1 . An Italian company has told staff to stop sending any internal (内部) emails for a week in an effort to reduce stress levels.
Home textiles company Gabel, based in the northern Como region, appointed an expert to interview its employees about what their main concerns were at work, the local La Provincia di Como website reports. Many said that managing the huge volume of internal emails was a burden during the working day. That pushed the company’s management to propose a solution, which — somewhat ironically — was sent to all staff in an email.
“Together we will begin the following experiment, which will take us back in time to when people talked more,” managing director Emilio Colombo wrote, declaring an “email-free” week until 13 November. “We invite you not to use email for internal communications (between colleagues at the same location), in favor of a more direct and immediate contact.”
The company’s president, Michele Moltrasio, tells the BBC it hasn’t been easy to stop such an “ingrained” practice, temporarily, but that employees have welcomed the challenge. “They are rediscovering the pleasure of meeting and talking rather than writing,” he says. And that includes Mr. Moltrasio, who is avoiding emails along with everyone else. “Even if from next week we all go back to using email, these days of experimentation are very worthwhile, to understand and rethink the methods and pace of working,” he says.
Several recent studies have found that a high volume of emails raises stress levels at work. In 2013, researchers said that a full inbox led to peaks in people’s blood pressure and heart rate. And last year, a study at the University of British Columbia found that limiting email use during the day lowered people’s stress levels “significantly.”
1. What did an Italian company do to reduce its employees’ pressure at work?| A．Ask its employees not to send emails anymore. |
| B．Launch a campaign to stop using emails temporarily. |
| C．Ask experts to design a new way of communication. |
| D．Interview employees about their concerns at work. |
| A．Deep-rooted. | B．Highly-praised. | C．Newly-released. | D．Commonly-seen. |
| A．Emails have been an outdated means of communication in the company. |
| B．Employees don’t communicate with each other so directly as they did in the past. |
| C．It is quite easy for employees to stop using emails. |
| D．Employees’ working stress is due to the large number of emails they deal with every day. |
| A．Negative. | B．Supportive. | C．Doubtful. | D．Reserved. |
2 . Scientists have long known that a crow （乌鸦）native to New Caledonia is able to use tools. The birds use them to remove food from deep holes. Now, American researchers have discovered a second species of crow with the same ability. They reported on their experiments with Alala crows, which are from the Hawaiian Islands.
In the experiment, the researchers placed pieces of food in holes inside the wood. The holes were too deep for the crows to reach with their beaks(鸟喙). But, by using small pieces of wood held in their beaks, Alala crows quickly got the food. They used small objects as tools, sometimes changing them by shortening too-long sticks. They also made tools from plant materials.
“The crows use their beaks as people use thumbs on their hands. Tool use is rare in the animal kingdom. ” said Chritian Rutz of University of St. Andrews. “Current evidence strongly suggests that tool use is part of the species’ natural behavioral pattern(行为模式). These birds had no special training in the study, yet most of them were skilled at handling stick tools. ”
Bird experts claim finding out that the crows use tools is important discovery. “It makes us rethink how to look at the whole tool-use idea now and encourages us to go out and look for things that we may have ignored before. ”
All the Alala crows left in the world live in Hawaii. There were less than 20 Alalas left in the late 1990s when scientists decided to bring them into a protected area. Now, it is reported that there are over 100 birds living there. Scientists plan to release a small number of the birds back into the wild later.
1. What are the findings of American researchers?| A．Alala crows can also use tools. |
| B．It’s difficult for birds to look for food. |
| C．New Caledonia is home to some crows. |
| D．The Hawaiian Islands are full of rare birds. |
| A．The holes were very big and wide. |
| B．Alala crows could only use short sticks. |
| C．Alala crows got the food by working together. |
| D．Alala crows would deal with tools if necessary. |
| A．Using tools comes naturally to Alala crows. |
| B．Using stick tools is not easy for Alala crows. |
| C．Alala crows’ beaks look like people’s hands. |
| D．Alala crows won’t use tools without being trained. |
| A．Move all of them out of Hawaii. | B．Increase the population of them. |
| C．Set some of them free in nature. | D．Build more protected areas for them. |
3 . Many cars advertisements（广告）in the United States are red, blue or green. But nearly 75% of the new cars sold in the United States are black, white, silver or gray.
