1 . Americans are proud of their variety and individuality, yet they love and respect few things more than a uniform, whether it is the uniform of an elevator operator or the uniform of a five-star general. Why are uniforms so popular in the United States?
Among the arguments for uniforms, one of the first is that in the eyes of most people they look more professional than civilian (平民的) clothes. People have become used to expecting superb quality from a man who wears a uniform. The television repairman who wears a uniform is likely to inspire more trust than one who appears in civilian clothes. Faith in the skill of a garage mechanic is increased by a uniform. What easier way is there for a nurse, a policeman, a barber, or a waiter to lose professional identity than to step out of uniform?
Uniforms also have many practical benefits. They save on other clothes. They save on bills for washing. They are tax-deductible (可减税的). They are often more comfortable and stay in good condition for a longer time than civilian clothes.
Primary among the arguments against uniforms is their lack of variety and the consequent loss of individuality experienced by people who must wear them. Though there are many types of uniforms, the wearer of any particular type is generally stuck with it, without change, until retirement. When people look alike, they often think, speak, and act similarly, on the job at least.
Uniforms also give rise to some practical problems. Though they are long-lasting, often their initial expense is greater than the cost of civilian clothes. Some uniforms are also expensive to maintain, requiring professional dry cleaning rather than the home laundering possible with many types of civilian clothes.
1. How does the writer begin the passage?| A．By making a comparison. | B．By describing a scene. |
| C．By raising a question. | D．By presenting a reason. |
| A．suggests quality work | B．shows his social position |
| C．appears to be more practical | D．looks fresher and more attractive |
| A．People pay less tax for uniforms. |
| B．It is easier to wash and keep uniforms. |
| C．Uniforms last longer than civilian clothes． |
| D．People who wear a uniform can gain more trust. |
2 . Online programs to fight depression are already commercially available. While they sound efficient and cost-saving, a recent study looked at computer-assisted cognitive (认知的) behavioral therapy (CBT) and found that it was not that helpful in handling depression.
Traditional CBT is considered as an effective form against depression, helping people challenge negative thoughts and change the way they think in order to change their mood and behaviors. However, online CBT programs have been gaining popularity, with the attraction of providing low-cost help wherever someone is able to use a computer.
A team of researchers from the University of York conducted a survey with 691 depressed patients from 83 physician practices across England. They were divided into three groups: one group received only usual care from a physician while the other two groups received usual care from a physician plus one of two computerized CBT programs. After four months, the patients using the computerized CBT programs had no improvement in depression level over those who were only getting usual care form their doctors, mainly because depressed patients are not likely to get involved in online programs and stick with them.
“It’s an important, warning note that we shouldn’t get too carried away with the idea that a computer system can replace doctors and therapists (治疗师),” says Christopher Dowrick, a professor of primary medical care at the University of Liverpool. “We do still need the human touch or the human talk, especially when people are depressed.”
Being depressed can mean feeling “lost in your own small, negative, dark world,” Dowrick says. Having a person, instead of a computer, reach out to you is particularly important in battling that sense of separation. “When your feeling is more easily hurt, you’re even more in need of a caring human being,” he says.
1. What has made online CBT programs increasingly popular?| A．Their good effects on fighting depression. |
| B．Their easy and cheap use by patients. |
| C．The low efficiency of traditional CBT. |
| D．The attraction of going online. |
| A．online CBT is more likely to cure depression |
| B．traditional CBT has no improvement in depression |
| C．depressed patients fail to keep up the online treatment |
| D．the combination of traditional and online CBT is most effective |
| A．It can take the place of doctors. |
| B．It should not be ignored in primary care. |
| C．Its effectiveness should not be over valued. |
| D．Its advantages should be encouraged by doctors. |
| A．Science and Technology | B．Culture and Society |
| C．Business and Advertisement | D．Health and Fitness |
3 . When in space, astronauts typically eat dehydrated (脱水), nutrient-rich food, but when it comes to longer space missions, that can become a problem as they'll eventually lack nutrients from fresh vegetables. However, Ying Diao, a chemical and biomolecular engineering professor will be researching ways astronauts can grow their own fresh vegetables more efficiently during space missions.
