1 . When you ask people to judge others by their speech, a trend emerges: Listeners dislike disfluency. Slow talkers producing loads of ums and pauses(停顿)are generally perceived as less charming. But science tells us there may be even more to disfluency.
Disfluencies do not occur in arbitrary positions in sentences. Ums typically occur right before more difficult or low-frequency words. Imagine you’re having dinner with a friend at a restaurant,and there’re three items on the table: a knife, a glass, and a wine decanter(醒酒器). Your friend turns to you and says, “Could you hand me the...um...” What would you assume they want? Since it’s unlikely that they will hesitate before such common words as knife, and glass, chances are you’ll pick up the decanter and ask, “You mean this?”
This is exactly what we demonstrated through controlled eye-tracking studies in our lab. Apparently, listeners hear the um and predict that an uncommon word is most likely to follow.Such predictions, though, reflect more than just simple association between disfluencies and difficult words; listeners are actively considering from the speaker’s point of view. For example, when hearing a non-native speaker say the same sentence but with a thick foreign accent, listeners don’t show a preference for looking at low-frequency objects. This is probably because listeners assume non-native speakers may have as much trouble coming up with the English word for a common object, like a knife, as for unusual ones and can’t guess their intention.
In another experiment, listeners were presented with an atypical speaker who produced disfluencies before simple words and never before difficult words. Initially, participants displayed the natural predictive strategy: looking at uncommon objects. However, as more time went by, and they gained experience with this atypical distribution of disfluencies, listeners started to demonstrate the contrary predictive behavior: They tended to look at simple objects when hearing the speaker say um.
These findings represent further evidence that the human brain is a prediction machine: We continuously try to predict what will happen next, even though not all disfluencies are created equal.
1. What does the underlined word “arbitrary”mean in paragraph 2?| A．Random. | B．Strategic. | C．Obvious. | D．Consistent |
| A．They can be understood easily. | B．They actively put themselves in others’ shoes |
| C．Their vocabularies are limited. | D．Their disfluencies are a little less predictive. |
| A．Simple things are difficult in some cases. | B．Listeners can adjust predictions accordingly. |
| C．Distribution of disfluencies is changeable. | D．Disfluencies in communication can be avoided. |
| A．Pauses Coexist with Prediction. | B．Brains Are Powerful Prediction Machines. |
| C．Active Listeners Simplify Talks. | D．Disfluency Says More Than You Think. |
2 . Every decision we make is arrived at through hugely complex neurological processing. Although it feels as though you have a choice, the action that you ‘decide’ to take is entirely directed by automatic neural activity. Brain imaging studies show that a person’s action can be predicted by their brain activity up to 10 seconds before they themselves become aware they are going to act. Multiple neuroscientific studies show that even those important decisions that feel worked out are just as automatic as knee-jerk reactions (膝跳反应) (although more complex).
Decision-making starts with the amygdala: a set of two almond-shaped nuclei (杏仁状核) buried deep within the brain, which generate emotion. The amygdala registers the information streaming in through our senses and responds to it in less than a second, sending signals throughout the brain. These produce an urge to run, fight, freeze or grab, according to how the amygdala values various stimuli.
Before we act on the amygdala’s signals, however, the information is usually processed by other brain areas, including some that produce conscious thoughts and emotions. Areas concerned with recognition work out what’s going on, those concerned with memory compare it with previous experiences, and those concerned with reasoning, judging and planning get to work on constructing various action plans. The best plan—if we are lucky—is then selected and carried out. If any of this process goes wrong, we are likely to hesitate, or do something silly.
The various stages of decision-making are marked by different types of brain activity. Fast (gamma)waves, with frequencies of 25 to 100 Hz, produce a keen awareness of the multiple factors that need to be taken into account to arrive at a decision. If you are trying to choose a sandwich, for instance, gamma waves generated in various cells within the ‘taste’ area of the brain bring to mind and compare the taste of ham, hummus, wholemeal, sourdough, and so on. Although it may seem useful to be aware of the full range of choice, too much information makes decision-making more difficult, so irrelevant factors get dismissed quickly and unconsciously.
After this comparison stage, the brain switches to slow-wave activity (12 to 30 Hz). This extinguishes most of the gamma activity, leaving just a single ‘hotspot’ of gamma waves which marks the chosen option.
Although there is no ‘you’ outside your brain to direct what it’s doing, you can help it to make good decisions by placing yourself in a situation which is likely to make the process run more smoothly. Doing something that is physically or mentally stimulating before making a decision will help your brain produce the initial gamma waves that generate awareness of the competing options. Getting over-excited, on the other hand, will prevent the switch to the slow brainwaves, making it much harder to single out a choice.
