1 . Perfumes, soaps, and other products often contain special smells called fragrances. Fragrances are often not natural smells, but they're meant to be pleasant. Fragrances can strongly affect those who smell them. Though some people are sensitive to the smells, hoping the smells will be ridded some day, creating and selling fragrances brings in about ＄48 billion every year across the globe, causing some companies to take advantage of computers and other high-tech methods to help them. Many universities specially have the major for creating fragrances, which many students are eager to take.
IBM is a computer company whose Artificial Intelligence (AI) system for fragrances is called Philyra that can't actually smell, but can use lots of different information to find and act on new patterns. The information Philyra needs comes from a German company Symrise. Symrise has derailed information on all kinds of materials used to make perfumes. It also has about 1.7 million different formulas—special recipes for making fragrances, and it is also able to give Philyra information about what kinds of smells people like. For example, the kinds of smells most liked by men, women, or people in different age groups or in different countries.
O Boticario, Brazil's second-largest beauty store, asked IBM to come up with two new perfumes that millennials(千禧二代) would like. So Philyra began creating new formulas based on patterns it spotted in the information about different materials, different formulas and the kinds of fragrances people like. Philyra came up with many formulas very quickly. The master perfumer David Apel worked with the AI, and he said that the way Philyra combined different spices(香料) with milk and butter was something that he would never have thought of doing. When O Boticario tried out the new perfumes on groups of millennials, they were very popular. They even beat out some famous perfumes. The new special perfumes will go on sale soon this year.
1. What do we know about creating and selling fragrances from paragraph 1?| A．It's being done by computers. |
| B．It's a big business in the world. |
| C．It's been directed by AI system. |
| D．It will disappear sooner or later. |
| A．Making fragrances for IBM. |
| B．Offering fragrance information. |
| C．Using AI to create various smells. |
| D．Developing AI system for fragrances. |
| A．Unnoticed fragrances. |
| B．Expert favored. |
| C．Personal smells. |
| D．AI-created. |
| A．Entertainment. |
| B．Health. |
| C．Education. |
| D．Technology. |
2 . Online programs to fight depression are already commercially available. While they sound efficient and cost-saving, a recent study looked at computer-assisted cognitive (认知的) behavioral therapy (CBT) and found that it was not that helpful in handling depression.
Traditional CBT is considered as an effective form against depression, helping people challenge negative thoughts and change the way they think in order to change their mood and behaviors. However, online CBT programs have been gaining popularity, with the attraction of providing low-cost help wherever someone is able to use a computer.
A team of researchers from the University of York conducted a survey with 691 depressed patients from 83 physician practices across England. They were divided into three groups: one group received only usual care from a physician while the other two groups received usual care from a physician plus one of two computerized CBT programs. After four months, the patients using the computerized CBT programs had no improvement in depression level over those who were only getting usual care form their doctors, mainly because depressed patients are not likely to get involved in online programs and stick with them.
“It’s an important, warning note that we shouldn’t get too carried away with the idea that a computer system can replace doctors and therapists (治疗师),” says Christopher Dowrick, a professor of primary medical care at the University of Liverpool. “We do still need the human touch or the human talk, especially when people are depressed.”
Being depressed can mean feeling “lost in your own small, negative, dark world,” Dowrick says. Having a person, instead of a computer, reach out to you is particularly important in battling that sense of separation. “When your feeling is more easily hurt, you’re even more in need of a caring human being,” he says.
1. What has made online CBT programs increasingly popular?| A．Their good effects on fighting depression. |
| B．Their easy and cheap use by patients. |
| C．The low efficiency of traditional CBT. |
| D．The attraction of going online. |
| A．online CBT is more likely to cure depression |
| B．traditional CBT has no improvement in depression |
| C．depressed patients fail to keep up the online treatment |
| D．the combination of traditional and online CBT is most effective |
| A．It can take the place of doctors. |
| B．It should not be ignored in primary care. |
| C．Its effectiveness should not be over valued. |
| D．Its advantages should be encouraged by doctors. |
| A．Science and Technology | B．Culture and Society |
| C．Business and Advertisement | D．Health and Fitness |
3 . Who're happier, men or women?Research shows it's a complex question and that asking whether males or females are happier isn't really that helpful, because basically, happiness is different for women and men.
Women's happiness has been declining for the past 30 years, according to recent statistics.And research shows that women are twice as likely to experience depression compared with men.Gender（性别） differences in depression are well confirmed and studies have found that biological, psychological and social factors contribute to the difference.
Early studies on gender and happiness found men and women were socialized to express different feelings.Women are more likely to express happiness, warmth and fear, which help with social bonding and appear more consistent with the traditional role as a primary caregiver, while men display more anger, pride and disrespect, which are more consistent with a protector and provider role.
