Noise-cancelling audio instruments have been around for a while now，but one Berlin-based designer believes that blocking “visual noise” is as important，if not more so，as cancelling out unwanted sounds．To this end he has created a simple accessory called the Focus Cap．
Open work spaces definitely have their benefits，but they come with the drawback of offering employees little to no control over visual distractions(干扰)．With so many people around and so much going on，some of us can easily get disturbed by this information overload and lose focus in what’s really important．That’s where the Focus Cap comes into play．
“As we are still cavemen or mammals kept in an unnatural environment，I believe that only by reclaiming(收回) the normal，stress-free human state through simple tools and techniques can we finally release our actual creative potential and create our meaningful work for a brighter future，”says German designer Hannes Greblin，inventor of the Focus Cap．
After looking at other products designed at minimizing visual distractions，Greblin decided that most of them were either too expensive or too uncomfortable to become mainstream，so he decided to go with something much simpler —a simple cap with a retractable visor(可伸缩的帽沿)．
Greblin’s Focus Cap is really straightforward．You just wear it like a regular cap’ with the sides of the visor retracted，and just collapse the sides whenever you need to focus on what’s ahead of you．Whether you’re trying to focus on a task in an open work office．Trying to study at university，or practicing yoga in a park and trying to ignore stares from strangers，the Focus Cap can help．
To be honest，this whole project sounds like a joke，but the Focus Cap does have its own website where people interested in this unusual accessory can actually sign up for updates on when it will go on sale．Greblin claims it will cost 30 euros($37)plus shipping．
1. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?| A．When to use the Focus Cap |
| B．How to operate the Focus Cap |
| C．The Focus Cap—an ordinary accessory |
| D．The Focus Cap—a visual-cancelling accessory |
| A．To help people focus． | B．To develop intelligence． |
| C．To make people comfortable． | D．To release creative potential． |
| A．It’s expensive． | B．It’s simple． |
| C．It’s delicate． | D．It’s complex． |
| A．The Focus Cap simply blocks unwanted sounds |
| B．The Focus Cap can only be used in the office |
| C．Greblin is confident about the future of his product |
| D．The Focus Cap has been on sale in quantity |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】The Best Black Friday & Cyber Monday Travel Deals
Whether you are hoping for a late 2021 trip or planning a tour in the next few months, this list of Black Friday and Cyber Monday travel deals offers several options.
The Redwoods In Yosemite
The Redwoods In Yosemite, located within the national park, has about 120 unique rooms to choose from. Wawona is one of the few communities inside Yosemite with wi-fi, so guests can even work here.
Offer: Book a stay and get 15% off in 2021.Booking Window: Jan.23rd - Apr.2nd, 2021.Travel Window: May. 1st - Sept. 30th, 2021.
Rancho Bernardo Inn
Located in San Diego, Rancho Bernardo Inn has luxurious guest rooms surrounded by lush (茂密的) gardens, an award-winning full-service spa, championship 18-hole golf courses, tennis courts and biking tracks and more.
Offer: You can enjoy 50% off if you book in April. Travel Window: May. 31st - Dec. 1st, 2021.
The Duchamp
It features six private suites set in California. Each suite has its own entrance and there is a huge pool limited to guests only. You can start your day with coffee on your own private enclosed patio(露台) and end it on that same patio with a refreshing glass of wine.
Offer: From Mar. 27th - 30th, book direct and receive 30% off stays that take place between Apr. 3rd - Oct.4th, 2021.
The Hollywood Roosevelt
The Hollywood Roosevelt is a famed Hollywood hideaway featuring poolside rooms and tower rooms with incredible views of Hollywood. Relax at its cafe and the Tropicana Pool painted by famous artist David Hockney. You can enjoy its delicious chef-driven dining menu and cocktail party in the open air.
Offer: Up to 40% off starting at $180/night. Book Nov. 26th - 30th for travel dates Nov.27th - Dec. 3 1st, 2021.
