【推荐1】Bad Dreams Are Good!

Most of us dream, whether we remember them or not. What are dreams for? A handful of _______ dominate. Sigmund Freud famously maintained that they reveal hidden truths and wishes. More recent research suggests that they may help us process intense emotions, or perhaps sort through and strengthen memories, or _______ random neuron（神经元） activity, or prepare responses to threatening situations. Others argue that dreams have no evolutionary function, but simply _______ personal concerns.

Despite being largely unsupported by _______, Freud’s view maintains a strong following around the world. Researchers found that students in the U.S., South Korea, and India were much more likely to say that dreams reveal hidden truths than to accept better _______ theories. In the same study, respondents said that dreaming about a plane crash would cause them more _______ than an official warning about a terrorist attack. Even if dreams can't foretell the future, they seem to _______ our shared fascinations. The majority of dreams occur during REM sleep （深度睡眠） cycles, of which the average person has four or five a night.

A study of Canadian university students found the most common dream topics include school, falling, being chased, and arriving too late for something. For all the commonalities dreams _______, they vary across time and culture — people who grew up watching black-and-white TV are more likely to dream in black and white. A 1958 study _______ that compared with Japanese people, Americans dreamed more about being locked up, losing a loved one, finding money, being ________ dressed or encountering a mad person. Japanese people were more likely to dream about school, trying repeatedly to do something, being paralyzed with fear, or “wild, violent beasts.” If human dreams sound ________, bear in mind that even negative ones can have positive effects.

In a study of students taking a French medical school entrance exam, 60 percent of the dreams they had beforehand ________ a problem with the exam, such as being late or leaving an answer blank. But those who reported ________ about the exam, even bad ones, did better on it than those who didn’t. So the next time you dream about an education related experience in which you are unable to answer the questions or solve a problem, don’t __________: It’s probably totally meaningless. Then again, your brain might be practicing so you'll be ________ if such an event ever comes to pass.

1.

A．symptoms

B．reviews

C．conflicts

D．theories

2.

A．take place of

B．make peace with

C．make sense of

D．come up with

3.

A．exemplify

B．dramatize

C．horrify

D．recognize

4.

A．evidence

B．information

C．qualification

D．inquiry

5.

A．assumed

B．connected

C．confirmed

D．realized

6.

A．curiosity

B．anxiety

C．fancy

D．reluctance

7.

A．expect

B．endure

C．expose

D．employ

8.

A．exhibit

B．explain

C．supply

D．identify

9.

A．diagnosed

B．dismissed

C．denied

D．determined

10.

A．unnecessarily

B．independently

C．inappropriately

D．impersonally

11.

A．puzzling

B．exciting

C．depressing

D．amusing

12.

A．revealed

B．guaranteed

C．traced

D．involved

13.

A．grades

B．concerns

C．dreams

D．memories

14.

A．hesitate

B．worry

C．pause

D．laugh

15.

A．ready

B．eager

C．nervous

D．curious

【推荐2】Fluid intelligence is the type of intelligence that has to do with short-term memory and the ability to think quickly, logically, and abstractly in order to solve new problems. It ______ in young adulthood, levels out for a period of time, and then ______ starts to slowly decline as we age. But ______ aging is inevitable, scientists are finding out that certain changes in brain function may not be.

One study found that muscle loss and the ______ of body fat around the abdomen are associated with a decline in fluid intelligence. This suggests the ______ that lifestyle factors might help prevent or ______ this type of decline.

The researchers looked at data that ______ measurements of lean muscle and abdominal fat from more than 4,000 middle-to-older-aged men and women and ______ that data to reported changes in fluid intelligence over a six-year period. They found that middle-aged people ______ higher measures of abdominal fat ______ worse on measures of fluid intelligence as the years ______.

For women, the association may be ______ to changes in immunity that resulted from excess abdominal fat; in men, the immune system did not appear to be ______. It is hoped that future studies could ______ these differences and perhaps lead to different ______ for men and women.

______ there are steps you can ______ to help reduce abdominal fat and maintain lean muscle mass as you age in order to protect both your physical and mental ______. The two highly recommended lifestyle approaches are maintaining or increasing your ______ of aerobic exercise and following Mediterranean-style diet that is high in fiber and eliminates highly ______ foods.

1.

A．fades

B．peaks

C．edges

D．halts

2.

A．universally

B．alternatively

C．tremendously

D．suspiciously

3.

A．once

B．lest

C．while

D．since

4.

A．accumulation

B．acceleration

C．consumption

D．assumption

5.

A．measurement

B．principal

C．decision

D．potential

6.

