1 . Do Dogs Dream?
Unlike cartoon images (图像、影像), real dogs don’t speak and describe their sleep. So you may wonder: do dogs dream like their owners?
A scientific research conducted at MIT found that during sleep, brains of humans and dogs work in a similar manner. When you or your dog first falls asleep, you experience SWS—slow wave(波) sleep—when the brain waves are slow but muscles (肌肉) are still active. Later a deeper stage of sleep happens. This stage is called REM sleep — rapid eye movements sleep. During REM, muscles are more relaxed, but the mind is more active. It was proved that both humans and dogs experience these two stages of the sleep circle. Since we know that humans dream, it is safe to conclude(做出结论) that dogs dream too.
Scientists found that as a dog falls asleep, his breathing becomes deeper and more regular(规则的). After about 20 minutes in REM sleep, dreams usually begin for normal dogs. While dreaming, the dog’s breathing may become weak and irregular, and his eyes move about behind the closed lids (眼睑) as if the dog is looking at something. By comparing brain wave patterns, researchers suggested that during REM, dogs are visualizing (呈现) dream images much like humans do during this stage of sleep.
Besides, it also found that during REM, the sleeping brain operates much like it does when awake, so both man and dogs dream about things that happen during their waking hours. Information gathered during the day is processed at night and may be relived in dreams. So your dog may “sleep run” as he runs after a cat or fetches a ball.
Studies also show that some dogs dream more than others, and the frequency and length of dreams are different according to the age and size of dogs. Young puppies usually experience more dreams than adult dogs. One possible reason is that puppies get huge amounts (数量) of new information daily and have much to process at night. Among dogs of the same age, smaller dogs seem to have more dreams than their bigger friends, but their dreams may last shorter. Dream length and frequency are also related to the amount of sleep required. A dog that has an active day outside may sleep more soundly than usual and experience longer periods of REM sleep, giving him more time to dream.
1. What happens to the dogs during REM sleep?| A．Their muscles stay active. | B．Their dreams take place. |
| C．Their brain waves are slow. | D．Their mind is more relaxed. |
| A．breathes regularly | B．opens the lids |
| C．visualizes images | D．gathers information |
| A．Required. | B．Reviewed. | C．Repaired. | D．Researched. |
| A．Why dogs dream like humans. | B．What bigger dogs dream about. |
| C．Why young puppies have more dreams. | D．What causes the differences of dogs’ dreams. |
Imagine this. There’s an apple and a piece of cake on a table. Which one would you like? The delicious cake or the healthy apple? A bestseller, Willpower Rediscovering Our Greater Strength, suggests that willpower (意志力) is the ability to make decisions that are better for us in the long term, rather than in the short term.
Here is a famous experiment in the book: the marshmallow (棉花糖) test. In 1972, Professor Walter Mischel tested the willpower of 600 four-year-olds to six-year-olds. In the experiment, each child was left alone in a room for fifteen minutes with a marshmallow on a table in front of them. They were given two choices: they could either eat it or, if they waited fifteen minutes, they’d be given a second one and then they could eat both.
So, what did the kids do? Well, as you can imagine, 70% ate the first marshmallow within the fifteen minutes. But the other 30% showed willpower they controlled themselves and waited for the second marshmallow. But then Mischel discovered something really interesting. Twenty years later, he got in touch with the children, who, by then, were in their early twenties. And he found that those who’d shown strong willpower were getting better marks at university and were more popular.
Willpower is like a muscle (肌肉), and the more you exercise it, the stronger it gets. So, if you do daily “self-control exercises”, such as making your bed or brushing your teeth, you’ll improve your overall willpower. And daily willpower exercises will help you with those bigger goals, such as studying for an exam or training for a marathon.
Be careful though. Just like any muscle, your “willpower muscle” can get tired. If you’ve had to do lots of things that require willpower, take a break or give yourself a treat. That way, you’ll build up your willpower again.
And one last thing, the writer mentions people who learn foreign languages usually have a lot of willpower. So, congratulations!
1. From the marshmallow test, we can learn that ______.| A．the kids felt difficult to make choices | B．most of the kids showed weak willpower |
| C．marshmallows could help improve willpower | D．the kids could eat one marshmallow every fifteen minutes |
| A．willpower should be kept practicing without any stop |
| B．willpower can be built up by dealing with difficulties |
| C．strong willpower can help people achieve their goals |
| D．strong willpower can help people make right decisions |
| A．The finding of the experiment. | B．The process of the experiment. |
| C．The purpose of the experiment. | D．The background of the experiment. |
We’ve all felt confused before. The feeling of not knowing what the answers or solutions are can make us feel useless, stupid, and cause us to worry.
