1 . The joy of giving is real, according to a study. Research presented in the Journal of the Association for Psychological Science shows that those who give gifts are happier — and happier for longer — than those who receive gifts.
Researchers conducted two studies last year. In one，participants were given $5 every day for five days and were required to spend the money on the same thing each day. Some participants were required to spend the money on themselves, while others were required to give to make a donation to charity. In a second experiment that was done online, participants played 10 rounds of a word puzzle game and each won 5 cents per round, which they could keep or donate.
In both experiments, participants reported their overall happiness. Those who donated their money showed that their happiness declined at a much slower rate than those who kept the money or spent it on themselves.
The researchers note that when people focus on an outcome, they can easily compare outcomes, which may diminish their sensitivity to each experience. When people focus on an action, they may focus less on comparison and instead experience each act of giving as a unique happiness-inducing event. Further analyses ruled out some potential alternative explanations, such as the possibility that participants who gave to others had to think longer and harder about what to give, which could promote higher happiness.
The results are especially interesting because according to one of the researchers, Ed O’Brien of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, they conflict with past research. “If you want to sustain happiness over time, past research tells us that we need to take a break from what were currently consuming and experience something new. Our research reveals that the kind of thing may matter more than assumed: Repeated giving, even in identical ways to identical other，may continue to feel relatively fresh and relatively pleasurable the more we do it,” O’Brien said.
So for all the holiday gifts you give this season, expect to feel happy and know that feeling is going to stick around for a while.
1. What’s the function of the first paragraph?| A．To lead to the topic. |
| B．To highlight the importance of the study. |
| C．To recommend a journal. |
| D．To persuade people to give gifts regularly. |
| A．To challenge the past research. |
| B．To rule out different experimental data. |
| C．To show the benefits of donation. |
| D．To make the conclusion more convincing. |
| A．Develop. | B．Show. | C．Reduce. | D．Lack. |
| A．Gift giving will result in longer happiness than receiving. |
| B．Thinking longer and harder on giving will promote higher happiness. |
| C．The feeling of happiness will disappear soon if people just give holiday gifts. |
| D．Taking a break from what were currently consuming will sustain happiness. |
2 . Sometimes when she felt bored, she would pick up one of the numerous biographies（传记） about herself and begin to note on it. “I never did that” or “simply not true” she would write roughly in the margins at the sides of pages. Since journalists, biographers and more recently even “bloggers” had been writing about her since the day she was born, there was plenty of material to edit. Not that her notes or corrections were ever shared with the authors. Lately, however, she even seemed to have lost her appetite for correctness. Did it matter anymore if things were not right?
She knew that sitting alone chewing away on downbeat thoughts would not get her anywhere and would leave those around her confused and upset, should they ever catch her out. After all she was the decisive one, always on top of her game. A printed timetable for the following day lay on the table. full day of openings and presentations, of smiling and nodding and flowers.
Shaking herself out of her gray mood, she stepped over towards the computer where a sudden burst of energy gave her an idea. The screen flashed up in front of her but instead of clicking on the familiar icons which would lead her to the emails Randolph had considered she needed to read, she simply went to visit Mr. Google and began her search for train timetable.
A dish heaped with multi-coloured jellies and plenty of ice cream, served by a white-gloved train waiter with a perfect moustache. So many years had passed but she still remembered the jelly dissolving on her tongue in small but delicious mouthfuls. Each spoonful had to be lifted delicately to her mouth under the watchful eye of her grandmother, who was a stickler for good manners. It was unlikely that they served jelly on the trains these days, what with all the concern about childhood fatness, but even a Spartan menu could not kill the romance of a train journey. As the timetable for Linehurst line flashed in front of her, she remembered that the Mayor of Alwoy would be expecting her to make a short predictable speech at the opening of the new bridge.
1. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?| A．Randolph is probably an assistant or a secretary to the main character. |
| B．The main character is always busy editing plenty of material about herself. |
| C．The main character is probably a journalist writing blogs about royal members. |
| D．The authors probably had chances to get the notes or correctness from the main character. |
| A．She wishes she still knew where the handsome train waiter was. |
| B．Today's children aren't allowed to eat the same things that she ate as a child. |
| C．She wishes that she were still a child so that she could eat jellies and ice cream. |
| D．She is reminded of these foods because the thought of a train journey reminds her of them. |
| A．include a range of sweets, but no jelly |
| B．be suitable for a romantic dinner |
| C．have mainly low fat, healthy foods |
| D．include foods which are easy to transport |
| A．Randolph will send some emails to the main character. |
| B．The main character will update her blog on the Internet. |
| C．The main character will decide to take a rail journey. |
| D．The main character will practise her speech for greeting the Mayor of Alwoy. |
3 . One rainy afternoon, I was on a cross-town bus when a young woman jumped on. She had a child with her who must have been about 3 or 4 years old.
The bus was full, bumpy, and it soon got noisy as her kid began crying because he couldn't sit next to his mother. There were a couple of open seats, but they weren't together. She was flustered and looked embarrassed.
Then another woman, a little older, stood up and moved so that the mother and child could sit together. The mom smiled as a thank-you. And then three words came out of the older woman's mouth that elevated the entire energy of that bus ride:“I've been there”.
Simple, undramatic and honest. In that moment, it seemed to unite people. Why? Because almost all experiences are shared human experiences. We forget that, as we forge (前进) through life, focused on our own troubles and needs—which are actually less unique than we think. How can these three words create more connection in your life? Ask yourself: “Where am I holding back?”
One thing I know for sure is this: Healing others helps heal yourself. I noticed this recently with my friend, Tracy, who took a new friend who had suffered miscarriage under her wing. Tracy had three of them before having her daughter two years ago. Our intellect needs a doctor to explain the medical side of things, yes. But our souls need human connection to help us along. No one can do that better than someone who has been exactly where you are.
Can the essence of these three words help you make a small difference right now? It can be as simple as volunteering your seat, sharing some helpful advice or even lightening the mood with a joke when you notice that someone's uncomfortable -because we're all in this together.
1. The underlined word “flustered” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to ________.| A．upset | B．shocked |
| C．scared | D．relieved |
| A．The woman was on the bus and saw what had happened to the boy. |
| B．The woman once had the similar experience with that mother. |
| C．The woman got to her destination and was ready to get off the bus. |
| D．The woman took the exact seat that the boy was on just now. |
| A．Everyone has his or her own unique problem that is difficult to solve. |
| B．Doctors can help us get through when we have mental or physical problems. |
| C．One can indeed make a difference to those in need of help by doing simple things. |
| D．The author's friend Tracy felt better after she was comforted by her new friend |
| A．illustrate some ways of helping others in detail |
| B．appeal to readers to give timely help to those in need |
| C．show a harmonious world by telling some touching stories |
| D．praise those who are willing to help others in emergencies |
4 . An 85-year-old primary school constructed in 1935 in Shanghai has been lifted off the ground in its entirety and relocated using new technology called the “walking machine.” The project marks the first time this “walking machine” method has been used in Shanghai to relocate a historical building.
Urbanization（都市化）has continued to significantly threaten architectural heritage. In the capital Beijing, for instance, more than 1,000 acres of its historic hutongs and traditional courtyard homes were destroyed between 1990 and 2010.
In the early 2000s, cities including Nanjing and Bejjing-due to the critics’ protest about the loss of old neighborhoods-drew up long-term plans to preserve what was left of their historic sites, with protections introduced to safeguard buildings and restrict developers.
These conservation efforts have taken different forms. In Beijing, a near-ruined temple was transformed into a restaurant and gallery, while in Nanjing, a cinema from the 1930s was restored to its original form, with some additions providing it for modern use. In 2019, Shanghai welcomed Tank Shanghai, an arts center built in renovated（重修的）oil tanks.
“Relocation is not the first choice, but better than destroying,” said Lan, the Shanghai primary school’s project supervisor. “I’d rather not touch the historical buildings at all.” Building relocations he said however, are “a workable option.” “The central government is putting more emphasis on the protection of historical buildings. I’m happy to see that progress in recent years.”
