1 . I’m fat. I’m too skinny. I’d be happy if I were taller, shorter, had curly hair, straight hair, a smaller nose, bigger muscles, longer legs. Do any of these statements sound familiar? Do you often put yourself down? If so, you’re not alone. As a teen, you’re going through a ton of changes in your body. And as your body changes, so does your image of yourself. Lots of people have trouble getting used to it, and this can affect their confidence.
Some people think they need to change how they look or act to feel good about themselves. But actually all you need to do is to change the way you see your body and how you think about yourself.
The first thing to do is to recognise that your body is your own, no matter what shape, size, or colour it comes in. If you're very worried about your weight or size, go to your doctor to check if things are OK. But it’s no one’s business but your own what your body is like finally, you have to be happy with yourself.
Next, find which aspects(方面) of your appearance you can change and which you can’t. Everyone, even the most perfect-seeming celebrity, has things about themselves that they can’t change and need to accept-like their height, for example, or their shoe size.
If there are things about yourself that you want to change and can, do this by making goals for yourself. For example, if you want to get fit, make a plan to exercise every day and eat nutritious foods.
When you hear negative comments coming from within yourself, tell yourself to stop. Try building your confidence by listing three things in your day that really give you pleasure. It can be anything like the way the sun feels on your face, the sound of your favourite band, or the way someone laughs at your jokes.
1. What can we infer from the first paragraph?| A．Most teens like to have a special body image. |
| B．Many teens can’t accept their body changes easily. |
| C．Teens prefer to change their body image quickly. |
| D．Teens usually change their opinions on their body image. |
| A．change the way other people look at you. |
| B．go to your doctor for advice on how to change your body. |
| C．learn from some celebrities on how to change your body. |
| D．realise you can't change everything about yourself. |
| A．Make yourself fall down. | B．Write down your name somewhere. |
| C．Force yourself to do something | D．Say negative things about yourself. |
| A．how to adjust the changes of your body |
| B．how to build confidence by changing your body |
| C．how to keep an attractive body image |
| D．how to find pleasure in your day |
2 . It’s common knowledge that the woman in Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous painting seems to look back at viewers, following them with her eyes no matter where they are in the room. But this common knowledge turns out wrong.
A new study finds that the woman in the painting is actually looking out at an angle of 15.4° off to the viewer’s right — well outside the range that people normally believe when they think someone is looking right at them. In other words, said the study author, Horstmann, “She’s not looking at you.”
This is ironic (讽刺), because the entire phenomenon of a person’s gaze (凝视) in a photograph or painting seeming to follow the viewer is called the “Mona Lisa effect”, which is absolutely real. If a person is illustrated or photographed looking straight ahead, even people viewing the portrait from an angle will feel they are being looked at. As long as the angle of the person’s gaze is no more than about 5 degrees off to either side, the Mona Lisa effect occurs.
Horstmann and his co-author were studying this effect for its application in the creation of artificial-intelligence avatars (虚拟头像) when Horstmann took a long look at the “Mona Lisa” and realized she wasn’t looking at him.
To make sure it wasn’t just him, the researchers gathered 24 people to view images of the “Mona Lisa” on a computer screen. They set a ruler between the viewer and the screen and asked the participants to note which number on the ruler intersected (相交) Mona Lisa’s gaze. To calculate the angle of Mona Lisa’s gaze as she looked at the viewer, they moved the ruler farther from or closer to the screen during the study. Consistently, the researchers found, participants judged that the woman in the “Mona Lisa” portrait was not looking straight at them, but slightly off to their right.
So why do people repeat the belief that her eyes seem to follow the viewer? Horstmann isn’t sure. It’s possible, he said, that people have the desire to be looked at, so they think the woman is looking straight at them. Or maybe the people who first coined the term “Mona Lisa effect” just thought it was a cool name.
1. It is generally believed that the woman in the painting “Mona Lisa” ________.| A．attracts the viewers to look back |
| B．seems mysterious because of her eyes |
| C．fixes her eyes on the back of the viewers |
| D．looks at observers wherever they stand |
| A．The Mona Lisa effect does not really exist. |
| B．The mystery of the woman’s smile in the painting. |
| C．The angle of the gaze in Mona Lisa effect. |
| D．Mona Lisa effect does not occur with Mona Lisa. |
| A．confirm Horstmann’s belief |
| B．create artificial-intelligence avatars |
| C．calculate the angle of Mona Lisa’s gaze |
| D．show how the Mona Lisa effect can be applied |
| A．Horstmann thinks it cool to coin the term “Mona Lisa effect”. |
| B．The Mona Lisa effect contributes to the creation of artificial intelligence. |
| C．Feeling being gazed at by Mona Lisa may be caused by the desire for attention. |
| D．The position of the ruler in the experiment will influence the viewers’ judgement. |
3 . What do you want to be when you grow up? My answer has always been a vet.
