3 . Most online fraud(诈骗) involves identity theft Passwords help. But many can be guessed. Newer phones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers often have strengthened security with fingerprint and facial recognition. But these can be imitated. That is why a new approach, behavioural biometrics(行为生物识别) is gaining ground.

It relies on the wealth of measurements made by today’s devices. These include data from sensors that reveal how people hold their phones when using them, how they carry them and even the way they walk. Touchscreens, keyboards and mice can be monitored(监测) to show the distinctive ways in which someone’s fingers and hands move. These features can then be used to determine whether someone attempting to make a deal is likely to be the device’s habitual user.

“Behavioural biometrics make it possible to identify an individual’s unique motion fingerprint”, says John Whaley, head of Unifyid, a firm in Silicon Valley that is involved in the field. When coupled with information about a user’s finger pressure and speed on the touchscreen, as well as a device’s regular places of use—as revealed by its GPS unit—that user’s identity can be pretty well determined.

Used wisely, behavioural biometrics could be a great benefit. In fact, Unifyid and an unnamed car company are even developing a system that unlocks the doors of a vehicle once the pace of the driver, as measured by his phone, is recognized. Used unwisely, however, the system would become yet another electronic spy on people’s privacy, permitting complete strangers to monitor your every action, from the moment you reach for your phone in the morning, to when you throw it on the floor at night.

1. What is behavioural biometrics for?

A．To identify network crime	B．To ensure network security.
C．To track online fraud.	D．To gather online data.

2. How does behavioural biometrics work?

A．By limiting and discovering users’ passwords.

B．By spotting and revealing where a device is regularly used.

C．By offering and analyzing users’ facial features.

D．By monitoring and comparing how users interact with devices.

3. What’s the author’s attitude towards behavioural biometrics?

A．Doubtful.

B．Concerned

C．Favorable.

D．Objective.

4. From which section of a magazine can this passage possibly be taken?

A．Science and technology.	B．Health and wealth.
C．Finance and economics	D．Books and arts

4 . Fantastic Magazines for Learning English

Digital Photographer

Perfect if you like: taking pictures with your camera or phone.

What you’ll find inside: This magazine is full of colorful photos and very pleasing to look at. There are many tips and guides on how to take great pictures, and they are written in simple and easy-to-understand English though there are some technical camera terms. You feel like the writers are talking to you! You can impress your friends with your improved English and your new photography skills!

Fast Company

Perfect if you like: business and learning how successful companies work.

What you’ll find inside: Fast Company is one of the most approachable magazines about business and companies. It has many interviews of successful people, as well as general news about interesting new companies. It does use a higher level of writing than what is usual for magazines, so give it a try first to make sure you can understand the articles.

Cricket and Cicada

Perfect if you like: excellent literature and short stories.

What you’ll find inside: Cricket and Cicada are literary magazines aimed at teenagers. Each issue is full of wonderful short stories and poems, and beautiful illustrations. Even though these are technically children’s magazines, they are perfect for learning English because they have high quality writing.

Mental Floss

Perfect if you like: interesting trivia and facts.

What you’ll find inside: What does outer space smell like? Why isn’t cat food mouse-flavored? If you’re the kind of person who asks yourself these questions, you’ll love Mental Floss. Each issue is full of bite-sized trivia and mostly short articles with really interesting facts that you’ll want to share with others.

While the print edition of the magazine stopped publishing in 2016, you can still read Mental Floss online. Click here to get more information.

1. Which magazine tells something about business and companies?

A．Digital Photographer.	B．Fast Company.
C．Cricket.and Cicada.	D．Mental Floss.

2. What is special about Cricket and Cicada?

A．They focus on drawing skills.

B．They can only be bought online.

C．They are intended for teenagers.

D．They are full of colorful pictures.

3. Where is the text most probably taken?

A．On a website.	B．In a newspaper.
C．In an English textbook.	D．From a science magazine.

5 . When we sleep, our brains clear out the memories we've made while we're awake, deciding what to keep and what to discard. Forgetting is an active process, explained the authors of a study published in the journal Science. But less is known about this process during the different stages of sleep.