Shanghai has arguably been China’s most progressive city when it comes to heritage preservation. The survival of a number of 1930s buildings and 19th-century “shikumen” （or “stone gate”） house have offered examples of how to give old buildings new life.
“We have to preserve the historical building no matter what, ” Lan said. “The relocation has challenges, but in general, it is cheaper than destroying and then rebuilding something in a new location.”
1. How did cities respond to the loss of historical sites?| A．They criticized the developers. | B．They rebuilt the historic hutongs. |
| C．They ended the significant threat. | D．They proposed the protection project. |
| A．All original form. | B．A new addition. | C．A cinema. | D．A temple. |
| A．Provide strong evidence. | B．Introduce different opinions. |
| C．Summarize previous paragraphs. | D．Add some background information. |
| A．Walking Machine: a New Technology | B．Rebuilding: a New Option for Relics |
| C．Old Building Torn down for Modern Use | D．Historical Site “Walks” to New Life |
5 . I was talking recently with my mom when our conversation reminded me of an interesting story. “This is very funny,” I said. “One time I was diving with my friend Rudy...”
My mom cut me off impatiently. “I’ve heard this one before, honey,” she said. “You don’t need to tell it again.”
Storytelling is a signal of faith (信任) in the relationship. When we share our personal experiences, we also share something about our values, our history, our outlook on life. But the benefits of storytelling only work if you’re good at it—many of us are not. We fail to pay attention to our audience, ignoring them when they become bored, angry or confused. And we often throw in every detail we find interesting, no matter how irrelevant (不相干).
People who repeat the same stories over and over are considered as less sincere. We also find that listeners are less interested in getting along with someone retelling a story they’ve heard him or her tell before. We tend to think these storytellers aren’t presenting themselves truly.
Good storytellers use their voice to express strong feelings, which show they really care about the story. Impressive stories that make people laugh or feel moved, touched or angry have the most impact. “ If it causes a reaction in you, it’s likely to cause a reaction in your audience,” mom says.
I’ve learned a lot about storytelling in my work as a journalist (and from my mother). Tailor your story to your audience. Have a point. Edit yourself. Leave a straight wake—no going off the track. And most importantly, don’t repeat yourself.
1. The conversation between the writer and his mom is mentioned to show ________.| A．storytelling is a signal of faith in the relationship |
| B．storytelling can help us start a relationship with others |
| C．sharing our experiences is of great importance |
| D．we are often not good at storytelling |
| A．he is less interesting than his audience | B．he gets a good reaction from others |
| C．he is not presenting his true self | D．he has strong feelings to express |
| A．The relationship. | B．The story. |
| C．The impact. | D．The signal. |
| A．mention as many details as possible | B．make good use of his voice |
| C．take his audience into consideration | D．avoid repeating a story |
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1. TV VOICE PRO AIR is aimed at ________.
| A．TV designers |
| B．hearing specialists |
| C．people with hearing difficulty |
| D．wearers of digital hearing aids |
| A．enjoy TV even over 35 feet from his/her house |
| B．listen to TV clearly at whatever volume |
| C．improve his/her hearing ability in daily life |
| D．watch more TV programs |
| A．You need to place a special order for it if you have severe hearing loss. |
| B．You need to pay $50 for its shipping if you buy it in 2021. |
| C．You can get a discount as long as you use Gift Voucher Code. |
| D．You can get your money back within 30 days if dissatisfied with it. |
7 . If you were to throw, say, a banana skin out of your car while driving along the motorway, that would be a completely harmless action, due to the fact that it’s part of a fruit—right? Actually, no. A banana skin can take up to two years to be naturally processed, and a third of drivers confess they litter while driving, that’s a lot of thrown banana skin. An orange skin and a cigarette butt (烟蒂) have similar biodegrading (生物降解) time to that of a banana skin, but tin cans last up to 100 years; and plastic bottles last forever, as do glass bottles.