Recent research suggests that these differences are not just socially, but also genetically related.Studies have looked into these findings further and discovered that females use more areas of the brain containing mirror neurons（镜像神经元）than males when they process feelings.Mirror neurons allow us to experience the world from other people's view, to understand their actions and intentions.This may explain why women can experience deeper sadness.Women tend to experience more negative feelings, such as more guilt, shame and to a lesser degree, embarrassment.
Psychologically it seems men and women differ in the way they process and express feelings.With the exception of anger, women experience feelings more strongly and share their feelings more openly with others.Studies have found in particular that women express more appreciation﹣which has been linked to greater happiness.This supports the theory that women's happiness is more dependent on relationships than men's.
1. Which feeling are men more likely to show compared with women?| A．Warmth. |
| B．Depression. |
| C．Happiness. |
| D．Disrespect. |
| A．Psychological factors. |
| B．Biological factors. |
| C．Educational factors. |
| D．Social factors. |
| A．a science fiction |
| B．a culture brochure |
| C．a nursery guide |
| D．a health magazine |
| A．Men and women differ in biology and psychology. |
| B．Men and women experience happiness differently. |
| C．Social roles have a great effect on men and women. |
| D．Women's happiness has declined in the past years. |
4 . When he was two years old, Ben stopped seeing out of his left eye. His mother took him to the doctor and soon discovered he had cancer in both eyes. After possible treatments failed, doctors removed both his eyes. For Ben, vision was gone forever.
But by the time he was seven years old, he had developed a technique for feeling the world around him: he clicked with his mouth and listened for the returning echoes. This method enabled Ben to determine the locations of open doorways, people, parked cars, garbage cans, and so on. He was echolocating: bouncing his sound waves off objects in the environment and catching the reflections to build a mental model of his surroundings.
Echolocation may sound like an improbable feat for a human, but thousands of blind people have perfected this skill, just like Ben did. The event has been written about since at least the 1940s, when the word ''echolocation" was first invented in a science article titled “Echolocation by Blind Men , Bats, and Radar.”
How could blindness give rise to the amazing ability to understand the surroundings with one's ears? The answer lies in a gift on the brain; huge adaptability.
Mother Nature filled our brains with flexibility to adapt to circumstances. Just as sharp teeth and fast legs are useful for survival, so is the brain's ability to reset, which allows for learning, memory, and die ability to develop new skills.
In Ben's case, his brain's flexible wiring repurposed his visual cortex for processing sound. As a result, Ben had more neurons available to deal with listening information, and this increased processing power allowed Ben to interpret soundwaves in shocking detail. Ben's super-hearing proves a more general rule: the more brain area a particular sense has, the better it performs.
1. How did Ben “see” after he had his eyes removed?| A．By using a walking stick. | B．By asking others for help. |
| C．By inventing a new system. | D．By echolocating surroundings. |
| A．Skill. | B．Task. | C．Sense. | D．Invention. |
| A．He laughs best who laughs last. | B．Actions speak louder than words. |
| C．God shuts one door but he opens another. | D．Man becomes learned by asking questions. |
| A．Culture Shock. | B．Human Biology. |
| C．Scientific Technology. | D．Environmental Protection. |
5 . Located in the southeast of Canada and with a population of approximately 6 million, Toronto is a big and beautiful city, which has developed from a relatively unknown place over the past half century to the center of culture, trade and communication in Canada.
With its colorful ethnic mix, rich history and breathtaking buildings. Toronto offers non-stop adventures to the tourists. To get a sense of how big, various and magical Toronto is, the best place to start is the CN Tower. From this point, visitors can get a bird's-eye view of the city's amazing scenery and unique geography.
In addition to being an important center of culture, trade and communication in Canada, Toronto is also a major muti-ethnic city. It is the most populous city in Canada and its citizens come from countries around the world and from different kinds of ethnic backgrounds. Every day, in most places of the city, a hundred different languages can be heard on the streets, from Hindi to Greek to French. This, perhaps, explains why former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau once said that Canada is a mosaic（嵌合体）of cultures and languages rather than a melting pot.
Street signs in Toronto are mostly in English. Weekly and daily newspapers are published in various languages, and the city hosts the successful international film festival each September. It is also home to a popular baseball team the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto has something for everyone.
Moreover, Toronto has been rated one of the most livable cities in the world by United Nations Human Settlements Programme for many years. At the same time, Toronto is one of the safest, richest cities in the world with the highest standard of living.