Les Jackson is a reporter who writes about cars. He says Americans prefer the cars whose colors do not show dirt clearly. In this way, the owners can wash their cars less to save money. In fact, some areas that are short of water do not allow people to wash their cars often.
Dan Benton works for a company called Axalta, which sells paint（涂料）to international car markers. He says white cars are usually sold at a better price than cars of other colors. And they absorb less energy, which means temperatures inside them are lower in warmer areas. Besides, research at Monash University in Australia suggests that there is a lower risk of car accidents during the day for white cars compared with darker ones. In China, many buyer say white makes a small car look bigger.
Axalta says about 11% of the cars sold in North America are red and 8% are blue. In South America, 10% of the new cars sold are red.
“Green cars have become less popular,” Dan Benton says. “In the mid 1990s, green was the most popular color in North America. But today, green cars are hard to find.”
In the future, people may not have to choose the color of their cars---technology may let owners change their cars’ paint color anytime.
1. Americans like to buy cars that don’t show dirt clearly in order to _________| A．save energy | B．save money |
| C．follow the government policy | D．reduce car accidents |
| A．looking more beautiful | B．absorbing less heat |
| C．being more expensive | D．being safer |
| A．South American | B．Australian |
| C．Chinese | D．North American |
| A．Red | B．White |
| C．Blue | D．Green |
4 . Success and Risk in Extreme Sports
What is it that drives some to take extreme risks, while the rest of us hurry for the safety of the sidelines?
Lester Keller, sports-psychology expert, says that not everyone has the mental makeup to do well in extreme sports. He notes that most of us hit a natural ceiling that limits our appetite for extreme risk in tricky conditions. But others have a much higher tolerance for risk. Keller points to a top ski racer. He told Keller that “the high element of risk makes you feel alive, tests what you are made of and how far you can take yourself”. He said he would get nervous on some of the courses, but that this would just make him fight more.
Psychologists note that some people seem to have a strong desire for adrenaline (肾上腺素) rushes as a behavior seeking excited feelings. Like many extreme athletes, Emily Cook’s appetite for risk appeared at a young age. “I was a gymnast,” she said. “I was one of those kids who enjoyed and did well at anything where you were upside down.” As she started doing harder tricks, she was drawn to the challenge. “There are moments when you’re up there doing a new trick and it seems like an impossible thing. But overcoming that is just the coolest feeling in the world.”
Shane Murphy, sports professor, has worked with groups climbing Everest. “To me, that just seems like the height of risk,” he said. “But to them it was the next step in an activity that they’ve prepared for years.” Murphy said the view of extreme athletes is different from our own. “We look at a risky situation and know that if we were in that situation we would be out of control. But from the athletes’ view, they have a lot of control, and there are many things that they do to minimize risk.”
Another aspect of risk perception (认知) may be something referred to as “the flow”, a state in which many athletes become absorbed in the acts that focus the mind completely on the present. “Something that makes you try doing a tougher climb than usual, perhaps, is that your adrenaline flows and you become very concentrated on what you’re doing,” Murphy says. “After it’s over, there’s great excitement.”
People of different skill levels experience the flow at different times. Some may always be driven to adventures that others consider extreme. “I can enjoy hitting a tennis ball around, because that’s my skill level,” Murphy says. “But others might need the challenge of Olympic competition.”
1. By using the term “natural ceiling” in Paragraph 2, Lester Keller points out that ______.| A．extreme athletes must learn special skills |
| B．extreme athletes have chances to take risks |
| C．many people don’t want to do extreme sports |
| D．many people can’t limit desire for extreme sports |
| A．They put in lots of preparation for challenges. |
| B．They are more fortunate than other sportspeople. |
| C．They carry little risk when facing big challenges. |
| D．They have special reasons that others can’t easily understand. |
| A．Extreme athletes use techniques other people don’t use. |
| B．Non-athletes are probably wise not to try extreme sports. |
| C．Most people lack the focus required to take bigger risks. |
| D．A certain state of mind makes attempting an activity more likely. |
| A．risk-taking is something you either naturally do or avoid |
| B．those who take risks are more likely to be successful in life |
| C．extreme athletes are driven by a need to be better than others |
| D．taking part in extreme sports is not as difficult as people think |
5 . Round and Round They Go
Space is becoming more crowded. Quite a few low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites have been launched into the sky, which are designed to move around the Earth only a few hundred kilometres above its surface. SpaceX and OneWeb plan to launch LEO satellites in their thousands, not hundreds, to double the total number of satellites in orbit (轨道) by 2027.