1. When can guests book a room in the Redwoods In Yosemite?| A．Mar. 4th, 2021 | B．Apr. 5th, 2021. |
| C．May.1st, 2021. | D．Aug. 30th, 2021. |
| A．Professional gardeners. | B．Families with children. |
| C．Business travelers. | D．Sports enthusiasts. |
| A．40 dollars. | B．108 dollars. |
| C．72 dollars. | D．180 dollars. |
【推荐2】Visitors Guide
The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel
Discover the beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel with the guidebook from Lonely Planet. It’s packed full of information on what to do and see plus advice on the top places to travel around.
Visit or call: formyers-sanibel.com 800-237-6444
Summer Country Tennessee
Take in the history, country music heritage (遗产)and the simplicity of the lake, parks and farms, just minutes from Nashville. After adventures in Summer Country, you’ll feel like you are returning home. FREE Visitors Guide 888-300-7866
Outer Banks of North Carolina
Get your free 2015 travel guide, filled with pages of adventures, festivals, places to eat and stay, today.
Visit or call: outerbanks.org 877-629-4386
Kansas City, Kansas
Find your happy place here in Kansas City, KS: shopping, history, sports, festivals, waterparks, and the arts. We’ll have you smiling from ear to ear. Come On! Get Happy. Ask for a free Visitors Guide at 800-264-1563.
Low Country & Resort Islands, SC
South of Charleston… North of Savannah… Just Near Heaven. Come experience all the wonders of the South Carolina Low Country with your loved ones. For more information, call 800-528-6870 or visit lowcountrysc.com.
1. With the guidebook from Lonely Planet, you can discover ________.| A．beaches | B．music heritage |
| C．farms | D．waterparks |
| A．800-237-6444 | B．800-264-1563 |
| C．800-528-6870 | D．877-629-4386 |
| A．Kansas City | B．North Carolina |
| C．Fort Myers & Sanibel | D．Summer Country |
| A．Those who want to do sports. |
| B．Those who want to go shopping. |
| C．Those who want to take vacations. |
| D．Those who want to celebrate festivals. |
【推荐3】What’s on
◆Beijing
Circus coming to town
The Union Royal Circus is holding two shows at the Beijing Workers’ Gymnasium. It will feature five tigers, three lions, two camels, two bears and 14 horses. In 1950, the government of the former Soviet Union established The National Circus, which ranked top in the world.
The Union Royal Circus, which developed from The National Circus, still has the best performers from Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
7:30 pm, July 17, 18. Beijing Workers’ Gymnasium, 1 Gongti, Beilu, Chaoyang district. 400-699-2199
Photos of old palace
The focus of conceptual artist Fu Wenjun’s solo photography show at Today Art Museum is the Yuanmingyuan, or Old Summer Palace.
In the 12 Chinese Zodiac Signs series, images of the 12 animal heads missing from the burned palace, culled(采集) from the Internet, are set against the stone ruins of Yuanmingyuan.
For the Stories of World Gardens series, the 55-year-old puts together the Internet search results of the Yuanmingyuan ruins against the background of the Shanghai World Expo’s national pavilions of the eight allied forces(八国联军) that invaded Beijing in 1900.
9 am-4pm, until July 20. Today Art Museum, 32 Baiziwan Lu, Chaoyang district. 010-5876-9690
◆Shanghai
Symphony(交响乐) concert
The Shanghai Philharmonic Symphony will give a concert, conducted by Tang Muhai. Featuring pianist Xu Zhouxi and organist Xu Weidong, the concert marks the conclusion of the 2016-17 music season for the Shanghai Oriental Art Center. The program includes Internet Symphony No.1, Eroica by Tan Dun, Piano Concerto No.1 in B Minor by Tchaikovsky, and Symphony No.3 in C Minor and Organ Symphony by Saint-Saens.