The team found that during the rapid eye movement （REM） sleep stage, when active sleep happens and we are thought to dream, special nerve（神经）cells appear to actively lead to forgetting. What are known as MCH neurons（神经元）sit in the hypothalamus ——a part of the brain which helps with a range of functions such as sleep, appetite and emotions. Past research has suggested these cells help to control REM sleep patterns.

The team looked at MCH neurons in mice, and found 52.8 percent were active during REM sleep, compared with 35 percent when the mice were awake. They also turned MCH neurons on and off during memory tests. MCH cells appeared to send messages to the part of the brain to stop the formation of memories.

Study co-author Thomas Kilduff said the team was surprised to find that mice performed better on learning and memory tasks when the MCH cells were inhibited（受抑制）.“This result suggests that stimulation of the MCH neurons may disturb memory strengthening - that is, MCH neurons may help forgetting," Kilduff explained.

Asked what motivated the study, Kilduff said, "There is research argument about the role of sleep-in learning and memory, specifically, whether REM sleep, slow-wave sleep or both types of sleep are important for memory strengthening."

Kilduff acknowledged the study was conducted only on mice, not on humans. Also, mice are animals that remain active at night, with periods of sleeping and being awake distributed throughout the day and night, whereas most humans have a single sleep period that usually occurs at night, he said.

1. What does the underlined word “discard" in Paragraph 1 mean?

A．Get rid of.	B．Bring in.
C．Make use of.	D．Dream about.

2. What can we learn about MCH neurons in mice during REM sleep?

A．All of them are active.

B．Over half of them are functioning.

C．Most of them can control emotions.

D．35 percent of them can refresh memories.

3. What did Kilduff think of the result of the study?

A．It was highly questioned.	B．It helps explain dreams.
C．It could apply to all people.	D．It was limited in some way.

4. In which section of a newspaper may this text appear?

A．Entertainment.	B．Sports.
C．Tech and Science.	D．Culture.

6 . Tracking wildlife is a tough job. Take the case of a one-eared leopard named Pavarotti.

Kasim Rafiq, a wildlife biologist at Liverpool John Moores University. “So I used to get up at the crack of dawn, follow his tracks and try and find him. So one day, I went out, and I was looking for him. And his tracks took me off road through this woodland area...and...”

Before he knew it, the wheel of his Land Rover was stuck in a deep hole. He wasted several hours getting it out. And then, on the way back to camp, he came across some local tour guides and their safari (观赏野兽的旅行) guests, who’d had way better luck spotting Pavarotti. “Basically, they laughed and they talked to me that they’d seen him that morning.”

Rafiq then realized that tourist wildlife sightings might be an untapped source of information about wild animals.

So he and his team worked with a safari lodge in Botswana to analyze 25,000 tourist photographs of wildlife. They compared those data to the estimates they made with traditional wildlife biology methods.

It turned out that the estimates from tourists’ photos were just as good as those gleaned (四处搜集) from traditional methods. And the tourists were actually the only ones to see elusive (难以捉摸的) leopards — the researchers would have missed the cats without the citizen science data. The results are in the journal Current Biology.

The idea is not to put wildlife researchers out of a job. “The reality is there are so many interesting things we still have to find out about these large carnivores (食肉动物) and so many conservation (保护) projects that need to be carried out that we don’t have the time or resources to do them all.” And tourist photos might help make sure that all the local carnivores are spotted.

Thanks for listening for Scientific American-60-Second Science. I’m Christopher Intagliata.

1. What happened to Rafiq when he tracked Pavarotti?

A．He was lost in the woods.

B．He was trapped in a deep hole.

C．He found Pavarotti with tourists’ help.

D．He met Pavarotti on the way back to camp.

2. Why can biologists track animals from tourists’ photographs?

A．The photos are sources of information about wildlife.

B．The photos are mirrors of the wildlife researchers’ life.

C．The photos taken by tourists are of high quality.

D．The photos taken by tourists are especially beautiful.

3. What can we infer from paragraph 6?

A．The researchers have missed the data of cats.

B．The information from tourists’ photos was equally good.

C．The value of tourist photos hasn’t been proven.

D．Only the traditional methods can track wildlife.

