【推荐2】What makes a work of architecture great? Most people would argue that aesthetics (美感) are the most important.    1     However, Roman architect Marcus Vitruvius Pollio believed that we should also consider durability and function when assessing a structure. The Rostonville Library in my city is a great example of Vitruvius’s principles.

Constructed entirely of granite—a hard and tough stone, the library is durable. It can withstand environmental pollution. For example, it is resistant to acid rain. Moreover, its granite structure is stable so it’s more likely to survive an earthquake.    2     It uses solar energy for heating and a rooftop garden for cooling.

    3     Providing free access to print and digital information, it conveys a feeling of openness and accessibility. Furthermore, the entire library is on one level, and it has an open design—there are no inner walls or dividers. In addition, large windows let in plenty of natural light, so it’s easy to see and get to each department within the library.

Finally, the library is beautiful, with aesthetically pleasing details both inside and out. The large windows are copper-framed (铜框的). The copper color provides an interesting contrast against the color of the granite structure and it will remain as the copper ages. Growth from the rooftop garden, which reaches down the sides of the building, adds to the aesthetics of the building.     4    

Durability, functionality and beauty make the Rostonville Library a great structure. Architects who follow Vitruvius’s principles help to make the city more pleasant to live in.     5    

A．The library is also sustainable.

B．It is true that beauty is critical.

C．This is not the only concern of the architects.

D．The library was designed with functionality in mind.

E．It softens the lines of the structure and helps it to fit into its natural surroundings.

F．Plus，the library was built on the edge of the city park，surrounded by native plants.

G．Buildings that fulfill these criteria offer both peace of mind and beauty for their users.

【推荐3】Some colors that people see late at night could cause signs of the condition mental health experts call clinical depression. That was the finding of a study that builds on earlier study findings. They show that individuals who live or work in low levels of light overnight can develop clinical depression.

Doctors use the words “clinical depression” to describe severe form of depression. Signs may include loss of interest or pleasure in most activities, low energy levels and thoughts of death or suicide.

In the new study, American investigators designed an experiment that exposed hamsters to different colors. The animals were separated into 4 groups. One group of hamsters was kept in the dark during their nighttime period. Another group was placed in blue light, a third group slept in white light. While a fourth was put in red light. After four weeks, the researchers noted how much sugary water the hamsters drank. They found that the more depressed animals drank the less amount of water.

Randy Nelson, who heads the Department of Neuroscience at Ohio State University, says animals that slept in blue and white light appeared to be the most depressed. “What we saw is these animals didn’t show any sleep disruptions at all but they did have messed up circadian clock genes and they did show sign of depression whereas if they were in the pale red light, they did not.” He says there’s a lot of blue in white light, which explains why the blue light and white light hamsters appear to be more depressed than the hamsters that see red light or darkness.

Mr. Nelson has suggestions for people who work late at night, or those who like to stay up late. “My recommendation is if you are just living a typical mostly active life during the day, mostly inactive at night, you need to limit exposure to TVs which are quite bluish in the light they give off and computer screens and things like that. You can get filtered glass, you can get filters on your computer screen and filters on your e-Readers to put it more in the reddish light.”

1. How did the researchers carry out the study?

A．By examples.

B．By explanation.

C．By reasoning.

D．By comparison.

2. What can we conclude from the findings of the study?

A．Hamsters appear to be more upset.

B．Animals in blue and white light appeared the most depressed.

C．These animals all showed clinical depression.

D．The animals had messed up circadian clock genes.

3. Which can best replace the underlined word in paragraph 4?

A．Distribution.

B．Dissatisfaction.

C．Distraction.

D．Disturbance.

4. Where can you probably find the above text?

A．In a science magazine.	B．In a fashion brochure.
C．In a research report.	D．In a book review.

【推荐1】Being bored is no fun, especially at work. There's nothing worse than finding yourself bored in your office on a Monday morning and realize there's still four and a half more days to the weekend. But a new research done by Australian National University argues that while boredom is certainly boring, it isn't all bad. This bored mental state can actuaIJy spark(引发) precious creativity.

The study asked 52 subjects(实验对象) to do a boring job: Sort apart a bowl of red and green beans with just one hand for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, 49 other subjects-the control group-were instructed to create art projects with paper, beans, and glue.

Once the 30 minutes was over, each group was asked to spend five minutes on a creative task:they had to   come up with   reasons why   a hypothetical(假设的)   person was   two hours   late for a meeting. The researchers found that the bored group came up with not just more ideas but more creative ideas than the control group.

The research found that although some previous research implies boredom can lead to dissatisfaction at a job, boredom didn't produce unwanted emotions that could be detrimental to mental health. In this case, people who were bored were just bored, and they walked away with a net benefit of creativity.

“Boredom is not miserable and harmful based on my research," says the study's lead author, Guihyun Park.“People want to get out of a boring state, so they are induced to novelty-seeking(追求新奇的) unique thinking, which brings out creativity."

1. What can we know about the 52 subjects?

A．They often felt very bored.	B．They always thought of weekends.
C．They were asked to do creative work.	D．They were required to sort beans.

2. What can we learn from the third paragraph?

A．The bored group was as creative as the control group.

B．Bored people could work better than those who were not.

C．The two groups carried out a same 30-minute task.

D．Bored people are often late for a meeting.

3. What can the underlined word“detrimental” in Paragraph 4 probably be replaced by?

A．Valuable.

B．effective.

C．Harmful.