We didn’t have pets growing up because my mother was scared of animals. She passed on some of this fear to me. It’s not common you find someone who’s scared of animals but wants to be a vet. Still, I knew this is what I wanted.
Vet school was nothing like I had imagined. Within the first few weeks, any fears I had about being a vet vanished (消失). In the fourth year, we were introduced to surgery. I loved it. Stitching (缝) wounds was like a satisfying game of Tetris (俄罗斯方块), where all the pieces fit beautifully together to make something broken whole again. It solidified my belief that this was the right fit for me.
These were the most challenging and rewarding two years of my life, and before I knew it, they were over. I was officially a veterinary surgeon (兽医). Surprisingly, I felt empty after I finished. Why wasn’t I excited to move on? I had completely forgotten to think about what comes next. I panicked! I felt as if I had spent the last decade of my life writing exams and working crazy hours only to come out on the other side, completely clueless.
There were so many options to choose from. I could start a clinic, work at another practice or even pursue further studies. It was my father who suggested I travel to gain some perspective. I hesitantly decided to spend some time in New Zealand with my aunt who also happens to be a vet.
New Zealand was beautiful! I finally had a chance to think about what I wanted. One of the vets there allowed me to observe their practice. Working with vet nurses really stood out for me. We don’t have vet nurses in India! It is a blessing (幸事) to have such experienced and dedicated individuals as a part of your support system. After a whole year of what felt like aimless wandering (徘徊), this experience helped me decide I wanted to work overseas.
So, to all the other confused vets out there who haven’t figured things out: It’s completely okay to feel confused and lost! Most people feel the same way at some point in their careers. Don’t be afraid to try new things even if you feel difficult or impossible.
1. What do we know from the first two paragraphs?| A．The author’s mother was hurt by an animal. |
| B．Being a vet has always been the author’s dream. |
| C．The author kept different kinds of pets as a child. |
| D．Many people in the author’s family work as vets. |
| A．To express how she loved being a vet. |
| B．To prove how challenging vet school was. |
| C．To explain why she loved the game as a child. |
| D．To show the complexity of veterinary surgery. |
| A．To start a clinic there. |
| B．To get fresh ideas about her career. |
| C．To visit her aunt. |
| D．To travel around the country. |
| A．Passion is the key to your career success. |
| B．Travel helps you learn more about yourself. |
| C．Stick to your dream no matter what happens. |
| D．It’s important to find yourself again when feeling lost. |
4 . A Wolf in Danger
What is happening to the timber wolf (森林狼) today?
Native Americans and early settlers often went to sleep to the sound of a lonely lullaby (催眠曲). It was the song of the wolf howling in a distant forest. There were many wolves then. One kind was the North American timber wolf.
Wolves are important to the balance of nature because they eat sick and weak animals. In Colorado, people tried to help deer by shooting wolves. But then there were so many deer that many of them starved to death.
The timber wolf is on the endangered special list . Animals on this list are in danger of disappearing from the earth. People drove the wolves away by cutting down the forests to build houses, towns, and highways. Timber wolves are now found only in Canada, Alaska, Michigan, and Minnesota.
This special animal may soon disappear from our forests forever. Then, its lonely howl will never be heard again.
1. Animals that are in danger of disappearing from the earth are called a(n)_______species.| A．endangered |
| B．living |
| C．alive |
| D．lived |
| A．are an endangered species |
| B．eat sick and weak animals |
| C．no longer live in forests |
| D．help the farmers |
| A．in many parts of North America |
| B．only in Colorado and Canada |
| C．in towns and cities in Alaska |
| D．in many parts of Africa |
| A．People built towns and highways. |
| B．The timber wolf was driven away from its home. |
| C．People cut down the forests. |
| D．Timber wolves are endangered species. |
5 . Every superhero, no matter how small, needs a cape. That was Robyn Rosenberger’s motivation when she started sewing superhero capes for kids with cancer, heart defects, and other serious diseases. It all began when she was making a cape as a birthday present for her nephew. Rosenberger heard of a girl named Brenna who was battling a potentially deadly skin condition called harlequin ichthyosis. Anyone suffering from what she was going through had to be tough. “I had an aha moment (顿悟),” Rosenberger says. “Brenna was a superhero! She needed a cape.” So Rosenberger sent her one, and Brenna’s mother was delighted.