4. Where can we find the article?

A．On TV.

B．In a magazine.

C．On a radio.

D．In a book.

7 . In the 1994 film Forrest Gump, there's a famous saying, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get. The surprise is part of the fun. Now blind box toys（盲盒)are bringing the magic of surprise to online shopping.

A blind box toy is hidden inside similar boxes but invisible from the outside. You don't know what will be inside, although the toys typically come from pop culture, ranging from movies to comics and cartoons.

Blind boxes have become popular since they were first introduced from Japan to China in 2014. According to a 2019 Tmall report, the mini-series of Labubu blind box designed by Hong Kong-born Kasing Lung, was named Champion of Unit Sales with 55, 000 sold in just 9 seconds during the Singles Day shopping event. Most customers for blind boxes are young people aged 18 to 35.

According to The Paper, blind box toys are popular in part because of their cute appearances. The typically cute cartoon figures(人物)come in small sizes, making them suitable for display almost anywhere.

Even if blind boxes are not their top choice for decorations, the mystery and uncertainty of the process also attracts people. It's the main reason why people buy blind boxes one after another.

"Expecting the unknown is always a part of the box-opening process," said Miss Cao, 24, who lives and works in Shenyang. Speaking to Sina News, she said: "Until you open all the boxes, you cannot know what it is inside."

Opening a blind box is a delightful little surprise for our mundane daily lives, something small but fun to wait for each day, week or month. When people open this simple little box, they may be disappointed, but the uncertainty is part of the fun. People will open more blind boxes and hope for a better outcome.

When someone re-makes Forrest Gump, don't be surprised if he says, "Life is like a blind box."

1. What do we know about blind boxes?

A．They may bring surprise to our life.	B．They are visible from the outside.
C．They are popular among all ages.	D．They were first designed in 2014.

2. Why do people buy blind boxes according to Miss Cao?

A．Because blind boxes are fashionable gifts.

B．Because blind boxes are educational gifts.

C．Because people enjoy box-opening process.

D．Because people prefer the colorful boxes.

3. What does the underlined word "mundane" probably mean?

A．Wonderful

B．Interesting

C．Amazing.

D．Boring.

4. Where is the text most likely from?

A．A diary.

B．A magazine.

C．A novel.

D．A guidebook.

8 . Smart carts (购物车) are shopping carts equipped with tablet computers and similar de-vices that help shoppers manage shopping lists, pay for items, and find products in the store. Manufacturers of smart cart technology produce accessory fittings (配件), and stores can use them to remake existing carts. It’s also possible to purchase new shopping carts with the smart technology installed.

The level of function available with a smart cart can vary. Some can be combined with cellphones or software programs to allow shoppers to create shopping lists and upload them to a cart. Internet-enabled smart carts may provide suggestions or tips for shoppers. Some can communicate with the systems to guide themselves around the store. Shoppers can ask the cart where to find items, or have it organize a grocery list to make shopping easier. As a shop-per moves along the snack selling areas, for instance, the smart cart could flash a reminder that the customer often likes to buy a particular brand of potato chips.

In-store communication to allow customers to order items from different counters may al-so be available. On the contrary, a department can page a customer with the use of smart carts, The counters can send a message when the order is ready, which reduces time spent in line.

Smart cart technology can also enable the price checks and allows customers to pay for items through the cart, without having to go through a checkout line. As they add items to the cart, it updates the total, and the shopper can close out the visit at the end by telling the cart to automatically pay from a stored bank account or credit card. This application for smart carts can be important in busy stores where customers get impatient waiting in line to pay.

1. Why does the author think the introduced cart is a smart cart?

A．It is made to encourage shopping.

B．It is equipped with technology to manage shopping lists.

C．It is equipped with translation function.

D．It is designed to take the place of clerks.

2. What can be learned about the smart cart from the text?

A．It is smarter than humans.

B．It is helpful but rather expensive.

C．It only has a few simple skills.

D．It can help save much time.

