This Way to Dreamland
Daydreaming means people think about something pleasant，especially when this makes them forget what they should be doing. Daydreamers have a bad reputation for being unaware of what’s happening around them. They can seem forgetful and clumsy.
But daydreamers are also responsible for some of the greatest ideas and achievements in human history.
So how can you come up with brilliant daydreams and avoid falling over tree roots or otherwise looking like a fool?
First，understand that some opportunities(机会) for daydreaming are better than others. Feeling safe and relaxed will help you to slip into daydreams.
It’s also important to know how to avoid daydreams for those times when you really need to concentrate. “Mindfulness”，being focused，is a tool that some people use to avoid falling asleep.
Finally，you never know what wonderful idea might strike while your mind has moved slowly away. Always remember that your best ideas might come when your head is actually in the clouds.
| A．Having interesting things to think about also helps. |
| B．They stare off into space and wander by themselves. |
| C．Without wandering minds，we wouldn’t have relativity，Coke or Post-it notes. |
| D．At one time，daydreaming was thought to be a cause of some mental illnesses. |
| E．It involves slow，steady breathing for self-control that helps people stay calm and attentive. |
| F．Daydreams are often very simple and direct，quite unlike sleep dreams，which may be hard to understand. |
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【推荐1】Breathing dirty air can cost someone’s lifespan (寿命) months—even years, a new study finds. Worldwide, air pollution lowers average lifespans by a year. Scientists shared their new findings in Environmental Science & Technology Letters.
Air pollution (污染) has been linked to many health problems. Most earlier studies have looked at how tiny air pollutants affected rates of illness or death. But now an environmental scientist, Joshua Apte, is going even further. He works at the University of Texas, Austin. He together with his team is looking at life expectancy, hoping to make the threat easier to understand.
PM 2.5 is what scientists call tiny particles of pollution in the air. Higher levels of PM2.5 can cause health problems and cut months, if not years, from the average lifespan. This analysis shows pollution affects life expectancy in different parts of the world.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends limiting PM 2.5 to 10 micrograms (微克) per cubic (立方) meter of air. Apte’s group used data to try to find how this low level would help people. But meeting the WHO standard won’t get rid of health damage from dirty air. That’s because even below 10 micrograms per cubic meter pollution still causes huge risks.
Reducing air pollution could increase life expectancy. The scientists also compared how other threats shorten life spans across the globe. These risk factors included smoking and cancer.
These results show that in poor countries, cleaning up dirty air could greatly increase lifespans. It could have as big an effect as cleaning up drinking water, or curing lung cancer. However, in wealthier countries air pollution shortens life expectancy by less than half a year. All forms of cancer, in fact, shorten the average life expectancy by more than 3.5 years. “Knowing this can really help people or policymakers, decide where to spend their money.” says Kirk Smith.
1. Why is Joshua Apte’s team carrying out the study?| A．Know how small air pollutants are. |
| B．Study many different healthy problems. |
| C．Study the life expectancy of different people. |
| D．Let people understand air pollution better. |
| A．Its air is very clean. |
| B．It will get a prize from WHO. |
| C．It still has pollution risks. |
| D．Its people will live a healthy life. |
| A．The study will help different countries or people take different policies. |
| B．Lung cancer is the leading killer in all kinds of cancers. |
| C．Reducing air pollution can increase all people’s lifespans much. |
| D．It’s very hard to clean up dirty air in a short time. |
| A．Many Factors are Affecting People’s Health |
| B．Air Pollution is Shortening Lives Worldwide |
| C．Governments are Trying to Make Lifespan Long |
| D．The Effect of Cancer is Worse than Dirty Air |
【推荐2】Clank, clank, clank, clank. Slowly the train climbs the steep (陡峭的) hill. You should look at this train closely because it is very special. It can reach a speed of 120 kilometers per hour, it can go upside down and sideways, and it can accelerate (加速) as fast as a Ferrari. Look at the passengers. They know about this vehicle and they look nervous. In fact, some even look fearful. That’s not surprising, as this is no ordinary train ride; in fact, this train is a roller coaster!
Roller coasters fly up and down hills, move around corners, twist, turn, and even go upside down. But there’s a secret to their twists and turns. On a roller coaster ride, the amount of energy needed to go up a hill or through a loop (圈) is always less than the energy gained by coming down the previous hill. Believe it or not, all of the energy needed for a roller coaster ride is provided in the first drop.
Roller coasters are designed by special engineers. These engineers need to understand mathematics and, especially, physics. They need to work out exactly how much energy will be generated in the first drop. This energy is called potential energy(势能). Next, the engineers must figure out how much energy each of the following twists and turns will use. This is called kinetic energy(动能). It’s important work. If the engineers work out wrongly, the roller coaster may run backward and get stuck in the middle of the track!
Nobody wants the roller coaster to get stuck, but it can happen. On rare occasions, a strong wind or a heavy load of passengers may slow the roller coaster just enough to stop it from climbing the next hill. Some roller coasters actually use this as part of their design.
