The poet Lovelle Drachman once said, “blessed are the curious, for they shall have adventures.”, which is certainly true of people with wanderlust.
‘Wanderlust’ is derived from a German word meaning ‘a love of hiking’ and now used to describe the burning desire to escape the everyday and explore the unfamiliar. Wanderlust is a common, but not universal experience. What makes some people catch that travel bug while others are apparently unaffected?
One theory is to do with our genes. Scientific research has identified a variant of the DRD4 gene that affects sensitivity to dopamine(多巴胺), the neuro-transmitter often released in the brain when we do something we enjoy. Actually, it’s not that the 7R version of the DRD4 specifically creates a thirst for travel, but people with the 7R variant are less sensitive to that delicious dopamine hit.
So simple things that bring other people pleasure, like a jog in the park or a cheeky chocolate treat, might not cut it for them, which makes those with the 7R type of the DRD4 gene more likely to be risk takers to get increased dopamine levels. That’s why DRD4-7R has been called the wanderlust gene. Other researches have also linked the same 7R variant to far riskier behaviors, such as addiction and offensive behavior. By comparison, the strong sudden desire to go travelling seems like the better end of the Theory of Evolution.
But another theory looks at the psychology of living in our inter-connected human society, one in which we are constantly aware of what friends and social media influencers are doing and keep comparing ourselves to them in two distinct ways. Upwards social comparisons, comparing ourselves to those we see as more successful than us. And downward social comparisons, comparing ourselves to those we see as worse off than us. In the age of social media, it’s very easy to compare ourselves unfavorably with the idealized version. How can we compete with influencers, with their perfectly dark brown legs on neat and clean white sand, and their once in a lifetime sunsets over Machu Picchu?
Whether the motivation to explore the world is genetic, psychological or something else, there are far more harmful hobbies than the desire to explore the world. Venturing outside your comfort zone, to learn about new cultures, meet people you might otherwise never have had the chance to meet, and finally, learn who you are in different situations. Sounds like a life well-lived. As the novelist Jack Kerouac said, “Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.”
1. The underlined phrase “catch that travel bug” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to________| A．be crazy about travelling | B．be curious about travelling |
| C．escape daily life by travelling | D．experience common travelling |
| A．Because they are more fascinated by risks and unfamiliar things. |
| B．Because the 7R variant cause them to be less sensitive to dopamine hit. |
| C．Because they have comparatively higher level of dopamine than other people. |
| D．Because the 7R variant, also called wanderlust gene, helps create a craving for travelling. |
| A．a well-lived life doesn’t involve venturing outside comfortable zone |
| B．the 7R variant is inevitably linked with some more risky behavior such as addiction |
| C．people tend to forget their daily routine, but adventures really leave footprints in their hearts |
| D．when people compare themselves with less successful ones, it may give rise to mixed feelings |
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【推荐1】Food picked up just a few seconds after being dropped is less likely to contain bacteria than if it is left for longer periods of time, according to the findings of research carried out at Aston University’s School of Life and Health Sciences. The findings suggest there may be some scientific basis of the "5-second rule" — the belief about it being fine to eat food that has only had contact with the floor for five seconds or less. Although people have long followed the ‘5-second rule’, until now it was unclear whether it actually helped.
The study, undertaken by final year Biology students and led by Anthony Hilton, Professor of Microbiology at Aston University, monitored the transfer of the common bacteria from a variety of indoor floor types as carpet, cement floor to toast, pasta, biscuit and a sticky sweet when contact was made from 3 to 30 seconds. The results showed that: time is a significant factor in the transfer of bacteria from a floor surface to a piece of food, and the type of flooring the food has been dropped on has an effect, with bacteria least likely to transfer from carpeted surfaces and most likely to transfer from cement flooring surfaces to moist foods making contact for more than 5 seconds. Professor Hilton said, "Consuming food dropped on the floor still carries an infection risk as it very much depends on which bacteria are present on the floor at the time."
The Aston team also carried out a survey of the number of people who employ the ‘five-second rule’. The survey showed that: 87% of the people surveyed said they would eat food dropped on the floor, or already have done so. 55% of those that would, or have eaten food dropped on the floor are women. 81% of the women who would eat food from the floor would follow the ‘5-second rule’. Professor Hilton added, "Our study showed that a surprisingly large majority of people are happy to consume dropped food, with women the most likely to do so. But they are also more likely to follow the ‘5-second rule, which our research has shown to be much than an old wives’ tale."
