A linguist, who studies languages, is always listening, never off-duty. I invited a group of friends round to my house, telling them that I was going to record their speech. I said I was interested in their regional accents (地方口音), and it would take only few minutes to record it.

Afterwards, one evening, three people came to my house and were shown into my sitting-room. In front of each chair there was a microphone (麦克风) at head height, connected to a recorder in the middle of the floor. They sat down, rather nervously. I explained that all wanted was for them to count from one to twenty, and then we could relax and have a drink.

I turned on the recorder and each in turn counted from one to twenty in their best accents. When it was over, I turned the recorder off and brought round the drinks. The rest of the evening was spent in complete relaxation. I talked and joked with them freely by leaving them only for a telephone call which lasted some time.

Or at least that is how it would appear. You know, of course, the microphones were not connected to the recorder in the middle of the room at all but to another one in the bedroom. My friends, having seen the recorder before them turned off, paid no more attention to the microphones a few inches from their mouths, thus giving excellent sound quality (质量). It meant that I was able to get a piece of natural talk.

I should add, perhaps, that I did tell my friends what had happened to them after the recording was over, and asked them whether it should be destroyed. None of them wanted to-but for some years after that, it always seemed that when it came to buying drinks, I paid for them. Linguistic research can be a very expensive business.

We have two daughters: Kristen is seven years old and Kelly is four. Last Sunday evening, we invited some people home for dinner. I dressed the girls nicely for the party and told them that their job was to join Mum in answering the _______ when the bell rang. Mum would also introduce them to the guests and then they would take the guests’ coats upstairs and put them on the bed in the second bedroom.

The guests arrived. I introduced my two daughters to each of them. The adults were nice and kind and said how _______ we were to have such good kids. Each of the guests made a particular focus on Kelly, the younger one, _______ her dress, her hair and her smile. They said she was a remarkable girl to be carrying coats upstairs at her age.

I think to myself that we adults usually make a big “to do” over the younger one because she’s the one who seems more easily hurt. We do it with the best of intention (意图).

But we _______ think of how it might affect the elder child. I was a little worried that Kristen would feel she wasn’t behaving well. I was about to serve dinner when I _______ that she had been disappearing for twenty minutes. I ran upstairs and found her in the bedroom, crying. I said, “What are you doing, my dear?”

She turned to me with a sad expression and said, “Mum, why don’t people like me the way they like my sister? Is it _______ I’m not pretty? Is that why they don’t say nice things about me as much?” I tried to explain to her, kissing and hugging her to make her feel better.

Now, whenever I visit a friend’s home I make it a point to speak to the elder child first.

If you are reading this article in class, you are trying to read it quickly. You have been taught to skim and scan. You will look for key words so as to understand the main idea of the article and the i    47     points in the article. Skimming and scanning is a good way in limited (有限的) time, such as when you are taking an exam. However, today, many people skim and scan everything and they have l    48     the ability to enjoy reading. Something called “the slow reading movement” has become popular to solve the problem. The idea is that people turn off their computers and mobile phones for over half an hour each day and enjoy the h    49     of reading a good book slowly! In many cities there are e    50     slow reading clubs. Members go to a cafe, not to discuss books, but to sit quietly with each other, drink coffee and just read. Scientists have found that reading slowly, especially books of fiction, helps people relax and think about what they are reading. It also helps people empathize (共鸣). This point is essential. When you read a novel slowly, you get to understand the characters’ emotions and to see the world t    51     their eyes.

Reading, of course, isn’t easy. You have to sit still for one thing. It can seem boring when compared (比较) to the excitement of playing video games. For me, reading has been an endless pleasure in my life. From the age of ten, when I got my first library card, I’ve enjoyed the company (陪伴) of heroes, evil criminals and clever detectives, of thousands of interesting people I would have never met in real life. Reading provided me with escape, but it also e    52     me to understand the world around me. It was an education in a classroom that had no walls.

In class, you have learned to read fast. “A    53     class, you should try to learn to read slow.” You may be surprised at how much you enjoy it.

There is a murder to solve

There is a “murderer” among us. You may wonder what is happening. Let me tell you!

If you get on the Murder Mystery Lunch train from London’s Victoria Station, you will surely meet such an “experience”. Passengers take part in a detective game and find the “murderer” on their way to Kent.

Before the passengers get on the train, a gentleman named Gray will greet them in front of the train. He is dressed in grey with a cat in his arms. He will be the first actor to meet the passengers. He will have a chat with people and drop some clues.

As soon as the train leaves Victoria Station a woman will run into the carriage(车厢) and cry, “I have been stabbed(刺伤)! ” Then a young man called Matt will rush into the carriage and shout, “There’s been a ‘murder’”. Dont be frightened! Then passengers will have time to question the characters, including a detective, a newspaper reporter and a policeman about what’s going on.

After the meal, all the passengers will sit together and raise their own ideas of the “murder”. Those who are able to solve the case can get bottle of champagne(香槟) as reward(奖励).

One ticket of the Murder Mystery Lunch train costs about ￡310, including a five-course lunch with champagne and wine. It doesn’t sound too expensive. But the question is that it is difficult to book a ticket because the train is too popular nowadays. After all, many people have a detective dream, don’t they?

60. Write at least 60 words on the topic “The future university”，using the following questions for reference.(请根据提示问题，以“未来的大学”为题，写一篇短文，不少于60个词，标点符号不占格。)