A．postpone

B．undertake

C．avoid

D．evolve

7.

A．supported

B．included

C．evaluated

D．reinforced

8.

A．dedicated

B．applied

C．combined

D．compared

9.

A．with

B．above

C．via

D．against

10.

A．negotiated

B．managed

C．scored

D．played

11.

A．went away

B．counted on

C．set off

D．went by

12.

A．parallel

B．attributable

C．similar

D．corresponding

13.

A．involved

B．released

C．replaced

D．charged

14.

A．collapse

B．classify

C．illustrate

D．bridge

15.

A．demands

B．symptoms

C．compensation

D．treatments

16.

A．Meanwhile

B．Nonetheless

C．Particularly

D．Homogeneously

17.

A．transform

B．suggest

C．take

D．count

18.

A．formation

B．well-being

C．image

D．account

19.

A．passion

B．knowledge

C．extension

D．level

20.

A．recycled

B．preserved

C．enveloped

D．processed

【推荐3】       Watching TV is a very popular pastime in the UK but what kind of programmes do British people like to watch? Well, the most-watched TV programmes every week are very popular dramas that are usually_______at least four times every week. They are dramas_______on one neighborhood that try to_______ordinary life in the UK—we_______these dramas ‘soap operas’ or ‘soaps’.

In the early days of TV, there were often dramas on during the_______ back in those days, it was_______for the husband to go out to work and for the wife to stay at home and_______the house and the children. Most of these daytime dramas were aimed at entertaining the_______who would traditionally be at home, probably doing the_______ companies selling washing powder would________their products at times________these dramas were on, and________those companies would________sponsor (赞助) the drama. As a result, the word “soap” appeared.

So what about the word opera? Well, that’s because these dramas are often an exaggeration (夸大) of real________. They are supposed to represent ordinary lives________to make them entertaining, lots of dramatic events________murders, divorces, affairs etc, happen probably much more________than they would in a normal neighbourhood.

Most soap operas these days are________in the evening. There are lots of different soaps on in the UK but there are three main________ones. ‘Coronation Street’ has been on since 1960. It is supposed to represent working class life. Then there’s “Eastenders’” which________in 1985 and “Emmerdale” in the north of England.

1.

A．on

B．in

C．at

D．off

2.

A．basing

B．being based

C．are based

D．based

3.

A．describe

B．explain

C．imagine

D．predict

4.

A．read

B．say

C．call

D．think

5.

A．day

B．noon

C．evening

D．night

6.

A．interesting

B．traditional

C．unusual

D．polite

7.

A．look for

B．look over

C．look out

D．look after

8.

A．husbands

B．elders

C．housewives

D．children

9.

A．washing

B．cooking

C．reading

D．shopping

10.

A．buy

B．sell

C．advertise

D．suggest

11.

A．until

B．when

C．before

D．after

12.

A．some time

B．some times

C．sometime

D．sometimes

13.

A．still

B．yet

C．so

D．even

14.

A．life

B．dream

C．place

D．word

15.

A．and

B．but

C．so

D．or

16.

A．for example

B．as

C．like

D．such

17.

A．carefully

B．quickly

C．suddenly

D．regularly

18.

A．shown

B．given

C．taken

D．made

19.

A．humorous

B．popular

C．sad

D．happy

20.

A．starts

B．had started

C．started

D．has started

【推荐1】In the food industry, it seems, the robot revolution is well underway, with machines mastering skilled tasks that have always been performed by people.

In Boston, robots have displaced _______ and are creating complex bowls of food for customers. In Prague, machines are _______ waiters and servers using an app. In Denver, they’re taking orders. Robots are even making the perfect loaf of bread these days, taking charge of a(n) _______that has remained in human hands for thousands of years.

Now comes Briggo, a company that has created a fully _______, robotic coffee machine that can push out 100 cups of coffee in a single hour -- equaling the _______ of three to four baristas（咖啡师）, according to the company.

Using a mix of Latin American beans, the machine creates _______ cups of coffee that can be ordered via an app, giving customers control over ingredients, flavorings and temperature without any human interaction. The company says no other business in the world has applied as much _______ to “specialty coffee.”

Removing the _______ element from ordering a cup of coffee is one of the company’s primary selling points. “No more lines, no more counter confusion, no more misspelled names,” Briggo’s website says.

Kevin Nater, Briggo’s president and chief executive, said the machine would best fit locations in which _______ is highly valued, like airports and office buildings, where several of the machines currently operate.

