1 . We know that smartphone addiction is real, and that it can affect lives in negative ways. While some people have tried going cold turkey (快速戒掉坏习惯)or even punishing themselves for using their mobile phones, an app is made available in the UK that rewards people for staying away from their devices.
The app, called Hold, was created by Norwegians Maths Mathisen, Florian Winder, and Vinoth Vinaya while they are studying at Copenhagen's Business school to help break fellow students' attachments to their devices.
The three college students found that positive reinforcement (强化)was the best way of beating smartphone addiction. Hold allows students to collect points for staying off their devices between the hours of 7 am and 11 pm; they get 10 points for every 20 minutes.
Through partnerships with universities and businesses, points can be used for discounts on everything from cinema tickets to Amazon goods to cafe food and drink. A half price cinema ticket, for example, costs 60 points, or 2 hours away from a phone. And a £ 5 ( $6. 88 ) Amazon voucher (代金券)needs 1 ,000 points, or 33 hours off your smartphone.
Students can also use their points to buy school books and stationery (文具),which are then donated to schools partnered with children's charity Unicef.
Over 120,000 people use the app in Scandinavia, including 40 percent of higher education students in Norway, where Hold first came onto market in February 2016. It's now available to students from over 170 universities in the UK.
A 2017 University of Texas study claimed that merely placing a smartphone in someone's line of sight slowed down their productivity, response time, and reduced their grades. An earlier study from the London School of Economics found students who didn't use smartphones on school grounds saw their test scores increase 6. 4 percent.
1. The app Hold was created mainly to .| A．promote online sales of goods. | B．earn discounts on goods or services . |
| C．find new uses of mobile phone. | D．help students put down their smartphones. |
| A．6 hours. | B．10 hours. | C．15 hours. | D．30 hours. |
| A．To tell the story of Hold creation | B．To present people's opinions of Hold |
| C．To give a brief introduction of Hold | D．To attract potential customers to Hold |
| A．A newspaper advertisement | B．A computer textbook |
| C．A science magazine | D．An official document |
2 . According to a recent study in the Journal of Consumer Research, both the size and consumption habits of our eating companions can influence our food intake. And contrary to existing research that says you should avoid eating with heavier people who order large portions(份), it's the beanpoles with big appetites you really need to avoid.
To test the effect of social influence on eating habits, the researchers conducted two experiments. In the first, 95 undergraduate women were individually invited into a lab to ostensibly(表面上)participate in a study about movie viewership. Before the film began, each woman was asked to help herself to a snack. An actor hired by the researchers grabbed her food first. In her natural state, the actor weighed 105 pounds. But in half the cases she wore a specially designed fat suit which increased her weight to 180 pounds.
Both the fat and thin versions of the actor took a large amount of food. The participants followed suit, taking more food than they normally would have. However, they took significantly more when the actor was thin.
For the second test, in one case the thin actor took two pieces of candy from the snack bowls. In the other case, she took 30 pieces. The results were similar to the first test: the participants followed suit but took significantly more candy when the thin actor took 30 pieces.
The tests show that the social environment is extremely influential when we're making decisions. If this fellow participant is going to eat more, so will I. Call it the “I’ll have what she's having” effect. However, we'll adjust the influence. If an overweight person is having a large portion, I'll hold back a bit because I see the results of his eating habits. But if a thin person eats a lot, I'll follow suit. If he can eat much and keep slim, why can't I?
1. What is the recent study mainly about?| A．Food safety. | B．Movie viewership. |
| C．Consumer demand. | D．Eating behavior. |
| A．Big eaters. | B．Overweight persons. |
| C．Picky eaters. | D．Tall thin persons. |
| A．To see how she would affect the participants. |
| B．To test if the participants could recognize her. |
| C．To find out what she would do in the two tests. |
| D．To study why she could keep her weight down. |
| A．How hungry we are. | B．How slim we want to be. |
| C．How we perceive others. | D．How we feel about the food. |
3 . My father died when I was nine, and I remember doing the household chores to help my mother. I hated changing the vacuum cleaner (真空吸尘器) bag and picking up things the machine did not suck up.
