1 . Scientists have not found any signs of life on Mars yet,but they say a robotic vehicle called “Curiosity” is helping them learn a lot about the planet’s history and climate.
Curiosity landed on Mars in August 2012 after travelling through space for more than eight months.It was sent to Mars by scientists from NASA in the United States.
Curiosity is about the size of a car and has six wheels.It also has a robotic arm,cameras,and instruments that allow it to examine things it finds on the surface.Then it sends the information back to the earth.
Curiosity’s main task is to find out if anything could live on Mars,either now or in the past.On Nov.2,NASA scientists held a press conference (新闻发布会) to discuss what Curiosity had found in its first two months on Mars.
Curiosity has found soil that is similar to the sand formed by volcanoes (火山) on the earth.Scientists say that studying the minerals in Martian soil will help them understand what conditions were like on the planet in the past.Curiosity also found smooth stones like the ones found on river beds and seashores on the earth,where their rough edges have been worn down by water.Mars is very cold and dry now,but scientists say the smooth stones tell them that a river used to run through the place where they were found.
Curiosity has been testing the atmosphere around Mars for a type of gas called methane (甲烷),but so far it has not found any.On the earth,most methane is produced by plants or animals.Methane on Mars might indicate that some type of tiny plants or animals lived there.
Curiosity is the fourth robotic vehicle to be sent to Mars.It will continue to explore the planet for about two years.
1. Which of the following descriptions about Curiosity is TRUE?| A．It landed on Mars in January 2012. |
| B．It is small in size and has four arms. |
| C．It took over eight months to arrive in Mars. |
| D．It was sent to Mars by scientists from Russia. |
| A．there’s no air on Mars | B．Mars is warm and wet now |
| C．the soil on Mars is rich | D．there used to be water on Mars |
| A．smooth stones | B．rivers |
| C．robotic vehicles | D．volcanoes |
| A．some tiny animals once lived on Mars |
| B．there are no plants or animals on Mars now |
| C．the atmosphere around Mars is full of methane |
| D．Curiosity is designed to test the atmosphere around the earth |
| A．Humans benefit a lot by going to Mars. |
| B．Scientists will stop the research on Mars soon. |
| C．It is possible to build an earth-like environment on Mars. |
| D．A robotic vehicle helps scientists get useful information from Mars. |
2 . SHOULD WE FIGHT NEW TECHNOLOGY?
This morning, I saw the shocking headline: “Passenger Dies When Car Crashes in Driverless Mode”.In the article, a lot of people said that the public should oppose the idea of developing driverless cars.They said that some advances in technology were unnecessary and could even be dangerous.Hence, we should cease accepting technology just because it is new.The newspaper reported that the car company had already apologized for the accident, but the families of the deceased said it was not enough.Nevertheless, the company still claimed that most people would be travelling in driverless cars one day soon.
On the one hand, there are many different groups of people around the world who live happily in the absence of new technology.Probably the most well known are the Amish, a group of Christians living in rural America.They do not own or drive cars, watch TV, or use the Internet.They have lived mainly as farmers since the 18th century, and they will probably be living the same way in the distant future.They advocate a simple life with an emphasis on hard work, family, and community.They think that is better than caring about luxuries or following the lives of the rich and famous.It could even be argued that the Amish’s quality of life is better since they live in and appreciate the natural environment rather than living in large, polluted cities.
On the other hand, new technology has provided people everywhere with many benefits over the years.For example, the latest weather-tracking computer programs give people lots of warnings about potential natural disasters, which saves many lives.Moreover, the Internet has made it possible for friends and family to keep in touch easily even if they are on opposite sides of the world.It has also made finding opportunities in life much easier, as it allows people to make larger networks of friends through using social media.
