Whenever we see a button, we are eager to press it because we know something will happen. This is true in most cases, for example on a doorbell and on the “on/off” button on the TV. But some buttons are actually fake, like the “close” button on a lift.
Many people are in the habit of pressing the “close” button because they don’t have the patience to wait for the lift doors to shut. But lifts’ “close” buttons are a complete scam, at least in the US—the doors will not close any faster no matter how hard you press.
It started in the 1990s when the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in the US, making sure that all lifts stayed open long enough so that people with disabilities could enter. Only US firefighters and repairmen can use the buttons to speed up the door-closing process if they have a code or special keys.
But to normal lift riders, the buttons aren’t completely useless. According to psychologists, fake buttons can actually make you feel better by offering you a sense of control.
“Perceived (能够感知的) control is very important. It reduces stress and increases well-being,” Ellen J. Langer, a psychology professor, said, “Having a lack of control is associated with depression.”
Experts have revealed that a lot of buttons that don’t do anything exist in our lives for this same purpose. For example, many offices in the US have fake thermostats (温度调节器) because people tend to feel better when they think they can control the temperature in their workspace.
But psychologists found it interesting that even when people are aware of these little “white lies”, they still continue to push fake buttons because as long as the doors eventually close, it is considered to be worth the effort.
“That habit is here to stay,” John Kounios, a psychology professor, said, ‘‘Even though I have real doubts about the traffic light buttons, I always press them. After all, I’ve got nothing else to do while waiting. So why not press the button in the hope that this one will work?”
1. What was the author’s main purpose in writing the article?| A．To analyze the functions of fake buttons. |
| B．To describe some different kinds of fake buttons. |
| C．To explain the advantages and disadvantages of fake buttons. |
| D．To explore people’ different habits when it comes to pushing buttons. |
| A．Tool. | B．Button. | C．Trick. | D．Mistake. |
| A．should give up this habit |
| B．probably do so to kill time |
| C．don’t know that what they press is fake |
| D．consider what they do to be meaningless |
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【推荐1】Astronauts on shorter spaceship tasks often work very long days. Tasks are scheduled so tightly that break times are often used to finish the day’s work. This type of schedule is far too demanding for long missions on the International Space Station (ISS). ISS crewmembers usually live in space for at least a quarter of a year. They work five days on and two days off to mimic the normal way they do things on Earth as much as possible. Weekends give the crew valuable time to rest and do a few hours of housework. They can communicate with family and friends by email, Internet phone and through private video conferences.
While astronauts cannot go to a football game or a movie in space, there are many familiar activities that they can still enjoy. Before a mission, the family and friends of each ISS crewmember put together a collection of family photos, messages, videos and reading material for the astronauts to look at when they will be floating 370 kilometers above the Earth. During their mission, the crew also receives care packages with CDs, books, magazines, photos and letters. And as from early 2010, the Internet became available on the ISS, giving astronauts the chance to do some “Web surfing” in their personal time. Besides relaxing with these more common entertainments, astronauts can simply enjoy the experience of living in space.
Many astronauts say that one of the most relaxing things to do in space is look out of the window and stare at the universe and the Earth. Both the shuttle and the ISS circle the planet several times each day, and every moment offers a new view of the Earth’s vast land mass and oceans.
1. In Paragraph 1, what does the word “mimic” mean?| A．Admit. | B．Cover. |
| C．Change. | D．Copy. |
| A．They are excited and fascinated. |
| B．They are worried and upset. |
| C．They are patient and annoyed. |
| D．They are caring and thoughtful. |
| A．get more pleasure in space than on the Earth |
| B．love to see the Earth from space |
| C．regard space life as common |
| D．find living in space a bit boring and tiring |
| A．work for shorter missions in space |
| B．spend their time in space |
| C．observe the Earth from space |
| D．connect with people on the Earth |
【推荐2】Radar（雷达） is an electronic device that detects planes, ships, coastlines, landmarks, and even storm clouds. The name radar comes from the first letters of the words radio direction and ranging. As the human eye uses light waves to see, radar “sees” with radio waves. Without radar, planes could not land safely in bad weather and ships could not move safely in thick fog.
In the 1800s it was discovered that radio waves could be reflected from objects. But scientists did not make great advances in radar research until the 1930s, when the world was threatened by war.
Echoes make it possible for radar to work. When a beam of radio waves is sent out, it strikes on an object and returns an echo. This echo is picked up by radar and recorded on a screen similar to television screen. On the screen an observer sees a flash, or a blip, that shows the direction and distance of the object.
