1 . Which comes first, happiness or money? Are richer people happier ? And
The study
The researchers(研究者), from University College London and the University of Warwick, say that very depressed(沮丧的) teens, no matter how tall or smart they were, earned 10% less than their peers(同龄人),
Happier teenagers have an easier time
A report in June suggested that professional(职业的) respect(尊重) was more important than
If it is really true that happier kids
A.if not | B.if so | C.if any | D.if ever |
A.looked around | B.looked into | C.looked out | D.looked through |
A.apologised | B.acquired | C.attended | D.tended |
A.turned | B.grew | C.went | D.got |
A.powerful | B.confident | C.delighted | D.depressed |
A.while | B.when | C.as | D.though |
A.right now | B.up to | C.right away | D.down to |
A.getting off | B.getting through | C.getting out | D.getting on |
A.simply | B.just | C.chiefly | D.only |
A.jobs | B.dollars | C.friends | D.parents |
A.gene | B.brand | C.character | D.nature |
A.the best | B.the different | C.the same | D.the most |
A.come up | B.end up | C.take up | D.turn up |
A.first of all | B.for all | C.at all | D.after all |
A.exists in | B.contributes to | C.results from | D.relies on |
2 . We all experience “oh crap” moments. Running into the person you canceled a date with — while you’re on another date. Realizing you hit “reply all”on an e-mail that you’d do anything to have back. Whatever the situation, the first thing you probably do is freak out. Everybody does.
While many of us think that we’re cool in a crisis, science tells us that we seldom are. At the moment we need to be keenly aware of our surroundings, our attention can tunnel in on the scariest thing in the scene, leaving us unaware of the other sights, sounds, and even smells around us. Armed robbers go unidentified because witnesses remember little more than the guns. Our ability to remember the things we do notice also becomes compromised; we can be told something, and two seconds later we’ll forget. And we jump to conclusions. When we’re freaked out, we’re anything but at our best.
These normal human reactions can be reversed. Once you calm down, you’ll face the most routinely ignored challenge of any crisis situation — identifying what the crisis is really about. We tend to misdiagnose problems because we don’t practice for them. Do the thinking ahead of time so you can just find the solution when it’s showtime. This is why flight attendants suggest you find the closest exit before you depart — so you don’t have to go exit shopping after the plane has caught fire or is sinking into a river.
Performing in a crisis is becoming more important for all of us, for two reasons. Back in the good old days, the reliability of most anything we used or did was far less than it is today. Now think about what happens to our preparedness as the possibility of something bad happening shrinks. Unless we practice what hardly ever happens, our ability to respond when it does happen tends to slip away. Reliability can kill you. Also, the systems we use today are more complex. There are seldom moving parts in plain view that allow us to see when things are about to go wrong. When complex systems lack transparency (透明度,显而易见), serious situations can “come out of nowhere.” We should all learn to breathe, recognize the situation, and carry out the plan that we were smart enough to prepare well in advance.
1. What does the underlined phrase “freak out” mean?A.Be at one’s best. | B.Calm down gradually. |
C.Run away immediately. | D.Panic or be scared. |
A.Because the witnesses jump to conclusions. |
B.Because the witnesses focus on their scariest thing. |
C.Because the witnesses forget what they have been told. |
D.Because the witnesses are keenly aware of the surroundings. |
A.Because of less reliability and less complexity. |
B.Because of more reliability and more complexity. |
C.Because of worse transparency and less preparedness. |
D.Because of better transparency and more preparedness. |
A.Taking a deep breath and dialing 119. |
B.Staying cool and ignoring the challenge. |
C.Calming down and remembering the situation. |
D.Performing escaping and rescuing beforehand. |
3 . It’s late in the evening, time to close the book and turn off the computer. You’re done for the day. What you may not realize, however, is that the learning process actually continues in your dreams.
It might sound like science fiction, but researchers are increasingly focusing on the relationship between the knowledge and skills our brains absorb during the day and the often strange imaginings they generate at night. Scientists have found that dreaming about a task we’ve learned improves performance in that activity (suggesting that there’s some truth to the popular idea that we’re “getting” a foreign language once we begin dreaming in it). What’s more, dreaming may be an essential part of understanding, organizing and retaining what we learn.
While we sleep, research indicates, the brain replays the patterns of activity it experienced during waking hours, allowing us to enter what one psychologist calls a neural (神经的) virtual reality. A vivid example of such replay can be seen in a video researchers made recently about sleep disorders. They taught a series of dance moves to patients suffering from sleepwalking and related conditions. They then videotaped the subjects as they slept. Lying in bed, eyes closed, one female patient on the tape performs the dance moves she learned earlier.
