1 . Choosing to forget something might take more mental effort than trying to remember it, researchers at The University of Texas discovered. Their findings suggest that in order to forget an unwanted experience, more attention should be focused on it.
“Decades of research has shown that we have the ability to forget something out of our own free will, but how our brains do that is still being questioned. Once we can figure out how memories are weakened and come up with ways to control this, we can design treatment to help people rid themselves of unwanted memories.” said Jarrod Lewis-Peacock, the study's senior author.
Memories are energetic constructions of the brain that regularly get updated, adjusted and reorganized through experience. The brain is constantly remembering and forgetting information—and much of this happens automatically during sleep.
Their findings not only confirmed that humans have the ability to control what they forget, but that successful intentional forgetting requires more activity than what is required to remember.
“A proper level of brain activity is important to this forgetting mechanism (机制). Too strong, it will strengthen the memory; too weak, you won’t change it,” said Tracy Wang, lead author of the study. “Importantly, it's the intention to forget that increases the activation of the memory, and when this activation (激活) hits the “proper level” sweet spot, that's when it leads to later forgetting of that experience”.
The researchers also found that participants were more likely to forget scenes than faces. “We're learning how these mechanisms in our brain respond to different types of information, and it will take a lot of further research before we understand how to use our ability to forget,” said Lewis-Peacock. “Hopefully we can find out how we process and get rid of those really strong memories, which can have a powerful effect on our health and well-being.”
1. What remains a puzzle to researchers?| A．How our memories can be strengthened. |
| B．How our brains voluntarily forget something. |
| C．What effect unwanted memories have on our brains. |
| D．Whether our brains can voluntarily forget something. |
| A．Casual. | B．Unpredictable. |
| C．Active. | D．Permanent. |
| A．it requires less attention to forget than to remember |
| B．the more active the brain is, the faster it forgets |
| C．humans can't keep memories under control |
| D．humans forget faces less easily than scenes |
| A．What It Takes to Forget an Unwanted Experience |
| B．Strong Memories Have a Great Influence on Health |
| C．Forgetting Uses More Brain Power than Remembering. |
| D．How to Train Our Brains to Voluntarily Forget Something |
2 . Climate change leads to a threat to the world’s sandy beaches, and as many as half of them could disappear by 2100, a new study has found. Even by 2050 some coastlines could be unrecognizable from what we see today, with 10% to 12% facing severe erosion (侵蚀).
Using updated sea level rise predictions, the researchers analyzed how beaches around the world would be in a future with higher seas and more damaging storms. They also considered natural processes like wave erosion, as well as human factors-like coastal building developments, all of which can affect a beach’s health. The study found that sea level rise is expected to outweigh these other factors, and that the more heat-trapping gases humans put into the atmosphere, the worse the influences on the world’s beaches are likely to be.
It’s hard to overstate just how important the world’s beaches are. They cover more than one third of the world’s coastlines, and protect coastal areas from storms. Beaches are also important economic engines, supporting relaxation, tourism and other activities. And in some areas, the beach is more than a vacation destination. In places like Australia, life near the coast revolves around the beach for much of the year.
Some of the world’s most popular beaches are already taking action. Places like Miami Beach are trucking in thousands of tons of sand to patch up (修复) badly eroded shorelines, while others have built sea walls and breakwaters in an attempt to hold precious sand in place. But the financial and environmental costs of these projects are huge, and scientists say rising seas and more powerful storms, supercharged by a warmer climate, will make this a losing battle.
However, the researchers did find that humans have some control over what happens to the world’s beaches. If the world’s governments are able to stick to modest cuts to heat-trapping gas pollution, the researchers found that 22%of projected beach losses by 2050 could be prevented, a number that grows to 40%by 2100 if greenhouse gases are limited.
