1 . It is the stock response to a parent struggling with a crying baby or a bad-tempered teenager: “Treasure every moment because they grow up so fast.” Now researchers have found there may be something in the old saying. Watching children grow up really does seem to make time fly. Scientists have found that parents feel time passing more quickly than non-parents.
The findings could be due to the fact that children change fast. “Over ten years, children go through dramatic changes not only in their physical appearance, but also in their understanding abilities and their status, ” the researchers said. The results could also be a consequence of parents spending a large amount of their time on their children, they said, even though they found no difference in the time pressures recorded by parents compared with non-parents in the study.
For the study, published in the journal Timing & Time Perception (感知), the researchers asked 431 people aged from 20 to 59 to fill in a subjective time questionnaire, a tool used by psychologists to measure time perception. They were asked: “How fast did the last ten years pass for you?” An answer of very slowly gave a score of-2; slowly was-I; neither fast nor slow was 0; fast was I and very fast scored 2. So the higher the score, the faster they felt time had passed. The parents had an average score of I. 22, compared with 0. 76 for the non-parents.
Participants were also asked how quickly the last year, month and week had passed, but there were no differences between the groups for these shorter intervals (间隔). Previous studies have suggested that time also seems to speed up when we get older. Research published in 2019 by Duke University in North Carolina suggests this could be due to physical changes in our bodies, with a slowdown in image processing speeding up our perception of time passing.
Days that seemed to last forever in our youth were “not due to experiences being much deeper or meaningful”, the researcher Adrian Bejan said, “but due to the fact that they were being processed rapidly.”
1. What probably makes parents feel time passing more quickly than non-parents?| A．The pressure of raising children. | B．Devoting much time to children. |
| C．The slowdown in image processing. | D．Noticing children’s daily physical growth. |
| A．Time seems to speed up for the young. |
| B．Parents responded differently to the old saying. |
| C．Non-parents have deeper experiences. |
| D．The older people are, the higher scores they may get. |
| A．Experiences. | B．Researchers. | C．Days. | D．Youths. |
| A．The perception of time passing. |
| B．Teenagers experience dramatic changes. |
| C．Time really flies when you are having children. |
| D．Comparison between parents and non-parents. |
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 . Just over 12 months ago I gave myself a challenge: give up spending on all but the essentials for a whole year. It hasn't always been easy, but a year on I am wealthier and wiser. Embarrassingly, I have also realised just how much money I've squandered down the pubs in restaurants and through mindless shopping.
Free of any financial worries, I was spending without thinking. Stuck in a cycle of consumerism, I was struggling in vain to spend my way to happiness. Giving up spending for a year was an extreme approach, but I wanted to taste extreme frugality, shake up my spending patterns and overpay my mortgage instead of shopping. I could continue to pay my bills, including mortgages, broadband(宽带), phone bill, charity donations, life insurances, money to help my family and basic groceries.
It was not easy, especially in the first few months. There were lows, such as when I missed my favourite jazz concerts and hit films. There have also been some awkward moments when I've turned up to a friend's house for dinner empty-handed. I did a lot of washing up at my friends' houses in return this year.
I did find new ways to live, however. Using sites such as Eventbrite I have been to film screenings, wine tasting evenings and theatre productions for free. Living in London I have a wealth of free cultural activities on my doorstep and I've been to more art exhibitions this year than ever before. I even managed a free holiday, cycling the
Suffolk and Norfolk coast and camping on beaches. It's something I'd never done before and probably wouldn't have, were it not for the challenge.
The last 12 months have taught me what things I really need. I can honestly say I' m happier now. I've gained confidence and skills, done things and met lovely people I wouldn't have otherwise done or met.
