1 . Motion sickness is an uncomfortable feeling. The sickness it causes can strike people on an airplane, playing video games, or, commonly, when riding in a car. In a future where people may find themselves running around streets in self-driving vehicles, the problems could get worse.
We typically sense our physical position and movement in the world by relying on our eyes, the feeling we get in our body, and our inner ear. Motion sickness may develop when there's disagreement between what your eyes see and what your inner ear senses. If you're looking at your phone in a moving vehicle, your eyes see a stationary screen but your inner ear feels that you're moving. The result of that dissonance can cause sickness. The common-sense solution is to just stop looking at your phone, but some of the appeal of self-driving cars is that you could use the time to be productive or entertained by what's on a screen.
Researchers of a car-making company and a video game company have been studying ways to address these issues. And their solution uses an interesting medium: sound. The research had two goals: to explore if sound could help relieve motion sickness, and to help people trust self-driving cars more. They experimented with two different categories of sound: tips that tell passengers what's about to happen, and noises that alert passengers when the device has noticed something, like a pedestrian.
The most convincing experiment took place on a closed airport runway in Sweden, near Gothenburg, in August of last year. On that track, brave participants had to ride in the backseat of a car driven by a human and read from a tablet while the car navigated the course. With just 20 people, the study was small, but according to researchers, the presence of sound tips made people report that they felt less ill. Participants said the sounds helped prepare them physically, or adjust their bodies for what was about to happen.
1. When does motion sickness usually happen?| A．Sleeping during travels. | B．Closing eyes on vehicles. |
| C．Driving vehicles speedily. | D．Riding in moving vehicles. |
| A．Confusion. | B．Potentiality. | C．Randomness. | D．Disagreement. |
| A．Uncertain. | B．Optimistic. | C．Concerned. | D．Dissatisfaction. |
| A．A study of motion sickness. | B．Self-driving vehicles. |
| C．A convincing experiment. | D．The cause and handling of motion sickness. |
2 . The planets Jupiter (木星) and Saturn (土星) have been moving closer and closer to each other in the night sky. In fact, on December 21 , they appeared closer together than they have been in hundreds of years.
When two astronomical bodies appear close in the sky, as seen from Earth, it is called 4 conjunction (合相). Conjunctions can happen with any two bodies, such as planets, moons, stars and asteroids (小行星). When Jupiter and Saturn come together, it is called a "Great Conjunction".
Astronomers say these events between the two largest planets in our solar system are not rare. Jupiter passes its neighbor Saturn once every 20 years as they circle around the sun. But this conjunction is especially close: From Earth, the two planets will look to be just one-tenth of a degree apart. That is about the distance of one-fifth of a full moon.
If weather permits, they should be easy to see just after sundown. This just-in-time-for-Christmas sight promises to be one of the greatest of Great Conjunctions. What makes this modern Great Conjunction different is that it is happening at nighttime. The last time that happened was almost 800 years ago.
Saturn and Jupiter have been getting closer in the sough-southwest sky for weeks. Jupiter, which is bigger and closer to Earth, is much brighter. The two planets might look like one body if viewed with eyes alone. If sky watchers use telescopes they should be able to see the planets as separate. Saturn will be the smaller, less-bright body at Jupiter's upper right.
Even though they appear close, more than 730 million kilometers of space lies between them. Observers using telescopes will not only see Jupiter and Saturn in the same field of view, but also some of their brightest moons. Their next close pairing will happen on March 15, 2080.
1. What do astronomers think of planets getting close to each other?| A．Controllable. | B．Unimaginable. |
| C．Common. | D．Dangerous. |
| A．The time when it takes place. |
| B．The part of sky where it happens. |
| C．The distance between the two planets. |
| D．The brightness of the two planets. |
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
| A．Two Planets Reach Especially near Earth |
| B．Jupiter and Saturn Come Together in the Night Sky |
| C．Conjunctions of Planets Excite Astronomers |
| D．Good Chances to Observe Jupiter and Saturn Appear |
3 . I saw in my rearview mirror that a large SUV headed straight for my car at a breakneck speed. My heart and mind started racing, and panic (恐慌)instantly set in.