Diao's goal for this research is to develop wearable sensors for plants so that their health and stress levels are detected autonomously, with no need for humans to do the testing. Then, a “smart” plant chamber will be developed that can identify the best conditions for a plant to grow in to reduce its stress. Diao also wants to develop another sensor that will continuously monitor a plant's growth over its lifetime. “We're helping the astronauts to be more healthy during space missions, by improving the health of the plants they grow,” Diao said. “So the bigger impact could also be that it helps future human colonization on Mars or on other possible habitats.”
Although the ultimate goal for this project and research is to help people in space, it could also be used back on Earth in addressing climate change.
“During climate change, a plant experiences a lot of stress, but we need a plant to be more productive without increasing the footprint of the agriculture land to feed the growing population of our planet,” Diao said. “To address this conflict, we could potentially help decipher(破译)how the climate change and the microenvironments are impacting the plant stress and then we are better equipped to help plants adapt to a changing environment.”
“Most of the technology in my field is developed for human health but we've been ignoring plants for too long,” Diao said. “I think it's a new frontier that I want to go into and it is just part of a smart agriculture movement.”
1. What troubles astronauts with longer missions?| A．The way to grow fresh vegetables. |
| B．A shortage of nutrients from fresh vegetables. |
| C．A decrease in dehydrated, nutrient-rich food. |
| D．The balance between work and growing vegetables. |
| A．To find possible habitats for people. |
| B．To deal with climate change on earth. |
| C．To decrease the footprint of agriculture. |
| D．To help people to stay healthy in space. |
| A．Technology for plants. |
| B．Sensors for space use. |
| C．A smart agriculture movement. |
| D．Research into human health. |
4 . You are on your way to a concert.At a crossroad,you see a group of people, all staring at the sky.Without even thinking about it, you stare upward, too. Why? In the middle of the concert,someone begins to clap and suddenly the whole room joins in.You do,too.Why?
Social proof determines that people feel they are behaving correctly when they act the same as other people. In other words, the more people who follow a certain idea, the better or truer we consider the idea to be. An experiment carried out by the psychologist(心理学家）Solomon Asch shows how peer pressure can influence common sense.A subject is showed a line,and next to it three lines - one shorter, one longer and one of the same length as the original one. He must show which of the three lines similar to the original one. If the person is alone, he gives a correct answer. Now, five unknown actors enter the room.One after another, they give wrong answers. And in one third of cases, the subject will answer incorrectly to match the other people's responses.
Why do we act like this? Well, in the past, following others was a survival method. Suppose that one day 5,000 years ago, you were travelling with your hunter friends. Suddenly,they all ran away.What would you have done? Would you have stood still, weighing up whether what you were looking at was a lion or something that just looked like a lion? No,you would have run, too.We are generations of those who copied others' behaviors. This is so deeply rooted in us that we still use it, though it offers few survival advantages today.
Social proof is the evil behind many things. The advertising industry, for example, often makes use of it.Therefore, be doubtful whenever a company says its product is "the most popular". Remember British novelist W.Somerset Maugham's words, "If 50 million people say something foolish,it is still foolish."So should we always follow the crowd?
1. What's the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To share the story. |
| B．To describe a scene. |
| C．To introduce the topic. |
| D．To settle an argument. |
| A．Wrong answers driven by unknown cases. |
| B．True ideas followed by surrounding actors. |
| C．Social influence that decides people's psychology. |
| D．Peer pressure that corrects people's common sense. |
| A．rooted behaviors to survive |
| B．natural responses to dangers |
| C．lasting advantages of copying ancestors |
| D．traditional ways of travelling with friends |
| A．Supportive. |
| B．Disapproving. |
| C．Doubtful. |
| D．Objective. |
5 . What is better for you? Exercising in the great outdoors, or signing up for a gym?To try and find out, the Guardian was invited to spend a month working withfitness and sports psychology experts at Bath University and the National Trust. The concept was that participants— including me — would spend alternate weeks exercising in a gym and on National Trust land.