1. Which is the biggest contributor to severe beach erosion?| A．Damaging storms. | B．Wave erosion. |
| C．Coastal building. | D．Sea level rise. |
| A．It is hard to protect coastal beaches. |
| B．One third of storms take place near beaches. |
| C．Beaches are of great significance to our lives. |
| D．Most Australians live on beach tourism. |
| A．Popularizing the beaches. |
| B．Holding sand in place. |
| C．Reducing the project costs. |
| D．Stopping global warming. |
| A．Half beaches could disappear by 2100. |
| B．Climate change is doing harm to our lives. |
| C．The beach is more than a vacation destination. |
| D．Governments are taking action to fight wave erosion. |
3 . Rachel Carson was concerned about what was happenig to the environment. So in her book Silent Spring, she warned that some chemicals were poisoning the air, the water, the earth, and all its creatures. She imagined a time when spring would not bring the rebirth of flowers, trees, and the songs of birds. The book became a bestseller, and Ms. Carson was in great demand as a speaker. People lisened to her because what she said made sense, and because she was a scientist who knew her facts.
Rachel Carson was primarily interested in the world of sea and shore, so she became a marine biologst for the government. She studied and recorded facts about the sea' s plant and animal life, their special characteristics, and the nature of their environments. In 1951, she wrote The Sea Around Us, which brought her honors, fame, and respect around the world.
Ms. Carson then devoted herself full-time to research and writing. One thing much on her mind was the effect of modern technology on the natural environment. One day, a distressed friend wrote her to say that a plane spraying(喷洒) DDT had flown over her yard, and the next day several birds lay dead. Carson decided to act.
For four years she studied the use of pesticides(杀虫剂) in the United States, and then she wrote Silent Spring.
In her book Ms. Carson said that these pesticides would harm much more than insects. She explained that these poisons would pollute the environment. “Even if their effects are not immediately observable, they remain for years in the water and the soil, and they become part of the food eaten by animals and humans.
Besides, after a time, insects develop immunity to pesticides,” she said.
Recent studies have shown that pesticides can affect human brainwave activity and cause loss of memory and inability to concentrate. We should still remember Rachel Carson’s words, “I think we are challenged as we have never been challenged before to prove our mastery, not of nature, but of ourselves.”
1. Silent Spring is a book that__________| A．aims to raise people’s environmental awareness |
| B．stresses the importance of the cycle of nature |
| C．describes the author' s childhood experiences |
| D．asks people to enjoy the beauty of spring |
| A．curious | B．humorous | C．excited | D．worried |
| A．became world-famous due to Silent Spring |
| B．warned against the use of chemicals to kill insects |
| C．had a good knowledge of the planets in the universe |
| D．created a system for improving human brainwave activity |
| A．we should prove ourselves to be the ruler of this world |
| B．it's a chance for us to prove our mastery of nature |
| C．it's time for us to think about what we have done |
| D．settling on the earth is a challenge for humans |
4 . Sometimes, you just can’t say no to another spoonful of ice cream and maybe one more after that. Why not? You deserve it.
There’s no need to beat yourself up about it later. The truth is that you were probably bound to do that from the very first spoonful. That’s because there is a switch in your brain, and for whatever reason, it can get stuck in the “on” position.
According to a new study, this impulse (冲动) control may come down to a very specific circuit (回答) in the brain which occasionally produces melanin-concentrating hormone, or MCH—a chemical linked with our desire for food or drugs. And that circuit always says yes.
By manipulating this circuit, it is possible that we might be able to develop cures for overeating that help people stick to a diet without reducing normal appetite or making delicious foods like donuts less delicious.
For their research, the scientists treated rats to a self-serve buffet. Bur the treats were on a timed delivery system, making tasty food every 20 seconds, and only when a rat pressed a lever (杠杆). Hit that lever too early—as impatient test subjects occasionally did—and the counter would start from scratch. Lever-happy rats would have to wait another cycle before the food became available again.
A second experiment offered the rats two dining options. Push Lever A and get an immediate small reward. Pushing Lever B meants waiting for around40 seconds, but the food reward would be much bigger. Guess which lever those impatient rats were most food of? That’s right. They picked the now-now-now switch.
Their impulsiveness, however, rose sharply when scientists gave the rats MCH. These animals become more impulsive. MCH, it seemed, could talk rats into loosening its inhibitions (拘束). The result? More please.
Researchers can now see where that conversation between the brain’s reward system and its impulse control center takes place. The next step will be to map it—and potentially influence the discussion. It may eventually be possible to control a food-eating impulse.
