1 . Many of us have learned that chatting with a friend, relative or classmate can improve our mood (心情). And failing to communicate with others can also affect the health of our minds and bodies.
Now experts in the US have found that a good conversation just once a day could be enough to boost people’s happiness and lower their stress levels.
The researchers looked at five types of conversation that past research has found to make people feel closer. These included things like sharing jokes, listening to others’ opinions, discussing recent experiences, offering real praise and showing care for others. The researchers asked over 900 people at five US universities to have one of these five types of conversation each day. Then these people reported how their chats affected their stress, well-being and other feelings that day.
The researchers also looked at how the number of daily chats affected the people’s well-being. And they found that while one good chat was enough to improve someone’s mood, those who chose to have more of these conversations had better days. “This means the more that you listened to your friends, the more that you showed care, the more that you took time to value others’ opinions, the better you felt at the end of the day,” one of the researchers said.
The researchers also said that meeting for a chat was better for people’s well-being than using a phone or social mediums (媒介).
1. What does the underlined word “boost” in Paragraph 2mean?| A．Increase. | B．Discover. | C．Create. |
| A．By surfing the Internet. |
| B．By pointing out others’ mistakes. |
| C．By talking about our school trip yesterday. |
| A．Exchanging ideas with others is useful. |
| B．Different conversations have different influences. |
| C．The number of daily chats can influence our mood. |
| A．Good chats improve our mood. |
| B．The change of mood is very important. |
| C．Five types of conversation affect our mood. |
2 . Smartphones are getting boring. The new models are either a bit faster or have better cameras, but they are basically no different from the ones already in our pockets. This is why scientists are hoping, and working for something new, something that will change our lives just as greatly as smartphones do. At the moment, the next invention might be smart glasses.
Just imagine. Instead of having to pick up your phone and look at the screen, all of the information you need simply appears just in front of you, in your glasses. Satellite navigation (导航) directions would appear right there on the road. And your smart glasses could guide you to the right shelf in the supermarket!
Smart glasses could also be used in industry. They could show engineers the instructions they need to fix things more quickly. A doctor could carry out a difficult operation, guided in real time by someone on the other side of the world.
This may sound impossible. But most of the technologies to invent them are already there. For example, one key technology is called AR, which can make digital 3D objects appear as if they are part of the real world. We’ve used it a lot on our video calls. Similarly, huge progress has been made in spatial audio. This is when a sound is made to give it a sense of place, like what you hear in an empty room. Some high-end earphones can already do that. Future glasses will of course need to recognize (识别) your voice to do tasks. This technology has been widely used in our daily life.
So, why aren’t we all wearing smart glasses yet? So far, no one has invented a good way to send images (映像) of our world onto glasses. However, with the rapid development of technology, smart glasses could arrive much sooner than we think.
1. Why does the writer mention smartphones in Paragraph 1?| A．To start a story. | B．To explain an idea. |
| C．To introduce a topic. | D．To discuss a problem. |
| A．When smart glasses might be made. |
| B．Where smart glasses could be used. |
| C．How smart glasses would give directions. |
| D．Why smart glasses should be changed. |
| A．Making spatial audio. | B．Recognizing voices. |
| C．Creating digital 3D objects. | D．Sending images onto glasses. |
| A．Bored. | B．Confident. | C．Satisfied. | D．Uncertain. |
3 . Looking at the undone homework on his desk always makes David Grey feel uncomfortable.More often than not, David leaves his homework behind and surfs the Internet or watches TV instead, waiting until the last minute. “But the longer 1 wait,” says David, aged 15, “the more I worry.”
Everyone procrastinates (拖延) because they want to feel good now.The way to do that is to avoid the task.You can procrastinate on nearly anything, even enjoyable tasks such as planning a vacation.“Some people procrastinate cleaning.Some people procrastinate by cleaning,” says Professor Peter Stone.Research has shown that the top tasks young people procrastinate are studying and going to bed. “One big cause for procrastination is that people are afraid of failure, of not meeting others’ expectations,” Stone adds.
