【推荐1】When we think about people who are leaders, we often get a mental picture of someone who is older, smarter, and wiser than ourselves. Studies of leadership, though, have usually found that there is almost no relationship between skill as a leader and traditional measures of intelligence.

Some recent research by psychologist Red Fiedle and his colleagues suggests that both intelligence and experience may be important—but just now how important depends upon how stressful the work situation is and what kind of task is to be accomplished. The researchers obtained measures of intelligence, experience, performance, and stress.

Overall, these variables did not relate to one another. Men with high and low intelligence were equally likely to give good performance, as were men with more and less experience, or more and less stress with their bosses. When you look separately at those men who have high stress with their bosses, however, the picture changes.

In high stress situations, there was no connection between intelligence and performance, but there was between experience and performance. In other words, in difficult situations, it was helpful to “know the ropes”. In low stress situations, the findings were just the opposite. Experience was not related to good performance, but intelligence was. That is, when things are going well, intelligence is very useful in leadership.

A study of fire fighters’ performance under high and low stress conditions also found the experienced officers performed best under situations of stress. None of this is really very surprising. If you have ever had a supervisory job, you probably found that at least as much energy went into dealing with people as went into managing the job itself. Tests of intelligence—at least the ones we have now—do not predict success in dealing with people.

1. What kind of people can do the best job in stress situation?

A．intelligent people	B．experienced people
C．calm people	D．skilled people

2. In the second sentence of the fourth paragraph, “to know the ropes” most probably means_____.

A．to understand the situation	B．to control the situation
C．to get rid of the situation	D．to make sure what to do about the situation

3. In the third sentence of the last paragraph, “a supervisory job” refers to         .

A．a management job	B．an advisory job
C．a teaching job	D．an organizing job

4. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A．In stress situations, there are no association between experience and performance.

B．Some recent research suggests that most leaders are lack of intelligence.

C．In low stress situations, intelligence plays an important role in leadership.

D．Generally speaking leaders are likely to be cleverer than ordinary people.

【推荐3】Martha had been working for Miller Laboratories for two years, but she was not happy there. Nothing significant had happened in the way of promotions or salary increases. Martha felt that her supervisor, a younger and less experienced person than she, did not like her. In fact, the supervisor often said unpleasant things to her.

One day, while talking with her friend Maria, she mentioned how discouraged she gave her the name of a cousin of hers who was director of Human Resources Department for a large chemical company. Martha called him the next day and set up an interview on her lunch hour.

During the interview, Mr. Petri said, “You’re just the kind of person we need here. You’re being wasted in your other job. Give me a call in a day or two. I’m sure we can find a place for you in our organization.” Martha was so happy she almost danced out of the building.

That afternoon, Ruth Kenny, her supervisor, saw that Martha had come in ten minutes late from her lunch hour and she said, “Oh, so you finally decided to come back to work today?”

This was the last straw. She could not take another insult. Besides, Mr. Petri was right: she was being wasted in this job.

“Look,” she said angrily, “if you don’t like the way I work, I don’t need to stay here, I’ll go where I’m appreciated! Good-bye!” She took up her things and stormed out of the office.

That night she called Maria and told her what had happened and then asked Maria, “What do you think?”

“Well,” said Maria carefully, “are you sure about the other job?”

“Well, not exactly, but…”

Maria continued, “Will you be able to get a recommendation from Ms. .Kenny if you need one?”

“A recommendation? .. .from Ms. Kenny?” hesitated Martha, in a worried tone.

“Martha I hope you didn’t burn your bridges，” Maria said. “I think I would have handled it differently.”

1. Martha is unhappy in her job because ________.

A．she has not advanced	B．the work is not significant
C．her supervisor is younger than she	D．there is too much work with little payment

2. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．At her supervisor’s criticism, Martha lost her temper.

B．Mr. Petri felt Martha was not valued in her present job.

C．Martha’s interview with the director was on her lunch hour.

D．Martha got the name of the director through her cousin.

3. What does Maria think of Martha’s decision?

A．Martha has handled the matter properly.

B．Martha shouldn’t have set the bridge on fire.

C．Martha should have found a new job before leaving.