3. In which section of a newspaper can we read the text?

A．Technology.	B．Fashion.
C．Food.	D．Advertisement.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．The design of smart carts

B．The influences of smart carts

C．The introduction to smart carts

D．The market demands for smart carts

9 . The city of Quanzhou in East China's Fujian province, one of the most important Chinese ports along the historic maritime(海运的)Silk Road, reported new findings about archaeological(考古的)efforts from 2019 to 2020, experts said at a meeting held in Quanzhou from Friday to Saturday.

"The latest research results on iron-making remains in Quanzhou's Anxi county showed that it used to make lots of iron and steel, important goods of trade along the historic maritime Silk Road, mainly during the Song Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty," says Shen Ruiwen, a famous archaeologist.

Two other sites were discovered and identified as remains of regulatory bodies(监管机构)that existed within the two dynasties. One of them managed affairs related to the emperors' relatives, and the other served similar functions as today's customs. Shen said, "The two ancient organizations showed that Quanzhou once provided effective support for ocean trade."

Another finding exposed was the development of china-making technology from the Song Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty in Dehua county, as is evidenced in the thousands of relics(遗迹)that were dug out.

"Quanzhou is a city of in historical significance because it preserved the continuous track of urban planning and construction from the late Tang Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty," says Shen. Experts say the city will continue with research on some of the sites included in the project and carry out long-term plans.

1. What's the purpose of writing the first paragraph?

A．To present an argument.

B．To lead in the topic of the text.

C．To add some supporting details.

D．To provide background information.

2. What did people in Quanzhou mainly make during Song and Yuan dynasties?

A．Silk.

B．Farm products.

C．Green tea.

D．Iron and steel.

3. What can we know about Quanzhou in ancient times?

A．It once served as the Capital.

B．It once helped a lot for ocean trade.

C．It was once the education center of the world.

D．It developed fast from Song Dynasty to Qing Dynasty.

4. In which section of a newspaper may this text appear?

A．Culture.

B．Environment.

C．Education.

D．Health.

10 . Many people know that rubbish is a big problem on planet Earth. What many people don't know is that rubbish has become a problem in outer space too. Years of space exploration have left tons of “space junk” in orbit around the planet. According to BBC News，there are more than 22,000 pieces of junk in space around the earth. And these are just the items that we can see from the surface of the earth by telescopes. There are also millions of smaller pieces of junk that we can't see.

Objects，like bits of old space rockets or satellites，move around the planet at very high speeds，so fast that even a very small piece can break important satellites or become dangerous to people，particularly astronauts. If the tiniest piece of junk crashed into a spacecraft，it could damage the vehicle. That's because the faster an object moves，the greater the impact if the object collides(相撞)with something else.

To help reduce additional space junk, countries around the world have agreed to limit the time their space tools stay in orbit to 25 years. Each tool must be built to fall safely into the earth's atmosphere，or the mass of gases that surround the earth. In the upper parts of the atmosphere, it will burn up. Many scientists are also putting forward different ways to clean up space junk. In England a metal tool is being tested that can be fired into space rubbish，catch the rubbish，and then pull the rubbish into the earth's atmosphere to burn up. The Germans have been planning a space project with robots that would collect pieces of space rubbish and bring them back to Earth so that they can be safely destroyed.

The problem of space junk is very challenging，and it's quite urgent as well. One reason why it's urgent is that countries are sending more and more objects into space. Many of these objects are tools that help people use their cell phones or computers. The time to act is now. As we go farther in time we will need to remove more and more fragments(碎片).

1. What can we know from the first paragraph?

A．There are 22,000 pieces of space junk around the earth.

B．BBC News found the pieces of space junk by telescopes.

C．There are millions of tiny pieces of space junk around the earth.

D．Space junk in orbit around the planet was left by space exploration.

2. Why do countries in the world agree to limit the time for space tools staying in orbit?

A．To help reduce additional space junk.

B．To help space tools fall safely into the earth.

C．To help burn up space junk in the earth's atmosphere.

D．To help collect space junk and bring them back to Earth.

3. What does the text mainly tell us?

A．Ways to clean up space junk.

B．Ways to avoid the damage of space junk.

C．Rubbish is a big problem on planet Earth.

D．Rubbish has become a problem in outer space.

4. In which section of a newspaper may this text appear?

A．Health.

B．Education.

C．Environment.

D．Entertainment.