【推荐1】In some islands north of Scotland, head lice, which live on the hair or skin of people or animals, were a part of life. If the lice left their host, he became sick and feverish. Therefore, sick people had lice put in their hair intentionally. There was a method to their madness: As soon as the lice had settled in again, the patient improved. The story explains the confusion of cause and effect. If the lice leave the sick, it is because he has a fever and they simply get hot feet. When the fever breaks, they return. We may laugh at this story, but false causality misleads us practically every day.

Consider the headline: “Fact: Women Who Use Shampoo XYZ Every Day Have Stronger Hair.” This statement says very little — least of all, that the shampoo makes your hair stronger. It might simply be the other way round: Women with strong hair tend to use Shampoo XYZ — and perhaps that’s because it says “especially for thick hair” on the bottle.

A further example: Scientists found that long periods in the hospital did harm to patients. This was music to health insurers’ ears, who, of course, are keen to make stays as brief as possible. But, clearly, patients who are dismissed immediately are healthier than those who must stay on for treatment.

Recently I read that students get better grades at school if their homes contain a lot of books. This study was surely a shot in the arm for booksellers, but it is also an example of false causality. This simple truth is that educated parents tend to value their children’s education more than uneducated ones do. Plus, educated parents often have more books at home. In short, a dust-covered copy of War and Peace alone isn’t going to influence anyone’s grades; what counts is parents’ education levels, as well as their genes.

Another example of false causality was the supposed relationship between the birth rate and the numbers of stork (鹳) pairs in Germany. Both were in decline, and if you plot them on a graph, the two lines of development from 1965 to 1987 appeared almost the same. Does this mean the stork actually does bring babies? Obviously not, since this was a purely accidental connection.

In conclusion: Connection is not causality. Take a closer look at linked events: Sometimes what is presented as the cause turns out to be the effect, or just the other way around. And sometimes there is no link at all — just like with the storks and babies.

1. Which is an example of false causality?

A．Women with strong hair tend to use a certain shampoo.

B．Birth rate and the stork population are connected.

C．Longer periods in the hospital benefit patients.

D．Lice can make a person sick and feverish.

2. The underlined phrase “a shot in the arm” in Paragraph 4 means ______.

A．pain

B．defeat

C．guidance

D．encouragement

3. According to the author, students get better grades probably because ______.

A．their homes are full of books	B．they have read War and Peace
C．their educated parents value education	D．their parents are successful booksellers

4. It can be concluded from the passage that ______.

A．connections are pure accidents	B．cause and effect are interdependent
C．connections are mostly cause and effect	D．linked events may turn out to be unrelated

【推荐2】A newly-published study has shown that loneliness can spread from one person to another，like a disease. Researchers used information from the Framingham Heart Study，which began in 1948. The Framingham Heart Study gathers information about physical and mental health，personal behavior and diet. At first，the study involved（使参加）about 5,000 people in the American state of Massachusetts. Now more than 12,000 individuals（个人）are taking part.

Information from the Framingham Heart Study showed earlier that happiness can spread from person to person. So can behavior like littering and the ability to stop smoking.

Psychologist John Cacioppo，at the University of Chicago，led the recent study. He and other researchers tried to show how often people felt lonely. They found that the feeling of loneliness spread through social groups.

Having a social connection with a lonely person increased the chances that another individual would feel lonely. In fact，a friend of a lonely person was 52% more likely to develop feelings of loneliness. A friend of that person was 25%more likely. The researchers said this shows that a person could indirectly be affected by someone’s loneliness.

The effect was the strongest among friends. Neighbors were the second most affected group. The effect was weaker on husbands and wives，and brothers and sisters. The researchers also found that loneliness spread more easily among women than men.

The New York Times newspaper reported that，on average，people experience feelings of loneliness about 48 days a year. It also found that every additional（额外的）friend can decrease loneliness by about five percent，or two and a half fewer lonely days.

Loneliness has been linked to health problems like depression（抑郁症）and sleeping difficulties. The researchers believe that knowing the causes of loneliness could help reduce it.

The study suggested that people can take steps to stop the spread of loneliness. They can do this by helping individuals they know who may be experiencing loneliness. The result can be helpful to the whole social group.

1. As for the Framingham Heart Study we can learn that __________.

A．it was only conducted in 1948	B．it involves more than 12, 000 people
C．it was founded by John Cacioppo	D．it showed that any behavior could spread

2. From the passage, we can learn that __________.

A．the behavior of littering doesn’t spread

B．a lonely person won’t have friends

C．everyone may be affected by others’ loneliness

D．lonely people don’t know the causes of their loneliness

3. Which statement about the spread of loneliness is TRUE?

A．The spreading effect is the second strongest among friends.