1. Why does the writer mention “knee-jerk reactions” in the first paragraph?| A．To introduce the finding of the latest brain imaging studies. |
| B．To illustrate that decisions are not consciously thought out. |
| C．To call attention to a kind of neural reaction that is not very complex. |
| D．To show the difference between decision-making and other brain activity. |
| A．It works out conscious thoughts and emotions. |
| B．It selects the best action plan for a given situation. |
| C．It dismisses factors that are irrelevant to the decision to be made. |
| D．It processes sensory information and generates emotional responses. |
| A．Slow-wave activity usually lasts longer than fast-wave activity. |
| B．The brain prioritizes information before settling on a final choice. |
| C．Decision-making is difficult when slow-wave activity occurs first. |
| D．The brain needs as much information as possible to make a decision. |
| A．By preparing the brain to single out the most reasonable choice. |
| B．By helping the brain switch to slow-wave activity more quickly. |
| C．By getting the brain to focus on those most relevant alternatives. |
| D．By making the brain more aware of the factors and choices involved. |
3 . At first, the grains of rice that Ingo Potrykus held in his fingers did not seem at all
For more than a decade Potrykus had
At that point, he tackled an even greater challenge. The golden grains
The debate began the moment genetically engineered crops (GM crops) were first sold in the 1990s, and it has
The hostility is
The benefits did seem small
Many people
| A．typical | B．special | C．local | D．white |
| A．dreamed of | B．come in handy | C．been reminded of | D．broken up |
| A．attempt at | B．effort to | C．resistance to | D．majority of |
| A．But | B．And | C．While | D．Since |
| A．surprise | B．obstacle | C．norm | D．opposition |
| A．achieved | B．stressed | C．overlooked | D．contained |
| A．was caught in | B．was alive with | C．be conscious of | D．was honored by |
| A．announced | B．maintained | C．escalated | D．applied |
| A．brilliant | B．understandable | C．discharged | D．rewarding |
| A．introduced | B．reminded | C．respected | D．overlooked |
| A．toss and turn | B．give and take | C．produce and sell | D．demand and supply |
| A．until | B．after | C．although | D．when |
| A．feature | B．mark | C．build | D．benefit |
| A．worried about | B．ashamed of | C．filled with | D．admired for |
| A．terror | B．misery | C．starvation | D．crisis |
4 . In our information-driven society, shaping our worldview through the media is similar to forming an opinion about someone solely based on a picture of their foot. While the media might not deliberately deceive us, it often fails to provide a comprehensive view of reality.
Consequently, the question arises: Where, then, shall we get our information from if not from the media? Who can we trust? How about experts- people who devote their working lives to understanding their chosen slice of the world? However, even experts can fall prey to the allure of oversimplification, leading to the “single perspective instinct” that hampers (阻碍) our ability to grasp the intricacies (错综复杂) of the world.
Simple ideas can be appealing because they offer a sense of understanding and certainty. And it is easy to take off down a slippery slope, from one attention-grabbing simple idea to a feeling that this idea beautifully explains, or is the beautiful solution for, lots of other things. The world becomes simple that way.
Yet, when we embrace a singular cause or solution for all problems, we risk oversimplifying complex issues. For instance, championing the concept of equality may lead us to view all problems through the lens of inequality and see resource distribution as the sole panacea. However, such rigidity prevents us from seeing the multidimensional nature of challenges and hinders true comprehension of reality. This “single perspective instinct” ultimately clouds our judgment and restricts our capacity to tackle complex issues effectively. Being always in favor of or always against any particular idea makes you blind to information that doesn’t fit your perspective. This is usually a bad approach if you would like to understand reality.
Instead, constantly test your favorite ideas for weaknesses. Be humble about the extent of your expertise. Be curious about new information that doesn’t fit, and information from other fields. And rather than talking only to people who agree with you, or collecting examples that fit your ideas, consult people who contradict you, disagree with you, and put forward different ideas as a great resource for understanding the world. If this means you don’t have time to form so may opinions, so what?
Wouldn’t you rather have few opinions that are right than many that are wrong?