Personally, I have benefited quite a lot from technological advances.I found my career as an AI designer through a social media network.My health monitor, which I wear all the time, has also helped me get into the best shape of my life.Of course, when new technology changes the way we live, it can be a scary prospect.Nevertheless, I will always look on the positive side of change and accept it rather than resist it.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?| A．A person died in an accident while driving his brand-new car. |
| B．The relatives of the victim would never accept the apology. |
| C．Many people took a negative attitude to this new technology. |
| D．The company was very concerned about the future of this new technology. |
| A．To persuade us to follow their natural living style. |
| B．To tell us the Amish prefer a harmonious and peaceful life. |
| C．To prove people can still live better without new technology. |
| D．To advocate a simple life with family and community by hard work. |
| A．Monitoring people’s physical health. |
| B．Providing chances in life more easily. |
| C．Predicting the earthquake and tsunami. |
| D．Helping people contact each other easily. |
| A．resistance | B．future | C．advance | D．positivity |
| A．The author wanted to praise the advantages of new technology. |
| B．The author wanted to show his supportive idea of new technology. |
| C．The author wanted to criticize the disadvantages of new technology. |
| D．The author wanted to arouse people’s concern about new technology. |
3 . An Epidemic (流行病) of Depression? Seligman is leading the charge in what might be called Happiness Revolution in psychology.Since World War II, psychologists have focused on fixing what is broken---repairing psycholosis(精神病), and neurosis(神经衰弱).Research has piles up steadily when it comes to looking at patients who are neurotic, while the happy or joyful people among us have received little scientific examination.
When Seligman did a search to find academic articles about such “positive psychology” he found only 800 out of 70,000.“Psychologists tend to be concerned with taking a negative 8 person, and helping him get to negative 2,” said Seligman, a University of Pennsylvania psychology professor.“My aim is to take a plus 2 person and boost him to a plus 6.”
In the last 50 years, statistics have shown that we are less happy as a people.“While our quality of life has increased dramatically over that time, and we’ve become richer, we’re in an epidemic of depression,” Seligman said.“Depression is 10 times more common now, and life satisfaction rates are down as well.” Seligman argues that the new science he writes about is shifting psychology’s model away from its narrow-minded focus on pathology(病理学), victimology, and mental illness towards positive emotion, virtue and strength, and positive institutions that increase people’s happiness.If you want to be happy, forget about winning the lottery, getting a nose job, or securing a raise.In his new book, Authentic Happiness, psychologist Martin Seligman argues that overall lifetime happiness is not the result of good genes, money, or even luck.Instead, he says we can boost our own happiness by making use of the strengths and traits that we already have, including kindness, originality, humor, optimism, and generosity.He has named the discipline “Positive Psychology,” arguing that we would be better off building on our own strengths rather than bemoaning, and hence, trying to repair, our weakness.By frequently calling upon their strengths, people can build up natural barriers against misfortune and negative emotions, he said.
To cultivate happiness, we must first find out our individual strengths and virtues.Next, apply the qualities in such a way as to enhance our happiness-generating system.
1. Why could Seligman’s work be called Happiness Revolution?| A．Because happy or joyful people among us also suffer from illness. |
| B．Because psychology is the emotional characteristic of an individual. |
| C．Because psychology is the science that deals with mental processes and behavior. |
| D．Because traditional research on psychology rarely concerns happy or joyful people. |
| A．We should focus on happy or joyful people. |
| B．The number of happy or joyful people will increase by 4. |
| C．“Positive psychology” articles need to be published more. |
| D．Happy people among us also need improve their mentality. |
| A．encouraging | B．optimistic | C．subjective | D．narrow-minded |
| A．good genes, money or luck |
| B．positive mental status |
| C．contented life. |
| D．a good job. |
| A．promotion leads to true happiness. |
| B．We rely on our strengths for happiness. |
| C．Intelligent people are usually more satisfied. |
| D．Mental illness should be the focus of psychology. |
| A．how we can cultivate our happiness. |
| B．why material goods can’t boost people. |
| C．why we should cultivate our happiness. |
| D．how complicated our happiness-generation system is. |
4 . Studying a subject that you feel pointless is never a fun or easy task. If you're studying history, asking yourself the question "why is history important "is a very good first step. History is an essential part of human civilization. You will find something here that will arouse your interest, or get you thinking about the significance of history.
History grounds us in our roots. History is an important and interesting field of study, and learning the history of our home country can give us a deeper, more meaningful glimpse（一瞥）into our ancestral pasts, and how we got to where we are today. Many people feel like they need a sense of cultural belonging, which is something that studying your roots and being open-minded to the evolution of your culture can provide.