7:30 pm, July 18. Shanghai Oriental Art Center, 425 Dingxiang Lu. 021-6854-1234
1. If you are interested in animals, which telephone number will you dial?| A．010-5876-9690 | B．400-699-2199 |
| C．021-6854-1234 | D．400-5876-1234 |
| A．Circus shows. | B．.Photos of old palace. |
| C．Symphony concert | D．It doesn’t mention. |
| A．The symphony concert will be conducted by several famous musicians. |
| B．The concert will be the first one of the 2016-17 music season. |
| C．The concert will last 5 hours. |
| D．The concert will be the last one of the 2016-17 music season. |
  Because of his family’s Jewish background, they are sent to live in the concentration camps(集中营). Scared and alone, Joshua one day makes frinds with a little mouse he calls Bethlehem who becomes his closest friend. |   In his More Things in Heaven, Bill Bosworth presents the highlights of his 83 years of life, including his trips to India and the study of the writings of several great spiritual leaders. More things in Heaven will appeal to anyone who insists on finding the deepest meaning for their existence based on their own experience. | |
  It is an easy-to-read collection of poems originally written to encourage in faith and to be a cure for chronic depression(长期抑郁)…cure to strengthen identity and purpose. | ||
  Were humans created, or did they evolve? How old is the Earth? The debate between science and religion continues to be heated. In Creation or Evolution, Michael Ebifegha examines these two opposed world views within the structure of empirical(实证的) science. | ||
  Seeking the Edge provides the tools and techniques to find that edge in one’s life. －driving readers to achieve success whether in your current job, finding a new job, in education, family,or even hobbies. |
1. Who wrote the story about a little boy and a little mouse?
| A．Bill Bosworth. | B．Michelle O. Donovan. |
| C．Dr. Joseph I. Rose. | D．Gloria Coykendall. |
| A．9781462031795 | B．9781412027854 |
| C．9780595433582 | D．978 1462058679 |
| A．Those who are searching for the meaning of life. |
| B．Those who are trying to be spiritual leaders. |
| C．Those who study the art of writing. |
| D．Those who like traveling abroad. |
| A．Seeking the Edge. |
| B．Creation or Evolution. |
| C．Joshua, Helmut, and Bethlehem. |
| D．More Things in Heaven. |
【推荐2】The week my eldest son finished pre-school education, I decided to clear out the playroom filled with his toys. Toys had kept him company whenever his mother and I were busy with other duties, and over the years we had collected a really large number of them. Here are some of what I found: 13 puzzles, 4 games for practising maths, and a speaker box that could play Mozart to develop musical ability.
Our masses of playthings may have been extreme, but it was by no means unusual. American families spend, on average, around 600 dollars every year on toys; a 10-year-old child in the UK may have owned 238 toys, totaling about 6,500 pounds.
During the past two centuries, educators, toy companies and parents like us have acted as if the purpose of play is to prepare children for adulthood. The more book learning we could pack up as play, and then give to our children, the better. Then, in the second half of the 20th century, toys were increasingly bought for the purpose of building better brains in order to build more competitive and successful grownups. By 2020, the different kinds of educational toys had made nearly $65 billion worldwide. Toys that teach — from the Speak & Spell to the See & Say — are now a part of many young lives.
“This generation of parents is asking toys to provide an end product, and that end product is success,” Richard Gottlieb, an influential toy industry advisor, commented. “They want toys to get their children into Harvard.”
“The model has been, ‘If I get toys that do schoolish things, then that’s good,’” Alison Gopnik, a leading developmental psychologist, said. “But that really goes against what the developmental science is telling us. For a long time, we’ve been getting our children, and their toys, all wrong.”