Some people believe that procrastination will make them thrive.But researchers disagree.“I did a study several years ago, asking procrastinators to finish a task in a certain period of time,” says Stone.“They did worse than non-procrastinators: they made more mistakes and they took longer.But they thought they did better.” No matter what the cause is, procrastination is usually not going to be good for you.For example, bedtime procrastination can lead to sleeplessness, which in turn can cause many other health problems.
For those who need some drives to stop procrastinating, the best advice might be to take action first.If you’ve been procrastinating on forming a habit of exercise, just put on your walking shoes.A little bit of progress will get you moving.
Next, find something to help you remember to take action.If you want to go to bed at 10:30 pm, you might set a timed dimmer switch (渐暗开关) at 10 pm.When the lights are dimmer, you’ll start going to bed.It works for most people.
Finally, reward yourself every time you make progress.For example, after you’ve run 3 km, enjoy your favourite ice-cream.But be careful: it won’t work the other way around.
1. What can be the best title of this passage?| A．A day of a procrastinator | B．Procrastination: yes or no? |
| C．Say goodbye to procrastination | D．Want to feel good now? Procrastinate! |
| A．They want to avoid doing hard work. | B．They fear to lose and let others down. |
| C．They need to finish the top tasks first. | D．They plan to do the enjoyable tasks last. |
| A．think faster | B．work more successfully | C．give up more easily | D．worry too much |
| A．Put on some soft music to help think actively. |
| B．Enjoy a favourite ice-cream, and then start writing. |
| C．Search the Internet for enough ideas before starting. |
| D．Pick up a pen and write down possible starting sentences. |
4 . To us, it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains. But in fact the umbrella was not invented as protection against the rain. Its first use was as a sunshade(遮阳伞).
Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient times. Probably the Chinese were the first to use it, back in the 11th century BC.
We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there was a strange thing that connected with its use: it was a symbol of honor and power. In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by those in the upper class or by royal people such as kings or queens.
In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. The umbrella was in common use in ancient Greece, but it is believed that the first people in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against the rain were the ancient Romans. During the Middle Ages in Europe, the use of the umbrella almost disappeared. Then it appeared again in Italy in the late 16th century. And again it became a symbol of power.
The umbrella has not changed much in style during all the time, though it has become much lighter in weight. It wasn’t until the 20th century that the umbrellas for women began to be made in all kinds of colors.
1. Ancient people first used umbrellas as ________.| A．a symbol of honor | B．protection against the sun |
| C．a symbol of power | D．protection against the rain |
| A．Egypt | B．Babylon | C．Rome | D．China |
| A．王室的 | B．富裕的 | C．中产的 | D．平民的 |
| A．the sales of the umbrella | B．the differences among umbrellas |
| C．the invention of the umbrella | D．the history and use of the umbrella |
5 . Recently, many people think it’s risky to use credit (信用) card numbers online. However, from time to time, we all use passwords and ID numbers on the Internet. We think we are safe, but that may not be true! A new kind of attack (攻击) is being used by dishonest people to steal IDs and credit card numbers from web surfers. This new kind of attack is called “phishing”.
Phishing sounds the same as the word “fishing”, and it means that a thief is trying to trick people into giving away valuable information. Like real fishermen, phishers use bait (诱饵) in the form of great online deals or services. For example, phishers might use false emails and websites to trick people into revealing (透露) credit card numbers, account usernames, and passwords. They imitate (模仿) well-known banks, online sellers, and credit card companies. Successful phishers may make as many as 5% of the people believe and give away their personal information.
It’s really a big problem! Actually, tricking 5% of the online population is huge. Now more than 4.6 billion people have access (进入权) to the Internet, and 75% of those Internet users live in the wealthiest countries on Earth. It has been reported that phishers send more than 40 billion false messages each year. Even by tricking only 5% of the people, phishers can make a lot of money.
Amy, 18, from California, received an email. A man told Amy that she could get a million dollars in her account as a reward if she sent a thousand dollars to him. Amy did as the man said at once. The “thief” used Amy’s Social Security number to get credit cards in her name and transferred her money.
How can people avoid being cheated online? Above all, they have to learn to recognize the email that has been sent by a phisher. Always be careful with any email with urgent (紧急的) requests for personal information. Phishers typically write upsetting or exciting, but false, statements in their emails so that people will reply right away. Never give out personal information to phishers. And if an offer sounds too good to be true, it is.