1. Which of the following can best replace the underlined word “manipulating” in paragraph 4?| A．Strengthening. | B．Controlling. |
| C．Classifying. | D．Creating. |
| A．A bigger food reward would appear. |
| B．Tasty food would be delivered much sooner. |
| C．Longer time would be needed for food to appear. |
| D．The lever would be stopped form delivering food. |
| A．To find out the effect of MCH on animals. |
| B．To prove rats are also greedy for more food. |
| C．To study how levers influence rats’ impulse. |
| D．To show rats and humans have similar impulse for food. |
| A．What Is the Effect of Your Impulse? |
| B．What Can You Do to Resist More Food? |
| C．Why Can’t You Say “No” to Your Impulse? |
| D．Why Do You Always Give in to One More Mouthful? |
5 . Communities across the world are starting to ban facial recognition technologies. The efforts are well intentioned, but banning facial recognition is the wrong way to fight against modern surveillance （监 视）.Generally, modern mass surveillance has three broad components: identification, correlation and discrimination.
Facial recognition is a technology that can be used to identify people without their consent. Once we are identified, the data about who we are and what we are doing can be correlated with other data. This might be movement data, which can be used to "follow” us as we move throughout our day. It can be purchasing data, Internet browsing data, or data about who we talk to via email or text. It might be data about our income, ethnicity, lifestyle, profession and interests. There is an entire industry of data brokers who make a living by selling our data without our consent.
It's not just that they know who we are; it's that they correlate what they know about us to create profiles about who we are and what our interests are. The whole purpose of this process is for companies to treat individuals differently. We are shown different ads on the Internet and receive different offers for credit cards. In the future, we might be treated differently when we walk into a store, just as we currently are when we visit websites.
It doesn't matter which technology is used to identify people. What's important is that we can be consistently identified over time. We might be completely anonymous （匿名的）in a system that uses unique cookies to track us as we browse the Internet, but the same process of correlation and discrimination still occurs.
Regulating this system means addressing all three steps of the process. A ban on facial recognition won't make any difference. The problem is that we are being identified without our knowledge or consent, and society needs rules about when that is permissible.
Similarly, we need rules about how our data can be combined with other data, and then bought and sold without our knowledge or consent. The data broker industry is almost entirely unregulated now. Reasonable laws would prevent the worst of their abuses.
Finally, we need better rules about when and how it is permissible for companies to discriminate. Discrimination based on protected characteristics like race and gender is already illegal, but those rules are ineffectual against the current technologies of surveillance and control. When people can be identified and their data correlated at a speed and scale previously unseen, we need new rules.
Today, facial recognition technologies are receiving the force of the tech backlash （抵制），but focusing on them misses the point. We need to have a serious conversation about all the technologies of identification, correlation and discrimination, and decide how much we want to be spied on and what sorts of influence we want them to have over our lives.
1. According to Para. 2, with facial recognition _______.| A．one’s lifestyle changes greatly |
| B．one's email content is disclosed |
| C．one's profiles are updated in time |
| D．one's personal information is released |
| A．discrimination based on new tech surveillance is illegal |
| B．different browsing data bring in different advertisements |
| C．using mobiles anonymously keeps us from being correlated |
| D．data brokers control the current technologies of surveillance |
| A．people's concern over their safety |
| B．the nature of the surveillance society |
| C．proper regulation of mass surveillance |
| D．the importance of identification technology |
| A．call for banning facial recognition technologies |
| B．advocate the urgent need for changes in related laws |
| C．inform readers of the disadvantages of facial recognition |
| D．evaluate three broad components in modem mass surveillance |
6 . Chinese restaurants began to open in America in the mid-19th century, mainly on the west coast where the first immigrants landed. They mostly served an Americanized version of Cantonese cuisine, chop suey, egg fu yung and the like. In that century and much of the 20th,the immigrants largely came from China's south-east, mainly Guangdong province.
After the immigration reforms of 1965, Chinese migrants from other regions started to arrive. Restaurants began calling their food "Hunan” and “Sichuan". Though their food rarely resembled what was actually eaten in those regions, it was more diverse and boldly spiced than the sweet, fried stuff that defined the earliest Chinese menus. By the 1990s adventurous diners in cities with sizeable Chinese populations could choose from a variety of regional cuisines. A particular favorite was Sichuan food, with its addictively numbing fire due to peppercorn.
