of nutritionally improved crops. Biotech can also improve farming productivity in places where food shortages are caused by crop damage attributable to pests, drought, poor soil and crop viruses, bacteria or fungi.

1. What's the passage mainly about？

A．The world's food problems.

B．The new advancement in biotech.

C．The characteristics of genetically modified foods.

D．How biotech can help solve the world's food problems.

2. The sentence “The genetic genie is out of the bottle.” in Para. 2 probably means__________.

A．the genetic genie has broken the bottle which controlled it

B．the genetic technology has broken out of laboratories into the marketplace

C．the genetically modified foods are available everywhere

D．the genetic technology has begun to cause a devastating effect on human beings

3. Why are people in developed countries less concerned about genetically modified foods?

A．They don’t have an urgent need for such foods.

B．They have a good temper to talk about things calmly.

C．They are far away from such foods and crops.

D．They are not concerned about other people in the world.

4. According to the passage, genetically modified foods__________.

A．are superior to naturally grown foods

B．may help solve the problem of undernourishments

C．are going to replace naturally grown ones

D．can solve the food problems in developing countries

5. The author’s attitude towards genetically modified foods is ________.

A．negative	B．cautious
C．disapproving	D．positive

【推荐3】Nobel prize-winners, legendary (传奇的) authors, and famous scientists — you might think all these people were born to be creative. However, that's not always the case.

While well-known figures like Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein did their most significant (重要的) work in their youth, famous American poet Robert Frost and English-born natural scientist Charles Darwin were known as "late bloomers" – people whose talents were not noticeable until later in life.

This idea of "peaking" at different times inspired new research from the United States. "Many people believe that creativity is exclusively (独有地) associated (有联系的) with youth, but it really depends on what kind of creativity you're talking about," said Bruce Weinburg, a professor of economics at the University of Chicago and co-author of the study.

According to the study, published earlier this month in the journal De Economist, there are two types of people: conceptual (概念的) and experimental thinkers.

To reach this conclusion, researchers took the 31 previous winners of the Nobel Prize in economics and arranged them according to when they did their most significant work, to identify (识别) their creative peaks.

Some peaked from ages 25-29. Classified as conceptual thinkers, these people think outside of the box, coming up with new ideas before they become used to the conventional way of doing things.

The second creative peak came with economists in their 50s. These are experimental thinkers who have been in their field for a long time. This allows them to learn from errors and experiment with different processes, before eventually finding new solutions.

"Whether you hit your creative peak early or late in your career depends on whether you have a conceptual or experimental approach," said Weinburg. He added that their study isn't limited to economics, saying it can apply to other creative disciplines (知识领域). So if you're struggling to come up with new ideas, don't panic. Your creative peak may be yet to arrive.

1. What did the study from the US find?

A．Young people are not necessary more creative than the old people.

B．Most people take a conceptual approach when thinking.

C．One's creative peak is related to their job type.

D．Conceptual and experimental thinkers hit their peaks at different times.

2. What does the underlined word "conventional" mean in context?

A．Easy.	B．Unusual.
C．Traditional.	D．Appropriate.

3. What do we know about experimental thinkers?

A．Their talents usually bloom in their 20s.

B．They are good at doing experiments.

C．They work out new methods based on experience.

D．They are more successful than conceptual thinkers.

4. What would Weinberg probably agree with?

A．It's difficult to find one's talent in later years.

B．More research needs to be done about creative peaks.

C．Conceptual thinkers could be more successful in the art field.

D．Experimental thinkers from other fields may be most successful in their 50s.

【推荐1】Reading body language to know if a person is lying applies not just to ordinary people but even to professionals, as well. The police use it to be sure whether the person is guilty of a certain wrongdoing（坏事） or not, teachers employ it to find out if a child really has or hasn’t done his or her homework and parents apply it to find out if their teenagers really did go to a group study meeting as they said they would.

In the past, it seemed like reading body language to judge guilt may not have been in effect, at least in some cultures. Tribal groups of centuries used to figure out if a native committed a crime (犯罪) using pain tests, such as dipping a hand in boiling water, walking on burning coals, and others.

For example, a native whose hand came out burnt after a dip in boiling water is considered guilty at the time. Luckily, no such judging process exists any more and we have the chance to explain ourselves by appearing in court and giving our statements. However, it may not be easy either, because it requires knowledge of reading body language.

How can you tell if the other person is lying through his teeth? There are several ways to tell. One is when the other person is unable to look at you in the eyes as he tells a lie. Thus, if you ask your partner if he has been cheating on you, you will know that something is wrong if he says he hasn’t but looks elsewhere while he says so.

1. Why did the writer mention the police, teachers and parents?

A．To show all the people who read body language can know if a person is lying.