That promises to change things on Earth. LEO satellites can bring Internet connectivity to places where it is still unavailable. This will also be a source of new demand for the space economy. Morgan Stanley, a bank, projects that the space industry will grow from $350 billion in 2016 to more than $1.1 trillion by 2040. New Internet satellites will account for half this increase.
For that to happen, however, three worries must be overcome. Debris (碎片) is the most familiar concern. When enough satellites were packed into low-Earth orbits, any collision (碰撞) could cause a chain reaction which would eventually destroy all spaceships. One solution is to grab the satellites with problems and pull them down into the Earth’s atmosphere. Another is to monitor space more closely for debris. But technology is only part of the answer. Rules are needed to deal with old satellites safely from low-Earth orbits.
Cyber (网络的)-security is a second, long-standing worry. Hackers (黑客) could take control of a satellite and steal intellectual property, redirect data flows or cause a collision. The satellite industry has been slow to respond to such concerns. But as more of the world’s population comes to rely on the space for access to the Internet, the need for action will intensify. Measures will surely be taken to protect network security.
The third issue follows from the first two. If there is a simple mistake or a cyber-attack, it may cause a chain reaction which wipes out hundreds of billions of dollars of investment. Who is responsible for that? Now the plans of firms wishing to operate large numbers of satellites are being studied. But there is a long way to go before the risks are well understood, let alone priced.
As space becomes more commercialized, mind-bending prospects open up: packages moved across the planet in minutes by rocket rather than by plane, equipment sent to other small planets, passengers launched into orbit and beyond. All that and more may come, one day. But such activities would raise the same questions as LEO satellites do. They must be answered before the space economy can truly develop.
1. What can we learn about LEO satellites from the passage?| A．They are supposed to limit the space economy. |
| B．They are expected to increase in large numbers. |
| C．They are designed to move beyond the Earth as far as possible. |
| D．They are mainly intended to bring Internet connectivity to remote areas. |
| A．depending entirely on the modern technology |
| B．monitoring the movement of spaceships carefully |
| C．strengthening rules to remove old satellites safely |
| D．destroying all the satellites with problems instantly |
| A．Measure. | B．Increase. | C．Spread. | D．Repeat. |
| A．It should be further confirmed for its ownership. |
| B．It should be continued because of its advantages. |
| C．It should be done carefully to avoid potential risks. |
| D．It should be stopped in face of the space economy. |
6 . Annoying brother or sister may break your toys, but he or she may help you when you are in trouble. A new study suggests that younger siblings might be good for your health.
Children who didn't welcome a baby brother or sister into the family before first grade had almost three times the likelihood of obesity compared with kids who experienced the birth of a sibling when they were around 3 to 4 years old, the study found.
“It is possibly because when there is a younger sibling in the family, a child might become more active—for example, running around more with their younger sibling,” said Julie Lumeng, a public health researcher at the University of Michigan.
“Maybe families are more likely to take the kids to the park when there is a younger sibling, or maybe the child is less likely to sit, watching TV, when there is a younger sibling to ask them to join more active pretend play,” she added.
Mealtimes might also be different with a second kid at the table.Parents of only child can often focus too much on what their kid eats, which can lead to bad eating habits, some previous research suggests.
“When parents use restrictive or pressuretoeat feeding practices, children have an increased risk of being overweight,” said Jerica Berge, a researcher at the University of Minnesota.
“When a new child is introduced, parents may relax their focus on the older child's eating behaviors, making it possible for the older child to selfregulate their eating,” said Berge. “This selfregulation may lead to a healthier weight for the child with a sibling.”
For their study, Lumeng and colleagues followed 697 U．S. children from birth through age 6.However,the authors acknowledged that their study lacked objectively measured birth weights and information on events such as a divorce, a move or a job loss in the family—all of which can influence the odds of children becoming obese. For more information about this topic, please click here.