Yet over the decades, as Chinese food became universal, it also came to be standardized. There are almost three times as many Chinese restaurants in America (41,000)as McDonald's. Virtually every small town has one. And generally the menus are consistent: pork dumplings （steamed or fried);the same two soups(hot and sour, wonton);stir-fries listed by main ingredient, with a pepper icon or star indicating a slight trace of chilli-flakes. Dishes over$10 are grouped under "chef's specials".
Until recently, the prices varied as little as the menus and they were low. Eddie Huang, a Taiwanese-American restaurateur, recalls how his newly-arrived father kept his prices down because" immigrants can't sell anything full-price in America."
Americans have traditionally been willing to pay through the nose at French or Italian joints （where, in fact, Latinos often do most of the cooking).And every city has its pricey sushi bars and expensive tapas restaurants(tapas, as one joke goes, is Spanish for"$96 and still hungry").
Mr. Huang is right that Americans have long expected Chinese food to be cheap and filling. One step up from the urban takeaway, with its fluorescent lighting, is the Chinese restaurant with its red doors and fake lions standing guard, exotic enough to be special, but still affordable enough for a family to visit once a week when nobody feels like cooking. Even the superior outlets were cheap for what they served.
But now things are changing. Mr. Huang sells delicious stuffed buns in New York and Los Angeles for$5.50 each and encourages other immigrants not to undervalue their work.
Meanwhile, although racism persists, the previous discrimination of earlier ages has been fading. Since the Chinese-American population is six times what was 40 years ago, Americans overall are much more familiar with Chinese people and their cooking, all of which means that the new fancy breed of Chinese restaurants draws a heartening mix of Chinese and non-Chinese diners.
1. We can learn from the first three paragraphs that_| A．Cantonese cuisine was well received by Americans in the 19th century |
| B．Those so-called Hunan or Sichuan food in America tasted just as what was actually eaten in those regions |
| C．Nowadays Chinese restaurants are almost twice more than McDonald's in America |
| D．Americans prefer Hunan food because they have been addicted to peppercorn |
| A．Americans have long expected Chinese food to be cheap and filling. |
| B．Earlier immigrants couldn't sell anything full-price in America. |
| C．Americans prefer French and Italian food. |
| D．Chinese restaurants face fierce price competition from other restaurants. |
| A．In order of importance. |
| B．In order of place. |
| C．In order of time. |
| D．In order of position. |
| A．Immigration on a plate. |
| B．Americans' favourite cuisine. |
| C．Prejudice against Chinese immigrants. |
| D．Route to success. |
7 . "Our coffee is loved by millions worldwide." Do you often see this kind of advertising in your country? Statements like these that no one can prove are called puffery. Puffery is legal, even though it cannot be proved. In fact, puffery has been called "a license to lie", as it is regarded as an opinion rather than an objective statement.
Using puffery to raise awareness of products and to increase sales, is a common advertising method. Some people, however, worry about puffery. One of the concerns is whether consumers are misled by false advertising. Therefore, advertisements containing puffery sometimes can be tested in the courts, and the decisions that are made help to tell the difference between acceptable puffery and illegal advertising.
On the one hand, if a company tells the public that it sells the country's best-loved" or favorite product, this is thought to be puffery, rather than an objective description of market share. Similarly, the company does not have to produce proof that such puffery is actually supported by numbers or facts. In other words, advertisements such as the world's best cup of coffee" are impossible to prove. They are too good to be true and thus it is expected that any consumer will understand how subjective they are. Such advertisements are therefore not thought of as misleading. In fact, puffery like this in these advertisements is often considered to add to the entertainment value.
On the other hand, a company that states their products is the safest" or cheapest" needs to show proof, because statements that are objective need to be supported by proof or statistics. Consumer rights organizations can run tests to examine whether or not such statements agree with the fact. Companies should thus be very careful when making factual statements about a product.