1. In the past the author wasted much money on the following EXCEPT .| A．purposeless shopping | B．basic groceries |
| C．restaurants | D．pubs |
| A．try to form a virtue of frugality | B．change her former spending habits |
| C．pay off her mortgage as soon as possible | D．reserve money for her everyday bills |
| A．She did a lot of washing and cooking in pubs. |
| B．She tried cycling and camping for the first time. |
| C．She explored more cultural activities in London. |
| D．She attended concerts and wine evenings for free. |
| A．It's discouraging. | B．It's challenging. |
| C．It's beneficial. | D．It's embarrassing. |
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1. What helps to identify you and your medical information correctly?| A．Your first appointment. | B．Your registration. |
| C．Your health plan. | D．Your phone call. |
| A．The birth place. | B．The Social Security number. |
| C．The reasons for an appointment. | D．The need for a particular doctor. |
| A．April 12. | B．April 11. | C．April 13. | D．April 10. |
5 . A snowboarder was feeling lucky to be alive yesterday after a helicopter rescue(直升机营救).
Ben Akintola, 30, was snowboarding in the French Alps under a clear blue sky in the afternoon when a large amount of snow fell down the side of the mountain. He didn’t have time to escape(逃脱) and it hit him with full force and knocked him senseless.
He woke in the night in total darkness. He was lying on an icy rock. Amazingly, he still had a mobile phone signal(信号), so he called a friend a thousand kilometers away in Britain. His friend called the French rescue services.
“I was waiting for what seemed like hours on that rock. I was beginning to give up hope when I heard the sound of a helicopter. It was circling around in the darkness, looking for me. I was trying my best to wave my mobile around. Fortunately the helicopter pilot saw the light.”
“I was overjoyed when the helicopter headed my way. It stayed above me and began lowering a rope.”
Ben was in hospital last night but he was not being treated for any serious injuries. He’s looking forward to going home today.
The French rescue services said: “We were very pleased that we were able to save Ben. The risk of snow slide off-piste(非滑雪场地的) is much higher at this time of year. All snowboarders and skiers should stay on the ski runs and not go off-piste. Ben was very lucky.”
1. What happened to Ben?| A．He got lost in the French Alps. | B．He had a snowboarding accident. |
| C．He was separated from his friends. | D．He was knocked down by falling rocks. |
| A．from his friend | B．in the early afternoon |
| C．after receiving his call | D．when seeing his mobile |
| A．It made him strong in the darkness. | B．It caused him to hope for the best. |
| C．It was shorter than he expected. | D．It was a little discouraging. |
| A．A Lucky Escape | B．A Rocky Mountain |
| C．Risks of Snowboarding | D．French Rescue Services |
6 . I realized I would not see a real person named Sophie at Sophie’s Eatery because, like most new restaurants these days, Sophie’s is a robo-restaurant.
When I walked in, a cute little manager robot appeared, looking rather like a toaster with blinking (眨) blue eyes. It escorted me to a nice table in the back. The menu monitor popped out of my table and showed me pictures of my dining choices. I tapped my choices and clicked OK, and the screen slid back down.
I watched as full plates rode the conveyer belts that moved along each aisle (过道) of tables. In just a few minutes, my dish stopped at my table, and I took it from the belt. Later, I placed my empty plate back on the conveyer belt, and it was taken away into kitchen to be cleaned.
I watched the little toaster showing customers to tables while I ate my main dish. The food was delicious, but I was starting to feel extremely angry because dealing with robots always makes me feel inhuman. Pretty soon, I wanted to talk to someone real, even if it was just a few sentences.
So when my dessert arrived, I took action. I dropped my plate on the floor with a satisfying crash. I was so happy when I saw the manager toaster’s blinking red eyes—at last, a real live person would arrive!
But instead, a crew of two robots quickly appeared. A robot broom rushed over and started to sweep the piece of the broken plate into a robot garbage can. They finished and moved back into the kitchen.
My plan to get a little reality into Sophie’s Eatery failed. I hope the robo-restaurant trend ends soon. I want to deal with people again!
1. What does the underlined word “escorted” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Registered. | B．Guided. |
| C．Conducted. | D．Rushed |
| A．To deal with a real human. | B．To catch attention from the robots. |
| C．To play jokes on the robots. | D．To complain about the bad service. |
| A．Satisfied. | B．Shocked. |
| C．Annoyed. | D．Curious. |
| A．The trend of dining with robots. |
| B．The advantage of robo-restaurants. |
| C．The food variety of a robo-restaurant. |
| D．The dining experience at a robo-restaurant. |
7 . Ever walked to the shops only to find, once there, you’ve completely forgotten what you went for? Or struggled to remember the name of an old friend? For years we’ve accepted that a forgetful brain is as much a part of aging as wrinkles and gray hair. But now a new book suggests that we’ve got it all wrong.