Twenty years later, in 1978, I was doing chores at home alongside my wife. One day the vacuum cleaner was screaming away, and I had to empty the bag because I could not find a replacement for it. With this lifelong hatred of the way the machine worked, I decided to make a bagless vacuum cleaner.
Easier said than done, of course. I didn’t realize that I would spend the next five years perfecting my design, a process that resulted in 5,127 different prototypes (设计原型). By the time I made my 15th prototype, my third child was born. By 2,627, my wife and I were really counting our pennies. By 3,727, my wife was giving art lessons for some extra cash, and we were getting further and further into debt. These were tough times, but each failure brought me closer to solving the problem.
I just had a passion for the vacuum cleaner as a product, but I never thought of going into a business with it. In the early 1980s, I started trying to get licensing agreements (许可协议) for my technology. The reality was very different, however. The major vacuum makers had built a business model based on the profits from bags and filters (滤网). No one would license my idea, not because it was a bad one, but because it was bad for business.
That gave me the courage to keep going, but soon after, the companies that I had talked with started making machines like mine. I had to fight legal battles on both sides of the Atlantic to protect the patents on my vacuum cleaner. However, I was still in financial difficulties until 1993, when my bank manager personally persuaded Lloyds Bank to lend me $1 million. Then I was able to go into production. Within two years, the Dyson vacuum cleaner became a best-seller in Britain.
Today, I still embrace risk and the potential for failure as part of the process. Nothing beats the excitement of invention. Go out and brainstorm your ideas. You are not bound to any rules — in fact, the stranger and riskier your idea, the better.
1. According to the article, which of the following statements about James Dyson is NOT true?| A．He lost his father during his childhood and lived with his mother. |
| B．He decided to develop an innovative vacuum cleaner for his wife while in his thirties. |
| C．He built over five thousand prototypes of the vacuum cleaner between 1978 and 1983. |
| D．The vacuum cleaner he reinvented became popular with British customers as soon as it arrived on the market. |
| A．in the carly 1980s |
| B．before he obtained a patent on the product |
| C．after his bank manager agreed to lend him $1 million |
| D．after he managed to get a S1 million loan |
| A．Dyson was a born businessman |
| B．Dyson's invention might have ended up in failure without his wife |
| C．Dyson had no confidence in his vacuum cleaner initially |
| D．Dyson's vacuum cleaner was never recognized by other vacuum makers |
| A．We are all failures — at least the best of us are. |
| B．The foundation stones for a success are honesty, faith, love and loyalty. |
| C．It is only in adventure that some people succeed in knowing themselves. |
| D．The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. |
4 . Japan's biggest airline is betting that the future of travel isn't traveling at all. For the last month, a married couple has been interacting with a robot—called an Avatar—that's controlled by their daughter hundreds of miles away. Made by ANA Holdings Inc., it looks like a vacuum cleaner with an iPad attached. But the screen displays the daughter's face as they chat, and its wheels let her move about the house as though she's really there.
“Virtual travel” is nothing new,of course.Storytellers, travel writers and artists have been stimulating the senses of armchair tourists for centuries. It's only in recent decades that frequent, safe travel has become available to the non- wealthy.
Yet even as the world's middle classes climb out of the armchair and into economy-class seat, there are signs of a post-travel society emerging. Concerns about environmental sustainability cause loss to airlines which release much carbon. And the aging of abundant societies is both restricting physical travel and creating demand for alternative ways to experience the world. For the travel industry, virtual reality offers an attractive response to these trends.
Of course, new technologies encourage far-out claims. ANA doesn't plan to start selling Avatars until next year. Profits, too, will probably be difficult to make: By one estimate, the global market for this kind of technology will be worth only about $300 million by 2023. By contrast, ANA's traditional travel business brought in more than $19 billion last year.
But if the business value for virtual vacations is still weak, the market for technologies that bridge physical distances between families and coworkers seems likely to only expand. ANA's robots may not replace its airplanes any time soon, but they ll almost certainly be a part of travel's high-tech future.
