1 . Have you ever wondered if you see the same colours as other people? Most people know what blue is when they see it. They call it "blue” because they were taught the word and connected it with what they saw. But how do you know what you see as blue isn't someone else's red?
The ability to perceive （感知）different colours is up to receptors （接受器）in our eyes. Light waves hit these receptors and they react depending on which colour the light is, sending signals to the brain. The brain then reads these signals to determine which colour light the eyes are receiving.
Some people's receptors are more developed than others. The inability of the receptor to feel the light waves correctly means that some people cannot tell the differences between similar colours. Those with more developed receptors can see more colours. We sometimes hear people having an argument about whether something is dark blue or black. It might be because one person has stronger receptors to feel the light than another.
In the past, most scientists would argue that everyone saw colours in the same way. However, research was conducted on monkeys, in which their receptors were changed. This enabled them to see more colours than usual. Normally monkeys can only see blue and green, but the change allowed them to see red. Their brains automatically got used to new colours. This suggests that our brains may find new colors of the things we see. Colours could be a very personal experience , unique to everyone.
So, the next time you talk about your favourite colour, just remember if yours is blue and your friend says red, you two might actually be thinking about the same colour. What if everyone in the world has the same favourite colour, but just calls it different names?
1. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．How we perceive colours. |
| B．The inability to see colours. |
| C．What the brain does with signals. |
| D．The connection between receptors and light waves. |
| A．Some people cannot feel colours with their developed receptors. |
| B．The more light people feel, the weaker receptors they have. |
| C．People with poor receptors usually have colour weakness. |
| D．People who have strong receptors can see dark blue. |
| A．To test the monkeys with colours. |
| B．To develop the receptors of humans. |
| C．To enable monkeys to find more colors. |
| D．To prove everyone sees colours in a different way. |
| A．A film review. | B．A science magazine. |
| C．An art journal. | D．A business newspaper. |
2 . Traveling to a foreign country can make you frightened if you don't know the local language.Mr.Thibault has a number of tips to help travelers manage in a destination when they don't speak the native tongue, based on his own experience.Here are a few of them.
Download a Language Translation App
Mr.Thibault tends to rely on Google Translate and suggests that travelers find an app that works for them.Ideally, find one that specializes in the language you need to translate especially if the language uses a character set you’re not familiar with, or have difficulty pronouncing.
Speak with Your Hands and Head
Pointing with your hands and nodding or shaking your head, Mr.Thibault said, are easy ways to communicate with locals in the country you’re in.“Gestures are all universally understood，” he said.
Learn a Few Key Words
Knowing basic words and phrases like "hello""thank you” and “I’m sorry，I don’t speak your language.Do you speak English?” is a must, Mr.Thibault said.Showing that you care enough to learn some of the language before you go, and at least enough to acknowledge that you don’t know more, is a form of respect and will make you go a long way to be liked by locals.
Work with a Local Travel Agent
If you feel particularly uncomfortable in the country you’re heading to, and you have to go anyway, relying on a local travel agent who knows both your and your destination's languages can be incredibly useful.
Hire a Local Tour Guide
A tour guide can help you get a better grasp of the local language and is a good person to practice words and phrases with.Whenever Mr.Thibault visits a new country, he books a sightseeing tour with a guide on the first day of his trip.“I use this day to learn about my destination and get familiar with the language,”he said.
1. In what situation should a language translation app be applied while traveling abroad?| A．When you have trouble pronouncing the words. |
| B．When you want to acknowledge your ignorance. |
| C．When you want to practice the local language. |
| D．When you feel uncomfortable in the country. |
| A．Downloading a language translation app. |
| B．Learning a few key words. |
| C．Using body language. |
| D．Working with a guide. |
| A．By speaking with your hands and head. |
| B．By learning a few key words. |
| C．By downloading a language translation app. |
| D．By hiring a local tour guide. |
3 . Do you love holidays but hate the increase weight that follows? You are not alone. Holidays are happy days with pleasure and delicious foods. Many people, however, are worried about the weight that comes along with these delicious foods.
With proper planning, though, it is possible to control your weight. The idea is to enjoy the holidays but not to eat too much. You don't have to turn away from the foods that you enjoy. The following suggestions may be of some help to you.
Do not miss meals. Before you leave home for a feast(宴会), have a small, low-fat snack(小吃). This may help to keep you from getting too excited before delicious foods. Begin with clear soup and fruit or vegetables. A large glass of water before you eat may help you feel full. Use a small plate; a large plate will encourage you to have more than enough.
Better not have high-fat foods. Dishes that look oily or creamy have much fat in them. Choose lean meat(瘦肉 ). Fill your plate with salad and green vegetables. If you have a sweet tooth, try mints (薄荷) and fruits. They don’t have fat content as cream and chocolate. Don’t let exercise take a break during the holidays. A 20-minute walk after a meal can help burn off excess(过多的) calories.