1. According to the passage, which of the following is true?| A．A toast dropped on the carpet is easier to be polluted than that dropped on the cement floor. |
| B．A sticky chocolate dropped on the carpet is easier to be polluted than that dropped on the cement floor. |
| C．The food dropped on the carpet shares the same potential of being polluted with the food dropped on the cement floor. |
| D．The food dropped on the cement floor is not as safe as food dropped on the carpet within 30 seconds. |
| A．Contrast | B．Example |
| C．Time | D．Space |
| A．Puzzled. | B．Upset. |
| C．Satisfied. | D．Astonished. |
| A．The food which is dropped on the floor can be eaten safely. |
| B．A research on the safety of food dropped on the floor is undertaken. |
| C．The bacteria have no negative effect on the safety of food. |
| D．People surveyed in the research are willing to accept the idea. |
【推荐2】HandEnergy is an ingenious apple-sized device that charges your phone anytime, anywhere. But what really makes this thing special is the fact that it uses your own personal energy to do it.
In a time where power-banks and solar-power devices have become mainstream, a device that lets you charge gadgets on the go doesn't sound very special. But while power-banks have to be charged the old fashioned way, and solar panels need the sun to store energy.
Hand Energy just needs a hand. To get this little guy to produce energy, which it then stores in built-in batteries, all you have to do is hold it in your hand and rotate your wrists.
To use Hand Energy, users start by winding a starter ring. This transmits a signal to activate the rotor, at which point they can start rotating their wrists to keep the rotor spinning. It might sound hard to believe, but the rotor inside Hand Energy spins at an average speed of 5,000 rotations per minute, transmitting mechanical power to create an electric current, and charging the built-in batteries. To charge a device, all you have to do is hook it up to HandEnergy using a USB cable.
Hand Energy was successfully crowd funded on Kickstarter, raising over $71,000 in one month, and will be available for the masses in May 2017, at a price of 99 euros. One thing is for sure – it beats paying thousands of dollars on a solar-powered gadget-charging coat.
1. The main purpose of product of the passage is to .| A．introduce a new product to the readers. |
| B．emphasize the product to the readers. |
| C．attract potential consumers. |
| D．appeal for crowd fund. |
| A．without difficulties |
| B．anytime and anywhere |
| C．free of charge |
| D．on the way |
| A．skeptical |
| B．cautious |
| C．positive |
| D．neutral |
Science on Sundays is a programme of free monthly science talks which always brings the latest discoveries in plant science, as well as research linked to the plant collection at the Botanic Garden, to the visitors in a 30-minute short period of time. The programme in April is about tulips(郁金香).
Introduction
Time: 2:30 pm on Sundays
Title: In Search of Wild Tulips
Objects: adults and children aged 12+
Speaker: Brett Wilson at University of Cambridge
Background Information
The planted tulips are a common sight in spring gardens around the world, but have you ever considered where wild tulips grow? The wild ancestors of our much-loved gardening varieties can mostly be found in the mountains and valleys of Central Asia, far from the Netherlands, where most tulips are grown and bred. At the Botanic Garden, we have a National Tulip Collection where we grow many wild species including plenty of species from Central Asia. Over the last four years, Brett Wilson has been using something learned from books and combining with fieldwork to understand the diversity of tulips, with a view of identifying which species are most at risk of extinction.
Come and listen to Brett speak about the research and the adventures that have occurred in our search to find and protect wild tulips in this remote corner of the world. These will be live face-to-face talks taking place in the Botanic Garden Classroom for those visitors with interest.
1. What do we know about Science on Sundays?| A．It focuses on plants. |
| B．It is a paid programme. |
| C．It appeals only to children. |
| D．It is a live broadcast on weekdays. |
| A．By making assumptions. |
| B．By picking and collecting tulips. |
| C．By growing tulips in greenhouses. |
| D．By combining theory and practice. |
| A．To ask visitors to plant more tulips. |
| B．To call on visitors to listen to the talks. |
| C．To push visitors to take more botany classes. |
| D．To advise visitors to take adventure in remote areas. |
Honesty is where a good friendship starts. Friends must be able to trust one another. If you don’t tell the truth, people usually find out. If a friend finds out that you haven’t been honest you may lose your friend’s trust. Good friends always count on one another to speak and act honestly.
Generosity means sharing and makes a friendship grow. You don’t have to give your ideas and feelings. These can be very valuable to friends. They tell your friends what is important to you. By sharing them you help your friend know you better.
Sooner or later everyone needs understanding and help with problems. Something may go wrong at school. Talking about the problem can make it easier to solve. Turning to a friend for help can be a first step in solving the problem. So to be a friend you must listen and understand. You must try to put yourself in your friend’s place so you can understand the problem better.
No two friendships are ever exactly alike. But all true friendships have three things in common. If you plan to keep your friends; you must practice honesty, generosity and understanding.