The first week was spent on the exercise bikes, rowing machines and treadmills (跑步机) in a gym at Bath.Getting started at the gym was easy. There was a nice community too. People are gently teasing and encouraging each other.
On the downside, it was hard to ignore the background noise ofdance and pop music. And all the machines faced screens showing music videos, rolling news and sports channels. Not a place to get away from it all.
So it was a relief in week two to head for the hills of Dyrham, a National Trust parkland full of birds and deer.
Weeks three and four followed the same pattern. The diaries I had kept, questionnaires I had filled in, and heart monitors I had worn, were then analysed by scientists from Bath University.
The findings surprise me a bit. The heart monitors showed I had consumed a similar amount of energy whether exercising in the gym or outdoors. But fitness expert Martyn Standagewas most interested in the fact that on the days when my exercise had been done outside, I used more energy through the rest of the day.Standage said this fitted with studies that suggest working out in the outdoors leads to a greater feeling of vitality (活力).
Jo Barton, who specialises in studying outdoor exercise, suggested that working out in the fresh air could be “life-changing”.“Exercising in nature lifts your mood and increases your self-respect,” she said.
My verdict? It was more fun outside but sometimes more convenient to get to the gym. A bit of both may be the way forward.
1. Which shows the author’s exercisepattern in the four weeks?| A．in the outdoors→in the outdoors→in the gym→in the gym |
| B．in the gym→in the gym→in the outdoors→in the outdoors |
| C．in the outdoors→in the gym→in the outdoors→in the gym |
| D．in the gym→in the outdoors→in the gym→in the outdoors |
| A．He used more energy when exercising indoors. |
| B．He felt more energetic after exercising outdoors. |
| C．He was very tired after finishing daily exercise. |
| D．He summarized the findings after the experiment. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Tolerant. | D．Uncaring. |
| A．concern | B．opinion |
| C．chance | D．challenge |
6 . The boy sat on his chair, with his hands above the keyboard. He thought about what to write.
He recalled that the competition deadline was merely a week away. But he still had not even started on his piece. He looked at the brochure again. “WRITING COMPETITION!” the title read. His mom had encouraged him to enter the writing competition, and now he was taking it on as his personal task for the holidays.
As the boy reflected on his previous writing efforts, he realized how hopeless his task of winning was. Every story he ever wrote was based on other stories. He has little imagination, and unfortunately, imagination was the key to writing.
Suddenly, he had a brainwave. This time, he came up with an original and imaginative story.
The words shot towards him like a storm of leaves. Words were coming easily, flowing through him, faster than he could type. He typed faster than he ever had before. He continued to type, amazed how easy writing this story was. The boy could not stop writing. He looked at the word count and saw the number “248” staring right back at him. He was not even halfway yet.
Then he heard his mother's call of saying time for bed. He continued writing the piece, ignoring her. He had to make up for the time he had lost in thinking about a topic to write.
Finally, he finished. The word count now read “498”.
“Perfect, ”he thought, “just under the word limit.”He knew this was the story that would win. He went to the website and searched for the competition. He found the page but there was no “Enter” button.
Confused, he then reread the page again. It read COMPETITION CLOSED.
1. What caused the boy to take part in the writing competition?| A．A new computer. | B．The prize money. |
| C．His own interest. | D．His mom's encouragement. |
| A．His mom helped him. | B．He copied others' ideas. |
| C．His friends assisted him. | D．He used his imagination. |
| A．100. | B．250. | C．500. | D．1，000. |
7 . Looking through a magazine in a waiting room recently, I came across an article with the title “My top five most precious possessions”. It was just a few lines of text with pictures, but it caught my imagination.