People are often likely to think the person who has all of the answers is smarter than the one who asks a lot of questions. As a result, people often try to hide their confusion in different ways. People sometimes act as if they have the answers. At other times, people make guesses or create an answer even if they know it isn’t right.
But confusion might actually be a good thing. When we jump to an answer, we don’t have time to explore (探索) the thing we’re confused about. Instead of paying no attention to your confusion, accepting it and taking the opportunity to think about what’s confusing can benefit our learning. In fact, scientific studies show that confusion actually leads to deeper understanding. A 2004 study explored six moods that people feel while learning, including upset, bored, and confused. They found that students who spent more of the lesson confused learned the most. In another study, scientists tried to confuse students by giving them contradicting (矛盾的) information. Students who expressed confusion during the lesson did better on the final test. Not knowing the answer to a problem gives us space to look at different ways to solve it. The feeling of confusion also encourages us to look more deeply into the problem. In the end, this helps us understand the topic on a deeper level.
Confusion is also important for learning your identity (身份). People find out their identity in two steps. The first step is exploration, where you try out different groups and values and see what fits. The next step is commitment, when you decide firmly (坚定地) about some parts of your identity. You make up your mind that you will act in a way that fits your identity. Exploring your identity can feel very confusing. But a study found, that people who do the most exploring about who they are have better outcomes such as higher self- confidence and self-esteem (自尊) later in life.
So, instead of trying to hide your confusion, try a new method, ask for help, or research different ways to deal with the problem to work through your confusion.
1. Why does a person try to hide his confusion?| A．Because he wants others to make good judgement on him. |
| B．Because he has good ability to guess and create an answer. |
| C．Because hiding his confusion helps him work out a solution. |
| D．Because telling others his confusion will make them confused. |
| A．Good understanding leads to less confusion. |
| B．Confusion can have helpful effect on learning. |
| C．Digging deeply into a problem may cause confusion. |
| D．Confusion prevents the development of self-confidence. |
| A．promise | B．imagination | C．challenge | D．argument |
| A．To call on readers to study confusion on a deeper level. |
| B．To tell readers about the research results on confusion. |
| C．To explain to readers it’s normal to feel confused. |
| D．To encourage readers to clear up their confusion. |
4 . Sometimes it seems that time is flying. Perhaps it doesn’t need to feel this way. Our experience of time can be possibly changed. By understanding the psychological (心理学的) processes behind our different experiences of time, we might be able to slow down time a little.
One basic law of psychological time is that time seems to slow down when we’re exposed(接触) to new environments and experiences. The law is caused by the relationship between our experience of time and the amount of information our minds process. The more information our minds take in, the slower time seems to pass.
It follows, then, that we have different experiences of time in different situations. In some situations, our life is full of new experiences. Our minds process a lot of information and time seems to slow down. In other situations, we have fewer new experiences and the world around us becomes more and more familiar(熟悉的). We become insensitive to our experience, which means we process less information, and time seems to speed up.
How can we slow down time? Here are two suggestions.
Firstly, since we know that familiarity makes time pass faster, we can expose ourselves to as many new experiences as possible. We can give ourselves new challenges, meet new people, and expose our minds to new information, hobbies and skills. This will increase the amount of information our minds process and expand (增加) our experience of time.
Secondly, and perhaps most effectively, we can give our whole attention to an experience-to what we are seeing, feeling, tasting, smelling or hearing. This means living through our senses rather than through our thoughts. For example, on the way home, focus your attention outside of yourself, instead of thinking about the problems you have to deal with. Look at the sky, or at the buildings you pass, traveling among them. This open attitude to your experiences helps take in more information and also has a time-expanding effect.
To a certain degree, we can understand and control our experience of time passing. It’s possible for us to slow down time by expanding our experience of time.
1. According to the writer, we can expand our experience of time by .| A．going to bed on time | B．traveling to new places |
| C．having dinner as usual | D．printing the same materials |
| A．Being familiar with the world around helps us get more information. |
| B．Understanding psychological time makes life pass more quickly. |
| C．We can take in more information by living through our senses. |
| D．We should build a stronger relationship between time and us. |
| A．Slow Down Time | B．Only Time Will Tell |
| C．Race Against Time | D．Time Will Not Come Twice |
5 . The teacher stood before his class of 30 students and was going to hand out the final exam papers. “I know how hard you have all worked to get ready for this test.” he said. “And because I know you are all able to understand these questions. I am ready to offer a B to anyone who would prefer not to take the test.’’