Rosenberger found ten more kids online and sent out ten more capes. Before long, she quit her job at a software company to dedicate herself full time to tinysuperheroes.com, a website where people can buy hand-made capes for brave kids facing illness and disability.
Since 2013, Rosenberger and her small paid staff have sent more than 12,000 handmade capes to kids in all 50 states and 15 other countries. The capes come in pink, blue, purple, or red and can be decorated with the child’s initials or specialized patches, including a heart, a rocket, or a lightning bolt. One recipient was eight-month-old Gabe, who was born with a cleft palate (腭裂), which causes distinct facial features. Rosenberger sent him a red cape with a bright yellow G in the center. It was a hit.
Gabe is now a fixture on the company’s social media posts. “The Tiny Superhero community has been a wonderful connection to have,” says Gabe’s mom, Kate Glocke. In fact, two years later, “We still bring Gabe’s cape with us to every hospital appointment.”
1. Rosenberger started making capes because she _______.| A．wanted to set a good example to sick kids |
| B．hoped to encourage kids with serious diseases |
| C．aimed to cure the kids with serious diseases |
| D．made an attempt to make money online |
| A．Optimistic. | B．Independent. |
| C．Diligent. | D．Caring. |
| A．Purple capes with the child’s initials. |
| B．Pink capes with the child’s photo. |
| C．Red capes with a heart-shaped patch. |
| D．Blue capes with a patch shaped like a rocket. |
| A．Cover Story. | B．Book Review. |
| C．Medical Research. | D．Campus Life. |
6 . Last year, I went through every high school senior’s nightmare: I was refused from all the colleges I applied to. It’s not that I was a bad student. I had a narrow vision, applying only to some key schools. So when I got refused, I got into a panic. I thought there was only one path to success, and I wasn’t on it. While all my friends were picking out twin extra-long sheets, I was left wondering what kind of future I could have.
When my panic faded, I signed in the community college. I wasn’t excited. I imagined community college classrooms with incompetent teachers that taught their students to sleep. I was so wrong. My art history professor was so poetic, and her lectures felt spoken word. My classmates were intelligent and came from all walks of life — still figuring things out like me.
I decided to give myself a year of experiment. Aside from general education, I took a range of classes. I know it seems like a random kind of classes, but it allowed me to know what I like and don’t like. I used to have this idea that I had to rush in order to achieve a certain level of success by a certain age, but a year of community college has taught me to slow down, and to recognize that things take time to adjust. I still hope to transfer to a four-year university next year, but I’ll be going about it as a more mature person.
Being around students from all walks of life has made me realize that I’m not late in the game at all. There’s more than one way to get where you want to be.
1. What caused the author’s “high school senior’s nightmare”?| A．He was rejected by the colleges he applied to. |
| B．He didn’t do well in some subjects at school. |
| C．He only took some key schools into consideration. |
| D．He got confused about which school to apply to. |
| A．The author’s friends have extra sheets. |
| B．The future for the author’s friends is clear. |
| C．The way to success is long for the author’s friends. |
| D．The author’s friends have many choices. |
| A．His art history professor was extremely expressive. |
| B．He didn’t like studying with students from all walks of life. |
| C．He thought the teachers in the community college had poor ability. |
| D．He learned students in the community college always slept in class. |
| A．There’s no need to hurry to achieve certain success. |
| B．A year of experiment is not worthwhile for him at all. |
| C．The way to success is to transfer to a four-year university. |
| D．It’s a waste of time being around students from all walks of life. |
7 . Mrs Black lives in a small village. Her husband is dead. Her son, Jack, lived with her. He worked in a shop in the village, but then he found a job in town named Green sea. He went to live there. Mrs Black was very angry. She got on a train and went to see her son. Then she said to him, "Jack, why do you never telephone me?"
Jack laughed, "But, mother, you haven't got a telephone. " "No. "she answered, "I haven't, but you have got one. "
1. The old Black ________.| A．is dead | B．lives with his wife |
| C．went to a small village | D．worked in a shop |
| A．before | B．when | C．after | D．so |
| A．a big city | B．a small village | C．a town | D．a man’s name |
| A．he had no phone | B．he was very busy |
| C．his mother had no phone | D．he went home every day |
| A．Jack didn’t want to ring her up |
| B．Jack had a telephone but she hadn’t |
| C．she didn’t know how to make a telephone |
| D．she didn’t know she couldn’t be called |
8 . If you think you’d like to live on Mars, you may have that possibility by 2023. A Dutch company called Mars One will soon advertise for people interested in colonizing (开拓) Mars. If you have all the necessary skills, you could be one of the first colonists. Are you ready for the challenge?
