【推荐1】Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. build        B. precisely     C. reason     D. reinvent     E. relative   F. social G. survive     H. theoretically        I. traces     J. transmission       K. works

Three things that make us human

All species on Earth, including humans, are unique. Yet our intelligence and creativity go well beyond those of any other animal. Humans have long communicated through language, and invented ever more complex tools that have enabled our species to     1    and develop.

>Our brains

Without doubt, the human trait (特征) that sets us apart the most from the animal kingdom is our extraordinary brain. Humans don’t have the largest brains in the world—those belong to sperm whales. We don’t even have the largest brains     2     to body size—many birds have brains that make up more than 8% of their body weight, compared to only 2.5% for humans. Yet the human brain, which weighs about three pounds when fully grown, gives us the ability to    3     and think on our feet beyond the capabilities of the rest of the animal kingdom. It gave us the     4    of Einstein, Mozart and many other geniuses.

>Language

Many species communicate with vocal sounds. But language is a special form of communication. Full language, with rules for combining sounds into words, and words into sentences, probably originated at some point about 50,000 years ago. But we will probably never know     5     when and where language originated. Fossils, DNA evidence, comparisons with other animals, and studies of how languages change over time all provide clues, but spoken language itself leaves few     6    . It most likely evolved from a simpler form of communication. Chimpanzees use both gestures and vocal calls to communicate status and other complex     7     information. It is possible that our ancestors also expressed themselves first with gestures or simple words, then developed rules for linking them into sentences.

A Learning from each other

Our unique brains and dexterity (灵巧) of our hands use of tools possible, but we also rely on the cultural     8     of ideas. Culture is at the heart of being human. We put our heads together, we share ideas, and learn from each other, recognizing a past, a present, and a future. We learn from the past,     9     on this in the present, and expect the future. Without culture, each new generation would be forced to     10     the wheel.

【推荐2】Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. based       B. genuinely       C. irrelevant       D. outsized       E. persist       F. previously G. profile       H. reasoning       I. shaped       J. similar       K. subsequent

It happens just about every time I go to a restaurant with my daughter. I open the menu and scan the options. Then I glance at the children’s menu. Oftentimes, the menu is pretty    1    , with the same pasta and tomato sauce. But the items on the children’s menu are usually less expensive, and I’ll think to myself: Wow, good deal.

If I think again for a moment, though, the deal isn’t really a deal. After all, I estimated the cost of the pasta    2    on the adult menu, not on the actual cost of making some bow-tie noodles and serving them with a red sauce.

My faulty    3    is the product of anchoring, a cognitive bias (认知偏差) that can weaken our critical thinking.

According to researchers, anchoring is when people rely on    4    but easily accessible facts to make judgments. Our minds give too much weight to initial impressions or numbers that influence our    5    thoughts. In my case, the prices on the adult menu    6    or anchored my judgment about the value of the items on the children’s menu.

Studies show that anchoring effects    7    no matter how weak the connection between the anchor and the actual decision. One study found that “estimates of an athlete’s performance were influenced by the number on his jersey ( 运 动 衫 ).” In other words, people thought that an athlete with a higher jersey number was better than an athlete with a lower number, all else being equal.

Anchoring affects all kinds of decisions, even those made by experts who should know better. In particular, a recent study shows that anchoring is far more common in the financial world than    8     believed, with substantial anchoring effects influencing performance in the stock market. A study showed that investors valued firms more highly if the firms had higher stock prices. So, if two companies have the same financial    9    except that Company X has fewer shares at a higher price than Company Y, then Company X’s shares will sell better over the long run than Company Y’s. Why? Because the stock price — the anchor — enhances the company’s perceived value.

The phenomenon of anchoring shows that while we think of ourselves as rational and logical beings, unrelated details can have a(n)     10    influence on our reasoning. The best solution is to improve critical thinking skills. Otherwise, you might be a victim of anchoring, dragged down by your bias, whether you notice it or not.

【推荐3】Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. disadvantage B. notably     C. energetic   D. insufficient   E. alternate F. evolved     G. contribution   H. periodic   I. withdrawal   J. coexist     K. adjusted

The degree to which seasonal changes affect mood, energy, sleep, appetite, food preference, or the wish to socialize with other people has been called seasonality. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a condition where depressions in fall and winter     1     with non-depression periods in spring and summer, is the most marked form of seasonality.

The typical symptoms of     2     winter depression include lowered mood, social     3    , increased appetite and weight gain. Mild or no symptoms often occur in spring and summer. It is argued that such pattern of depression occurrence forms an adaptive mechanism which enhances the likelihood of reproductive success, most     4     for females, among populations living at temperate latitudes(纬度). Women are more likely to become pregnant in the summer and thus to give birth at a time of year when their babies have a higher chance of survival. Low chance of summer depression also indicates     5     individuals and promotes healthier pregnancies, which increase the survival chances of both mothers and babies. In the modern era, it is probable that repeated winter depression is becoming a reproductive     6    .

Several lines of evidence also suggest that genetic factors play an important role in the seasonality and SAD. Millions of years of evolution had     7     human biochemical systems for survival under equatorial(赤道的) environmental conditions. Modern humans began to move out of Africa only about 150,000 years ago. Little change in our ‘equatorial’systems might have been expected over this relatively short evolutionary span. And a genetic defenselessness against seasonal changes in mood and behavior is out of     8     adaptation to the new living conditions.

Today, more studies of SAD and seasonality are receiving considerable attention. Studies on relatives of patients with SAD also suggested a familial     9     to the development of SAD. Researchers are trying to find out whether SAD and seasonality are acquired at birth as a composite entity(实体) or whether the two are separate acquired traits that happen to     10     in certain individuals.