B．To show they are doing different kinds of jobs.

C．To show police are much cleverer than teachers and parents.

D．To show all of them can read body language.

2. How did tribal groups find out if a native committed a crime several hundred years ago?

A．By being decided by their leaders.

B．By using pain tests.

C．By appearing in court.

D．Through his teeth.

3. The passage mainly tells us ______________________.

A．we can catch a liar （说谎者） by body language

B．the importance of body language

C．how we should use body language

D．the history of body language being used

【推荐2】When there are some strangers in front of us, which of them will we trust?

According to a new study in the online PLOSOne, people make their decisions to trust others largely based on their faces. Your appearance can do a lot for you, especially if you are in the financial industry. The more trustworthy you look, the more likely people will buy what you’re selling.

Researchers from Britain’s University of Warwick Business School, University College London, and Dartmouth College, US, did a number of experiments.

The research team used computer software to make 40 faces, from the least to the most trustworthy-looking. The study said that the difference between a trustworthy face and one that isn’t as trustworthy comes from features that look slightly angry or slightly happy, even when the face is at rest. However, a slightly happy face is more likely to be trusted. Researchers gave participants some money and asked them which face they trusted to invest the money for them. Then researchers gave some good and bad information about the people with these faces, and asked the participants again whom they trusted. The results showed that even if they got different information, the participants didn’t change their choices. They were still more likely to invest their money with the more trustworthy-looking faces.

Chris Olivola, one of the study’s authors, said in the University of Warwick’s press release: “It seems we are still willing to go with our own instincts about whether we think someone looks like we can trust them.”

1. According to the study, which of the following faces is most likely to be trusted?

A．An embarrassed face.	B．A disappointed face.
C．A smiling face.	D．A nervous face.

2. What do we know about the experiments?

A．Most participants gave their money to the trustworthy-looking faces.

B．Researchers took photos of the 40 people’s faces in colleges.

C．The trustworthy faces were given good information.

D．Participants liked to choose the faces with good information.

3. Which of the following best explains “instincts” underlined in the last paragraph?

A．Feelings rather than opinions or ideas based on facts.

B．Judgements that are easily changed by others.

C．Good information that are given by people around.

D．Opinions that grow out of social practice.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Why people trust a stranger with good appearance.

B．People usually judge strangers according to their faces.

C．How different information affects people’s decisions.

D．Why the research team carried out the experiment.

【推荐3】In the mid-2000s, Waze Mobile co-founder Ehud Shabtai received a cutting-edge (尖端的) gift from girlfriend: a GPS. The expensive gift was supposed to be helpful. But straight out of the box, it was already out of date.

Shabtai, a coding enthusiast, had an immediate reaction to reinvent. Shabtai’s solution? To build an app. With 80 million monthly active users globally and nearly 400,000 superusers who function much like Wikipedia volunteer editors (editing maps rather than words), Waze Mobile caught the eye of Google as a revolutionary approach to navigation (导航).

Acquired by Google in 2013, Waze’s value mainly lies in its high rate of user involvement. Unlike traditional navigation apps that simply show directions, Waze asks its users to report accidents and other road conditions in real time, so other users can avoid the traffic by using an alternative route.

The goal behind Waze’s approach is an ambitious one: not just avoid traffic, but end it altogether. Waze is finding new ways to put its loyal and active user base to use to make that vision a reality, including a plan to make carpooling (拼车) cool.

To be sure, traffic jams are troubling people all over the world. Waze has been quietly ahead of the game for some time. In 2013, when Waze was just a small digital-mapping business with limited resources it had something Google Maps and other competitors didn’t: richer GPS guidance thanks to its stream of live traffic reports from users.

These users were the basis of Shabtai’s plan to solve for his GPS device’s “silent” hardware: he grounded the app in software that could be perpetually updated by users, anywhere and anytime.

Waze Carpool is going straight to the heart of traffic jams, trying to get more drivers off the road and into carpools. The app has already connected tens of thousands of rideseekers with drivers willing to ferry them along a shared route, and that trend could be the answer to a traffic-free future.

1. What did Shabtai do when he found his girlfriend’s gift out of date?

A．He improved it.	B．He took it apart.
C．He put it away.	D．He used it anyway.

2. What sets Waze Mobile apart from traditional navigation apps?

A．It has the most users.	B．It can indicate directions.
C．It reports road conditions in real time.	D．Most users help edit its words.

3. What does the underlined word “perpetually” in paragraph 6 probably mean?

A．Difficultly.	B．Carefully.
C．Greatly.	D．Constantly.

4. What is mainly talked about in the text?

A．The rise of carpooling.	B．An advanced navigation app.
C．The development of Google.	D．Traffic problems in the world.