This shows that while our bodies are at rest, our brains are drawing what’s important from the information and events we’ve recently encountered, then integrating that material into the vast store of what we already know. In a 2010 study, researchers reported that college students who dreamed about a computer maze (迷宫) task they had learned showed a 10-fold improvement in their ability to find their way through the maze compared with participants who did not dream about the task.
That study’s chief researcher Herbert Smith suggested that studying right before bedtime or taking a nap following a study session in the afternoon might increase the probability of dreaming about the material. Think about that as you go to sleep tonight.
1. What happens when one enters a dream state?A.The body continues to act as if the sleeper were awake. |
B.The neural activity of the brain will become intensified. |
C.The brain once again experiences the learning activities of the day. |
D.The brain behaves as if it were playing a virtual reality video game. |
A.It replaces old information with new material. |
B.It processes and absorbs newly acquired information. |
C.It regroups information and places it in different files. |
D.It systematizes all the information collected during the day. |
A.Staying up late before finally going to bed. |
B.Having a period of sleep right after studying. |
C.Having a dream about anything you are interested in. |
D.Thinking about the chances of dreaming about the material. |
A.How study affects people’s dreams. |
B.Why people learn more after sleeping. |
C.What time students should study and sleep. |
D.How dreaming may lead to improved learning outcomes. |
4 . The way Jason Momoa describes Hawaii’s beloved inactive volcano, Mauna Kea, makes you understand why it’s considered sacred(神圣的).
"It’s kind of the umbilical cord(脐带) to earth," the actor tells CNN. "You know, if you think about the Hawaiian islands, that’s the biggest mountain in the world, right? All the way up. So Mauna Kea is the most sacred. We call it the belly button, too. That’s like our birthplace. That’s how our islands were formed. So how can that not be sacred?"
He would know. Jason, a native of Hawaii, has had a near-constant presence there when he’s not working, fighting with local protestors to stop the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope, or TMT, which would drill directly into the mountain and invade its precious water supply. So far, protestors have successfully blocked the only road crews seeking to go up the mountain in order to build the billion-dollar observatory.
"It started in 2015. What’s happening over there was just not right," Jason says. "And I went over there to meet with everyone to bring the point to the world." Jason joins the protests when he can. He cared so deeply about the preservation of the land that when he had spare time to lend his support, he was there. "You also have to remember, that’s our water source. So having an 18-story building built on top of the tallest mountain from the sea level on our water level is terrible."
The Game of Thrones star says he feels the movement is working and describing his part in it as a calling to do what he feels right in his soul. "There’s massive progress that’s bringing our people together," he says, adding, "I think there are a lot of problems in Hawaii. There are a lot of things that have happened in our history, a lot of injustice, and so we’re shining a light on it. People like myself or Dwayne Johnson, Bruno Mars are trying to spread the concern all around the world. For my soul I need to be there."
1. Why is Mauna Kea sacred according to Jason?
A.It’s still growing upwards. | B.It looks like the belly button. |
C.It’s the birthplace of Humans. | D.It brings the islands into being. |
A.The project of building TMT. | B.The event of blocking the road crews. |
C.The shooting of Game of Thrones. | D.The movement of preserving the land. |
A.Bringing Hawaiian people together. | B.Witnessing the history of Hawaii. |
C.Bringing Hawaii problems into focus. | D.Making Mauna Kea better-known. |
A.Travel. | B.Celebrity. |
C.Culture. | D.Technology. |
It’s common knowledge that the woman in Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous painting seems to look back at observers, following them with her eyes no matter where they stand in the room. But this common knowledge turns out wrong.
A new study finds that the woman in the painting is actually looking out at an angle that’s 15. 4 degrees off to the observer’s right-well outside of the range that people normally believe when they think someone is looking right at them. In other words, said the study author, Horstmann, “She’s not looking at you. “ This is somewhat ironic, because the entire phenomenon of a person’s gaze (凝视) in a photograph or painting seeming to follow the viewer is called the “Mona Lisa effect” . That effect is absolutely real, Horstmann said. If a person is illustrated or photographed looking straight ahead, even people viewing the portrait from an angle will feel they are being looked at. As long as the angle of the person’s gaze is no more than about 5 degrees off to either side, the Mona Lisa effect occurs.