Airport control towers use radar to guide planes in for safe landings. Almost all large ships depend on radar to prevent collisions with icebergs or other ships.
| A．Police track speeders in radar-equipped cars. |
| B．These measurements are now highly accurate. |
| C．The device can be used in a wide range of fields. |
| D．During World War II many countries used radar effectively. |
| E．It is therefore especially valuable to shippers and travelers. |
| F．Today radar is used by commercial airliners and weather forecasters. |
| G．Strengthening national defense is one of radar’s most important functions. |
【推荐3】We’ve all had a guilty pleasure or two. Maybe it was an awkward TV show that we enjoyed a bit too much, maybe a song we listened to ironically until it became a bit too unironic. Perhaps a snack so disgusting it wound up coming back around to be delicious, or a movie so egregious that it ended up being a fantastic watch. Though we often wonder why we enjoy these things, we should really be asking ourselves why we feel guilty for enjoying them.
With the obvious exception of things that are harmful to people, our harsh judgment toward ourselves and others over what we enjoy does nothing but harm our individual expression and enjoyment.
It’s natural to want to appear “cool” to other people — whatever that may mean to you. With the cultural tendency and the means to share literally anything and everything you enjoy via social media, we perfectly curate (管理) the media we consume to match some sort of imagined ideal aesthetic (美学) — a trap that’s easy to fall into. Don’t fall into the trap!
My point is, the things that hold us back from openly enjoying our “guilty pleasures” often come from completely unfounded places. This is especially true that a teenage girl would rather be misunderstood than admit she likes pink. Frankly, what’s the point? Who are you proving yourself to, and why do you feel the need to? If you’re not harming anyone, and you are getting happiness from something, then why bother holding yourself back from it just to preserve some kind of curated image of who you’re supposed to be?
Life is hard enough. If you’ve found something that eases the stress of life even just a little bit, hold onto it for dear life. Marathon the Twilight movies. Read a super tacky (俗气的) romance novel. Throw that guilt right out of the window with absolutely no regrets, and do whatever it is that makes you happy.
1. What can we learn from paragraph 3?| A．Most people want to gain recognition from others. |
| B．Social media has a bad impact on self-recognition. |
| C．Cultural tendency sets a standard for ideal aesthetic. |
| D．People enjoy curating the media that they consume. |
| A．The desire to lead a simple life. | B．The intention to show off ourselves. |
| C．The purpose to guard our ideal image. | D．The need to admit that we like pink. |
| A．Find ways to overcome hard life. |
| B．Set ourselves free from fixed opinions. |
| C．Have an in-depth self-talk to find our souls. |
| D．Talk with people and make our own decisions. |
【推荐1】Free Wi-Fi has become incredibly important to us: many stores and shopping malls offer it, restaurants use it to attract customers, and for libraries and coffee shops it is a must-have service.
Even when people are traveling, they scan for free Wi-Fi, which, according to research released by London’s Amba Hotel on Dec 4, has become the most important standard for selecting a hotel.
According to the survey, as many as 67 percent of travelers questioned said that free Wi-Fi would make them more likely to choose accommodation, above other things such as the hotel’s location and friendly staff. When rating a hotel that they’d already stayed in, six in ten travelers believed that unlimited Wi-Fi was the most important factor in their rating.
“Today, people treat their smartphones, tablets and laptop s like clothes when they are about to travel to some places. They will never forget to pack it into the suitcase,” said the Daily Mail. “We rely on free Wi-Fi heavily when traveling—especially when it comes to checking social media, searching for travel tips, and accessing websites.”
However, despite the opportunities that free Wi-Fi gives us, “our over-reliance on technology has come at a price, with travelers feeling unable to escape social media”, said Lonely Planet, the world’s largest travel guide brand.
Anita Isalska, Lonely Planet editor and tech addict, was forced to unplug when she was stuck in an isolated camp in Greenland recently. “Adjusting to this slower pace, it began to dawn on me: somewhere, somehow, social media had changed into a reflex(条件反射),” she wrote. “I had believed I was capturing moments, but in reality my busy thumbs were preventing me from enjoying travel’s most profound pleasures. How fully can you appreciate a huge glacier or grassland of wildflowers when your brain is subconsciously selecting the right photo filter(滤镜), or the perfect six seconds to film?”
In September, the brand released 10 predictions for the future of global travel. One of them was that true escapes will be highly valued in future, so remote hotels will start to make their lack of Internet into a feature. Would you like to have an unplugged holiday?