D．Positive.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Boredom Brings out Creativity	B．Never Feel Bored When Doing Work
C．Being Bored Is No Fun at Work	D．Boredom Produces Unwanted Emotions

【推荐2】Patients often come into my office and ask, “How can I look younger?” While I always suggest healthy living — a balanced diet and regular exercise — in order to look and feel younger, I have never thought of facial exercises as part of that plan. That is, until a recent study, published in JAMA Dermatology (皮肤学), showed promising results that routine facial exercise may slow the merciless tide of time.

The theory behind the study originates from the fact that a major part of facial aging is due to the loss of fat and soft tissue, which leads to the growth and spread of wrinkles. If we can lift weights at the gym and enlarge muscles in arms, why couldn’t the same be done for muscles in our faces, therefore to create a more youthful face?

The concept of facial exercise is not a new one. A simple Internet search will produce a lot of blog posts and books on the subject, as well as various programs that promise to be the next fountain of youth. What the JAMA Dermatology researchers did in their study, which was the first of its kind, was to examine this question from a more strict scientific aspect. They enrolled 27 women between the ages of 40 and 65 to perform daily, 30-minute exercises for eight weeks, and then continue every other day for a total of 20 weeks.

Dermatologists who did not know the participants were asked to rate their photographs before and after the exercise. The dermatologists found an improvement in cheek fullness and estimated the age of the participants at 51 years of age at the start of the program and 48 at the end of the 20-week study. Furthermore, all the participants felt improvement in their own facial appearance at the end of the study.

While these results seem exalting, the study has some obvious limitations. Of the 27 patients involved, 11 gave up before completing the study. One reason may be that the program was too time-consuming, clocking in at 30 minutes a day. The overall small size of the study also limits its generalizability to the larger population. In addition, there was also no control group, which would have helped reduce the possibility that this improvement happened by chance.

It’s also hard to draw conclusions about the longevity of these results. Probably the exercises must be continued to keep their effects. But for how long? And how frequently? Which exercises are most effective? Most studies are needed to answer these questions.

1. What is the author’s attitude towards the study published in JAMA Dermatology?

A．Doubtful.

B．Positive.

C．Opposed.

D．Indifferent

2. According to the passage, which statement is true?

A．Though the concept of facial exercise is new, much information about it can be found on the Internet.

B．Some participants did not feel improvement in their facial appearance at the end of the study.

C．If there is a control group, the possibility that the improvement in the facial appearance happened by chance will be increased.

D．The reason why some participants quit the study before it was completely may be that they had not enough time.

3. What does the underlined word exalting mean?

A．Exciting.

B．Challenging.

C．Frustrating.

D．Calming.

4. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．The study published in JAMA Dermatology is not reliable.

B．Healthy living is the only way to make someone look and feel young.

C．More studies are needed to further the present study on facial exercises.

D．As a dermatologist, the author was involved in the research project on facial exercises.

【推荐3】Did you know that if you attach a weighed stick to the back of a chicken, it walks like a dinosaur?

No, you did not know(or care to know) such things, but now you do! Thanks to this year’s winners of the 12 Noel Prize! Now in is 251h year, the lg Nobel is the goofy younger cousin of the honored Nobel Prize. It applauds achievements in the fields of medicine, biology, physics, economies. literature. etc. Every September at Harvard University, awards are presented in 10 categories that change year to year, depending on - according to the organization - what makes the judges “laugh, then think”.

The ceremony officially begins when audience members launch paper airplanes at an assigned human target on the stage, then speakers only have 60 seconds to present their research. In previous year, the one-minute rule was imposed by a young girl - nicknamed Miss Sweetie Poo -who would go up to the platform and repeat the words: “Please stop, I’m bored.” in a sharp tone until the speaker left the stage.

Fortunately for candidates though, the Ig Informal Lectures are held afterwards on Saturday to give presenters more time to explain the crazy things they're working on.

The research can seem more like the brainchildren of teenage boys than of respectable adults. Justin Schmidt won the physiology Ig for creating the “Sting(蛰) Pain Index," which rates the pain people fell after getting stung by insects. Smith pressed bees against 25 different parts of his body until they stung him. Five stings a day for 38 days, Smith concluded that the most painful sting locations were the nose and the upper lip. Ouch.

As silly as they sound, not all of the Ig awards lack scientific applicability, A group of scientists from 12 different counties won in the medicine category for accurately diagnosing patients with appendicitis (阑尾炎) based on an unusual measurement: speed bumps(减速带) . They found that patients are more likely to have appendicitis if they report pain during bumpy car rides.

All these weird experiments have just one thing in common. They’re improbable. It can be tempting to assume that “improbable” implies more than that--implies bad or good, worthless or valuable, trivial or important. Something improbable can be any of those, or none of them, or all of them, in different ways. And what you don't expect can be a powerful force for not only entertaining science, but also for the boundary-pushing science we call innovation.

1. The underlined word “goofy” in Paragraph 2 probably means_______.

A．amusing	B．boring
C．serious	D．precious

2. According to the passage, what can we know about the awarding ceremony of Ig Nobel?

A．Ig Informal Lecture gives presenters 60 seconds.

B．The audience throw paper airplanes to end the ceremony.

C．Its categories of awards vary each yea.

D．It is held at a fixed place every other September.

3. The example in Paragraph 6 is used to show that Ig Nobel_______.

A．offers another opportunity to those who miss the Nobel Prizes

B．celebrates the diligent work of researchers

C．has no serious purpose except for amusing the audience

D．serves as a platform for the creative and practical achievements

4. Among the four candidates below, who is most likely to win an Ig Nobel?

A．A chemist who invents a type of battery.

B．An economist who studies which county's paper money is best at spreading bacteria.

C．A biologist who discovers how cell sense and adapt to oxygen availability.

D．A novelist who criticizes social injustice.