History enriches our experience. Reading history is an amazing experience because it enables us to reflect on the social and economic life of the people living long time ago. According to the experts, problems faced by people regardless of the past and present are the same. With the information about the ancestors, one can become more experienced in handling challenges of life.
History makes us more empathetic（具有共情能力的）, Studying history can give us insight （洞察力）into why our culture does certain things, and how the past has shaped it into what we know now. It also provides a rather strong foundation for empathy across cultures. Fear and hate for others is usually caused by ignorance （无知）. We're scared of the things that we don't understand. History has the potential to break down those boundaries by offering us insight into entire worlds that would otherwise be foreign to us.
History can inspire us to learn more. what's fantastic about history is the way it broadens our horizons. It's almost impossible to learn about one historical period without having dozens of questions about related concepts. Study the 19th century England, and you might catch a glimpse of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist. Look up Charles Dickens, and you might learn a thing or two about realism. Or maybe you end up switching your attention away from novels, and discover the history of romantic poets in England. It can go anywhere, and there is something in there for absolutely anybody.
The value of history cannot be underestimated. We don't have to live in the past, but we can definitely do better by learning from it and using the lessons learnt to lead more meaningful lives.
1. The underlined part "where we are today" in Para. 2 probably means __________.| A．the turning point in our history |
| B．the present state of our nation |
| C．the location of our homeland |
| D．the total area of our country |
| A．The problems at present are similar to those in the past. |
| B．Ancient people laid economic foundations for people today. |
| C．The current challenges of life were predicted by the ancestors. |
| D．People living long time ago knew more about how to solve problems. |
| A．It is difficult to get rid of cultural barriers. |
| B．People are willing to accept foreign cultures. |
| C．Cultural conflicts in history are difficult to ignore. |
| D．History helps us improve our cross-cultural awareness. |
| A．Charles Dickens contributes much to British literature. |
| B．Oliver Twist can satisfy our curiosity for romantic poets. |
| C．reading novels is a way to learn about a historical period. |
| D．studying history can arouse people's interest in other fields. |
| A．How to Build Cultural Identity |
| B．Why Studying History Matters |
| C．Know the Past, Know the Present |
| D．History: a Way to Broaden Horizons |
Leadership today is not about forcing others to do things. If this is even possible, it is short-term, and tends to backfire. If you order someone to do something against their will, they may do it because they feel they must, but the anger they feel will do more harm in the long-term. They will also experience fear.
Fear causes the thinking brain to shut down, making the person unable to function at his or her best. If they associate you with this emotion of fear, they will become less functional around you, and you will have succeeded in not only shooting yourself in the foot, but possibly making a very good employee or partner unable to perform effectively. Fear has no place in leadership.
The way we influence people in a lasting way is by our own character, and our understanding and use of emotion. We can order someone to do something, which may be part of the work day; or we can employ them at the emotional level, so they became fully devoted to the projects and provide some of their own motivation (积极性). Today’s work place is all about relationships. Anyone works harder in a positive environment in which they’re recognized and valued as a human being as well as a worker. Everyone produces just a bit more for someone they like. Leaders understand the way things work. They know the pay check is not the single most motivating factor (因素) in the work life of most people.
The true strength of leadership is an inner strength that comes from the confidence of emotional intelligence---knowing your own emotions, and how to handle them, and those of others. Developing your emotional intelligence is the single best thing you can do if you want to develop your relationships with people around you, which is the key to the leadership skills.
1. The underlined phrase “shooting oneself in the foot” means _____ in this passage.| A．throw or walk in a specific direction or towards a specific objective |
| B．to grow forth (向前) from the ground |
| C．to move or pass suddenly or swiftly |
| D．to injure or harm one's own interests |
| A．he cannot work at his best | B．he is forced to do things |
| C．he feels his brain shut down | D．he thinks of his work as too heavy |
| A．People tend to associate leadership with fear. |
| B．Working conditions affect people’s physical health. |
| C．Smart people are more functional in the work place. |
| D．Good relationship is the key to business success. |
| A．develop his own personality | B．provide better suggestions |
| C．give his employees a pay raise | D．hide his own emotion of fear |
| A．provide a variety of project for employees |
| B．help raise employees’ living standards |
| C．deal wisely with employees’ emotions |
| D．give employees’ specific instructions（指导） |