It’s interesting how inanimate (无生命的) objects can take on such significance and become woven (编织) into a person’s, and sometimes a whole family’s, life history.
Anyway, the article had me considering what my most precious possessions are. It was difficult to choose only five, but here are mine:
An old cardboard box filled with my children’s baby photos.
A yellow pocketsized birthday book of special things (poems, pictures of flowers and trees, etc) given to me by my dad when I was probably about seven or eight years old.
A 21st birthday card from my mum. In it she’s written her congratulations, her love, and her hopes for my future. She died not long after, when I was in my early twenties.
A few ancient but very beautiful botany books that were once my great grandmother’s. She was a botanist in a time when it was relatively unusual for women to be qualified in this field and I think she was probably a remarkable and very interesting woman. I’d like to have known her.
A brooch (胸针) left to me by my muchloved grandmother. It was given to my great grandmother by my great grandfather on his return from World War Ⅰ. It is not worth anything in terms of money. However, it not only stands for a link between four generations of women, but it is also a reminder of one young man’s return from World War Ⅰ.
How about you? I’d love to hear what you feel are your most precious possessions.
1. What made the writer have the idea of writing the passage?| A．Her love for her relatives. |
| B．Her rich imagination about the objects. |
| C．An article in a magazine. |
| D．Some pictures in an article. |
| A．lost her mother at the age of 26 |
| B．was a mother of several children |
| C．got the yellow birthday book at 8 |
| D．studied botany well when she was young |
| A．wrote a large number of botany books |
| B．left the writer some ancient but beautiful botany books |
| C．was unusually famous for her achievements |
| D．could become a botanist in the special time |
| A．change a person’s and even the whole family’s life history |
| B．have a great effect on one person’s life |
| C．remind somebody of his or her close relatives |
| D．show a person’s love and respect for his or her relatives |
8 . The second little pig was unlucky. He built his house from sticks. It was blown away by a wolf, which quickly ate him up. His brother, by contrast, built a wolf-proof house from bricks. The fairy tale could have been written by a salesman for the construction industry, which strongly favours brick, concrete and steel. However, in the real world it would help reduce pollution and slow global warming if more builders copied the wood-loving second pig.
In 2015 world leaders meeting in Paris agreed to move towards zero greenhouse-gas emissions（排放）in the second half of this century. That is a tall order, and the building industry makes it even taller. Cement-making alone produces 6% of the world’s carbon emissions. Steel, half of which goes into buildings, accounts for another 8%. If you count all of the energy that goes into lighting, heating and cooling homes and offices, the world’s buildings start to look like a serious environmental problem.
Governments in the rich world are now trying to promote greener behavior by requiring developers to build new projects to “zero carbon” standards（标准）. From January 1st 2019 all new public buildings in the European Union must be built to “nearly zero-energy” standards. All other types of buildings will follow in January 2021. Governments in eight further countries are being advised to apply the similar standards.
These standards are less green than they seem. Wind turbines and solar panels on top of buildings look good but are much less productive than wind and solar farms. And the standards only count the emissions from running a building, not those let out when it was made. Those are thought to account for between 30% and 60% of the total over a structure’s lifetime.
1. Why is the fairy tale mentioned at the beginning of the passage?| A．To inform builders of salesmen’s trick. |
| B．To remind readers of a childhood fairy tale. |
| C．To persuade the builders to copy the second pig. |
| D．To attract readers to a problem of the building industry. |
| A．To reduce pollution. | B．To construct taller brick buildings. |
| C．To slow global warming. | D．To reach zero greenhouse-gas emissions. |
| A．Confident. | B．Supportive. |
| C．Doubtful | D．Unconcerned. |
| A．Brick Houses to be Safer |
| B．Wood Buildings to be Greener |
| C．The “Zero Carbon” Standards |
| D．The Paris World Leader meeting |
9 . You’ve got to get an early start tomorrow, but you’re not sleepy yet. Blame your brain, at least in part. Yet that same brain is still under construction. And much of that important work takes place while you sleep. Here’s what’s happening and why it matters.