B．No spreading effect is found on husbands and wives.

C．Women are more likely to be affected than men.

D．Brothers are more easily to be affected than neighbors.

4. What is the main idea of the passage？

A．Action should be taken to help lonely people.	B．People feel lonely for many reasons.
C．Ways to fight against loneliness.	D．Lonely people can affect others.

【推荐1】Humans’ light at night does not spare even the sea from its glare (强光). Researchers published the first global map of ocean light pollution. It shows large parts of the sea are lit up at night. And that risks confusing or disrupting the behaviors of sea life.

Tim Smyth led a team to research the areas of the ocean where light pollution is strongest. Smyth and his colleagues started with a world map of man-made night-sky brightness that had been created in 2016. Then they added data on the ocean and atmosphere. Some data came from shipboard measurements of man-made light in the water. Others came from satellite images that judge how clear the water is. Particles (微粒) in the water, such as tiny floating plants and animals, can affect how far downward light travels. These factors vary from place to place and may change with the seasons. The team also used computers to copy how different wavelengths of light move through water.

Next, they wanted to know how that underwater light might affect animals. Not all species will be easily affected. The team focused on copepods (桡足亚纲甲壳动物). These common creatures are a key part of many ocean food chains. They use light as a signal to move all together to the dark deep, seeking safety from other surface creatures. Normally they use the sun or the winter moon as their signal. Too much man-made light can mess up their usual patterns.

Light pollution is strongest in about three feet of the water. Here, man-made light can be strong enough to confuse the copepods. Nearly 2 million square kilometers of ocean get such strong night light. That’s an area about the size of Mexico. Farther down, the light gets weaker. But even 65 feet deep, it’s still bright enough to bother copepods across 840,000 square kilometers of ocean.

The team published its findings on December 13 in Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene.

1. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “disrupting” in Paragraph 1?

A．Upsetting.

B．Observing.

C．Ensuring.

D．Protecting.

2. What do we know about copepods from the passage?

A．They are main eaters of other creatures.

B．They are not affected by underwater light.

C．They can escape attacks with the help of light.

D．They can weaken the effect of man-made light.

3. How does the author show the seriousness of light pollution in Paragraph 4?

A．By stating opinions.	B．By listing numbers.
C．By raising questions.	D．By giving reasons.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Light Pollution from Sea Life	B．Living Conditions of Copepods
C．Discoveries of Copepods	D．Light Pollution Even in Sea

【推荐2】More than one billion young people risk damaging their hearing through excessive use of smartphones and other audio devices, the UN warned Tuesday, proposing new safety standards for safe volume levels. In a bid to safeguard hearing, the World Health Organization and International Telecommunications Union issued a non binding international standard for the manufacture and use of audio devices.

Young people are particularly prone to (易于) risky listening habits. Around half of those between the ages of 12 and 35, or 1.1 billion people, are at risk due to “prolonged and excessive exposure to loud sounds, including music they listen to through personal audio devices.” the UN health agency said.

Currently, about five percent of the global population, or some 375 million people, including 34 million children, suffer from disabling hearing loss, WHO considers a volume above 85 decibels (分贝) for eight hours or 100 decibels for 15 minutes as unsafe. WHO is calling for parental as well as automatic volume controls on audio devices to prevent dangerous use.

While some smartphones and other audio devices already offer some of these features, the UN would like to see a uniform standard used to help protect against disabling hearing loss. “Think of it like driving on a highway, but without a speedometer in your car or a speed limit,” Shelly Chadha of the WHO told reporters in Geneva. “What we’ve proposed is that your smartphones come fitted with a speedometer, with a measurement system which tells you how much sound you’re getting and tells you if you are going over the limit.”

1. What can we infer from paragraph 1?

A．The UN and the World Health Organization are concerned about the hearing health of the young.

B．The UN already have a unified standard to help protect against disabling hearing loss.

C．One billion young people are damaging their hearing through excessive use of smartphones.

D．A volume above 85 decibels for eight hours or 100 decibels for 15 minutes is unsafe.

2. What might be the population of the world according to the passage?

A．7.5 billion.	B．75 million.
C．375 million	D．37.5 billion.

3. Which kind of people are more likely to suffer from hearing loss?

A．Young people who seldom use their smartphones.

B．Adult who never use their cellphone above 100 decibels.

C．Children supervised by their parents on cellphone use.

D．Young people who frequently listen to music above 85 decibels for eight hours.

4. Which kind of journal might this passage be taken from?

A．A travel journal.	B．A health journal.
C．An entertainment journal.	D．A science journal.