D．Martha shouldn’t have lost her temper with her supervisor.

【推荐1】Since it was first published in 1843, the novella (短篇故事）A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens has been loved by millions of people, and perhaps has inspired them to love more and give more. It has been adapted for theatre, television and film. Dickens is known as the best author of the Victorian times writing on social issues affecting his times, such as poverty, child labour and urban development, especially in London where he lived.

Charles Dickens was no strangers to poverty. His father had been thrown in prison for debt in 1824, and he had been removed from school and put to work as the second oldest child of eight children.

Only 12 years old and no longer able to attend school, he spent his time putting labels on pots of black polish. ①

How lonely and worthless he felt there! All his hopes and dreams of making something of his life were ended. It seemed not an adult in the world cared for his hopes or his abilities, not even his own parents.He wondered "how he could be so easily thrown away at such a young age"②

Dickens' father was set free from prison after a year,and Dickens was put back into school for three years until he had to leave again to work as an office boy. Eventually, he started writing stories for the papers.With money coming in and then children,Charles had taken a mortgage(抵押贷款）on a big house.His next novel was not as well received and his future payments were cut. Charles needed to make money and he needed to make it fast. Criticism (批评） of his new novel hurt his confidence;it is not easy to write when you are down and struggling. He needed new ideas and inspiration,but he was running out of time.

③

As he walked the streets after dark, through what he called the “black streets”of London, he again saw the poor ,who had little food or warmth in the cold weather , and the closed-up houses, like the doors of the hearts of many who do not want to love and give.   ④

He happened to find the idea of a Christmas story that could show this-and warm the hearts of the poor and open the hearts of the selfish.   He needed to write fast and that is probably why we only have a novella, but a novella was enough to share his story. He filled the story with character and scenes which he had already written about in his other stories, Scrooge, the main character,is a selfish self-centred man who hates Christmas the tine of giving . His late business partner, also a greedy man, comes back from the dead as a ghost to warn Scrooge.You will need to read the story yourself to see how Scrooge finally changes his ways.

The plan to rescue himself financially also rescued Dickens emotionally. As he wrote about Christmas and the wonderful time of gift giving,family gathering,carol singing and feast sharing, his own heart was cheered and he remembered those things that really mattered to him He loved writing the book and produced a special story,which is still loved around the world. New inspiration and fresh confidence set Dickens on a new path to success.

1. What difficulties was Dickens faced with when writing A Christmas Carol?

A．Lack of time and education.

B．Lack of love and confidence.

C．Lack of patience and ideas

D．Lack of inspiration and confidence.

2. Where should the sentence “It was the loneliest time of his life.”be put in the passage？

A．①

B．②

C．③

D．④

3. What can be inferred about A Christmas Carol from the passage?

A．Dickens got his inspiration by visiting he poor people on the "black street".

B．It is impossible for the readers to know the characters before reading the book.

C．Scrooge becomes a generous and kind man in the end.

D．The book is only meant to criticize the selfishness of the rich.

4. Why is A Christmas Carol such an important work according to the last paragraph?

A．It is very popular among readers.

B．It serves as a turning point in Dickens' writing career.

C．It helped Dickens earn a great deal of money.

D．Its theme is about a wonderful time full of love and giving.

5. What is the purpose of this article?

A．To show the greatness of Charles Dickens.

B．To recommend some great works of Charles Dickens.

C．To present how poor Dickens' life was.

D．To introduce the book A Christmas Carol.

【推荐3】Some years ago a young man applied to a large United States optical (光学的) firm for a job as a lens designer. He apologized for his lack of training. However, on announcing that he owned two copies of the classic Applied Optics and Optical Design, he was hired on the spot. Perhaps the story will be repeated someday with Buchdahl’s Introduction to Hamiltonian Optics as a similar certificate of qualification.