1. What's the purpose of the text?| A．To draw more tourists to Toronto. |
| B．To introduce something about Canada. |
| C．To introduce some famous sights of Toronto. |
| D．To tell us how Toronto develops from the past. |
| A．Toronto is in the center of Canada. |
| B．Toronto is a city with a history of half a century. |
| C．The street signs in Toronto are all written in English. |
| D．From the top of the CN Tower we can see the whole Toronto. |
| A．It's worth visiting. |
| B．It's just a common city in Canada. |
| C．There are too many foreigners in the city. |
| D．There aren't many places of interest to visit. |
| A．A personal diary. | B．A news report. |
| C．A tourist handbook. | D．A student's notebook. |
6 . The National Gallery
Description:
The National Gallery is the British national art museum built on the north side of Trafalgar Square in London. It houses a diverse collection of more than 2,300 examples of European art ranging from 13th-century religious paintings to more modern ones by Renoir and Van Gogh. The older collections of the gallery are reached through the main entrance while the more modern works in the East Wing are most easily reached from Trafalgar Square by a ground floor entrance.
Layout:
The modern Sainsbury Wing on the western side of the building houses 13th- to 15th-century paintings, and artists include Duccio, Uccello, Van Eyck, Lippi, Mantegna, Botticelli and Memling.
The main West Wing houses 16th-century paintings, and artists include Leonardo da Vinci , Cranach, Michelangelo, Raphael, Bruegel, Bronzino, Titian and Veronese.
The North Wing houses 17th-century paintings, and artists include Caravaggio, Rubens, Poussin, Van de Dyck, Velázquez, Claude and Vermeer.
The East Wing houses 18th- to early 20th-century paintings, and artists include Canaletto, Goya, Turner, Constable, Renoir and Van Gogh.
Opening Hours:
The Gallery is open every day from 10 am to 6 pm (Fridays 10 am to 9 pm ) and is free, but charges apply to some special exhibitions.
Getting There:
Nearest underground stations: Charing Cross (2-minute walk), Leicester Square (3-minute walk), Embankment (7-minute walk), and Piccadilly Circus (8-minute walk).
1. In which wing can you see religious paintings?| A．In the West Wing | B．In the North Wing |
| C．In the East Wing | D．In the Sainsbury Wing |
| A．The National Gallery is the biggest British national art museum. |
| B．The Gallery is open every day from 10 am to 6 pm. |
| C．The Gallery is completely free. |
| D．There are four exhibition areas in the National Gallery. |
| A．A museum guide. | B．An artist magazine. |
| C．A news report. | D．A tourist map. |
7 . If documentary A Bite of China presented a feast for the eyes with its appetizing images of cuisines from around the country, Aerial China, a new series that was put on CCTV on Jan. 28, offers another visual treat with its footage (镜头) of the breathtaking beauty of the country's natural landscapes.
The series has 34 episodes, each featuring a different place. The first season's episodes feature scenery from Heilongjiang, Hainan, Xinjiang, Shaanxi, Shanghai and Jiangxi. According to Beijing Daily , it took one year to film the first season, with crew using 16 helicopters and 57 drones. The total distance they covered was about 150,000 kilometers - enough to circle the earth four times.
Their efforts have paid off, however. Aerial China currently has a score of 9.4 points out of 10 on douban. com, an influential rating and review website. The majority of viewers are impressed by the amazing view of nature the show presents. From the gleaming blue of the South China Sea to the vast grassland in Xinjiang, from centuries-old city walls in Shaanxi to busy ski resorts in Heilongjiang, "every frame of this show would make a desktop wall paper," commented Beijing Daily.
But amazing views are not the only thing Aerial China wants to show to the audience. " Every footage conveys the love of our motherland," chief director Yu Le said in an interview with CCTV. “The more you know about the place where we live, the more you feel obliged to protect it. " Yu also hopes that it can bring viewers some food for thought. "It allows audiences to see the world from above with brand new perspectives. It may occur to the audience that human beings are very tiny creatures in the universe and our life is very fleeting (短暂),so we should not dwell on the worries and losses. Just think outside the routine - you'll find an enriched life."
1. What subject does Aerial China deal with?| A．Chinese cuisine. | B．Natural scenery. |
| C．Chinese festivals. | D．Geographic features. |
| A．Reviews on Aerial China from media were critical. |
| B．The crew circled the earth four times to film Aerial China. |
| C．It took a lot of money and efforts to produce Aerial China. |
| D．Most audiences were impressed by an enriched life in the show. |
| A．Lifestyle. | B．National News. | C．Culture. | D．Natural Heritage. |
| A．To present views of China from above. |
| B．To reveal audience's love of our country. |
| C．To advise readers to live an enriched life. |
| D．To attract readers to a TV documentary. |
8 . Online Bachelor's Degrees and Programs
The overview
Colleges offer online degrees in a range of fields. Click on a degree program to explore what courses you take, how long the program takes to complete, career options and average salary. For example, to earn an online health science bachelor's degree, you would take courses in public health, health communications and epidemiology(流行病学).
The benefits
Pursuing an accredited(官方认可的)online bachelor's degree can help you take the next step in your career. Through your program, you'll attend online lectures, study from home manage a busy schedule and interact virtually with professors and classmates.