1. Why does the author use the example of a couple interacting with a robot?| A．To show the Japanese are crazy about travel. |
| B．To indicate virtual travel begins to enter people's real life. |
| C．To show the couple are very enthusiastic over robots. |
| D．To express the close relationship between the couple and their daughter. |
| A．Storytellers, travel writers and artists have been using it for centuries. |
| B．Frequent and safe travel has become available to the ordinary people. |
| C．People are worried about the air pollution caused by airlines. |
| D．More and more people lose interest in travel. |
| A．They will be put on the market soon. |
| B．They will bring ANA a lot of money, |
| C．They will replace ANA's airplanes soon. |
| D．They are almost unavoidable in travel's future. |
| A．Your Next Travel May Be Virtual |
| B．Easy Travel in the Future |
| C．Virtual Travel Benefits |
| D．Air Travel Disappearing |
5 . Lincoln High Calculus (微积分) teacher Anthony Yom has given his students the desire to learn and the will to succeed. While his classes are challenging, the educator does all he can to keep his students invested, combining real-life situations and his lessons to show them the value of their work. He challenges us to the maximum, so we do better on tests, sophomore student Alexis Pong told the Los Angeles Times. One of Yom’s other students, 17-year-old Cedrick Argueta, completed a perfect test paper on the Advanced Placement Calculus exam. Only 12 students in the world accomplished this. As for, all of Yom’s other AP Calculus students, each of them passed the challenging exam.
Yom said most of the praise should go to the kids, though he does go above and beyond his students. However, when he first started teaching at Lincoln High, it wasn’t always smooth sailing. Yom felt nervous about the number of students who were unmotivated and unprepared. Some even attempted to physically threaten the teacher. But he didn’t give in. And he gave up his free time to tutor on weekends and during vacations.
At Lincoln High, 80% of the students are Latino (拉丁裔) and Yom hopes to encourage more of them to take his college prep classes, which are currently dominated (支配) by Asians. “I don’t think the Asian students are any smarter than the Latino students,” the teacher states, mentioning that low Latino participation can be connected to cultural differences and expectations. Fortunately, Cedrick Argueta’s AP Calculus success story serves as the perfect example. “My mother cleans houses,” Argueta reveals. “My father is a factory worker.” But the student would be likely to work for NASA or become a teacher.
What is the key to Yom’s success as a teacher? “This may sound dull, but you really have to love them.” the devoted instructor concludes.
1. What does the underlined word “this” in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Getting a full mark on the APC exam. |
| B．Preparing for a key university. |
| C．Passing the APC exam. |
| D．Learning very well. |
| A．Kind and smart. | B．Proud and rude. |
| C．Mean and stubborn. | D．Modest and devoted. |
| A．To praise Cedrick Argueta’s great efforts. |
| B．To encourage parents to send their children to school. |
| C．To show Latino students can be clever and successful. |
| D．To show Cedrick Argueta’s idea is better than teachers. |
| A．A math book. | B．A newspaper. |
| C．A guidebook. | D．A sports magazine. |
6 . Whatever your level of English, we are here to help. From children to adults, we have courses, lessons and activities for you.
English for adults
For whatever reasons you want to learn English, our courses can make your dreams a reality. We have a local learning center and online courses in over 100 countries, so however you want to learn, this is the place to start. Learners can share their thoughts and opinions freely by communicating with the teachers in class. And the games, stories, listening activities and exercises in our LearnEnglish website will sharpen your skills as well.
English for kids and teens
We all understand that children develop when learning is fun. Our teachers, classrooms and courses encourage children to experiment with language, build confidence and improve their communication skills in a safe, supportive and active environment at learning centers or you can learn through our online courses and resources as follows:
Learn English for kids
Learn English for Kids is a fun, educational website for children aged 5–12 years who are learning English.
Learn English for teens
Are you a teenager learning English or are your teenage children studying English? The LearnEnglish Teens website is designed especially for 13-to-17-year-olds.
English for Parents
In this section(部分） you will find lots of expert advice about helping your child learn English. You can search our hundreds of free online English games, songs, stories and activities on the website here and find more information on our apps for mobile phones designed specially for you on the move. You can also find out about courses offered at our learning centers.