A number of students jumped up to thank the teacher and left the classroom. The teacher looked at the rest students and said. “Does anyone else want to get a B? This is your last chance. ”Two more students decided to go. Seven students stayed. The teacher then handed out the papers. There were only three sentences on the paper： Congratulations! You have received an A in this class. Keep believing in yourself.
I never had a teacher who gave a test like that, but I think that it is a test that any teacher could and should give. Students who do not have confidence in what they have learned are B students at most.
The same is true for students in real life. The A students are those who believe in what they are doing because they have learned from both successes and failures. They have learned life’s lessons whether from school education or from events in their lives, and have become better people. Scientists say that by the age of eight, 80% of what we believe about ourselves has already been formed. You are a big kid now and you realize that you have some limits(局限). However, there is nothing you can’t do or learn to be. Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to reach the top of Mount Qomolangma (珠穆朗玛峰)said, “We do not conquer the mountain, but ourselves.”
1. Some students left the classroom because_____ .| A．they knew the teacher didn’t like them to take the test |
| B．they were allowed to take another easier exam later on |
| C．they were happy with the grade the teacher would give them |
| D．they thought the exam was so easy that they needn’t have a try |
| A．they answered all the questions in the exam correctly |
| B．they believed themselves in what they had learned |
| C．they did really very well in the exam |
| D．they had been working hard for each exam |
| A．发现 | B．控制 | C．探索 | D．征服 |
| A．To know what our limits are． | B．To learn to believe in ourselves． |
| C．To receive school education． | D．To1earn from B students． |
6 . “Fear is good.”
Fear is the bad feeling that one has when he is in danger or when a particular thing frightens him. A German proverb goes, “Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is.” This is absolutely true as fear will often cause people to imagine the worst and act irrationally. In that case, can fear be any good?
Personally, I think a small amount of fear is good and even necessary as it not only acts as a form of control and prevention but also serves to motivate oneself. Nevertheless, being overly fearful is bad as it will severely hamper man’s progress. In this essay, I will discuss how fear can be a double-edged sword, bringing both advantages and disadvantages to man.
Fear is good as it prevents people from doing dangerous acts and prompts them to control and regulate their behavior. Next, fear is good as it is a powerful motivator. For individuals such as students and businessmen, the fear of failure will prompt them to work hard and put in their best effort in their studies and business undertakings. This will lead to results and progress.
Although fear is good, man must keep in mind that too much fear may be harmful to his development. Being overly fearful of the unknown and intangible will prevent people from venturing into areas previously unexplored. For example, in the area of space exploration, Apollo 11 would have never landed the first humans on the moon if they had let fear get in the way of their dream. As the late John F. Kennedy once said, “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” To achieve great feats, man must learn to conquer (战胜) his fear and find the courage to overcome the difficulties that life presents. Only then can the human race continue to make progress and enjoy the sweet smell of success.
In sum, fear is good as it will finally lead to a well-controlled and motivated society. Nevertheless, people must keep in mind that they should not be clouded by fear as it will stop their progress. I believe that a small dose of fear and a good deal of courage will make a great man as such a man will have the spirit to pursue his goals and the sense to act responsibly in the process.
1. The writer mentions Apollo 11 in Paragraph 4 to show that ________.| A．people can overcome fears that life presents |
| B．people should not be overly afraid of the unknown areas |
| C．exploring the space is a good way to overcome fears |
| D．exploration helps us to realize our dreams |
| A．Failure in business can lead to good results. |
| B．Fear can help people learn to behave properly. |
| C．Failure in studies can help the students make great progress. |
| D．Fear of failure in studies can encourage students to study hard. |
| A．To advise us to be neither overly fearful nor completely fearless. |
| B．To explain why a little amount of fear is of benefit to people. |
| C．To introduce the ways of preventing us from being overly fearful. |
| D．To encourage us to overcome fears and act responsibly. |
Social Media, Friends or Enemies?
It’s no surprise that the pressure to stay on social media is a real challenge for today’s teenagers. They spend too much time using QQ, WeChat and other social media. For many teens, social media can become almost addictive. Some teenagers can’t even live a normal life without social media.