1. What does the underlined word “allure” in Para.2 probably mean?| A．Temptation. | B．Tradition. | C．Convenience. | D．Consequence. |
| A．They meet people’s demand for high efficiency. |
| B．They generate a sense of complete understanding. |
| C．They are raised and supported by multiple experts. |
| D．They reflect the opinions of like-minded individuals. |
| A．Simplifying matters releases energy for human brains. |
| B．Constant tests on our ideas help make up for our weakness. |
| C．A well-founded opinion counts more than many shallow ones. |
| D．People who disagree with us often have comprehensive views. |
| A．Embracing Disagreement: Refusing Overcomplexity |
| B．Simplifying Information: Enhancing Comprehension |
| C．Understanding Differences: Establishing Relationships |
| D．Navigating Complexity: Challenging Oversimplification |
5 . One of the curious things about social networks is the way that some messages, pictures, or ideas can spread like wildfire while others that seem just as catchy or interesting barely register at all.
Before you go deep into the puzzle, consider this: If you measure the height of your male friends, for example, the average is about 170 centimeters. You are 172 and your friends are all about the same height as you are. Indeed, the mathematical concept of “average” is a good way to capture the nature of this data set.
But imagine that one of your friends was much taller than you. This person would dramatically skew the average, which would make your friends taller than you, on average. In this case, the “average” is a poor way to capture this data set.
Exactly this situation occurs on social networks. On average, your coauthors will be cited more often than you, and the people you follow will post more frequently than you, and so on.
Now Lerman from University of Southern California has discovered a related paradox, which they call the majority illusion. They illustrate this illusion with an example. They take 14 nodes linked up to form a small network. They then color three of these nodes and count how many of the remaining nodes link to them in a single step.
In one situation, the uncolored nodes see more than half of their neighbors as colored. This is the majority illusion — the local impression that a specific feature is common when the global truth is entirely different.
So how popular is it in the real world? It’s found out that the majority illusion occurs in almost all network scenarios. “The effect is largest in the political blogs network, where 60% of nodes will have majority active neighbours, even when only 20% of the nodes are truly active,” says Lerman.
It immediately explains many interesting phenomena. For a start, it shows how some content can spread globally while other similar content does not — the key is to start with a small number of well-connected early adopters fooling the rest of the network into thinking it is common. The affected nodes then find it natural to follow the trend. A real spread finally comes into being.
But it is not yet a marketer’s charter. For that, marketers must first identify the popular nodes that can create the majority illusion for the target audience. These influencers must then be persuaded to adopt the desired behavior or product, which is essential to the prospect of the marketing plan.
1. The phrase skew the average in the passage most probably refers to the action of ________.| A．hiding the real average to be unrecognizable to others |
| B．producing an average against the general feature of data |
| C．working out the common feature suggested by the average |
| D．ignoring the average because of the frequency by which it is reviewed |
| A．Majority illusion rarely has impacts except in political blogs field. |
| B．The majority illusion on social networks relies on that people you follow post more than you. |
| C．The essence of successful opinion spread is to initiate the trend with well-connected sharers. |
| D．The spread scale of ideas on networks mainly depends on the quality of content. |
| A．thoroughly understand the concept of majority illusion |
| B．accurately figure out who is the powerful person to affect others |
| C．definitely decide who are the target audience for the promotion |
| D．successfully convince the influencers to practice certain action |
| A．The social network vision that tricks your mind. |
| B．Who is stealing your network identity? |
| C．Minority network opinion spread, curse or blessing? |
| D．Have you been misled during the last political voting? |
6 . “Two centuries ago, Lewis and Clark left St. Louis to explore the new lands acquired in the Louisiana Purchase,” George W. Bush said, announcing his desire for a program to send men and women to Mars. They made that journey in the spirit of discovery. America has ventured forth into space for the same reasons.
Yet there are vital differences between Lewis and Clark’s expedition and a Mars mission. First, they were headed to a place where hundreds of thousands of people were already living. Second, they were certain to discover places and things of immediate value to the new nation. Third, their venture cost next to nothing by today’s standards. A Mars mission may be the single most expensive non-wartime undertaking in U.S. history.
Appealing as the thought of travel to Mars is, it does not mean the journey makes sense, even considering the human calling to explore. And Mars as a destination for people makes absolutely no sense with current technology.
Present systems for getting from Earth’s surface to low-Earth orbit are so fantastically expensive that merely launching the 1,000 tons or so of spacecraft and equipment a Mars mission would require could be accomplished only by cutting health-care benefits, education spending, or other important programs—or by raising taxes. Absent (缺乏)some remarkable discovery, astronauts, geologists, and biologists once on Mars could do little more than analyze rocks and feel awestruck (敬畏的) staring into the sky of another world. Yet rocks can be analyzed by automated probes without risk to human life, and at a tiny portion of the cost of sending people.