1. What is Learn English for Kids?| A．A website. | B．A center. |
| C．A course. | D．A game. |
| A．Adults can share their views freely. |
| B．There are apps designed on the phones. |
| C．There are course offered at the centers. |
| D．Children can do some experiments. |
| A．Science. | B．Health. |
| C．Education. | D．Sports. |
7 . Have you ever been faced with trying to stay positive when others around you are negative? A negative person can bring you down and throw your positive plans out of the window. Whether you deal with a family member, friend or co-worker who is negative, there are things you can do to remain positive in the face of negativity?
Whatever you do, don’t argue with a negative person. Arguing only adds fuel to the fire. I have noticed when my children are crabby, it is best to avoid trying to convince them to analyze and adjust their attitude. As soon as I take the approach of being in opposition to them, the situation gets worse before it gets better. Sometimes the best thing to do is remain silent and let negativity pass.
You know how difficult it can be to give love and positive attention to negative people. Unfortunately, that is often exactly what they need. A negative person is usually afraid he is unlovable. How do you show love when someone is negative? You must listen to what he is trying to tell you. Acknowledge the feelings he has by saying something like, “You sound very angry right now.” How might you help a negative person? Offer a hug even if you get rejected. A negative person often has difficulty accepting love from others.
If you have negative people on your life who are affecting your mental and physical health, you need to decide whether or not you want these people in your life. Some people are so negative that you have no other choice but to remove them from your life. However, some people, such as your children, are difficult to remove from your life, in this case, professional counseling(咨询) may be the answer.
1. What does the underlined word “crabby” in Para.2 mean?| A．Quite excited. | B．Very lonely. |
| C．Easily annoyed. | D．Highly optimistic. |
| A．Negative people need care. |
| B．Negative people make us happy.. |
| C．Negative people can be hurt easily. |
| D．Negative people are hard to get along with. |
| A．Focusing on positive things. |
| B．Trying to change negative thoughts. |
| C．Controlling our own negative thoughts. |
| D．Staying away from some negative people. |
| A．Health | B．Relationships |
| C．Lifestyles | D．Entertainment. |
8 . I work with Volunteers for Wildlife, a rescue and education organization at Bailey Arboretum in Locust Valley. Trying to help injured, displaced or sick creatures can be heartbreaking; survival is never certain. However, when it works, it is simply beautiful.
I got a rescue call from a woman in Muttontown. She had found a young owl(猫头鹰) on the ground. When I arrived, I saw a 2-to 3-week-old owl. It had already been placed in a carrier for safety.
I examined the chick(雏鸟) and it seemed fine. If I could locate the nest, I might have been able to put it back, but no luck. My next work was to construct a nest and anchor it in a tree.
The homeowner was very helpful. A wire basket was found. I put some pine branches into the basket to make this nest safe and comfortable. I placed the chick in the nest, and it quickly calmed down.
Now all that was needed were the parents, but they were absent. I gave the homeowner a recording of the hunger screams of owl chicks. These advertise the presence of chicks to adults; they might also encourage our chick to start calling as well. I gave the owner as much information as possible and headed home to see what news the night might bring.
A nervous night to be sure, but sometimes the spirits of nature smile on us all! The homeowner called to say that the parents had responded to the recordings. I drove over and saw the chick in the nest looking healthy and active. And it was accompanied in the nest by the greatest sight of all — LUNCH! The parents had done their duty and would probably continue to do so.
1. What is unavoidable in the author’s rescue work according to paragraph 1?| A．Efforts made in vain. |
| B．Getting injured in his work. |
| C．Feeling uncertain about his future. |
| D．Creatures forced out of their homes. |
| A．To rescue a woman. |
| B．To take care of a woman. |
| C．To look at a baby owl. |
| D．To cure a young owl. |
| A．A new nest. |
| B．Some food. |
| C．A recording. |
| D．Its parents. |
| A．It’s unexpected. |
| B．It’s beautiful. |
| C．It’s humorous. |
| D．It’s discouraging. |