According to a study, people who used more than seven social media platforms had more than three times the risk of depression (抑郁症) than people who used two or fewer. Children who overuse social media are likely to show less interest in social activities and experience an increase in loneliness.
Teens often feel emotionally invested (情感投入) in their social media accounts. Not only do they feel pressure to answer quickly online, but they also feel pressure to have perfect photos and posts, which can cause a lot of worries. In fact, some studies have found that the larger a person’s social circle online is, the more worried they will feel about keeping up with everything online.
A British study shows one-fifth of the teens have trouble sleeping at night because of social media use. They “almost always” wake up during the night and log in to social media. In addition to reporting feeling tired all the time, they also reported being less happy on average than teens whose sleep was not affected by social media. Besides, not having enough sleep can lower the immune (免疫的) system and make it more likely for a teen to get sick.
Overuse of social media can lead to jealousy (嫉妒) and envy among teenagers as well. People tend to post only the positive things that they experience, or make light of the bad with funny stories. As a result, another person’s life may look perfect online, but offline they have struggles just like anyone else. It is easy for a teen to play the comparison (比较) game and start thinking that everyone is happier or better offline than he or she is.
Many teens spend so much time online checking messages that they forget to communicate with the people right in front of them. As a result, teens risk having poor relationships in their lives when social media takes center stage.
It is important that parents understand the possible influence that social media has on their kids. For this reason, it is important to set up guides for social media use among kids. It’s also important for families to have regular discussions on how to use social media reasonably and safely. When families pay close attention to the teens’ world of social media, their online world will become much more manageable.
1. The underlined word “addictive” in Paragraph 1 probably means “________”.| A．too enjoyable for them to stop | B．able or likely to harm or kill them |
| C．very useful for gathering information | D．always busy making them healthy |
| A．wonderful social activities | B．bad offline comparisons |
| C．exciting emotion experience | D．serious sleeping problems |
| A．sleep loss affected by social media is both physically and mentally harmful |
| B．social media interaction can work as well as face-to-face communication |
| C．teenagers tend to compare their lives with others in reality and feel better |
| D．the use of social media platforms will lead to depression in teenagers |
| A．To remind us how social media use affects teenagers’ health. |
| B．To explain some researches on the influences of online activities. |
| C．To give us some advice on how to use social media online properly. |
| D．To question if parents should watch and guide kids’ online activities. |
8 . How Smart Is Man’s Best Friend?
We feed them, we let them sleep in our beds, we play with them and we even talk to them. Of course, we love them. Any dog-owner will tell you that their pets (宠物) can understand the world around them. And they’re right. Scientists have found great ways to find out what human’s best friend can do.
The Science of Animal Cognition (认知)
Over the past several years, humans have learnt more about dog cognition with the use of MRI machines to scan dog brains (大脑). In a study done in 2015, Ragen McGowan, a scientist at Nestlé Purina specializing in dog cognition, found that a human’s presence leads to increased blood flow to a dog’s eyes, ears and paws, which means the dog is excited.
McGowan also studied what happened to dogs when they were being petted. We’ve known for some time that for humans, petting a beloved animal can lead to lower rates of stress and worry. Well, it turns out the same is true for dogs. When humans pet dogs for 15 minutes or more, the dog’s heart rate decreases and it becomes less worried.
Another study found that dogs can not only tell the difference between happy and sad human faces, but also respond (回应) differently to them.
As Smart as Children
Dogs, as any dog-owner knows, are highly trainable. Scientists have found that dog intelligence (智商) is similar to that of a two-year-old human child. They also found that dogs could understand up to 250 words and hand signs. Even more surprising, dogs can actually count low numbers (up to five) and even do simple math.
And have you ever experienced the emotions (情绪) of your dog while you’re petting another animal or paying attention to something else? Do you imagine they feel something like human jealousy? Well, there’s science to back this up, too. Studies have found that dogs do, in fact, experience jealousy. Not only that, but dogs do their best to “handle” the thing that’s taking their owner’s attention — and if they have to get the attention back on them, they will.
The studies all make one thing clear: that humans may know much less about dog brains than we previously thought. As time goes on, more and more scientists are becoming interested in animal research, and with each new study done, we find out more about how our beloved pets think.