1. Compared to children with younger siblings, an only child may .| A．become overweight | B．become selfish |
| C．have a healthier lifestyle | D．get better parental care |
| A．They may refuse to play at home. | B．They may have more physical activities. |
| C．They may feel annoyed and unhappy. | D．They may spend more time with their parents. |
| A．Paying more attention to kids' eating habits. |
| B．Using some restrictive feeding practices. |
| C．Allowing kids to control their eating. |
| D．Letting the older child regulate the diet of the younger child. |
| A．On TV. | B．On the Internet. | C．On the radio. | D．In the newspaper. |
7 . There is proof that, in the past, large comets（彗星）or asteroids（小行星）have struck the Earth. Thirty-five million years ago, a three-kilometer-wide rock hit the ocean floor, 160 kilometers from what is now Washington, D. C., leaving an 85-kilometer-wide crater（坑）buried beneath Chesapeake Bay. Another giant rock, called Titan, ten kilometers in diameter smashed into the Gulf of Mexico around 65 million years ago, giving off thousands of times more energy than all the nuclear weapons on the planet combined. "The whole Earth burned that day," says Ed Lu, a physicist and former astronaut. "The chaos and destruction were unimaginable. Three-quarters of all life forms, including the dinosaurs, died out."
Astronomers have found numerous asteroids big enough to cause a disaster for the whole planet. None is on course to do so in our lifetimes, but there are many smaller asteroids that could strike in the near-future, with destructive effects. On June 30, 1908, an object as big as a 15-story building fell in Tunguska, a remote part of Siberia. The object, an asteroid or a small comet, exploded several kilometers before impact, burning and blowing down trees across 2, 000 square kilometers. Clouds of dust and ice filled the sky. The particles reflected the surfs light onto the Earth, and for days people in Europe could read newspapers outdoors at night. More recently, in 2013, a 20-meter meteor（流星）exploded over Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, injuring dozens of people on the ground. It was the largest object to enter the Earth's atmosphere since Tunguska.
The next time a large object falls out of the sky, we may be taken by surprise. Currently, there is no early-warning system for near-Earth objects. However, over the next decade, sky surveys, like the one being done by Tholen should begin filling that gap. Astronomers are making a list of thousands of asteroids to help us predict the next strike. "Every couple of weeks," says Lu, "we're going to be finding another asteroid with, like, a one-in-a-thousand chance of hitting the Earth."
1. When did the largest object mentioned in the text enter the Earth's atmosphere?| A．65 million years ago. | B．35 million years ago. |
| C．In 1908. | D．In 2013. |
| A．The recent findings of rare stars. | B．The significance of disaster prevention. |
| C．The new knowledge of space travel. | D．The threat of comets and asteroids. |
| A．The chance of the earth being hit is decreasing. |
| B．Titan destroyed most life forms on earth. |
| C．The dinosaurs died out due to a nuclear explosion. |
| D．We have already had mature warning systems. |
| A．Pessimistic. | B．Indifferent. |
| C．Optimistic. | D．Neutral. |
8 . In our daily lives, we probably make silly mistakes. While these moments can be worrying, they can also be handled with humor. When we share a laugh at our mistakes, we can calm ourselves down with a thread of understanding and acceptance.
When one morning in a rush to school, I spilled (泼洒) my cup of orange juice. I immediately thought of the precious minutes I would have to spend in cleaning up the floor. I raced back and forth to the sink (洗碗槽)with a kitchen cloth soaked (浸透)with juice to wash off. My legs were shaking as I watched from my window the school bus coming to my street. Within a minute, I had thrown the orange juice-soaked cloth to the sink and ran outside to join the group of kids in entering the bus. When thinking about my morning rush to clean up the spilled juice on the bus, I realized how much unnecessary stress and worry I put myself through. I ended up smiling to myself about my minor nervousness over spilled juice.
These days I don’t usually spill orange juice, but I do sometimes spill a bit of spaghetti sauce on my pant or put on my sweater backwards when I’m really tired and in a hurry for school. In each of my mistakes, I try to remind myself not to take myself so seriously. It takes me a minute to calm down, take a deep breath and smile at my carelessness. It is the ability to see mistakes in a different way that enables me to find humor in everyday moments.