1. Phishing is compared to ________ according to the passage.| A．making money | B．playing games | C．catching fish | D．writing emails |
| A．Giving examples. | B．Listing numbers. | C．Raising questions. | D．Using sayings. |
transfer v. (transferred, transferring)
①to move from one place, school, job etc to another
②to connect the call of someone to someone else’s
③to move money from one account to another
④to change from one bus, plane etc to another
| A．① | B．② | C．③ | D．④ |
| A．help to catch phishers | B．reply to urgent emails |
| C．pay by credit card | D．protect ourselves online |
Today we can do everything with apps: pay bills, order food and shop for anything. Mobile technology means we can hold the world in our hands. However, when it comes to technology and health care, opportunities and challenges come together.
Let’s start with the ways to get health care. Telemedicine can allow a patient to use technology to see the doctor online and get a diagnosis (诊断) and instructions without leaving home.
In addition, there are many patient websites. These allow for different kinds of interactions about our health needs without involving the medical team. Setting a date with doctors and reading lab results are readily achieved by technology.
A whole new age of medical care seems likely (可能的) to come in the future. But every coin has two sides. What might be on the other side of techno-health care?
Firstly, we should think about the health care experience as a whole. A usual visit to a doctor begins with a receptionist (接待员) , who can see and tell how a patient is doing, This may influence the treatment effect. It’s unlikely that a patient website will have such intuition.
Next, sharing the details of one's life requires trust, which takes time to build. This is certainly true in health care, where some of life's best and worst moments involve doctors. The human touch should not be undervalued and is unlikely to be there over the smartphone.
Lastly, test results can be difficult to understand. When someone without a medical degree sees a flagged result with no explanation on the website, there's room for all kinds of stories to form in their minds—and also great worry.
So how does medicine adapt (适应) to the new technology age? Very talented companies are working on it .There is medical equipment(设备) that can be used at home to send necessary signs and heart sounds through telemedicine . It seems likely that some companies will find a way to explain test results.
But what it will not achieve is the warmth of human interaction and touch. Patients often need someone to listen to —and care about—their journey story, which will never be realized through a human-less technology. Technology should be a tool, but depending on it totally will most certainly have unexpected effects. Let's not allow our humanity to be one of them.
1. According to the passage, how does technology help health care?| A．It encourages doctors to voice their needs on the websites |
| B．It offers the patient a convenient way to get a diagnosis |
| C．It improves relations between doctors and patients. |
| D．It provides an opportunity to build a medical team |
| A．an ability to understand | B．an interesting experience |
| C．a chance to win | D．a fair decision |
| A．Patient websites require trust from doctors. |
| B．Talented companies can give medical advice. |
| C．Flagged results may cause worry for patients. |
| D．Medical equipment collects patients’ stories. |
| A．technology can deal with unexpected effects. |
| B．telemedicine can take the place of usual health care. |
| C．it is difficult for patients to adapt to the new technology age. |
| D．techno-health care should take humanity into consideration. |
7 . Can plants talk? Modern research has found something amazing: they do communicate with each other.
It has been known for some time that plants use chemicals to communicate with each other. This happens when a plant gets attacked by insects. The plant gives out chemicals from the leaves that are being eaten. This is like a warning, or a call for help: “I’m being attacked!” When another plant gets the chemicals, it starts to give out its own, different chemicals. Some of these chemicals drive insects away. Others attract the wasps（黄蜂; 蜜蜂）! The wasps kill the insects that are eating the plants. Scientists hope to learn more about this plant warning system, so that we can use it to grow more crops.
More surprisingly, plants also use sound to communicate. People can’t hear these sounds; but plants are making them. Some plants make noises with their roots. Com and chili plants do this. Some trees make clicking noises when there is not enough water.
Most surprisingly of all, plants have an amazing system of communication that can link nearly every plant in a forest. Scientists call this system the “wood wide web” . The wood wide web is linked underground by fungi（霉菌）. It links the roots of different plants to each other. It is in some ways similar to the Internet we use. Using the wood wide web, plants can share information and even food with each other. However, it may lead to bad effects. Plants may use it to steal food from each other, or spread chemicals to attack other plants. Perhaps one day scientists will learn how to create a “firewall” to help prevent these attacks within the wood wide web.