1. When humans pet their dogs, ________.| A．dogs become shy | B．dogs respond differently |
| C．they both become less worried | D．humans have a higher rate of blood flow |
| A．dogs can increase their heart rate and show excitement |
| B．dogs can be trained to understand words and hand signs |
| C．scientists suggest dogs should experience human jealousy |
| D．humans have learnt enough about what dogs can do, think and feel |
| A．How to treat our dogs well. |
| B．How to train dogs to be smarter. |
| C．An introduction to dog intelligence and emotion. |
| D．The differences between dogs’ abilities and human children’s. |
The Little Boy’s Races
Once in a village lived a little boy named Jacob. He was very athletic and famous for running fast. What’s more, winning a competition was the most important for him. One day, Jacob took part in a running competition held in the village. In the competition, he competed with two other young boys.
As the first race started, the excited crowd waved at Jacob and cried out his name. The boy called on his determination (决心) and strength, and he was the first one who came to the finishing line. The little boy felt proud.
Later the second race was called. Another two young and strong challengers (挑战者) came forward and ran with Jacob. As expected, he finished first again. The crowd became crazy and cried out his name. The little boy felt more satisfied. He started to shout, “Another race! Another race! I bet no one will win against me!”
An old man was watching all this. He stepped forward and with him he presented two new challengers. One was a weak old lady and the other was a blind man. Jacob was quite surprised and asked, “What’s this? This is no race!” The old man replied, “Race!”
When all were set on the starting line, the third race started. In the end, Jacob was the only one to finish that race, leaving two challengers standing at the starting line. The little boy raised his arms in delight. But to his surprise, this time no one from the crowd was cheering and everyone was just looking at him silently. “What happened? Why are people not cheering?” Jacob asked the old man. The old man replied, “Race again but this time finish together with your challengers.”
After thinking for a while, Jacob went to the starting line again and stood in the middle of the old lady and the blind man. The final race began. He took both of them by hand and started to walk slowly. At last they crossed that finishing line. This time at the end of the race, the crowd stood up and warmly applauded for him.
Jacob didn’t understand why the crowd was not cheering for him before but now when all three of them finished the race together. So he asked the old man about it. The wise old man smiled, “Little boy, in this race you have won much more than what you won in any other race. By respecting your rivals (对手), you have won people’s respect.”
1. What’s the most important thing for Jacob before the competition?| A．Being respected by others. | B．Making the crowd very excited. |
| C．Getting strong and healthy. | D．Becoming the winner in games. |
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
| A．Angry. | B．Scared. | C．Confident. | D．Surprised. |
| A．Practice makes perfect. | B．Respecting others comes first. |
| C．Challenges bring us fame. | D．Having confidence is necessary. |
School tests can be stressful. But they might also encourage you to help change the world. Three girls, Kristen, Jenna and Marisa from New York, learned about a growing problem from a reading test they took. The problem is e-waste, short for electronic waste. The girls learned some dangerous chemicals (化学品) in e-waste can harm the environment and people.
Later in the year, they had to come up with an idea for a science project. They remembered the interesting topic from their test. So the girls started a recycling drive to help other students and the community learn about properly recycling e-waste. They called themselves the E-Waste Girls.
“In our town, people recycle paper, plastic and glass, but not electronics. What can we do?” asked Marisa.
“How about asking our friends if they know how to recycle e-waste?” suggested Jenna.
The girls asked their friends, and nobody had heard anything about it. Many of their teachers didn’t know either. So they taught everyone, including their teachers, to learn about properly recycling e-waste. Then they put recycling boxes in the school hall and asked the students to collect old cell phones, radios and other items. When the boxes were full, they sent them to a special recycling center. The recyclers took out the dangerous chemicals and disposed (处理) of them properly, so that they don’t go into the air or the ground or the water.
One big way people can help reduce e-waste is by buying smartly. So the girls strongly suggested considering electronics made with” fewer dangerous chemicals and choosing electronics that will last several years.
The girls’ project also helped them become finalists in the We Can Change the World Challenge, a national student, competition. The E-Waste Girls see a bright future in which projects like theirs will not be needed any more.
1. How did the E-Waste Girls first learn about e-waste?| A．A friend told them about it. | B．Recyclers taught them about it. |
| C．They read about it in a reading test. | D．A teacher talked about it in a science class. |
| A．To set up a recycling center in the town. | B．To take part in a national student competition. |
| C．To encourage people to buy electronics smartly. | D．To teach people how to properly recycle e-waste. |
| A．recycling e-waste is really difficult | B．students can help to change the world |
| C．students should do more science projects | D．competitions bring students a bright future |