Humor, however, doesn’t always have to arise from silly mistakes. Kids may have a good laugh at comic books, classic jokes and stories told by friends and parents. What matters more is not where you find the humor in life, but that you can appreciate it.
1. When we make mistakes in our daily lives, we ________.| A．should treat them properly | B．may try to enjoy ourselves |
| C．must know the value of them | D．had better forget them in time |
| A．He prepared breakfast busily. | B．He had some clothes washed. |
| C．He made a cup of orange juice. | D．He did some cleaning at home. |
| A．makes many mistakes now the then |
| B．tries to keep himself calm with humor |
| C．has been used to being busy every day |
| D．always makes other people around happy |
| A．We should try to find where humor lies. |
| B．We can be happy by enjoying humor. |
| C．It is natural for us to make mistakes. |
| D．Reading is a good habit for every person. |
9 . November in Atlanta brings more than football and Thanksgiving. Try one or two of these festivals.
•Nov. 5~22, MJCCA Book Festival
More than 40 authors appear during this annual two-week event that is all about books and reading. Meet your favorite writer at the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta.
•Nov, 7~8, Chastain Park Arts Festival
With more than 150 artists from around the country, this free event is about food, family, fun and art. There will be fine art, a children's area, food trucks and musicians.
•Nov. 13~15, Sojam
Held at Emory University, Sojam is a weekend-long cappella（清唱的）entertainment event by the Contemporary A Cappella Society. It features concerts, competitions and master classes.
•Nov. 19~21，Atlanta DocuFest
The 10th annual Atlanta DocuFest brings the best in independent documentary（纪实的） films and videos from across the globe.
•Nov. 21~22, Indie Craft Experience
Shop for special gifts for holidays at this market that features 100 sellers, local food suppliers, DJ Zano and bags for the first 100 people who want to buy.
•Nov. 28, Beer and Tacos Festival
Head to Philips Arena for beer and tacos, a type of Mexican food, while enjoying music and art.
1. Where will the event about reading books take place?| A．At MJCCA. | B．In Philips Arena. |
| C．In Chastain Park. | D．At Emory University. |
| A．On Nov. 5. | B．On Nov. 8. | C．On Nov. 20. | D．On Nov. 28. |
| A．Sojam. | B．Indie Craft Experience. |
| C．Atlanta DocuFest. | D．Beer and Tacos Festival. |
10 . I moved to the Spanish capital, Madrid, nearly two months ago. I am here for a year teaching English in a secondary school as a language assistant. Before I arrived I thought I would be able to adapt to Spanish culture very easily, but my previous expectations have been very different from the reality of Spanish life.
Firstly, I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to adapt to the Spanish day and the timings of meals. Spanish “midday” is at 14:00, meaning lunch is never before then. My expectation was that I would be eating lunch at 12:00 to 13:00, but most days it’s 15:30 before I eat lunch. Can I really still call this lunch?! The same applies to dinner or tea. In the UK, dinner is between 18:00 and 19:00, but now the dinner time is 21:30. The thing I didn’t realize is that this affects the Spanish sleeping routine. Eating dinner so late of course means that Spaniards /ˈspænɪəd/ go to bed so much later. It is such a British thing to go to bed at 22:00!
Queuing (排队等候) /kjuiŋ/ politely is also something that is very British. I only realized it when I arrived in Spain. I took it for granted that queuing patiently is as the normal thing as in Britain or countries like China, Japan and America. But this definitely isn’t the case in Spain. If there’s a free table in a restaurant, you can quickly take it, even if there are other people who have been waiting longer than you.
Finally, the reality of the Spanish diet is very different from my expectations. Food products that are so normal in the UK aren’t nearly as popular here.
1. According to the passage, when is lunch time in the UK probably?| A．At 14:00. | B．At 12:00 to 13:00. | C．After 15:30. | D．At 15:30. |
| A．Eating dinner so late. | B．Going to bed so early. | C．Eating dinner so early. | D．Going to bed so late. |
| A．2. | B．3. | C．4. | D．5. |