1. Why does the author mention toys in his house?| A．To present the varieties of toys. |
| B．To advise others to buy fewer toys. |
| C．To show parents’ craziness for toys. |
| D．To complain of too many toys in his house. |
| A．By listing numbers. | B．By quoting opinions. |
| C．By providing examples. | D．By drawing comparisons. |
| A．They can keep children happy. |
| B．They can make children positive. |
| C．They can reduce children’s stress. |
| D．They can promote children’s success. |
| A．Do We Need to Buy Toys? | B．Are Toys a Part of Our Life? |
| C．Can Toys Bring Us Happiness? | D．Have We Got Toys All Wrong? |
| Gallery Policies for Visitors to National Gallery of Art, Washington | |
| Visitors must present all carried items for inspection upon entry. After inspection, all bags, backpacks, umbrellas, parcels, and other things as determined by security officers must be left at the checkrooms, free of charge, close to each entrance. All oversized bags, backpacks and luggage must be left at the checkrooms near the 4th Street entrance of either the East or West Building. These items will have to be x-rayed before being accepted. Items of value, such as laptop computers, cameras, and fur coats, may not be left in the checkrooms but may be carried into the galleries. We regret that we do not have enough space for visitor items larger than 17×26 inches into the Gallery or its checkrooms. Additional security procedures and checks may be taken according to the decision of the Gallery. | For the safety of the artworks and other visitors, nothing may be carried on a visitor’s back. Soft front baby carriers are allowed, but children may not be carried on shoulders or in a child carrier worn on the back. Pushchairs are available free of charge near each checkroom. Smoking is prohibited. Food and drink are not permitted outside the food service areas. Unopened bottled water may be carried only in a visitor’s bag. Cell phones may not be used in the galleries. Animals, other than service animals, are not permitted in the Gallery. Skateboarding is prohibited. Picture-taking (including video) for personal use is permitted except in special exhibitions and where specifically prohibited. Tripods (三角架) are not allowed. Please do not touch the works of art. |
1. When people come to visit the Gallery, they should ____________.
| A．leave all their carried items at the checkrooms |
| B．have all their carried items x-rayed at the entrance |
| C．take all their carried items with them without inspection |
| D．have all their carried items inspected at the entrance |
| A．Visitors have to keep their valuable items in the checkrooms. |
| B．The size of visitor items allowed into the Gallery is limited. |
| C．It cannot keep oversized visitor items due to limited space. |
| D．Visitor items over 17×26 inches must go through additional checks. |
| A．can carry their children in soft front child carriers |
| B．can carry their children on their shoulders |
| C．can carry their children in child carriers worn on the back |
| D．ought to pay if they want to use pushchairs for their children |
| A．pictures and videos are allowed for personal use anywhere in the Gallery |
| B．tripods are allowed except in some special exhibitions |
| C．picture-taking and videoing are totally forbidden in the Gallery |
| D．pictures and videos can be taken in some places for personal use |
【推荐1】On a summer day in 1961, Yuan Longping, the celebrated agronomist (农学家) whose death was widely mourned across China, was inspecting a test field in Hunan province, when he came across a single rice plant bearing 230 grains.
Yuan collected its grains and planted them the following year, hoping to find a way to boost rice yields in the nation. To his disappointment, the resulting plants demonstrated a variety of useful traits (特性),
“If natural hybrid rice had such a strong advantage, then artificially created hybrid rice should also have an advantage,” he wrote in an article. At that time, it was widely believed that rice could not be hybridized. Rice is a self-pollinating (自花传粉) crop,
To develop hybrid rice, it was necessary to find a sterile male plant and then use it to crossbreed with other varieties.
The first breakthrough came in 1970, and after painstaking research and testing, the team successfully developed a hybrid-rice strain in 1973 and it was used in large scale cultivation.
| A．but none was as productive as the parent |
| B．and as a result, his efforts finally paid off |
| C．It dwarfed the other plants in the field |
| D．Yuan’s dedication greatly boosted harvests in our country |
| E．Believing that there must be naturally occurring sterile males |
| F．Yuan once said that one of his lifelong wishes was to train people from all countries |
| G．and it is difficult to remove the male flowers and crossbreed them one by one |
【推荐2】In summer, millions of people will head for the beach . And while the ocean can be a great place to swim and play, it may also be useful in another way .Some scientists think that waves could help make electricity.
“Have you ever been on a boat and felt yourself being lifted up by a wave? Or have you jumped in the water and felt the energy as waves crashed over you?” asked Jamie Taylor of the Wave Energy Group at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. “There is certainly a lot of energy in waves.”