Scientists are learning more every day about the secret ways in which plants talk to each other. Maybe one day we will know enough about plant communication to be able to “talk” with them ourselves.
1. What will plants do when they are attacked by insects?| A．They will kill the insects by themselves. |
| B．They will control the wasps to kill the insects. |
| C．They will send out signals to ask for help. |
| D．They will produce chemicals as a warning or a call for help. |
| A．By making noises with their roots. |
| B．By connecting the roots of different plants to each other. |
| C．By sharing food and information with each other. |
| D．By spreading chemicals to each other. |
| A．To give people hope for further studies. |
| B．To praise scientists for their great achievements. |
| C．To call on people to protect the plants on Earth. |
| D．To inspire people to communicate with plants. |
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
| A．The Secret Language of Plants |
| B．The Study about the Plant Warning System |
| C．The Plants that Give Warnings |
| D．Why Scientists Do Research about Plants |
8 .
Did you know that humans aren’t the only species (物种) that use language? Bees communicate by dancing. Whales talk to each other by singing. And some apes talk to humans by using American Sign Language.
A female gorilla, Koko, was born at the San Francisco Zoo on July 4th, 1971. Koko learned sign language from her trainer, Dr. Penny Patterson. Patterson began teaching sign language to Koko in 1972, when Koko was one year old. Koko must have been a good student, because two years later she moved onto the Stanford University campus with Dr. Patterson. Koko continued to learn on the campus until 1976. That’s when she began living full-time with Patterson’s group, the Gorilla Foundation. Patterson and Koko’s relationship has blossomed ever since.
Dr. Patterson says that Koko has mastered sign language and known over 1,000 words, and that Koko makes up new words. For example, Koko didn’t know the sign for ring, so she signed the words finger and bracelet. Dr. Patterson thinks that this shows meaningful and constructive use of language.
Not everyone agrees with Dr. Patterson. Some argue that apes like Koko do not understand the meaning of what they are doing. Some people who don’t believe that say that these apes are just performing complex tricks (戏法). For example, if Koko points to an apple and signs red or apple, Dr. Patterson will give her an apple. They argue that Koko does not really know what the sign apple means. She only knows that that if she makes the right motion, one which Dr. Patterson has shown her, then she gets an apple. The debate is unresolved, but one thing is for certain: Koko is an extraordinary ape.
It seems like Patterson and Koko have a good relationship, but not everyone agrees with it. Some people believe that Patterson is humanizing the ape. They think that apes should be left in the most natural state possible. Even Dr. Patterson struggles with these feelings. When she was asked if her findings could be duplicated by another group of scientists, she said, “We don’t think that it would be ethical (道德的) to do again.” She went on to argue that animals should not be kept in such unnatural circumstances.
As for the future, Dr. Patterson and the Gorilla Foundation would love to get Koko to an ape preserve (保护区) in Maui, but they are having trouble getting the land. So unless you have a few million dollars to spare, Koko’s going to be spending her time in Woodland, California with Dr. Patterson. Koko probably doesn’t mind that. If she moved to Hawaii, she’d have to give up her Facebook page and Twitter feed, and she’s got like 50 thousand “likes”. Some may deny (否认) that she knows sign language, but nobody says that she doesn’t know social networking.
1. What is the writer’s main purpose in writing the second paragraph?| A．To describe the environment in which Koko lives. |
| B．To tell readers how Dr. Patterson developed Koko’s living skills. |
| C．To advise Patterson to free Koko after she learnt on the campus. |
| D．To make an introduction about Koko and Dr. Patterson’s background. |
| A．Koko has mastered sign language without a doubt. |
| B．Everybody likes how Dr. Patterson has raised Koko. |
| C．Some people think that Koko only signs to get food. |
| D．The Gorilla Foundation has got a land for Koko to stay naturally. |
| A．To disagree with someone. | B．To fool them. |
| C．To copy something. | D．To be disproven through debate. |
| A．Bees, whales, and apes like Koko all use language to communicate. |
| B．Koko uses sign language but some think it’s just a trick. |
| C．It is natural for gorillas to learn sign language like humans. |
| D．If you want a lot of “likes” on Facebook, get a talking gorilla. |
9 . Researchers at China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, a State-owned defense contractor, have developed and made the world’s first robot whale shark（鲸鲨）.