“Imagine you’re coming into the security line at the airport, your flight is coming up, and you know that if you want a coffee you’re going to stand in a long line,” said Nater. “From the security line, you can simply order your cup of coffee and pick it up at the coffee haus and make it to your flight ________.”

“I’ve never found anyone who wants to stand in line a long time,” he added. “We’ve just changed the ________.”

But Olive Geib, a 24-year-old barista in Annapolis, Md., remained ________. As coffee is being made by a barista, he said, subtly（细微地）adjusting the ratio of water to coffee bean as flavor develops through refined taste tests, is a crucial part of the process. “All the numbers and data in the world can’t actually tell you how the coffee ________,” Geib said.

Asked whether he was worried about losing his job to a robot, Gerb said, “absolutely not.” He said there’s a ________ group of people who will always seek out the slower, interactive experiences at coffee shops.

“A lot of customers really appreciate watching a barista carefully pouring water or steaming the milk,” he added. “This ________ aspect, the atmosphere and the interaction with the barista, is a big part of the experience of drinking coffee.”

1.

A．waitresses

B．baristas

C．cooks

D．machines

2.

A．replacing

B．recruiting

C．restoring

D．resisting

3.

A．room

B．art

C．school

D．oven

4.

A．typical

B．inaccessible

C．challenging

D．automatic

5.

A．quality

B．output

C．time

D．cost

6.

A．sugar-free

B．fruit-flavored

C．customized

D．professional

7.

A．inspiration

B．technology

C．correction

D．strictness

8.

A．safety

B．stress

C．human

D．design

9.

A．service

B．preparation

C．reliability

D．convenience

10.

A．on time

B．for real

C．in advance

D．without notice

11.

A．game

B．price

C．fact

D．myth

12.

A．nervous

B．sad

C．annoyed

D．doubtful

13.

A．looks

B．changes

C．sells

D．tastes

14.

A．distinguished

B．difficult

C．loyal

D．lazy

15.

A．cultural

B．social

C．skillful

D．mindful

【推荐3】A recent article in The Wall Street journal says that Chinese students in American universities are not getting the most out of their educational opportunities. The article says that _______ Chinese students work hard, many are not acquiring the soft skills that come with fully participating in campus life.

Soft skills refer to things like socialization and learning to be _______. These are the skills students develop by _______ socially with American and other international students and by learning how to handle problems in a new _______ and make their own decisions. A large number of Chinese students, _______, tend to self-segregate, that is, they just _______ other Chinese students and _______ the campus culture and even the wider American culture that surrounds them.

Jocelyn Jia, a 22-year-old from Hainan studying at the university of north Carolina at Chapel Hill, says, “If you just come to study and hang out with Chinese people, all you bring back to China is the _______. It’s just a piece of paper. That’s it” Jocelyn studies hard, but she likes to _______, too. She’s taking every opportunity to make American friends and experience things she couldn’t have at a(n) ________ university.

Chinese companies want to hire “haigui” like Jocelyn. Ken Chen of a consulting firm in Shanghai says an American college education teaches you how to socialize, develop your ________ and know how to think and solve problems. Mr. Chen says these are the kinds of people he is looking for.

An American education isn’t ________, though. It can cost as much as U.S. $200,000 for a four-year program. But Charlotte Fan, a graduate of Duke University from Shanghai, says the ________ was worth it. She’s now working for an American company and, in the Wall Street Journal article, is quoted as saying. “I’ve learned a lot and changed a lot in college, not just to learn knowledge, but more importantly the way of thinking, creativity, communication—the soft skills you never learn from ________ but learn from day-to-day life and from interacting with all the smart kids around you in school. Those sorts of things are what a Chinese education doesn’t ________.”

1.

A．if

B．while

C．as

D．unless

2.

A．enjoyable

B．permanent

C．intelligent

D．independent

3.

A．mixing

B．combining

C．cooperating

D．conflicting

4.

A．society

B．environment

C．class

D．organization

5.

A．however

B．in addition

C．as a result

D．for instance

6.

A．take pity on

B．show respect to

C．rely on

D．hang out with

7.

A．ignore

B．admire

C．require

D．challenge

8.

A．diploma

B．proof

C．document

D．title

9.

A．have fun

B．have a rest

C．do research

D．take a trip

10.

A．average

B．Chinese

C．traditional

D．prestigious

11.

A．social well-being

B．financial literary

C．physical strength

D．emotional intelligence

12.

A．adequate

B．cheap

C．worthwhile

D．extensive

13.

A．time

B．effort

C．investment

D．degree

14.

A．teachers

B．books

C．movies

D．friends

15.

A．allow for

B．know about

C．focus on

D．seek out