As long as people are looking for a thrill (刺激), roller coasters will be there to give it to them. Hiding against the force of gravity provides a great feeling that is hard to beat. For many people, roller coasters are the ultimate thrill ride.
1. When does a roller coaster get all of the energy it needs?| A．When it goes through a loop. |
| B．When it moves around corners. |
| C．When it goes up the second hill. |
| D．When it falls down the first drop. |
| A．Boring. | B．Well-paid. | C．Demanding. | D．Dangerous. |
| A．The roller coaster’s getting stuck. |
| B．The roller coaster’s moving slowly. |
| C．The roller coaster’s climbing steep hills. |
| D．The roller coaster’s carrying heavy passengers. |
| A．Gravity can be fun |
| B．The power of a train |
| C．What an exciting ride! |
| D．The world’s fastest roller coaster |
“Two full inches in the first three days!”
These are the kinds of statements used in magazine, newspaper, radio and television ads, promising good shapes and new look to those who buy the medicine or the device. The promoters of products say they can shape the legs, slim the face, smooth wrinkles, or in some other way add to beauty or desirability.
Often such products are nothing more than money-making things for their promoters. The results they produce are questionable, and some are dangerous to health.
To understand how these products can be legally promoted to the public, it is necessary to understand something of the laws covering their regulation. If the product is a drug, FDA (Food Drug Administration) can require proof under the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act that it is safe and effective before it is put on the market. But if the product is a device, FDA has no authority to require premarketing proof of safety or effectiveness. If a product already on the market is a danger to health, FDA can request the producer or distributor to remove it from the market voluntarily, or it can take legal action, including seizure (查封) of the product.
One notable case a few years ago involved an electrical device called the Relaxacisor, which had been sold for reducing the waistline. The Relaxacisor produced electrical shocks to the body through contact pads. FDA took legal action against the distributor to stop the sale of the device on the grounds that was dangerous to health and life.
Obviously, most of the devices on the market have never been the subject of court proceedings (法律诉讼), and new devices appear continually, Before buying, it is up to the consumer to judge the safety or effectiveness of such items.
1. It can be inferred that ads mentioned in the text are_____.
| A．objective | B．costly | C．unbelievable | D．illegal |
| A．a product which was designed to produce electricity |
| B．a product whose distributor was involved in a legal case |
| C．a successful advertisement of a beauty product |
| D．an example of a quality beauty product |
| A．make consumers aware of the promoters’ false promise |
| B．show the weakness of the law on product safety |
| C．give advice on how to keep young and beautiful |
| D．introduce the organization of FDA |
| A．The court is in charge of removing dangerous products. |
| B．New products are more likely to be questionable. |
| C．The production of a device must be approved by FDA. |
| D．The promoters usually just care about profits. |
【推荐1】Salty water just below the surface of Mars could hold enough oxygen to support the kind of microbial （微生物的） life that existed and developed quickly on Earth billions of years ago， researchers reported on Monday.
In some locations， the amount of oxygen available could even keep alive a primitive， multicellular （多细胞的） animal such as a sponge （海绵动物）， they reported in the journal Nature Geosciences. "We discovered that brines-water with high concentrations of salt - on Mars can contain enough oxygen for microbes to breathe，" said lead author Vlada Stamenkovic， a theoretical physicist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. "This fully revolutionizes our understanding of the potential for life on Mars， today and in the past. "
Up to now， it had been assumed that the trace （微量） amounts of oxygen on the Red Planet were insufficient to sustain even microbial life. "We never thought that oxygen could play a role for life on Mars due to its rarity in the atmosphere， about 0.14 percent，" Stamenkovic said. By comparison， the life-giving gas makes up 21 percent of the air we breathe.
On Earth， aerobic-that is， oxygen breathing -life-forms evolved （净化） together with photosynthesis （光合作用）， which converts CO2 into O2. The gas played a critical role in the existence of complex life， known after the so-called Great Oxygenation Event some 2.35 billion years ago.
But our planet also holds microbes -at the bottom of the ocean， in boiling hot springs -that live in environments lack of oxygen. "That's why -whenever we thought of life on Mars -we studied the potential for anaerobic （无氧的）life，" Stamenkovic said.
1. The underlined word "insufficient" in Para. 3 means " ______ ".| A．enough | B．not enough |
| C．wrong | D．right |
| A．this research changes people's understanding of the potential for life on Mars |
| B．the life-giving gas makes up 31 percent of the air people breathe on earth |
| C．Great Oxygenation Event happened some 2.35 million years ago |
| D．earth holds microbial life at the bottom of the desert |
| A．Mars is fit for living |
| B．multicellular animals are living on Mars |
| C．oxygen plays a role for life on earth |
| D．Mars is likely to have enough oxygen to support life |
【推荐2】It is well-known that twins are closer to each other than most brothers and sisters -- after all, they probably spend more time with each other. Parents of twins often notice that they develop special ways of communicating: they invent their own words and one can often finish the other's sentence. In exceptional(例外) circumstances(情况), this closeness becomes more extreme: they invent a whole language of their own, as in the case of Grace and Virginia Kennedy from Georgia in the USA, who communicated so successfully in their own special language that they did not speak any English at all until after they started school.