The robotic shark has been on display in an aquarium（水族馆）at Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park since January.
A whale shark is a slow-moving carpet shark and the largest known living fish.
Designed and built by engineers at the Shenyang-based No 111 Factory, the underwater robot is 4.7 meters long, weighs 350 kilograms and can move 42 meters a minute.
Powered by a lithium battery, it can swim, turn, float and dive like a real shark by moving its mechanical fins（鳍）. The mouth and gills（鳃）can also open and close like a shark’s. The biomimetic shark is made of sensors（传感器）, multi-joint fins, batteries, and systems which enable it to avoid what’s in the way in all directions.
“The robot can reach a depth of 10 meters and work for as long as 10 hours,” said Fang Xuelin, a senior researcher in charge of the robot shark program.
“The shark can be remotely controlled and can also swim based on preset programs or its own sensors,” he said.
“We have built multiple kinds of robot fishes, and the robotic whale shark is the largest mechanical fish we have made so far,” Fang added. “Our robots are to serve three purposes—to perform in aquariums for entertainment, spread knowledge about the sea and aquatic（水生的）animals among youngsters, and carry out scientific tasks such as hydrological surveys, underwater photography and environmental inspection.”
“The factory now plans to develop more types of aquatic robots, including some extinct mammals（哺乳动物）, for display in parks and schools. It will also promote the products to businesses engaged in fields such as underwater salvage and mineral prospecting,” he said.
1. The whale shark on display is ________.| A．the world’s first robot | B．the largest living fish |
| C．a 7.4-meter-long shark | D．a robotic shark |
| A．仿生的 | B．虚拟的 | C．杂交的 | D．变异的 |
| A．The shark is the first mechanical fish made at the factory. |
| B．Powered by a lithium battery, the shark can swim without stopping. |
| C．The factory has built multiple kinds of robot fishes including the shark. |
| D．The factory has developed some extinct mammals for display in parks. |
| A．The limits of the aquatic robots. | B．The purposes of the aquatic robots. |
| C．The progress in making aquatic robots. | D．The steps to developing aquatic robots. |
10 . When Leon Martin asked for his parents’ advice on how to become a UX designer (设计师), they both went silent. “In fact, I had no idea what he was talking about,” said Anne, his mother. “I don’t know whether he was talking about designing clothes, computer programs or a fancy brand of bike.”
Even when her 18-year-old son explained that it was something about “behind the scenes” online design, his mother was still a bit lost. “I felt like I had totally failed as a parent,” she said. “My job as a parent is to open doors so my children can achieve their potential (潜力), but now can I do that when I don’t even understand what their dreams are?”
_________ Research has found that more than 2/3 of parents in England are now facing the problem that, when their children express interest in new education and job choices, they may know nothing about them. More than 75% of parents feel it is almost impossible to offer their children good advice in such a fast-changing job market.
Michelle Rea did a survey of over 2,000 parents of secondary school students in England. She found that many parents were afraid their children hardly follow them. “We all know that parents’ opinions and suggestions play an important role in shaping and influencing their children’s career dreams,” she said. “But we usually depend much on our own experiences. And things have changed so much since most of us were at school.”
Bryony Mathew, writer of the Awesome Career Books, said the world was changing so rapidly that parents should not try to decide on certain careers for their children.
1. What should a successful parent be able to do according to Anne?| A．Become a great UX designer. | B．Do an excellent job online. |
| C．Develop their children’s potential. | D．Realize their children’s dreams. |
| A．Anne is not alone. | B．Anne has bad luck. |
| C．This is very strange. | D．This is very interesting. |
| A．Most of the parents in England were facing trouble in accepting new jobs. |
| B．Parents feared that their children would refuse to share their career dreams. |
| C．A lot of parents found it difficult to help their children with their education. |
| D．Children’s career future depend a lot on their parents’ working experiences. |
| A．How can children make career choices? |
| B．How can parents become career advisers? |
| C．Should children take their parents’ career advice? |
| D．Should parents choose a career for their children? |