Despite the fact that longer-lasting materials will serve to damage the environment and its animals for longer, we can’t measure the danger of a certain type of rubbish by its lifetime. For example, despite having a fairly short length of biodegrading time, more than 120 tons of cigarette-related litter is thrown in the UK every day.
It’s not a cheap habit either: to keep our streets clean annually costs UK taxpayers £500 million, and when you include our green spaces, that goes up to £1 billion. So, it’s not surprising that if caught throwing rubbish, you could face a £20,000 fine or even prison time and, if you threw something dangerous, the court could give you five years to serve. Regardless of how serious these punishments might seem, however, among the reported cases only 2,000 were found guilty out of 825,000, so we still have some way to go in making sure people obey the rules.
1. What does the underlined word “confess” in Paragraph1 mean?| A．Defend. | B．Admit. |
| C．Determine. | D．Assume. |
| A．Glass bottles. | B．Tin cans. |
| C．Plastic bottles. | D．Banana skins. |
| A．The punishment for throwing rubbish illegally is rather light. |
| B．The harm of rubbish can be measured by its lifetime. |
| C．Cigarette-related litter and fruit skins can be ignored for their fairly short lifetime. |
| D．A small number of people felt guilty of illegally littering. |
| A．To call for people not to litter illegally. |
| B．To inform readers of different biodegrading terms. |
| C．To encourage people to use fewer plastic bags. |
| D．To attach significance to good behavior. |
8 . Researchers from the University of Bath have developed motion capture technology that enables you to digitize（数字化）your dog with only one camera. The software could be used for a wide range of purposes, from helping vets diagnose lameness（跛）and monitoring recovery of their dog patients, to behavior supervision.
The University of Bath's motion capture research centre digitised the movement of 14 different breeds of dogs. Wearing special doggie motion capture suits with markers, the dogs were filmed under the supervision of scientists doing a range of movements. They used these data to create a computer model that can accurately predict and copy the poses of dogs when they re filmed without wearing the motion capture suits. This model allows 3D digital information for new dogs-their shape and movement-to be captured without markers and expensive equipment, but using a single RGBD camera instead.
The researcher Kearney said, “This is the first time RGBD images have been used to track the motion of dogs using a single camera, which is much more affordable than traditional motion capture systems that require multiple cameras. This technology allows us to study the movement of animals, which is useful for applications such as detecting lameness in a dog and measuring its recovery over time.”
The team has also started testing their method on digital images of other four-legged animals including horses, cats, lions and gorillas, with some promising results. They aim in the future to extend their animal dataset to make the results more accurate；they will also be making the dataset available for non-commercial use by others. “Our research is a step towards building accurate 3D models of animal motion along with technologies that allow us to very easily measure their movement.” said Kearney.
1. What is special about the new software mentioned in Para 1?| A．It equips your dog with a motion capture suit. |
| B．It can be useful for pets to behave themselves. |
| C．It helps you monitor dogs using only one camera. |
| D．It offers a wide range of entertainment applications. |
| A．A special computer model must be set up in advance. |
| B．The dogs must wear motion capture suits without markers. |
| C．The dogs must be in the supervision of multiple cameras. |
| D．3D digital information must be sent into the cameras. |
| A．To make the dataset available for more profits. |
| B．To make more accurate models of animal diseases. |
| C．To extend the animal dataset to improve its accuracy. |
| D．To test RGBD cameras on other four-legged animals. |
| A．To encourage a new method of safe dog-walking. |
| B．To introduce a new motion capture technology. |
| C．To explain the applications of diagnosing dogs' diseases. |
| D．To prove the efcts of the technology on different animals. |
9 . 15 years ago, Erin Merryn met a kitten who needed a home when she was a college student.
He jumped into her arms and refused to let her go.
“I was attached immediately and decided that I would take a risk and try hiding a kitten in my college dorm where animals are obviously not allowed,” Erin recalled.
A week later she was caught and given 48 hours to remove the cat. After several phone calls, Erin was able to find an old lady to take Bailey, the kitten. But Bailey did not get along with his new housemate. As soon as Erin learned that he would be sent away, she immediately offered to take him back. “I plotted for a month to convince my parents to let me keep him.” said Erin.