With fear in my voice, I started saying out loud, "Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!", making my friend who was with me immediately scared and puzzled. I was sure that within mere seconds, we were going to be knocked from behind by a careless vehicle clearly going over 100 miles per hour in heavy traffic.
Unable to change lanes or speed up because of cars on all sides, I just prepared myself for the impact. But thank goodness, the driver missed hitting my car by an inch as he went into the lane beside me, nearly hitting another vehicle, tires screeching (刺耳声)and burning, filling the air with clouds of smoke. He continued dashing in and out of traffic, causing more near-collisions, and then quickly disappeared into the distance.
As I sat there surprised, loosening my fingers from the steering wheel, my friend and I began to talk about what if we had been hit. How life could have been changed in an instant(瞬间)or even ended.
I thought about my precious children, my husband, my family and things undone. I wondered whether I would have regrets if that had been my last day. I began to consider if I was truly enjoying and embracing(拥抱) my life, even if it hadn't turned out the way I thought it would or should. I couldn't help but ask myself if I was by accident taking for granted the pure blessing of waking up every morning and being given another day, and if I was spending time being unhappy because of difficult circumstances instead of living with joy.
1. Why was the author stuck in panic?| A．The road was too crowded. | B．A rude driver attacked her. |
| C．She drove at too high a speed. | D．An accident seemed to happen. |
| A．She took no action. | B．She sped up her car. |
| C．She gave others a warning. | D．She drove into another lane. |
| A．That day. | B．That car. |
| C．The author's life. | D．The author's family. |
| A．Behind bad luck comes good luck. | B．Love me, love my dog. |
| C．Live in the present moment. | D．Value our friends and family. |
4 . In the long history of humans, women’s stories have often been overlooked. Yet as modern society has allowed women to speak for themselves, more and more women are standing up to choose how to live their lives. Here are five powerful films that just might inspire you to re-imagine what it means to be a woman.
Hi, Mom (2021)
Directed by Chinese comedian Jia Ling, this heartwarming comedy, about a woman who accidentally meets her mother during time travel, became a hit with audiences this year, leading the mainland box office right after Chinese New Year.
Leap (2020)
This 2020 film about the Chinese national women’s volleyball team presents their history from 1981, when they won the Women’s World Cup, to the year 2016. Actress Gong Li stars as the legendary volleyball player Lang Ping, and Peter Chen from Hong Kong is the director.
Coco Avant Chanel (2009)
The life of Coco Chanel serves as a guide to all women wishing to establish their own careers. Audrey Tautou, famous for her iconic performance in Amelie, stars as the glorious French fashion designer. It is French director Anne Fontaine’s most famous film.
The Joy Luck Club (1993)
Based on the novel The Joy Luck Club, Chinese director Wang Ying tells the stories of four Chinese women and their daughters who were all born and lived in the US. Their conflicts also reflect the collision between traditional Chinese culture and American culture.
The Story of Qiu Ju (1992)
Directed by Zhang Yimou, the 1992 film describes a peasant woman Qiu Ju who lives in a rural area of China and fights for justice. It is a screen adaptation of writer Chen Yuanbin’s novel The Wan Family’s Lawsuit.
1. Why does the author select the above 5 movies?| A．To arouse attention to women. |
| B．To speak highly of great mothers. |
| C．To support women’s fight for equal rights. |
| D．To introduce the history of women movies. |
| A．It inspired a lot of women. |
| B．It is set in a foreign country. |
| C．Its actress became world-famous for her role. |
| D．Its director has a different culture background. |
| A．Hi, Mom | B．Leap |
| C．The Joy Luck Club | D．The Story of Qiu Ju |