A primary function of advertising is to create product awareness. As consumers, we need to know -about competing products, so we can make wise decisions on which one to buy. While it is important that advertisers are monitored to ensure they do not mislead consumers, it can be argued that puffery is a good way of raising awareness of new products. As long as there are effective ways of monitoring advertisements to prevent deliberate deception (欺骗) in safety and quality, it seems that most puffery is relatively harmless. Rather, it has become part of advertising, which most consumers can laugh at rather than being misled.
1. By “ Our coffee is loved by millions worldwide", the passage intends to ______.| A．describe a fact | B．introduce the topic |
| C．present an argument | D．provide background information |
| A．describe products' market share | B．raise awareness of new products |
| C．test the advertisement in the courts | D．run tests to examine the new products. |
| A．It is acceptable with effective monitoring. |
| B．It is misleading for it uses the false information. |
| C．It is harmful for it plays tricks on consumers. |
| D．It is convincing for it helps consumers to choose wisely. |
| A．Functions of Advertising | B．Puffery in Advertising |
| C．Consumers and Advertising | D．The Art of Advertising |
8 . Imagine turning on the GPS and seeing an image of your car from above. As the car drives, the map follows along in real time, informing you of any traffic, pedestrians, animals or other things nearby. Routes and names of road appear over the live stream. It's like the map has come to life.
This type of map isn't available yet. But it could be very soon. In 2014, the WorldView-3 satellite was sent into space. Even though it orbits Earth at more than 370 miles (600km) away, it can take images of objects on Earth that are just 10 inches (25cm) across. Looking all the way from outer space, it can make out a smart phone held in your hand. It can tell what types of cars are travelling down a road. But it can't identify your face or read the cars' license plate numbers.
According to some reports, this satellite and other US satellites have the technology to take even sharper images, with a resolution of up to around 4 inches (10cm). But US law forbids making these super-sharp pictures public. But the idea that anybody might be able to spy on the entire Earth in such detail may seem scary. Live, high-detail satellite mapping could be used to keep tabs on anybody at any time, without the person's knowledge. Ray Purdy of University College London told CNN that he couldn't imagine what this could mean for privacy. "Most satellites are commercially owned, so if you have money, you can have that imagery. It means anyone can spy on anyone." he said.
At the same time, live, detailed maps of the Earth's surface could aid humanity in amazing ways. Satellite images can help experts track storms as they form and chart their paths. At high detail, live maps of a disaster area could quickly reveal people in need of rescue as well as the safest routes in or out. Satellites images are already helping the police catch illegal fishing operations. Higher detail may make it possible to catch other criminals in the act. The images could also make it easier for farmers to watch over their crops or for scientists to find minerals. Also, these images play a very important role in monitoring the health of forests and other landscapes.
What do you think? Would you like to see everyone accessing high-detail live maps of the Earth's surface? Please share your idea with us on the website.
1. How does the author introduce the topic of the passage?| A．By telling a story. |
| B．By supposing a situation. |
| C．By making a comparison. |
| D．By using a research finding. |
| A．Tell how a person looks. |
| B．Identify what a pedestrian is holding. |
| C．Help farmers sow seeds for their crops. |
| D．Read a running car's license plate number. |
| A．Regret. |
| B．Excitement. |
| C．Concern. |
| D．Sympathy. |
| A．Anyone can spy on anyone |
| B．Criminals have nowhere to hide |
| C．More satellites into space: good or bad? |
| D．A live map of everywhere on Earth:scary or cool? |
9 . There has, in recent years, been an outpouring of information about the impact of buildings on the natural environment. Information which explains and promotes green and sustainable construction design, strives to convince others of its efficacy (功效) and warns of the dangers of ignoring the issue. Seldom do these documents offer any advice to practitioners, such as those designing mechanical and electrical systems for a building, on how to use this knowledge on a practical level.
Although there are a good many advocates of “green” construction in the architectural industry, able to list enough reasons why buildings should be designed in a sustainable way, not to mention plenty of architectural firms with experience in green design, this is not enough to make green construction come into being. The driving force behind whether a building is constructed with minimal environmental impact lies with the owner of the building; that is, the person financing the project. If the owner considers green design unimportant, or of secondary importance, then more than likely, it will not be factored into the design.