1. Holidays are happy days with pleasure but they may ______.| A．bring weight problems | B．bring you much trouble in your life |
| C．make you worried about your foods | D．make you hate delicious foods |
| A．drink much water and have vegetables only | B．not eat the food in high fat |
| C．not accept invitations to feasts | D．turn away from delicious foods |
| A．vegetables | B．water | C．calories of energy | D．physical exercise |
| A．can’t control themselves | B．go to too many feasts |
| C．enjoy delicious foods | D．can’t help turning away from the foods |
4 . Many of us mistakenly believe that it's wrong to think we have any good qualities. We may spend a lot of time blaming ourselves for our negative qualities, thinking that self criticism is the key to improving our performance. However, a constant focus on our supposed shortcomings can stop our efforts to make friends with other people. How can we believe that others could like us if we believe our inner being is flawed (有缺陷)?
If someone seems to dislike you, the reason for that dislike might have little or nothing to do with you. The person who doesn't like you might be fearful, or shallow, or busy or shy. Perhaps you and that person are simply a mismatch for each other at this particular time.
Don't take yourself out of the game by deciding that your flaws are bigger than your good qualities. In fact, some of the very qualities you consider to be flaws may be irresistible to someone else. For all the factors that might cause one person to reject you, there are at least as many factors that will work in your favor with someone else.
You might be thirty pounds over your ideal weight, but you may have a wonderful laugh and a real enthusiasm for life. There are many people who don't mind your extra pounds. You may drive a shabby car, but you might be a great dancer and a loyal friend. There are people out there looking for loyalty, or fun, or sweetness, or wisdom, and the package it comes in is not important. If you are worried that you are not beautiful enough to attract friends, keep in mind that not everyone is looking for physical beauty in their friends. You can decide to feel inferior (自卑) because you don't have much money and you don't drive a nice car. You can believe that this is the reason that you don't have many friends in your life. On the other hand, if you are very wealthy you may be suspicious that everyone is after your money and that nobody really likes you as a person.
The point is that you can focus on just about anything and believe it's the reason you do not have friends and cannot make any.
1. According to the author plays an important role in making friends.| A．admitting your shortcomings | B．self criticism |
| C．modesty | D．confidence |
| A．you should find the reason in yourself |
| B．you'd better talk with the person face to face |
| C．you may not be the one to be blamed |
| D．you and that person misunderstand each other |
| A．your good qualities may turn out to be your flaws |
| B．your weakness may also be your strengths in some way |
| C．your negative qualities cause a person to reject you |
| D．you’ll have few friends if your flaws are bigger than your good qualities |
| A．It is important to lose weight. |
| B．It is easier for a wealthy person to make friends. |
| C．Inner qualities are more important than physical appearance. |
| D．If you are not beautiful enough, try to improve your physical beauty. |
5 . When we're in need, we always turn to our parents for help. But would you like them to hear the conversations you have with your friends on the school playground or lunch queue? Social networking sites have become extensions (延伸)of the school hallways, so would you add your parents as "friends" and allow them to view your online activities and conversations with friends？
In the past the generation gap included a technology gap, where children were up to date with the latest technology and parents were left behind, content to continue their day-to-day lives as they always had because they had no need to know more about technology. However, more and more parents are beginning to realize just how important social networks are in their lives. This realization has given many parents the motivation to educate themselves about social networking sites.
These days many people are attracted to social networking sites because they can choose who they have around them; there's also a certain amount of control over privacy(隐私) that we don't get in real life. Sometimes we feel that privacy is violated when we must accept a "friend" request from a parent or family member.
It's a difficult choice whether or not to allow a parent to become a part of our online lives. On the one hand we don't want to "reject" their request because that might hurt their feelings or make them feel you have something to hide. On the other hand if you do accept, then you could have a sense of being watched and no longer feel free to comment or communicate the way you did before.
A recent survey suggested that parents shouldn't take it personally if their children overlook their requests. When a teenager overlooks a parent's friend request, it doesn't necessarily mean that he/she is hiding something, but it could mean that this is one part of his/her life where he/she wants to be independent.
Perhaps talking with parents and explaining would help soften the blow if you do choose not to add them to your friend list.