This is important for human interaction with on-screen characters. If you want someone off to the right side of a room to feel that a person on-screen is looking at him or her, you don’t cut the gaze of the character to that side-surprisingly, doing so would make an observer feel like the character isn’t looking at anyone in the room at all. Instead, you keep the gaze straight ahead.
Horstmann and his co-author were studying this effect for its application in the creation of artificial-intelligence avatars(虚拟头像) when Horstmann took a long look at the “Mona Lisa” and realized she wasn’t looking at him.
To make sure it wasn’t just him, the researchers asked 24 people to view images of the “Mona Lisa” on a computer screen. They set a ruler between the viewer and the screen and asked the participants to note which number on the ruler intersected(和……相交) Mona Lisa’s gaze. To calculate the angle of Mona Lisa’s gaze as she looked at the viewer, they moved the ruler farther from or closer to the screen during the study. Consistently, the researchers found, participants judged that the woman in the “Mona Lisa” portrait was not looking straight at them, but slightly off to their right.
So why do people repeat the belief that her eyes seem to follow the viewer? Horstmann isn’t sure. It’s possible, he said, that people have the desire to be looked at, so they think the woman is looking straight at them. Or maybe the people who first coined the term “Mona Lisa effect” just thought it was a cool name.
1. It is generally believed that the woman in the painting “Mona Lisa”___________.A.attracts the viewers to look back |
B.seems mysterious because of her eyes |
C.fixes her eyes on the back of the viewers |
D.looks at the viewers wherever they stand |
A. | B. | C. | D. |
A.confirm Horstmann’s belief |
B.create artificial-intelligence avatars |
C.calculate the angle of Mona Lisa’s gaze |
D.explain how the Mona Lisa effect can be applied |
A.Horstmann thinks it’s cool to coin the term “Mona Lisa effect”. |
B.The Mona Lisa effect contributes to the creation of artificial intelligence. |
C.Feeling being gazed at by Mona Lisa may be caused by the desire for attention. |
D.The position of the ruler in the experiment will influence the viewers’ judgement. |
6 . Rishi Sharma, a young man, is living his life differently. When he was a kid, Sharma was
One day, Sharma came across the information that Lyle Bouck, a WWII hero, was living quite near his home.
Since graduation from high school, Sharma has made it his
For each veteran
Sharma tried to meet at least one WWII veteran every day until the last of them
A.adopted | B.selected | C.attracted | D.trained |
A.looked into | B.ran into | C.commented on | D.fought in |
A.shoot | B.escape | C.load | D.remove |
A.aware | B.worried | C.shocked | D.grateful |
A.consult | B.encourage | C.visit | D.praise |
A.Eventually | B.Immediately | C.Suddenly | D.Naturally |
A.number | B.file | C.address | D.schedule |
A.imagined | B.considered | C.denied | D.began |
A.lesson | B.duty | C.profession | D.challenge |
A.argues | B.declares | C.hopes | D.figures |
A.putting off | B.searching for | C.giving away | D.preparing for |
A.introduce | B.refer | C.recommend | D.devote |
A.helped | B.admired | C.interviewed | D.appointed |
A.intention | B.curiosity | C.refusal | D.anxiety |
A.However | B.Therefore | C.Otherwise | D.Besides |
A.satisfied | B.willing | C.afraid | D.confident |
A.showed up | B.set off | C.got away | D.passed away |
A.sell | B.design | C.preserve | D.assess |
A.turned | B.brought | C.broken | D.taken |
A.video | B.office | C.research | D.computer |
7 . One British school is finding that allowing children to listen to music or even to have the TV on while studying is helping improve grades.