Hamiltonian theory describes the overall properties of optical systems considered as “black boxes,” although it does not describe the detailed structure needed to construct the systems and achieve these properties. Buchdahl’s book is therefore on the subject of geometrical optics, but it is not about how to design lenses. It is, however, a comprehensive account of the fundamentals of the theory written with the lens designer’s needs very much in mind. Every lens designer worth his salt (称职的) has, at some point in his career, attempted to apply the broad concepts of Hamiltonian optics to the solutions of practical problems. Success has been rare. Therefore, the theory has made little direct contribution to techniques for optical instrument design. The failures have been frustrating because of the obvious fundamental power of the theory and because of its conceptual elegance. The indirect effects have been large, however, both in contributing to an understanding of fundamental principles that govern how optical systems work and in pointing the way to other, more practical, theoretical approaches.

Buchdahl approaches the subject not only as a capable physicist, but as one who, with a knowledge of practical optics, has made a significant contribution to geometrical optical theory. Buchdahl’s approach has, over the last decade, had a major impact on modern lens design with computers. Thus, he brings to this exposition of Hamiltonian optics a familiarity with practical optics not usually found in authors on this subject.

The author claims his book to be nonmathematical, and indeed it might be so viewed by a professional mathematician. From the point of view of many physicists and engineers, it will appear to be quite mathematical. Moreover, this is a tightly written book. The subject matter is developed with precision, and the author expects the reader, at every point, to be master of the preceding exposition.

1. Hamiltonian theory has been met with failure as a result of ______.

A．newer finding related to the wave particle nature of light

B．concepts too difficult for most lens designers to understand

C．too much mathematical detail in the theory

D．not enough practical information offered by the theory to allow for use by lens crafters

2. The author of this passage implies that Introduction to Hamiltonian Optics is ______.

A．valuable only to those beginning to study optics

B．necessary to those interested in developing new optical systems

C．useless to those interested in practical optics

D．valuable to any student of optics

3. The article points out that the great benefits of Hamiltonian optics have been found in ______.

A．indirect ways

B．a fundamental power within the theory

C．the conceptual elegance of the theory

D．the practical applications of the theory in finding new approaches to old problems

4. This passage is probably taken from ______.

A．a book review	B．a chemistry textbook
C．an optician’s journal	D．a general science text

【推荐1】For more than twenty years, scientists have been searching for signs of life on other planets．Most of these searches have been done over the radio．The hope is that someone in outer space may be trying to get in touch with us．Scientists also have sent radio and television messages on spaceships traveling through space, on the chance that someone may be receptive to such messages．

Scientists are using powerful radio telescopes to listen to signals from about 1, 000 stars, all within 100 light years of earth．In addition, they will scan the entire sky to "listen" for radio messages from more distant stars．Using a computer, they will be able to monitor more than eight channels at one time．Scientists are looking for any signal that stands out from the background noise．

Of the 200 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy（银河星系）, scientists find that five percent are like our sun．Perhaps half of them have a planet like earth．Such a planet would be a reasonable distance from the star for temperatures to be right for the evolution of life．Based on the inhabitable （that can be lived in） planets in our galaxy, most scientists agree that chances are likely that one or more of these planets support some life．

However, many scientists wonder whether intelligent life exists on other planets．Some believe that twenty years of searching without any intelligible messages shows that no one is out there．They say that the evolution of intelligence comparable to ours is unlikely．

Other scientists believe that our search hasn't been long enough to rule out the possibility that intelligent life exists in our galaxy．Although our sun family is only about five billion years old, our galaxy is about 20 billion years old．In that time, some scientists think it is likely that civilization （文明）much more advanced than ours have developed．Perhaps these civilizations send us no signals; perhaps we have not recognized the signals they have sent us．If we hope to find intelligent life, these scientists believe that we have to keep looking．

1. According to the passage, how many planets in our galaxy might be inhabitable？

A．5 billion．	B．10 billion．
C．15 billion．	D．100 billion

2. The first paragraph in this passage is mainly about     ．

A．how scientists are looking for signs of life on other planets

B．why scientists are looking for signs of life on other planets

C．where scientists are looking for signs of life on other planets

D．when scientists are looking for signs of life on other planets

3. The underlined word "monitor" in the passage means" ___ "．

A．find	B．change
C．check	D．form

4. Which of these statements is true based on the information in the passage？

A．The earth is one of the oldest planets in our galaxy．

B．Most scientists believe that there is intelligent life on other planets．

C．Scientists are trying different ways to find signs of life on other planets．

D．Scientists don't believe that there might be life on other planets．

【推荐2】A new international study published in PLOS Biology suggests that the popularity of tigers, lions, polar bears and others may actually contribute to their downfall. The researchers used a combination of online investigations, school questionnaires, z00 websites and cartoon films to identify the 10 most beloved animals. The top three were tigers, lions and elephants.

