【推荐1】Memory

What is your earliest childhood memory? Can you remember learning to walk? Or talk? The first time you watched a television programme? Adults seldom call back events much earlier than the year or so before entering school, just as children younger than three or four seldom remember any specific, personal experiences.

A variety of explanations have been suggested by psychologists (心理学家) for this “childhood amnesia”. Now Annette Simms, a psychologist of Riverdale University, offers a new explanation for childhood amnesia. According to Dr. Simms, children need to learn to use someone else’s spoken description of their personal experiences in order to turn their own short-term, fast forgotten impressions of them into long-term memories. In other words, children have to talk about their experiences and hear others talk about them. Without this verbal reinforcement (语言强化), children cannot form permanent memories of what they have experienced.

So why should personal memories depend so heavily on hearing them described? Dr. Simms presents evidence that the human mind organizes memories in that way. Children whose mothers talk with them about the day’s activities before bedtime tend to remember more of the day’s special event than those whose mothers don’t. Talking about an event in this way helps a child to remember it. And learning to organize memories as a continuous story is the key to a permanent mental “autobiography (自传)” of important life events. Dr. Simms suggests that we humans may be biologically programmed to turn our life experiences into a novel.

The key to creating this mental life story is language, says Dr. Simms. “Children learn to talk about the past,” she says. “Talking to others about their short-term memories of the past leads to the establishment (建立) of long-term memories.” One way it does this is by helping a child to recognize that the retelling of an experience is just the experience itself, recreated in the form of words. The child learns that this “word-description” of an experience can then be stored in the memory and called back at any time. But a child’s language skills are usually not ready for this until the age of three or four, so they have no way to remember the earliest of their experiences.

1. Which of the following is the main idea of this passage?

A．Children need to discuss experiences with their parents.

B．Why can’t we remember the events of early childhood?

C．Adults can’t remember things as well as children.

D．What are memories of early childhood like?

2. What does the word “amnesia” in the second paragraph mean?

A．A mental life story.

B．A childhood memory.

C．Inability to remember.

D．Researches on memory.

3. To form permanent memories of their experiences, young children need to ______.

A．talk about them with others	B．grow older than three or four
C．write a story in their own language	D．have a good relationship with their parents

4. According to Dr. Simms, the reason why children don’t form long-term memories before the age of three is that children ______.

A．can’t call back their experiences	B．have nowhere to store the memories
C．haven’t developed enough language skills	D．confuse the memory with the experience itself

【推荐2】Ghosting — or the “art” of suddenly disappearing and without a trace like a call, an email, or a text from someone’s life — is an old phenomenon and is becoming more common nowadays in social and professional settings. Social media and digital devices give us a zillion (大量的) more ways to reach out to each other, and we also have a zillion more ways to avoid each other. Ghosting may feel like the least messy way to handle a break-up. But is it a good idea for you and the one involved?

Jenny Mollen is a 40-year-old actress and author who once ghosted a friend she no longer wanted to see. She told the New York Times that she didn’t know how else to end it. “If you disappear completely,” she said, “you never have to deal with knowing someone is mad at you and being the bad guy”. However, the person being ghosted still feels anger and sadness, plus confusion and upset at the loss of contact.

Some experts say that people today are actually becoming inept when handling difficult conversations. Social psychologist Sara H. Konrath found that college students had few skills associated with emotional intelligence. For example, it’s difficult for many teens to think from another person’s perspective.

The reason may be simple: less practice. They prefer digital communication to keep contact, and can choose ghosting as a way to break up. However, facial expressions, gestures, and tones of voice convey things that text messages and even calls cannot. People gain a deeper understanding of each other when they talk face to face. And this is especially important and helpful when the topic is a hard one. If you are in situation where you want to escape, calm down and reflect. You definitely have better ways than ghosting.

1. How will the person being ghosted probably feel?

A．messy but pleased	B．annoyed and confused
C．upset but understanding	D．disappointed and frustrated

2. What does the underlined word “inept” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Indifferent

B．Incapable

C．Impolite

D．Impatient

3. What can we infer from the passage?

A．Communication in person is advised.

B．Telephone calls can get more things across.

C．People prefer digital communication to keep contact.

D．Calm down and ask for help if you want to escape.

4. In which section of a website may the text appear?

A．Public Health	B．Modern Technology
C．Culture	D．Social Life

【推荐1】ECycling refers to the recycling of electronic items, which are becoming a common problem in American home and throughout the world. The EPA, or Environmental Protection Agency, has actually started a program to help and motivate the recycling of electronics.

To get the program to the regional and neighborhood levels, the EPA directed “Plug-In to eCyeling Partners.” These partnerships support electronic reusing programs in individual communities. They provide local governments, retailers and manufacturers with opportunities to reuse and recycle their items. Those who make and offer electronic devices then promote programs and opportunities for consumers to reuse their second-hand electronic products. One of the EPA’s goals is to enlighten customers about why the recycling of electronics is so important. They likewise wish to make eCycling chances easily accessible to specific consumers and their family electronics. According to the EPA, the eCycling program has actually been quite successful. In 2008, the EPA collected 66.5 million pounds of electronic devices through their Plug-In Partners.

Local governments have actually likewise got on board and passed laws intended to handle used electronic devices. Huge corporations have actually introduced eCycling programs at their local retail stores. One seller offers customers small, medium and big boxes for sale, which the customers then load with used electronics and go back to the store. Typically，customers bring their recyclable electronics to a location. When the electronic items are gathered by the EPA(typically this is done byt he Partners), they are reused or recycled.

Reused items are repaired and refurbished, and passed on to others as a contribution. You can repair or recondition your very own electronic devices too, extending the life of the items and conserving the energy of making new materials. Reusing electronic devices includes making use of the products and pats of the items. These materials and parts are then made use of to produce another item. This is more efficient than making items from new materials.

Some items that are commonly eCycled consist of televisions, computer monitors, printers, notebook computer, keyboards and cable televisions. Less usual items include copying machines, CDplayers, voice mail machines, computer hard drives, mobile telephones, remote controls, radios, batteries, telephones, facsimile machines and computer games. Occasionally, electronic items such as microwaves, fans, vacuums, smoke alarms, and toasters are eCycled.

As the eCycling program continues, you or your organization may want to get involved. Check the EPA’s internet site (www.epa.gov) for regional eCycling programs, or for details on how your company can participate. Their website has links to organizations that are taking part in the eCycling program.

1. The EPA brought about “Plug-In to eCycling Partners” to__________.

A．make and offer electronic devices to consumers

B．make customers understand the importance of eCycling

C．make the program accessible to local regions and communities

D．make it possible for consumers to reuse their used e-products

2. The Plug-In Partners are mainly engaged in__________.

A．repairing electronic device	B．gathering recyclable electronics
C．reusing second-hand e-products	D．offering customers different boxes for sale.

3. What can we infer from the passage?

A．People can sell their reused items on the Internet.

B．Individuals can’t take part in eCycling programs.

C．Devices of computers are well eCycled.

D．Not every electronic item can be eCycled.

4. What is the main purpose of this passage?

A．To introduce a new way to save costs.

B．To teach customers how to recycle electronics.

C．To attract people to join in the eCycling programs.

D．To call on local governments to support Plug-In Partners.