However, these special relationships are the result of lives spent almost entirely in each other's company. What happens when twins do not grow up together, when they are separated at birth for some reason? Are they just like any other strangers, or are there still special similarities between them? Professor Tom Bouchard of the University of Minnesota set out to find the answer to this question. He traced(追踪) sixteen pairs of twins, who were adopted by different families when they were babies, and often brought up in very different circumstances. Each twin was then interviewed about every small detail of their life.
The results of this research make a surprising reading. Many of the twins were found to have the same hobbies, many have suffered the same illnesses, and some have even had the same type of accident at the same point in their lives. One pair of middle-aged women arrived for their first meeting in similar dresses, another pair were wearing similar jewellery. The most incredible (unbelievable) similarities are to be found in the case of Jim Springer and Jim Lewis from Ohio in the USA. The story of the 'Jim Twins' made headline news across USA. Born to an immigrant woman in 1939, and adopted by different families at birth, both babies were named Jim by their new parents.
But what can be the explanation for these remarkable similarities? Is it all pure coincidence, or is the explanation in some way genetic? Research into the lives of twins is forcing some experts to admit that our personalities may be at least partly due to 'nature'. On the other hand, analysts are also anxious to emphasis(强调) that incredible coincidences do happen all the time, not just in the lives of twins.
1. The case of Grace and Virginia Kennedy (Para. 1) is to show that ______.| A．twins communicate with each other in an unusual way. |
| B．twins are more likely to suffer from speaking problems. |
| C．most twins have exceptional abilities to invent a new language. |
| D．twins won’t have an effective communication until they go to school. |
| A．what will happen if twins spend lives entirely in the same company. |
| B．why the 16 pairs of twins have been adopted by different families. |
| C．whether separated growing up has effect on twins’ special similarities. |
| D．when the special similarities come into being during their growing up. |
| A．Book. | B．Explanation. |
| C．Literature. | D．Measurement. |
| A．depend on what the twins enjoy and suffer from. |
| B．can not be proved or accepted by all the experts. |
| C．result from the twins’ growing up and development. |
| D．are not closely linked with where the twins are raised. |
【推荐3】Do you have a favorite sport? Are you passionate about sewing or reading? Typically, you engage in these activities simply because you enjoy them. Would you be taken aback to know the overjustification effect that when you are rewarded for your beloved activities, your desire to participate in them diminishes?
Edward Deci, a psychology professor, conducted a series of experiments, in one of which Deci divided the participants into two groups: one was paid to complete a puzzle, and the other was not paid to. After money was removed, the group that was previously paid to play showed less motivation to complete the task than the group that was never paid and only did the puzzle for enjoyment. The outcome demonstrated the overjustification effect, which occurs when an external stimulation decreases a person’s internal motivation to perform a behavior or engage in an activity.
According to the self-determination theory, three conditions are essential for people to feel internally motivated and perform at their best: autonomy, freedom from external restrictions; competence, the need to feel capable, and relatedness, the need to feel connected with others. In Deci’s experiment, money acted as a tie, which reduced participants’ autonomy, a crucial component of internal motivation, discouraging them from experiencing the freedom of external restrictions. The pressure to perform for the money lessened the pleasure and freedom felt by those who were doing the puzzle merely for fun.
But if external stimulation is tied to performance, the overjustification effect is less influential. For example, being rewarded for studying is unlikely to decrease internal motivation because the grade depends upon actually doing well rather than just going through the motions.
While the overjustification effect can reduce motivation, some strategies can lower its impact. One is to focus on providing feedback and recognition rather than concrete rewards. For instance, praising an individual’s effort or acknowledging their accomplishments can maintain their internal motivation. Additionally, allowing individuals to have autonomy and control over their tasks also works. By giving them the freedom to choose how they complete tasks, individuals are more likely to be internally motivated and experience a greater sense of satisfaction and engagement.
1. What does the underlined word “diminishes” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Remains. | B．Weakens. | C．Ceases. | D．Solidifies. |
| A．By interpreting a concept. |
| B．By presenting an argument. |
| C．By making a comparison. |
| D．By describing a phenomenon. |
| A．The skills needed for a puzzle. |
| B．The core elements of inner drives. |
| C．The impact of autonomy on competence. |
| D．The theoretical basis for the overjustification effect. |
| A．Speaking highly of a pupil’s hard work. |
| B．Rewarding a kid with candy for playing the violin. |
| C．Offering a clerk financial bonuses for daily routines. |
| D．Promising an employee a decent position for doing his duty. |