Today’s lifestyle is one reason for late bedtimes. Many teens don’t finish with after-school activities, part-time jobs, dinner, and homework until 10 p.m. or later. Add in some time for relaxing, especially time for screens, and bedtime may not roll around until 11 p.m. or nearly midnight. In response, the brain cuts back melatonin（褪黑素）, a hormone that promotes sleep. Even without modern technology, though, teens change their daily cycle for sleeping, waking, and various other activities.
The rest of the world doesn’t change, however. So most teens must head to school before they’ve gotten the 8.5 to 9. 5 hours of sleep recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. And that’s a serious public health problem. For one thing, lack of sleep makes it harder to pay attention. When studies compared teens who had earlier and later school start times, they found that those who had more time to sleep did better in class. They also suffered fewer accidents in sports, driving, and other activities. Lack of sleep could also hurt mental health. Studies have found an inverse correlation（负相关）between teens’ amount of sleep and depression and other mental illnesses. As sleep time went down, the risks for the mental illnesses went up. Beyond that, teens lacking in sleep report more relationship problems and feelings of inadequacy.
Lots of issues remain for sleep researchers to explore. For now, though, studies are clear：Teens’ brains need sleep.
1. Teen’s lifestyle today most likely leads to _______.| A．the change of daily cycle |
| B．the rise of melatonin release |
| C．the growth of relaxing time |
| D．the decrease of technology use |
| A．poorer concentration | B．lower illness risk |
| C．stronger relationship | D．greater emotional change |
| A．sleep issues are extremely hard to solve |
| B．school time is generally impossible to adjust |
| C．enough sleep is clearly beneficial to teens’ health |
| D．the brain is chiefly responsible for teens’ sleep problems |
10 . Years ago, I had a falling out with a friend due to a misunderstanding that was completely my fault. I was afraid to admit that I was wrong, so we didn’t speak for years. Then we bumped into each other and decided to meet for lunch. It was so pleasant that we kept meeting. After two or three meals together, I pushed myself to apologize for my fault years earlier.
My experience isn’t unique: Many people avoid apologizing because the idea of admitting to wrongdoing makes them terribly uncomfortable. “We all like to view ourselves as good people- as kind, considerate and moral,” says Ryan Fehr, a professor at the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business.
“Apologies force us to admit to ourselves that we don’t always live up to our own standards. We might also fear that the victim (受害者)won’t accept our apology, further compromising (作出让步；违背)our positive sense of self. For these reasons, an apology can be very difficult to give.”
For many, apologizing is stressful, awkward and uncomfortable. Research shows that it can improve your mental health, repair damaged relationships and increase self-respect.
“Apology acts as a signal of one’s moral character,” Fehr says. “It represents a separation of the offender(冒犯者)from the offense. The offender is saying: “ I recognize that what I did was hurtful, but that offense does not represent me as a person. ”Even if you speak your words not fluently, they will mean a lot. Victims usually do appreciate an apology. ” Fehr says.
I know this first-hand: My friend and I had lunch recently, 15 years after my belated (迟来 的)apology. Admitting that everything had been my fault helped. We’re both appreciative to have our friendship today.
1. What is the purpose of paragraph 1?| A．To tell us the background. | B．To present the topic. |
| C．To describe the misunderstanding. | D．To provide some guidance. |
| A．Lack of chances. | B．Shortage of money. |
| C．Regret and shame. | D．Fear and awkwardness. |
| A．Offenders. | B．Victims. |
| C．Words of an apology. | D．Replies to an apology. |
| A．It will give both sides some relief. |
| B．It means giving up our self-respect. |
| C．It will make people value friendship. |
| D．It is no use forcing people to make an apology. |