Six years ago, Erin had Abby, her beautiful daughter. She didn’t know what Bailey would think about the new addition when she brought her home from the hospital.
“But it was love at first sight.” Erin said. Bailey stayed by Abby’s side, guarding and showering her with love and purrs. As Abby grew, he became her protective brother, watching over her every step of the way. Abby picked up a book one day and tried to read it with Bailey by her side. He became her perfect audience, and the sweet boy was completely attracted by Abby as she told him stories of wonder.
A video showing Abby reading to Bailey went viral on the Internet in 2018. Numerous people followed Erin on social media platforms.
Unfortunately, on December 8, 2018, just months after becoming famous, the 14-year old cat passed away from kidney failure.
A full month after Bailey’s passing, Erin still got cards and gifts from caring individuals. It is this love that Erin hopes Bailey’s fans hold on to. She wants her furry “first-born” to be remembered as a symbol of compassion that inspires others to treat the world with love.
1. Which of the following best describes Erin Merryn?| A．An able college student. | B．A perfect mother. |
| C．A lover of cats. | D．An online influencer. |
| A．He was appointed to guard the newly born baby. | B．He showed Abby much love and affection. |
| C．He shared many interesting stories with Abby. | D．He made great progress in reading. |
| A．Erin Merryn. | B．The Old Lady. | C．Bailey. | D．Abby. |
| A．No Ordinary Cat. | B．A Wonderful World. |
| C．Importance of Protecting Animals. | D．Love from Animals. |
10 . Babies are surrounded by human language, always listening and processing. Eventually, they put sounds together to produce a “Daddy” or a “Mama”. But what still confuses neuroscientists is exactly how the brain works to put it all together.
To figure it out, a team of researchers turned to a frequent stand-in (代替) for babies when it comes to language learning: the song-learning zebra finch. “We’ve known songbirds learn their song by first forming a memory of their father’s song or another adult’s song. Then they use that memory to guide their song learning,” said Neuroscientist Todd Roberts. “It’s been a long-term goal of the field to figure out how or where in the brain this memory is. This type of imitative learning that birds do is very similar to the type of learning that we engage in regularly—particularly when we’re young, we use it to guide our speech learning.”
Roberts and his team had a feeling that the interface (交叉区域) between sensory areas and motor areas in the brain was critical for this process, and they focused on a group of brain cells called the NIf.
“In order to prove that we could identify these circuits, we thought if we could implant a false memory.” First, they used a virus to cause the neurons (神经元) in the birds’ NIf to become sensitive to light. Then, using a tiny electrode as a flashlight, they activated (激活) the neurons. The length of each pulse of light corresponded with the amount of time the neurons would fire. And the birds’ brains interpreted that time period as the length of each note.
Soon enough, the birds began to practice the notes they had learned, even though they never really heard the sounds. Amazingly, the birds produced them in the correct social situations. The researchers say this is the first time anybody has found exactly a part of the brain necessary for generating the sorts of memories needed to copy sounds.
“This line of research is going to help us identify where in the brain we encode memories of relevant social experiences that we use to guide learning. We know that there are several neurodevelopmental disorders in people that have really far-reaching effects on this type of learning.”
1. The zebra finch is researched because its song-learning mode ________.| A．decides whether it will sing songs |
| B．helps it to say “Daddy” or “Mama” |
| C．is like the way babies learn speech |
| D．reflects its talent for imitating its father’s song |
| A．The interface in the brain. |
| B．Guidance from adults. |
| C．Imitative learning type like birds’. |
| D．The way of regular learning. |
| A．Scientists activated some neurons by using an electrode. |
| B．A bird only sings what it heard before. |
| C．The brain produces tiny electrodes. |
| D．Birds are sensitive to light. |
| A．A change in our way of listening and processing. |
| B．A chance to have relevant social experiences. |
| C．A better knowledge of the secrets of learning. |
| D．Identification of neurodevelopmental disorders. |