“I was surprised to see that although these 10 animals are the most beloved, a major danger faced by nearly all of them is direct killing by humans, especially from hunting,” said William Ripple, a distinguished professor of forest ecology at Oregon State University and a co-author on the study.“This killing by humans seems sadly ironic （讽刺的）to me, as these are some of our most beloved wild animals.”

Many of these animals are so frequently described in pop culture and marketing materials that they may form an inaccurate “virtual population” that is doing better in the media than in nature, noted lead author Franck Courchamp of the University of Paris. The researchers found, for example, that the average French citizen will see more virtual lions through photos, cartoons, logos and brands in one month than wild lions left in West Africa.

“Unknowingly, companies using giraffes or polar bears for marketing purposes may be actively contributing to the false belief that these animals are not at risk of dying out, and therefore not in need of conservation,” Courchamp said. He suggested in the paper that companies using images of endangered animals for marketing purposes provide information to promote their conservation, and perhaps part of their profits for protection of the animals.

Nearly half of the toy animals sold in the United States on Amazon were one of the 10 beloved animals, while in France some 800,000 “Sophie the giraffe” baby toys were sold last year—more than eight times the number of giraffes living in Africa.

“The appearance of these beloved animals in stores, in movies, on television, and on a variety of products seems to be tricking the public into believing they are doing okay,” Ripple said. “If we don't work together to save these animals, that may soon be the only way anyone will see them.”

1. What is the text mainly about?

A．Animal images are used in marketing.	B．Wild animals are at a high risk of dying out.
C．Animals' popularity in life causes their decrease.	D．Efforts are made to protect animals in danger.

2. What should companies do according to Courchamp?

A．Use animals for marketing purposes.	B．Spare some earnings to protect animals.
C．Avoid providing information about animals.	D．Contribute themselves to marketing research.

3. Why does the author mention “Sophia the giraffe” baby toys?

A．To prove these baby toys are a hit in France.

B．To advertise for the baby toys among readers.

C．To show the distinction between virtual and real population.

D．To indicate giraffes rank higher than other animals in France.

4. What does the underlined word “that” in the last paragraph refer to?

A．Raising animals at home.	B．A close look at the animals.
C．Exposure to animals in the wild.	D．Animals' appearance in the media.

【推荐3】Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft, which has been transporting all astronauts to and from the International Space Station（ISS）since 2011, typically carries a crew of three. However, the MS-14 capsule launched（发射）from a Russian spaceport in southern Kazakhstan on August 22, 2019, had just one passenger—a human-like robot named Skybot F-850.

The robot is the latest version of Russia’s FEDOR robots, which were initially designed to help with search and rescue efforts. Skybot is good at many human skills, including driving a car, having short conversations, and even telling jokes. But since it lacks some special sills, the spacecraft to the ISS was piloted from the ground by scientists from Russia’s space Agency. Roscosmos.

The six-foot-tall, 350-pound robot had another important task while on board. Without risking the lives of human astronauts, it helped Roscosmos researchers test the safety and flight experience of the new Soyuz-2.1, a carrier rocket, which carried the spacecraft into orbit. The feedback（反馈）will be important in determining if the rocket is safe to transport future human crews to space.

Though the launch into orbit went smoothly, Skybot’s arrival at the ISS was delayed by three days, from August 24 to August 27. The delay didn’t seem to bother the robot, which announced its arrival, “Sorry about the delay. Met with traffic. Ready to work now.”

Skybot’s two-week task is largely a test to measure its ability to work effectively in microgravity, and includes simple tasks like using tools. If all goes well, Russia hopes to send more advanced versions of the FEDOR robots to help astronauts with special tasks.