1. Some friendships don’t last long because __________.
| A．there are too many people who want to make friends |
| B．those who receive no friendship from others never give others friendships |
| C．those who give others friendship receive friendship from others |
| D．they don’t know friendship is something serious |
| A．something countable | B．the base of friendship |
| C．as important as money | D．more important than anything else |
| A．Always tell your friend the truth. |
| B．Sharing your mind with your friend is of great value. |
| C．Discussing your problems with your friend often helps to solve the problem. |
| D．A friend who gives you his lunch money is a true friend. |
| A．Turning to a friend for help |
| B．Thinking about it by ourselves |
| C．Making a plan |
| D．Talking about the problem |
| A．Honesty Is the Best Policy |
| B．A Friend In Need Is a Friend Indeed |
| C．How To Be a good Friend |
| D．Three Important Points In Life |
【推荐2】As pictures of the recent Northern California wildfires confirm, living on the edge of a forest comes with considerable dangers. But new research from Germany suggested closeness to a wooded area may not have all unfavorable effects.
In a study of older urban residents, it was found that living close to forest land is linked with strong, healthy functioning of a key part of the brain. This indicates that, compared with those who live in a mostly man-made environment, people who live on the boarder between city and forest may be better able to deal with stress.
“The findings suggest forests in and around cities are valuable resources that should be promoted,” writes a research team led by Simon Kuehn of the Max Plank Institute for Human Development in Berlin.
The researcher analyzed data on 341 participants in the Berlin Aging Study II, all of whom were between the ages of 61 and 82. They specifically looked at three different signals of brain structural function, each of which provided distinct information on several key brain regions. They also noted the amount of forest land within a one-kilometer distance of each participant’s home address.
“Our results reveal a significant positive association between the coverage of forest and amygdale (扁桃腺) function,” the researchers report. The amygdale is the set of neurons (神经元) that plays a key role in processing emotions, including fear and anxiety.
Perhaps surprisingly, Kuehn and her colleges found the amygdale function wasn’t germane to living close to urban green spaces such as parks, or bodies of water. Only closeness to forest land had this apparent positive effect.
More research will be needed to confirm that forest has a stronger, measurable impact on brain health than exposure to other forms of nature. But the evidence keeps mounting that, in stressful times, there is much to gain by surrounding yourself with plants and …
1. What’s the finding of the new research?| A．Brain activities relate to stress control. |
| B．Man-made environment may lead to stress. |
| C．Old urban citizens have healthier brain functions. |
| D．Living near a forest may help relieve pressure. |
| A．The result of the new study. |
| B．The standard of choosing participants. |
| C．The preparations for the study. |
| D．The process of the new study. |
| A．beneficial to | B．damaged by |
| C．relevant to | D．limited to |
| A．Cautious. | B．Favorable. |
| C．Ambiguous. | D．Disapproving. |
This was a huge task, so Murray had to find volunteers from Britain, the United States, and the British colonies to search every newspaper, magazine, and book ever written in English. Hundreds of volunteers responded, including William Chester Minor. Dr. Minor was an American surgeon who had served in the Civil War and was now living in England. He gave his address as “Broadmoor, Crowthorne, Berkshire,” 50 miles from Oxford.
Minor joined the army of volunteers sending words and quotations to Murray. Over the next 17 years, he became one of the staff’s most valued contributors.
But he was also a mystery. In spite of many invitations, he would always decline to visit Oxford. So in 1897, Murray finally decided to travel to Crowthorne himself. When he arrived, he found Minor locked in a book-lined cell at the Broadmoor Asylum (精神病院) for the Criminally Insane.
Murray and Minor became friends, sharing their love of words. Minor continued contributing to the dictionary, sending in more than 10,000 submissions in 20 years. Murray continued to visit Minor regularly, sometimes taking walks with him around the asylum grounds.
In 1910, Minor left Broadmoor for an asylum in his native America. Murray was at the port to wave
goodbye to his remarkable friend.
Minor died in 1920, seven years before the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was completed. The 12 volumes defined 414,825 words, and thousands of them were contributions from a very scholarly and devoted asylum patient.
1. According to the text, the first Oxford English Dictionary _________.
| A．came out before minor died |
| B．was edited by an American volunteer |
| C．was intended to be the most ambitious English dictionary Murray |
| D．included the English words invented by Murray |
| A．He helped Murray to find hundreds of volunteers. |
| B．He sent newspapers, magazines and books to Murray. |
| C．He went to England to work with Murray. |
| D．He provided a great number of words and quotations |
| A．He lived far from Oxford |
| B．He was shut in an asylum |
| C．He was busy writing a book |
| D．He disliked traveling |
| A．They had a common interest in words |
| B．They both served in the Civil War |
| C．Minor recovered with the help of Murray |
| D．Murray went to America regularly to visit Minor |