1. Why do travelers attach importance to free Wi-Fi when selecting a hotel?| A．They think hotels with free Wi-Fi are likely to provide better service. |
| B．They believe hotels with free Wi-Fi usually have better locations. |
| C．They hope to enjoy more profound pleasures while using free Wi-Fi. |
| D．They depend on free Wi-Fi to check social media and access websites. |
| A．Check social media. | B．Disconnect from digital devices. |
| C．Appreciate beautiful scenery. | D．Cancel a travelling plan. |
| A．Travelers should adapt to a slower pace when checking social media. |
| B．Travelers should take more photos and videos during their journeys. |
| C．Addiction to social media has negatively affected the quality of travel. |
| D．Beautiful scenery could be appreciated better if films are shot cautiously |
| A．To argue against people’s over-reliance on Wi-Fi. |
| B．To promote the growing importance of free Wi-Fi in daily lives. |
| C．To predict what global travel will be like in the future. |
| D．To protest against travelers’ standard when selecting a hotel. |
【推荐2】Carlos Slim’s proposal that we work a three - day week sounds crazy. But many, in 1922, thought Henry Ford crazy when he announced that his staff would work a five - day week.
Our working week seems normal to us because it is what we all always do. He certainly could be for those he was most concerned about when he made his three - day - week statement at a business conference in Paraguay: the workers who are not ready to retire. As Mr. Slim said, it no longer makes sense for people to stop working in their fifties or sixties when they may still have up to a third of their lives ahead of them. “People are going to have to work for more years, until they are 70 or 75, and just work three days a week - perhaps 11 hours a day.” he said.
Keeping older employees at work makes sense for societies, especially those with a diminishing number of young people who are expected to support long - living retirees.
He appeared to be suggesting that these short - week workers earn the same as they did full - time. That is what happens at Telmex, his Mexican fixed - line phone company, where those qualified for retirement can choose to work four - day weeks on full pay.
Older workers elsewhere might prefer shorter weeks on reduced pay - and eight or nine - hour days rather than 11. Their companies might value keeping their experience while saving money on their salaries. What about everyone else? There are those who are unemployed, or in unstable jobs, who would be delighted to have three secure, well - paid days of work a week.
Shorter weeks don’t work in every job, but they work in more jobs than most tradition - bound managers think. Agreeing to them requires two shifts in management thinking. The first is the realization that much of the time spent in offices is wasted anyway. Second, senior executives need ro understand that the best way to measure people is by the work they produce - not by how much time they spend at their desks.
People living longer, in better health, are changing working life too. Mr. Slim’s idea is in tune with the times.
1. According to paragraph 2 why did Mr. Slim think it unwise for people in their fifties or sixties to retire ?| A．Because they have longer life to live in their future. |
| B．Because they have children and old parents to support |
| C．Because they have much interest in their present work. |
| D．Because they have more experience than young workers. |
| A．The decision of working five days a week by Ford was considered normal in the past. |
| B．Old people continuing working can reduce young people’s pressure to support their old parents |
| C．Some companies don’t want their old workers to go on working because they can save money. |
| D．Much time spent at work is wasted if managers don’t agree to reduce old employees’working time. |
| A．Different from. | B．Superior to. |
| C．Far from. | D．Consistent with. |
| A．Retire Or Not, This Is A Question! |
| B．Shorter Weeks Is Welcome By All |
| C．Working Three Days A Week: A Great Idea |
| D．Carlos Slim - Crazy For More Resting Time |
【推荐3】Toronto in Canada is one of those cities that people visit and then dream of living in. It's large, but not too large; prosperous, but not expensive. But most importantly, Toronto is very open and tolerant. The city, the capital of Ontario, is one of the world's most multicultural cities.
The fact that 140 languages are spoken in the city tells a story. What's more, 12.5 percent of the city's population is Chinese.
With all the different groups in the city, you'd expect a variety of foods to try. And, sure enough, there are many different restaurants in Toronto, from Vietnamese to Ethiopian. Many of them are found in the Kensington Market area, where there's also music to hear and art to see.
This multicultural background is probably one of the reasons why many people consider it a mysterious place. Speaking to BBC News, blogger Alyssa James said, "The city doesn't give up its secrets easily. I love Toronto because I really have to love and know it."
Toronto is a great place to explore if you want to get the most out of it. James mentioned the beaches, which are close to the city and have wonderfully clean sand and water. The good thing is that getting around in Toronto is easy, since it has a very good public transport system. It also has a reputation of being home to many talented computer geniuses. So, if you're hoping to work in the technology industry, Toronto is a place to consider moving to.
With all this to offer, it's not surprising that this Canadian city is an attractive destination, whether you're going on a vacation or even looking for a home.
1. What do people think of Toronto in Canada?| A．A place people used to visit most. | B．The largest city in Canada. |
| C．The most expensive city. | D．An open and tolerant place. |
| A．People can experience different cultures. | B．12.5% of the residents are from France. |
| C．Vietnamese foods are the most popular. | D．People can appreciate only African music. |
| A．Computer geniuses. | B．Residents. | C．Various cultures. | D．Beaches. |
| A．It is far from the ocean. | B．It is convenient to travel around. |
| C．It often holds different concerts. | D．It has restaurants from different countries. |