Earlier this year, the US space agency launched two little robots called Astrobees to help astronauts with daily chores, like finding lost pieces of equipment. Meanwhile, the European Space Agency’s social AI-powered CIMON spent a year assisting astronauts, before returning to Earth on August 27, 2019.

1. What is Skybot F-850 unable to do？

A．Drive a vehicle like humans.	B．Conduct short conversations.
C．Say something funny to people.	D．Pilot the spacecraft to the ISS.

2. How long did it take Skybot F-850 to fly to the ISS？

A．Two days.	B．Three days.
C．Five days.	D．Fourteen days.

3. We infer from the text that Skybot          .

A．is bound to take the place of human crews

B．isn’t the first robot to help at the space station

C．worked with two other robots to assist astronauts

D．was launched to measure its security and flexibility

4. Where is the text most likely from？

A．A science experiment.	B．A news report.
C．A technology guidebook.	D．A research paper.

【推荐1】All across America, students are anxiously finishing their “What I Want To Be …” college application essays, advised to focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) by experts and parents who insist that’s the only way to become workforce ready. But two recent studies of workplace success contradict the traditional wisdom about “hard skills”.

Google originally set its hiring systems to sort for computer science students with top grades from top science universities. In 2013, Google decided to test its hiring theory by quickly dealing with large amounts hiring, firing, and promotion data collected since the company’s establishment.

Project Oxygen shocked everyone by concluding that, among the eight most important qualities of Google’s top employees, STEM capability comes in dead last. The seven top characteristics of success at Google are all soft skills: being a good coach; communicating and listening well; possessing comprehension into others; being supportive of one’s colleagues; being a good critical thinker and problem solver; and being able to make connections across complex ideas.

Those characteristics sound more like what one gains as an English or theater major than as a programmer. Could it be that top Google employees were succeeding despite their technical training, not because of it? After bringing in more experts to dive even deeper into the data, the company enlarged its previous hiring practices to include humanities majors, artists, and even the MBAs (Master of Business Adminstration).

Project Aristotle, a study released by Google this past spring, further supports the importance of soft skills even in high-tech environments. Project Aristotle analyzes data on inventive and productive teams. Google takes pride in its A-teams, assembled with top scientists, each with the most specialized knowledge and able to throw down one creative idea after another. Its data analysis revealed, however, that the company’s most important and productive new ideas come from B-teams comprised of employees who don’t always have to be the smartest people in the room.

Project Aristotle shows that the best teams at Google exhibit a range of soft skills: equality, generosity, curiosity toward the ideas of your teammates, understanding, and emotional intelligence. And topping the list: emotional safety. To succeed, each and every team member must feel confident speaking up and making mistakes. They must know they are being heard.

STEM skills are vital to the world we live in today, but technology alone, as Steve Jobs famously insisted, is not enough. We desperately need those who are educated to the human, cultural, and social as well as the computational.

1. The underlined word “contradict” most probably means “_____”.

A．add to

B．back up

C．bring about

D．conflict with

2. Google conducted the studies of workplace success in order to _____.

A．determine what makes a workplace-ready student

B．check whether its hiring system serves the purpose

C．prove soft skills are more important than hard ones

D．impress its competitors with the employees’ excellence

3. What can be inferred from Project Aristotle?

A．Emotional safety enables people to express themselves freely.

B．Listening and hearing helps develop problem-solving abilities.

C．Learning from mistakes doesn’t necessarily mean improvement.

D．Those without specialized knowledge can also make inventions.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A．STEM skills our society needs for better education

B．The principal focus students have on application essays

C．The surprising thing Google learned about its employees

D．The soft skills Google programmers lack for career growth

【推荐2】For many, scientific innovations tend to be welcome advancements that improve our lives. For some, however, new technologies bring risk of uselessness, in turn leading to great resistance.

With the climate crisis unfolding before our eyes, the race is on to find alternatives that will help humanity leave a smaller footprint on our planet. Because of animal agriculture's leading role as a greenhouse gas emitter, the search for more sustainable protein sources could be one such alternative.

As food tech companies use science to unlock the potential of plant proteins, they're producing increasingly better plant-based meats and milks that look and taste like the real thing, but with a much lower carbon footprint. Some in the meat industry are supporting the new and investing in these alt-protein companies.