Scientists are working on using that energy to make electricity.
Most waves are created when winds blow across the ocean. “The winds start out by making little ripples ( 波纹 ) in the water, but if they keep on blowing , those ripples get bigger and bigger and turn into waves,” Taylor said. “Waves are one of nature’s ways of picking up energy and then sending it off on a journey.” The wave energy can be used to make electricity.
The United States and a few other countries have started doing research on wave energy , and it is already being used in Scotland.
We will never run out of wave power, besides, wave energy does not create the same pollution as other energy sources, such as oil and coal.
Oceans cover three quarters of the earth’s surface. That would make wave power seem perfect for creating energy around the world . There are some drawbacks, however.
Jamie Taylor said that wave power still cost too much money . He said that its effects on animals in the sea were still unknown . What is more, wave power would get in the way of fishing and boat traffic .
With more research, however, “many of these problems might be overcome,” Taylor said.” Demand for energy to power our TVs and computers, drive our cars, and heat and cool our homes is growing quickly throughout the world. Finding more energy sources is very important, for traditional sources of energy like oil and gas may run out some day. ”
In the future, when you turn on a light switch, an ocean wave could be providing the electricity!
1. Which of the following is NOT true?| A．Wave power costs too much money . |
| B．Wave energy creates the same amount of pollution as other energy sources. |
| C．Wave power affects fishing and boat traffic . |
| D．Wave power may affect marine animals . |
| A．finding new energy sources like wave energy is important |
| B．wave energy is a resource that will never run out and is used all over the world |
| C．wave power is perfect for creating energy around the world |
| D．wave power doesn’t create any pollution |
| A．regrets | B．adventures |
| C．disadvantages | D．difficulties |
| A．How to Get Electricity by Waves | B．A Huge Resource of Energy . |
| C．The Disadvantages of Wave Energy. | D．Can Waves Make Electricity? |
【推荐3】A study expands positive evidence for a new screening tool that directly engages preschool children during clinic visits to assess their early literacy skills. The tool, called The Reading House (TRH), is the first of its kind. It has the potential to identify reading difficulties as early as possible, according to researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
TRH is an assessment developed by John Hutton and his team for kids aged from 3 to 5. Screening takes just about five minutes and assesses performance levels for kids aged from 3 to 5. It addresses a significant gap in ways to screen early literacy skills efficiently and directly. The tool, which is fun for kids, could be used in places like primary care or preschool settings. The screening measures core skills typically appearing in the preschool age range, including vocabulary, rhyming, alphabet knowledge and print concepts. All are skills predictive of reading success and often associated with reading difficulties.
The study involved 70 healthy children – 34 boys and 36 girls---between 3 and 5 years old from various socioeconomic background. The children completed standardized tests of important literacy skills: vocabulary, rhyming arid rapid automatized naming. Fifty-two of these children also successfully completed MRI (磁共振成像), including the measurement of the gray matter surface of their brains. The thicker cortex (皮质), particularly in left-sided areas supporting language and reading, has been associated with higher skills that are predictive of reading outcomes.
Many children arrive at kindergarten unprepared to learn to read, especially those from minority and economically poor backgrounds---estimated at over 50% of children from disadvantaged backgrounds in the U. S. and over 25% overall. “By screening early during clinic visits, we can target effective interventions that help these children better prepare for kindergarten and improve reading outcomes –literally, snaping thein brains to read. ” said Hutton.
1. What might be the purpose of creating TRH?| A．To identify the best reading apps for kids. |
| B．To develop preschool kids' literacy skills. |
| C．To discover kids' reading problems early. |
| D．To study key factors in kids' development. |
| A．It lacks reliability. | B．It has operational advantages. |
| C．It covers a wider target group. | D．It's modelled after conventional tools. |
| A．Older children from minority groups. |
| B．Younger children from economically advanced areas. |
| C．Children with complex cortical patterns in their brains. |
| D．Children with the thicker cortex in the left-sided areas of their brains. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Favorable. | C．Uncertain. | D．Conservative. |