You won’t have to pay for the mission to Mars. Mars One has already received money from some donors and is hoping to get more from TV viewers who will become interested in the show where all applicants have a debate for the rare chances.
The main responsibility of the first colonists is to create an artificial environment on Mars where there is no air to breathe and no land to farm. Scientists know it’s quite possible because something similar has already been done in Antarctica.
Another problem is that space travel to Mars takes nearly a year to get to Mars and the colonists will live the rest of their lives there. When a human lives in an environment without gravity or with low gravity for a long time, the systems in the body weaken. Luckily, spinning (旋转) the spaceship can create artificial gravity, and artificial gravity can ease these problems. It will also be difficult for Mars colonists to be far from home, living in small spaces, and seeing the same people over and over. Colonists with depression could put the mission in danger. Fortunately, a few years ago, a joint Russian and European project called the Mars500 Mission studied people’s reactions in a Mars-like environment. It is viewed as a great success because scientists were able to see how people handle emotional and physical stresses.
Recent studies show that seven percent of people would want to go on such an adventure.
Mars One will soon start accepting its first colonists. Are you interested?
1. What do we know about the applicants to Mars from the first two paragraphs?| A．They will land on Mars in 2023. |
| B．They can get money from donors. |
| C．They will compete in a TV show. |
| D．They do not need special skills. |
| A．Create earth-like conditions. |
| B．Build labs in Antarctica. |
| C．Spin the spaceship. |
| D．Start the Mars500 Mission. |
| A．Difficult and dangerous. |
| B．Different but adaptable. |
| C．Challenging and unbearable . |
| D．Acceptable but depressing. |
| A．Mars: our final destination? |
| B．Ready to be Mars’ colonists? |
| C．Space travel: a thrilling adventure? |
| D．Are you a qualified Mars astronaut? |
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1. Which is the feature of the GO?| A．It removes noises. |
| B．It has separate on/ off buttons. |
| C．It includes small batteries. |
| D．It focuses on practical functions. |
| A．To prove the GO's popularity. |
| B．To explain the GO'S function. |
| C．To convey the family's amazement. |
| D．To show the GO'S high performance. |
| A．$ 199. | B．$ 239. | C．$ 398. | D．$ 478. |
10 . When we experience earthquakes, medical emergencies — whatever the situation, the first thing you probably do is panic. Everybody does. While many of us think that we’re cool in a crisis, science tells us that we seldom are. At the moment we need to be keenly aware of our surroundings, but our attention goes to the scariest thing on the scene, leaving us unaware of the other sights, sounds, and even smells around us. At the moment, we’re anything but at our best.
These normal human reactions can be reversed. For example, firefighters are taught how to bring down their blood pressure and heart rates quickly, box breathing, belly breathing, hum breathing — you can learn these techniques in minutes. Once you calm down, you’ll identify accurately what the problem is really about. Lack of practice always causes us to judge problems in wrong ways. Doing the thinking ahead of time also helps you fire off the solution when it’s show time. This is why you are advised to find the closest exit before the flight. And sometimes we aren’t prepared with all the knowledge we need. Let’s say we’re on a hike and a bear shows up. What shall we do? Better to read suggestions on how to respond before heading into the wild.
Performing in a crisis is becoming more important for all of us for two reasons. Back in the good old days, the reliability of most anything we used or did was far less than it is today. Now think about what happens to our preparedness as the probability of something had happening reduces. Unless we practice what hardly ever happens, our ability to respond when it does happen tends to slip away. Reliability can kill you. Also, the systems we use today are more complex. There are seldom moving parts in plain view that allow us to see when things are about to go wrong. Consequently, terrible situations can “come out of nowhere”. Ironically, the systems that were designed to lessen our workload might require us to remain in a state of increased vigilance (警觉) in order to survive these increasingly infrequent events when they do happen.
As technology becomes part of most everything, and as once-large risks break into countless small ones, crisis situations may become standard affairs. We should all learn to breathe, recognize the situation, and carry out the plan that we are smart enough to prepare well in advance.
1. According to the passage, when an armed robbery (抢劫) happens, most witnesses will first___________.| A．observe the surroundings |
| B．pretend to be calm |
| C．decide what to do |
| D．focus on the gun |
| A．Tested. | B．Changed. | C．Predicted. | D．Understood |
| A．things are less dependable than they used to be |
| B．cautiousness helps prevent the occurrence of crisis |
| C．convenience reduces our problem-solving capability |
| D．the complexity of present systems ensures our safety |
| A．To introduce ways of avoiding crisis situations. |
| B．To point out the connection between stress and risks. |
| C．To raise awareness of the preparation for emergencies. |
| D．To analyse the influence of technology on crisis management. |