For some lawmakers, however, these innovative products don't deserve support; they deserve restriction. Missouri State, for example, recently passed a bill making it a crime punishable by imprisonment for companies to call their products ''meat'' if they don’t come from an animal.

So why the mania (狂热) over meat and milk all of a sudden? Was there a consumer who brought home some pies labeled ''plant-based meat'' only to realize he was tricked? Did confused milk-drinkers file complaints with the Department of Agriculture when they found out their soymilk didn't contain actual milk?

There really are some consumers who are truly confused. Surveys show, however, that number is remarkably small. If anything, consumers are choosing these plant-based products specifically because they think they're better for them than the original products. And they have good reason to believe that plant-based milks and meats   usually have less fat and more fiber than comparable animal-based foods.

So, consumers aren't confusing ''veggie bacon'' for real bacon; and if they don't think chicken nuggets have the same nutritional value as ''chicken-free nuggets'', then why do some meat and milk groups want a monopoly (垄断) over the M-words? Could it have to do with the fact that the increasing popularity of these foods, which are more sustainable and better for you, is threatening the profits of their constituents?

And with the future of our civilization hanging in the balance as climate change becomes more severe, it's time for policy makers to stop trying to prevent innovation, and instead to celebrate all the ways science can save us, including with sustainable proteins that can and do produce new kinds of meat.

1. What can be learned about the M-word applied to plant-based substitutes?

A．They are environmentally friendly.

B．They are innovative and widely accepted.

C．They have been restricted across America.

D．They have been produced in large quantities.

2. From the passage we can learn that consumers ______.

A．have sufficient faith in new science and technology

B．prefer the original products to the plant-based products

C．buy the plant-based products for their great benefit to health

D．often get confused by the composition of the new kind of meat

3. According to the author, some people resist the new kind of food probably because _____.

A．it contains no real meat

B．it brings risks to society

C．it plays a trick on customers

D．it poses a threat to their profits

4. What's the author's attitude towards the plant-based products?

A．Supportive.	B．Cautious.
C．Ambiguous.	D．Disapproving

【推荐3】Whales, like all mammals（哺乳动物）,need air, and come to the surface to breathe through a blowhole. A drone（无人机）that floats over the blowholes of humpback whales as they are making annual journey along Australia's east coast is being used by Australian scientists for collecting nasal mucus（鼻腔粘液）of whales.

Vanessa Pirotta, a biologist at Macquarie University says that nasal mucus indicates the health of the whale. “It is the biological mixture that you see as a whale takes a breath as it surfaces from the water，” she said. You can hear sounds of sharp breaths as a whale breathes because, after all, they are animals like you and I. So as they take a breath it is a lot of lung bacteria coming out from their lungs, which we can collect to provide a brief idea of whale health.

Australian researchers have attached a special dish that is used in scientific tests to a drone which flies through the whale's nasal mist. As a whale comes to take a breath—you can actually see it coming to the surface on really good weather days —the drone then lowers, the dish is then opened, collecting nasal mucus for later research.

The research could help to solve one of the secrets of another impressive creature of the deep —the Southern right whale. Its numbers have recovered on Australia's west coast since hunting became suppressed but its population on the eastern seaboard remains stubbornly low.

In the past, studies into whale health had to rely on examining whales that were either killed or those whales that had been trapped on a beach. Drones allow scientists to collect nasal mucus from free-swimming whales to gather information in a safe way.

1. What is the drone mainly used to do?

A．To gather information for researchers.

B．To record new species of whales.

C．To guarantee the safety of whales.

D．To take photos of whales' annual journey.

2. How can a biologist find out a whale's health condition in the study?

A．By examining liquids from its breath.

B．By checking its lungs on a machine.

C．By listening to the sounds of its breath.

D．By studying its similarity with humans.

3. What does the underlined word “suppressed” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．Commercial.	B．Rewarding.
C．Hidden.	D．Forbidden.

4. Why is the Southern right whale mentioned?

A．To describe the difficulty to track it.

B．To show the increasing population.

C．To stress the urgency of doing the research.

D．To indicate the potential application of the research.