1. What is the passage mainly about?| A．Privacy online. | B．Parents' friend requests. |
| C．The generation gap. | D．Social networks. |
| A．Parents have realized the importance of social networks. |
| B．Parents feel secure about their privacy online. |
| C．Social networks successfully fill the generation gap. |
| D．Social networks offer a platform for parents to communicate. |
| A．Their parents make negative comments on them. |
| B．They hide something from their parents. |
| C．They are unwilling to be watched by parents. |
| D．Their parents tend to fall behind in technology. |
| A．Parents. | B．Teachers. |
| C．Researchers. | D．Teenagers. |
6 . Every day on her walk to school, Khloe Thompson, a nine-year-old girl, kept noticing the same homeless people and couldn’t help but feel troubled. She kept asking her mom why or how they were there, and at the end of the conversation she always wondered, “What can I do to help?” Seeing these struggling individuals in her community, Khloe made a resolution to create her own charity devoted to improving the lives of local homeless people. After Khloe made the decision firmly, she quickly began to effect change in the homeless community, raising spirits while lending some much-needed assistance to those living on the street.
“No dream is too small or too big!” writes Khloe on her GoFundMe page, which was set up by Khloe and her mom Alisha and has raised $14,000 in the two months since it was established, exceeding its original $10,000 goal. “Any funds raised on this page will go toward our charity filing fees and any future volunteer projects. The more we raise, the more people we can help!”
The charity, called Khloe Kares, is a community service-oriented organization that plans different projects to give some assistance to those in need. Khloe’s first project was Kare Bags, which are intended to help the homeless. “I like to give them a nice sturdy bag that they can have forever,” says Khloe, “Sometimes they give me hugs and then they say thank you.”
“As a parent, you’re going to be concerned about her walking up to random strangers,” says Alisha, who accompanies Khloe when she hands out her Kare Bags. After seeing people’s positive reactions, she said “People really warm up to her quickly.”
As Khloe strives to help those near her, homelessness has become an increasingly pressing issue. For Khloe, Kare Bags are just the beginning. She is currently planning a toy drive for kids living in group homes, which will take place on July. She has collected about $1,000 worth of toys to give out, and additional voluntary gifts will go towards The Raise Foundation of Orange County, whose goal is to stop child abuse and neglect.
1. Khloe created her own charity to .| A．collect money for children’s toys |
| B．help homeless people of the local area |
| C．protect more children from abuse and neglect |
| D．improve the living condition of the community |
| A．is a community service-oriented organization |
| B．was set up by Khloe and some local volunteers |
| C．plans different projects to help those people in need |
| D．raises fund for filing fees and future volunteer projects |
| A．Devoted and open-minded. |
| B．Humorous and strong-willed. |
| C．Determined and warm-hearted. |
| D．Knowledgeable and hard-working. |
| A．No Life is Easy |
| B．The Road to Success |
| C．The Power of Volunteers |
| D．Lend a Hand to Strangers |
7 . More than a billion people around the world have smart phones, almost all of which come with some kind of navigation app such as Apple Maps or Amap. This raises the age-old question we meet with any technology: What abilities is our brain losing to these apps? But also, importantly: What abilities are we gaining?
Talking with people who are good at finding their way around or good at using paper maps, I often hear a lot of annoyance with digital maps. North/south direction gets messed up, and you can see only a small section at a time. I can really understand that it may be quite disturbing for the already skilled to be limited to a small phone screen.
But consider what digital navigation aids have meant for someone like me. Although being a frequent traveler, I'm so terrible at finding my way that I still use Apple Maps almost every day in the small town where I have lived for many years.
In many developed nations, street names and house numbers can be meaningful, and instructions such as go north for three blocks and──then west’’ make sense to those familiar with these rules. In Istanbul, however, where I grew up, none of those hold true. For one thing, the locals seldom use street names. Besides, the city is full of winding and ancient alleys(小巷) that cross with newer avenues at many angles. In such places, you’d better turn to the locals. In the countryside, however, there is often nobody outside to ask. In fact, along came Apple Maps, like a fairy grandmother whispering directions in my ear. Since then, I travel with a lot more confidence, and my world has opened up.
Which brings me back to my original question: While we often lose some skills after depending on new technology, this new equipment may also allow us to gain new abilities. Maybe when technology closes a door, we should also look for the doors it opens.
1. Why do people who are skilled at reading paper maps feel upset?| A．They are interested in reading paper maps, |
| B．They don’t know how to use navigation, apps. |
| C．They are limited to a single smart phone app. |
| D．They are confused by digital maps’ direction. |
| A．Asking local people the way. |
| B．Following the navigation app. |
| C．Getting familiar with the city rules. |
| D．Looking for street names and house numbers. |
| A．Cautious | B．Ambiguous |
| C．Favorable | D．Critical |
| A．Benefits of Navigation Apps |
| B．Disadvantages of Navigation Apps |
| C．My World Opens Up by New Technology |
| D．Have Navigation Apps Worsened Our Brain? |
8 . We humans love to stare into our smart devices. We gaze for hours-about 10 hours and 39 minutes a day-at our computers, smartphones,tablets and televisions. Is all this staring bad for us? It might be mainly because as we stare at our devices we are exposing ourselves to blue light.