According to the research of Millfield preschool, around 20% of youngsters
The research has advised the school to adopt a complete
”I
A.Then | B.Next time | C.Before long | D.In case |
A.take | B.allow | C.form | D.try |
A.Rather than | B.Except for | C.In place of | D.In spite of |
A.causing | B.advising | C.ordering | D.permitting |
A.quickly | B.carefully | C.quietly | D.attentively |
A.way | B.atmosphere | C.method | D.means |
A.everything | B.anything | C.nothing | D.something |
A.progress | B.relax | C.think | D.work |
A.break out | B.break down | C.break up | D.break in |
A.faster | B.better | C.deeper | D.worse |
A.new | B.special | C.common | D.interesting |
A.interests | B.affects | C.suits | D.improves |
A.still | B.perhaps | C.almost | D.even |
A.Puzzled | B.Doubtful | C.Angry | D.Unpleased |
A.move | B.suggestion | C.research | D.problem |
A.school | B.class | C.home | D.last |
A.while | B.when | C.as | D.with |
A.continue | B.hope | C.hate | D.prefer |
A.teacher | B.classmate | C.friend | D.neighbor |
A.refused | B.agreed | C.stopped | D.blamed |
8 . The structure in organizations has changed. It has transformed from a boss to a leader being at the top and from method directing to cooperation,
Let's not get personal about any person or connect this to any
A friend of mine, who holds the
While we are
Encourage new talents and
A.so | B.otherwise | C.yet | D.while |
A.organization | B.method | C.cooperation | D.transformation |
A.unusual | B.ordinary | C.common | D.particular |
A.behavioral | B.online | C.popular | D.personal |
A.oppose | B.contain | C.promote | D.lack |
A.leaders | B.writers | C.employers | D.readers |
A.precisely | B.barely | C.merely | D.thoroughly |
A.stop | B.hope | C.hesitate | D.regret |
A.name | B.title | C.faith | D.honor |
A.for lack of | B.on account of | C.in need of | D.with regard to |
A.confused | B.astonished | C.dissatisfied | D.annoyed |
A.team | B.level | C.habit | D.reputation |
A.superior | B.different | C.average | D.junior |
A.pressing | B.missing | C.skipping | D.considering |
A.congratulations | B.suggestions | C.opinions | D.remarks |
A.changes | B.requires | C.proves | D.means |
A.intended for | B.replaced by | C.judged by | D.buried in |
A.even | B.just | C.ever | D.still |
A.know | B.motivate | C.demand | D.observe |
A.represent | B.like | C.show | D.notice |
9 . Children remain"bundles of joy" all over the world. We love their innocence and their need is our command. But have you ever been
A good lady friend of mine, a school teacher, had
No one was able to
This
A.exposed | B.devoted | C.committed | D.attracted |
A.saved | B.missed | C.lost | D.deserted |
A.typical | B.happy | C.simple | D.hard |
A.stop | B.encourage | C.comfort | D.support |
A.refused | B.preferred | C.tended | D.liked |
A.whispered | B.complained | C.sang | D.cried |
A.colleagues | B.family | C.leaders | D.friends |
A.pleasing | B.depressing | C.disappointing | D.puzzling |
A.noble-minded | B.open-minded | C.warm-hearted | D.white-haired |
A.advised | B.begged | C.forced | D.allowed |
A.nature | B.attraction | C.crowd | D.company |
A.appreciating | B.attending | C.joining | D.helping |
A.surprised | B.satisfied | C.moved | D.encouraged |
A.curiosity | B.stress | C.life | D.sense |
A.consequence | B.purpose | C.course | D.secret |
A.honor | B.victory | C.credit | D.blame |
A.incident | B.phenomenon | C.accident | D.tragedy |
A.description | B.theory | C.conclusion | D.progress |
A.expected | B.realized | C.confirmed | D.suggested |
A.actually | B.naturally | C.commonly | D.especially |
10 . Ecology is a complicated thing. Given the facts that elephant damage often kills trees and bush fires often kill trees, it would be
One common way in which elephants harm trees is by stripping(剥) them of their bark(树皮). Dr Wigley, who did indeed start from the obvious
The researchers also found something else when they were measuring the trees’ wounds: ants. Ten of the 20 trees in the fire-prevention zone developed ant colonies in their wounds. The ants in question were a species that is known to damage trees and is supposed to
A.difficult | B.reasonable | C.necessary | D.awful |
A.however | B.therefore | C.furthermore | D.somehow |
A.uniquely | B.barely | C.actually | D.merely |
A.phenomenon | B.evidence | C.imagination | D.assumption |
A.equally | B.regularly | C.severely | D.purposely |
A.burnt with | B.protected from | C.covered by | D.exposed to |
A.participants | B.partners | C.victims | D.friends |
A.mark | B.remove | C.hit | D.measure |
A.regulated | B.checked | C.healed | D.monitored |
A.disappointment | B.surprise | C.joy | D.relief |
A.vitality | B.height | C.bark | D.strength |
A.controlled | B.prevented | C.started | D.boosted |
A.disturb | B.promote | C.impact | D.quicken |
A.therefore | B.nevertheless | C.then | D.otherwise |
A.beneficial | B.unbelievable | C.effective | D.cruel |