It is interesting to note that when President Bush unveiled (公开) his proposal, he listed these recent major achievements of space exploration: pictures of evidence of water on Mars, discovery of more than 100 planets outside our solar system, and study of the soil of Mars. All these accomplishments came from automated probes or automated space telescopes. Bush’s proposal, which calls for reprogramming some of NASA’s present budget into the Mars effort, might actually lead to a reduction in such unmanned science—the one aspect of space exploration that’s working really well.
Rather than spend hundreds of billions of dollars to hurl (投) tons toward Mars using current technology, why not take a decade or two or however much time is required researching new launch systems and advanced propulsion (推进力)? If new launch systems could put weight into orbit affordably, and advanced propulsion could speed up that long, slow transit (运输) to Mars, the dream of stepping onto the red planet might become reality. Mars will still be there when the technology is ready.
1. What do Lewis and Clark’s expedition and a Mars mission have in common?| A．Instant value. | B．Human inhabitance. |
| C．Venture cost. | D．Exploring spirit. |
| A．great achievements have already been made in Mars exploration in America. |
| B．American people’s well-being will suffer a lot if it is carried out. |
| C．its expense is too huge for the government to afford. |
| D．unmanned Mars exploration sounds more practical and economical for the moment. |
| A．Going to Mars using current technology is quite sensible. |
| B．A Mars mission will in turn promote the development of unmanned program. |
| C．Bush’s proposal is based on three recent great achievements of space exploration. |
| D．The achievements in space exploration show how well manned science has developed. |
| A．Risky as it is, a Mars mission helps maintain America’s position as a technological leader. |
| B．A Mars mission is so costly that it may lead to an economic disaster in America. |
| C．Someday people may go to Mars but not until it makes technological sense. |
| D．A Mars mission is unnecessary since the scientists once there won’t make great discoveries. |
7 . On a bright sunny day, I stared my day off by volunteering at the L. A. Food Bank. My reason for volunteering at the food bank was to satisfy my need to help others and leave a
By helping pack food items. I was able to make as significant impact on my community by helping people fight
| A．change | B．message | C．blank | D．chance |
| A．established | B．examined | C．entered | D．equipped |
| A．shabby | B．steady | C．tidy | D．noisy |
| A．check in | B．give up | C．show off | D．move out |
| A．aid | B．duties | C．awards | D．test |
| A．appointed | B．begged | C．forced | D．persuaded |
| A．consumed | B．inspected | C．searched | D．replaced |
| A．abandoned | B．delivered | C．packed | D．explored |
| A．represent | B．shelter | C．deserve | D．contain |
| A．studio | B．factory | C．museum | D．theatre |
| A．bank | B．list | C．step | D．row |
| A．quickly | B．secretly | C．casually | D．anxiously |
| A．burden | B．thought | C．regret | D．interest |
| A．recognize | B．welcome | C．help | D．visit |
| A．focus | B．respect | C．wisdom | D．ambition |
| A．understood | B．counted | C．led | D．heard |
| A．leadership | B．technical | C．social | D．business |
| A．prove | B．discover | C．stress | D．guarantee |
| A．fear | B．loneliness | C．hunger | D．doubt |
| A．direction | B．identity | C．belonging | D．satisfaction |
8 . Language studies traditionally have paid much attention to verbal and written language. But recently they have begun to consider language without
In some
One study showed that 93 percent of the
Nonverbal communication expresses
What is acceptable in one culture may be completely unacceptable in another. In order to correctly
| A．hearing | B．learning | C．words | D．records |
| A．skills | B．behaviors | C．tests | D．measures |
| A．partly | B．independently | C．temporarily | D．frankly |
| A．official | B．native | C．common | D．spoken |
| A．unconsciously | B．secretly | C．uncommonly | D．particularly |
| A．communication | B．question | C．competition | D．description |
| A．guess | B．believe | C．know | D．help |
| A．debate on | B．regard to | C．forget about | D．deal with |
| A．started | B．continued | C．required | D．stopped |
| A．patience | B．reflection | C．attention | D．silence |
| A．body | B．impression | C．message | D．decision |
| A．life | B．voice | C．respect | D．music |
| A．appropriate | B．desirable | C．apparent | D．vital |
| A．meaning | B．purpose | C．value | D．truth |
| A．positive | B．practical | C．different | D．similar |
| A．confusion | B．inspiration | C．suggestion | D．depression |
| A．remain | B．exist | C．return | D．flow |
| A．disappears | B．matches | C．delays | D．varies |
| A．affection | B．courage | C．aggression | D．modesty |