According to The Secret Life of the Grown-up Brain, by science writer Barbara Strauch, when it comes to the important things, our brains actually get better with age. In fact, she argues that some studies have found that our brain hits its peak between our 40s and 60s — much later than previously thought.
Furthermore, rather than losing many brain cells as we age, we keep them, and even produce new ones well into middle age. For years it’s been assumed that brain, much like the body, declines with age. But the longest, largest study into what happens to people as they age suggests otherwise.
This continuing research has followed 6,000 people since 1956, testing them every seven years. It has found that on average, participants performed better on cognitive (认知的) tests in their 40s and 50s than they had done in their 20s. Specifically, older people did better on tests of vocabulary, verbal memory (how many words you can remember) and problem solving. Where they performed less well was number ability and perceptual speed — how fast you can push a button when ordered. However, with more complex tasks such as problem-solving and language, we are at our best at middle age and beyond. In short, researchers are now coming up with scientific proof that we do get wiser with age.
Neuroscientists are also finding that we are happier with aging. A recent US study found older people were much better at controlling and balancing their emotions. It is thought that when we’re younger we need to focus more on the negative aspects of life in order to learn about the possible dangers in the world, but as we get older we’ve learned our lessons and are aware that we have less time left in life: therefore, it becomes more important for us to be happy.
1. Barbara Strauch probably agrees that ______.| A．the young are better at handling important things |
| B．wrinkles and gray hair are the only symbols of aging |
| C．aging leads to the decline of the function of the brain |
| D．people’s brains work best between their 40s and 60s |
| A．vocabulary tests | B．number ability |
| C．perceptual speed | D．body balance |
| A．they know how to share feelings | B．they learn to value the time left |
| C．they cannot focus on negative aspects | D．they do not realize the possible dangers |
| A．People get happier with age. | B．People get more forgetful with age. |
| C．People get wiser with age. | D．People get more self-aware with age. |
8 . When I grow up
In kindergarten, my class was asked to draw pictures, showing what we wanted to be when we grew up. Our drawings were expected to display our dream occupations. I remember pictures of ballerinas dancing, firefighters putting out a blaze, and astronauts leaping across the moon.
My picture showed a figure with brown hair holding a box of orange juice beside a counter. Underneath was my handwriting: “When I grow up, I want to work at Market Basket because it would be fun to swipe (刷) orange juice across the scanner.” Out of everything, my five-year-old self wished to work at the local grocery store.
When we are young, questions of what we want to be when we grow up are common. Yet we are not expected to respond with an answer that is likely to come true. However, when we become teens, we are asked the very same questions twice as often. The difference is, now we are supposed to answer with confidence.
Teens are expected to know exactly what we want to be and how we are going to achieve that goal. However, not all of us can be so sure. Even though I am in high school, I cannot answer with certainty. But I don’t consider that a bad thing. How am I supposed to know what I will want to spend my time doing at age 40?
When I think about the future, I definitely don’t see myself working at Market Basket, but in reality, if that was what would make me happy, I would do it. So, the next time someone asks me what I want to be when I grow up, I will simply say “happy”.
Happiness is a destination for everyone. We may want to walk different paths in life, but we all want to be happy wherever we end up. Choose your path, but don’t worry too much about choosing wisely. Make a mistake or two and try new things. But always remember, if you’re not happy, you’re not at the end of your journey yet.
1. What did the author want to be when he was in kindergarten?| A．An astronaut. | B．A firefighter. | C．A dancer. | D．A cashier. |
| A．kindergartners are able to display their dream jobs with confidence |
| B．kindergartners have limited imagination of their dream occupations |
| C．teenagers are supposed to be clear about what they want to be |
| D．teenagers stick to the path they chose when they were young |
| A．the principle of growth lies in human choice |
| B．happiness is the meaning of existence |
| C．it is never too late to correct mistakes |
| D．your future depends on your dreams |
| A．Different stages of life. | B．Career guidance. |
| C．The real goal of life. | D．Career paths. |