The commissioning (委任) process plays a key role in ensuring the owner gets the building he wants, in terms of design, costs and risk. At the predesign stage, the owner’s objectives and expectations are discussed and documented. This gives a design team a solid foundation on which they can build their ideas. Owners who skip the commissioning process, or fail to take “green” issues into account when doing so, often come a cropper once their building is up and running. Materials and equipment are installed as planned, and, at first glance, appear to fulfil their purpose adequately. However, in time, the owner realizes that operational and maintenance costs are higher than necessary, and that the occupants are dissatisfied with the results. These factors in turn lead to higher ownership costs as well as increased environmental impact.
In some cases, an owner may be aware of the latest trends in sustainable building design. However, firms should not take it as read that the client already has an idea of how green he intends the structure to be. Indeed, this initial interaction between owner and firm is the ideal time for a designer to outline and promote the ways that green design can meet the client’s objectives, thus turning a project originally not destined for green design into a potential candidate.
Typically, when considering whether or not to adopt a green approach, an owner will ask about additional costs or return for investment. In a typical project, landscape architects, mechanical and electrical engineers do not become involved until a much later stage. However, in green design, they must be involved from the outset, since green design demands interaction between these disciplines. This increased cooperation clearly requires additional cost. However, there may be financial advantage for the client in choosing a greener design. There are examples of green designs which have demonstrated lower costs for long-term operation, ownership and even construction.
1. What is the main reason for the lack of green buildings being designed according to the passage?| A．Few firms have enough experience in designing and constructing green buildings. |
| B．Construction companies are unaware of the benefits of sustainable designs. |
| C．Firms do not get to decide whether a building is to be constructed sustainably. |
| D．Firms tend to convince clients that other factors are more important than sustainability. |
| A．experience misfortune | B．change one’s mind |
| C．notice the benefits | D．make a start |
| A．Most clients have a clear idea of whether they want a green building at the beginning. |
| B．Green buildings are most likely to cost more money than conventional buildings. |
| C．The commissioning process offers a good opportunity to bring up the subject of green design. |
| D．Firms should avoid working with clients who reject green designs in their buildings. |
| A．explain the importance of communication when a building is commissioned |
| B．emphasize the importance of green building design in protecting the environment |
| C．explain to building owners why ignoring green issues is costly and dangerous |
| D．inform professionals how they can influence clients to choose greener designs |
10 . I don't realize that I've been at college for nearly one and half year until now. Looking back into the last year, what shall I say? It consisted of both happiness and sadness. Life always goes like this, up and down, as is so exciting. Now when I recall the past, no matter how I felt at that time, they are all treasures for me.
That was the moon festival last year, which was also the first time we went out after we entered the college. It was said that the sea in Dalian was well-known and was also a wonderful place to watch the moon. After getting all the food and drinking ready, we four girls set off for the seaside. There were many people and we picked up a less crowded beach. At first, we enjoyed ourselves by drinking and eating. When the moon turned brighter, we played with the seawater. As a result, we were all drenched with water. Bathing in the moonlight, we ran and laughed. We seemed to land on another world, where was full of fresh air, laughter and love. The laughter is still echoing on my mind so far.
Life doesn't stay the same, occasionally having a particular taste. That is sadness. What impressed me deeply is a failure in a singing competition. It was the first time I had given a performance on such a large stage in front of so many people. I was so nervous that the whole song was performed out of tune. As you could imagine, I was greeted with boos from the audience. I still remembered how dismal I felt that moment and I sat alone crying at the seaside. After that, I talked to mother about it. She told me that it was not a failure; at least, I was brave enough to show myself publicly.
Everything has passed. I’ve stored them at the bottom of my heart. I am in the second grade already. Yet much needs me to challenge. On the way, there's both happiness and distress. However, I will go ahead just all the same.
1. The underlined word ''drenched'' in the second paragraph has a similar meaning with _______.| A．dried | B．wet |
| C．frozen | D．washed away |
| A．full of happiness | B．filled with sadness |
| C．made up of laughter and tears | D．not worth living |
| A．It was wonderful | B．It was disappointing |
| C．The passage doesn’t say | D．It was perfect |
| A．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| B．Do wrong once and you’ll never hear the end of it. |
| C．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
| D．Time and tide wait for no man. |