| A．make | B．direct | C．interpret | D．establish |
9 . It seemed interesting that on the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s departure for France, the Indian and French governments issued similar statements on the prospects of an agreement on the purchase of the Rafale aircraft: that no single deal should be allowed to overshadow the Prime Minister’s visit. Indeed, India-France relations are much bigger than any one contract; they represent the cultural affinityl (密切关系) and historic relations between two vibrant (醒目的) democracies. The items on the Prime Minister’s agenda reflected the range of commonalities — from the preservation of ancient architecture to the development of Puducherry and Chandigarh as smart cities; from the construction of semi-high-speed railway lines to cooperation on a space mission to Mars; from discussing anti-terror training to tackling climate change through renewable technologies and a robust nuclear partnership. The economic aspect of the relationship has been ignored for too long. Although more than a thousand French companies have a total investment of about $20 billion in India, bilateral trade is worth just $8 billion. While all this deserved attention, it was disappointing that the Prime Minister put the spotlight back on defence ties by making a surprise announcement on the purchase of 36 Rafale aircraft as the highlight of his talks with President Francois Hollande. If the outright purchase was a crucial military necessity, it could have been discussed a few weeks before or after the visit, as a political push for the deal was secondary to the technical specifications and delivery requirements. Moreover, the deal, which involves purchasing products off the shelf abroad, detracts from Mr. Modi’s “Make in India” initiative (主动性).
The breakthrough on the Areva nuclear equipment deal, on the other hand, shows the positive outcome of Mr. Modi’s and Mr. Hollande’s political push, combined with a “Make in India” twist. As in the case of Indo-U.S. nuclear negotiations, Mr. Modi and Mr. Hollande decided to clear the logjam by splitting the problem into different silos — allowing for separate mechanisms for the pricing issues and for the technical and legal aspects. The supplementary deal involving Areva and L&T producing heavy forging metal casing for nuclear reactors is an important step in localising some of the expensive parts. During his visit to Canada, where he hopes to sign a deal for uranium supplies, Mr. Modi means to take forward his plan to increase nuclear energy production. Given this objective, it may be useful for him to round off the visit by discussing his nuclear energy plans in Germany as well, which is now winding down on nuclear power but is at the cutting edge of nuclear safety research for the European Pressurised Reactors that are being considered for India.
1. Which of the following got the whole attention other than many important deals?| A．Cooperation on a space mission to Mars. | B．Anti-terror training. |
| C．Purchase of Rafale Fighters. | D．General VK Singh’s remark on the Press. |
| A．Preservation of ancient architecture. |
| B．Development of Puducherry and Chandigarh as smart cities. |
| C．Construction of semi-high-speed railway lines. |
| D．All of the above. |
| A．The Big Deal | B．Modi’s Success | C．Modi’s tour to France | D．Rafale and beyond |
| A．A long traffic jam during Prime Minister Modi’s visit. |
| B．A state of mind where you cannot decide what to do. |
| C．A situation that seems like unable to be settled. |
| D．A place from where The French President used to work. |
10 . If you order a Burger King Stacker Quad,you'll be served with a hamburger with no trace of any vegetable in it,a fact boasted about in the TV ads that accompanied the launch of the product in the United States.The Stacker Quad may be extraordinary, but it is far from
The industry's
Denny Marie Post,from Burger King, admits that the fast-food industry vastly
| A．strange | B．true | C．unique | D．simple |
| A．emphasize | B．ignore | C．contain | D．promote |
| A．explaining | B．concluding | C．predicting | D．recalling |
| A．attitude | B．solution | C．resistance | D．availability |
| A．kept it to | B．put it on | C．made it into | D．took it off |
| A．lied | B．tried | C．ate | D．stopped |
| A．promise | B．mistake | C．behaviour | D．greed |
| A．thanks to | B．in spite of | C．ahead of | D．in addition to |
| A．Sure enough | B．Above all | C．After all | D．In conclusion |
| A．overlooked | B．overestimated | C．overcorrected | D．overcame |
| A．desire | B．craze | C．confusion | D．action |
| A．share | B．remaining | C．word | D．fill |
| A．smaller | B．bigger | C．newer | D．older |
| A．phenomenon | B．consequence | C．procedure | D．concept |
| A．demand | B．count | C．consume | D．store |