Blue light is a type of electromagnetic(电磁的) radiation with a very short wavelength that produces a high amount of energy. While it’s true that light can damage our eyes under certain circumstances, there’s no scientific evidence suggesting that blue light is harmful to our eyes. But many people still think it is, which is why blue-light-blocking glasses are so popular. So do the glasses work?
“Everyone is very concerned that blue light may be causing damage to the eye, but there’s no evidence that it may be causing serious damage,” Dr. Rahul Khurana, clinical spokesman for the American Academy of Ophthalmology,told Business Insider.
Blue light exposure is nothing new. In fact,the sun is the largest source of blue light. Moreover, blue light is also present in LED light. But if blue light isn’t harmful, then why are we constantly rubbing our eyes when we’re looking at our screens? The answer is eyestrain(眼疲劳): More than 60 percent of people experience eye problems associated with digital eyestrain. And blue light, it seems, isn’t the cause. Instead, our eyes are so strained because most of us blink less when we stare at our digital devices. So if eyestrain is the issue, blue-light-blocking glasses are probably of little use.
1. What do we know about blue light?| A．It is a kind of nuclear radiation. |
| B．It has the shortest wavelength. |
| C．It may come from electronic devices. |
| D．It consumes a great deal of energy. |
| A．Evidence of their benefits to eyes. |
| B．Belief in blue light's harmful effect. |
| C．Widespread use of smart devices. |
| D．Scientific understanding of blue light. |
| A．Blue light exposure is hardly avoidable. |
| B．Eye problems are not easy to deal with. |
| C．Blue light may connect with tired eyes. |
| D．Rubbing eyes makes people strained. |
| A．tiring | B．harmful |
| C．useless | D．beneficial |
9 . What kind of amusing activities will you participate in during your life? Will you be spending your free time doing safe sports with little danger or will you always be one of the first people to try the next popular extreme activity? Scientists have been interested in finding out why some people seem to prefer dangerous activities.
Although there are exceptions, researchers have found that in most cases men are less cautious than women. Men often try to impress women by proving that they are courageous and fearless, and they are more likely to take risks when women are watching them or when they are competing against other men.
Research also shows that as people get older they usually behave more responsibly and avoid taking unnecessary risks. In addition, when people are in stable relationships, they seem to be less attracted to daring activities.
Some people seem to be more daring than others, but there are many different types of risks and some people take one type of risk, but not another Psychologists have identified a number of categories of risk. These include financial risks, risks related to health and safety, amusing risks and social risks. Psychologists discover that some people will take risks in one area, but not in another. Just if a person enjoys bungee (蹦极) jumping, it doesn't mean he or she will take chances when investing (投资) money or that he will tell a joke to a group of strangers.
Interestingly, research shows that women take more social risks than men. They are more likely to make career changes as they get older and to express unpopular opinions in business meetings.
Yet, at the end of the day, the likelihood of particular people taking a risk depends on their personalities. In general, optimistic people are more likely to take risks because they focus on the possible positive outcomes of their actions. On the other hand, those with opposite personality are much more likely to avoid taking a chance.
1. What have researchers discovered about women?| A．They are always changing jobs. | B．They are good at doing business. |
| C．They are more willing to take risks. | D．They are more conservative than men. |
| A．To attract women to watch them. | B．To have favorable effects on women. |
| C．To announce risks are too dangerous. | D．To show their strength to the competitor. |
| A．The potential consequences. | B．Their characters. |
| C．Their problems of finance. | D．The focuses of their work. |
| A．People's sense of taking risks. | B．Risks at people's different ages. |
| C．Different types of people's risks. | D．Risks between men and women. |
10 . One day, a little monkey and a little fox went out to play. They saw an apple tree on the other side of the river. There were many big and red apples on it. But there was no bridge over the river. The monkey thought hard and had an idea. They pulled down a tree and put it over the river as a bridge.
The monkey said, “My old friend, you go there first.” But after the fox went to the other side, he kicked(踢) the tree into the river and ran to the apple tree. “How can I get there without the tree?” cried the monkey. The fox laughed and said, “You just stand there and watch me eating the apples.” The monkey was very angry.
Suddenly it began to rain. The water level(水位) in the river rose（上涨） and tree flew away with the water.
“You can eat all the apples. But you can’t come back,” shouted the monkey.
The fox stopped eating and looked at the monkey sadly.
1. The little monkey and the little fox wanted to _____ on the other side of the river.| A．build a bridge | B．eat the apples |
| C．pull down a tree | D．play games |
| A．eat all the apples by himself | B．share the apples with the monkey |
| C．get the apples first | D．play a joke on the monkey |
| A．the monkey had taken away the tree | B．he was angry with the monkey |
| C．it began to rain | D．the tree had flown away |