The applicants
An online college degree may appeal to those who want more flexibility in completing their education, or who want to take classes while working full time or parenting. Choosing where to register online will likely be challenging, but below you'll find tools, advice and other resources to make your search easier.
Best online bachelor's programs
U. S. News evaluated several factors to rank the best online bachelor's degree programs, including graduation rates and support services available remotely.
| School name | Tuition per credit | Application deadline | Financial aid available |
| University of Georgia | $ 326 | May 1 | Yes |
| Georgia Washington University | $ 615 | June 10 | No |
| University of Arizona | $ 525 | July 12 | Yes |
| North Carolina University | $ 900 | February 15 | Yes |
To see the full ranking list, please click here.
1. What will you do after attending online degree programs?| A．Get a degree for free. | B．Attend lectures in a hall. |
| C．Take some related courses | D．Talk with teachers face to face. |
| A．Georgia Washington University. | B．University of Georgia. |
| C．North Carolina University. | D．University of Arizona. |
| A．On the Internet. | B．In a magazine. |
| C．In a textbook. | D．In a newspaper. |
9 . When Earth was just a tiny young thing，it birthed many new continents - then it swallowed them all up, leaving just a few traces behind, a new study shows.
These first continents had a special skill for living fast and dying young, but in doing so, they paved the way for solid continents that eventually led to the emergence of plate tectonics（版块运动）， the new study suggests.
For hundreds of millions of years, the current continents have been more or less stable. But very little is known about the continents that existed early on in Earth's history.
To learn more about that early history, the researchers used computers to model the interactions of rock and magma（岩浆） in the Earth’s crust（地壳） and below. The modeling showed that the earliest continents, known as the Hadean (4.6 to 4.0 billion years ago), were weak and likely to destruction. Modern continents have a comprehensive high tensile strength, meaning it’s hard to tear them apart by stretching.
By the time the Archean (4.0 billion to 2.5 billion years ago) began ending the Hadean, the crust which had first formed was almost entirely replaced by the seeds of the modern continents.
In a sense, the researchers found, those lost Hadean continents made the later, more stable continents possible.
The emergence of continents at the close of the Hadean also contributed fertilizer that would later help seed life on Earth, the researchers wrote. Bits of them broke off and entered the atmosphere and oceans, providing necessary nutrients for the life forms that soon emerged.
1. Compared with the modern continents, the Hadean was________.| A．younger | B．firmer | C．weaker | D．bigger |
| A．It existed 4.0 million years ago. | B．It disappeared before the Archean began. |
| C．It helped make more stable continents. | D．It provided all the necessary nutrients. |
| A．By listing researchers’ findings. | B．By giving a lot of examples. |
| C．By making comparisons. | D．By listing a lot of numbers. |
| A．A science fiction. | B．A science magazine. |
| C．A travel brochure. | D．An encyclopedia. |
10 . Best Diabetes Diets
U.S. News has ranked four leading diets based on input from a panel of health experts. Browse our diet profiles by narrowing down your results until you find the ones that are right for you.
The Flexitarian Diet in Best Diabetes Diets The Flexitarian Diet, which emphasizes fruits, veggies, whole grains and plant-based protein, is a smart and healthy choice. One panelist noted that this diet is “a nice approach that could work for the whole family.” READ MORE → | OVERALL SCORE 4.1/5 WEIGHT LOSS 3.6/5 HEALTHY 4.7/5 |
Mediterranean Diet in Best Diabetes Diets With its emphasis on fruits, vegetables, olive oil, fish and other healthy fare, the Mediterranean diet is extremely sensible. READ MORE → | OVERALL SCORE 4.2/5 WEIGHT LOSS 3/5 HEALTHY 4.8/5 |
DASH Diet in Best Diabetes Diets DASH fights high blood pressure and was praised for its nutritional completeness, safety, ability to prevent or control diabetes, and role in supporting heart health. READ MORE → | OVERALL SCORE 4.1/5 WEIGHT LOSS 3.2/5 HEALTHY 4.8/5 |
Mayo Clinic Diet in Best Diabetes Diets The Mayo Clinic Diet aims to make healthy eating a lifelong habit, and earned praise for its nutrition and safety. READ MORE → | OVERALL SCORE 3. 8/5 WEIGHT LOSS 3. 3/5 HEALTHY 4. 4/5 |
1. If you got diabetes and wanted to lose weight, which food would meet your needs?
| A．Mayo Clinic Diet | B．Dash Diet |
| C．Mediterranean Diet | D．The Flexitarian Diet |
| A．Novel | B．Magazine | C．Website | D．Newspaper |
| A．Dash Diet can benefit your heart health. |
| B．All diabetic diets can fight high blood pressure. |
| C．All the diabetic diets emphasize their complete nutrition. |
| D．The Mayo Clinic Diet has developed a lifelong healthy eating habit. |
