1 . You’re enjoying a quiet evening at home when suddenly your neighbor’s dog starts barking(吠叫)and doesn’t stop. Sure, dogs need to bark every now and then, but if the barking is getting in the way of your daily life, you need to do something.
“Before you take action, make records of when the dog is disturbing,” says expert Sharon Schweitzer. “Record the dates and time when the barking appears to find out the features of the barking. Check them carefully and get your facts straight. You might notice the barking only happens when the owners are at work, or during thunderstorms.”
After two to three weeks, visit your neighbors with the facts. “Since you’re trying to keep a good relationship, you can’t go when you’re angry and frustrated,” says Schweitzer. Plus, your neighbors might not even realize the barking is a problem, for the worst noise may happen when they’re gone.
Explain the time when the barking gets bad, then suggest a way to solve the problem. “You can sit and complain all day, but that will go nowhere,” says Schweitzer. Ask if the dog can stay inside during the storm, or suggest a dog training class. Be open to compromise(妥协)because the owners might have other ideas about how to deal with the noise.
Befriending the dog could help. Have your neighbors introduce you to their dogs. “If they become more comfortable in your presence, they’re less likely to bark when they see you or when they’re in the backyard,”says Schweitzer. You might even be able to use commands such as “quiet” once the dog trusts you.
Avoid gossiping(说长道短)with other neighbors about the dog.“That’s when things escalate.” After all, most people will want to solve the problem.
1. What can you do first when the barking of your neighbor’s dog influences your life?| A．Bring the dog to a training class. |
| B．Show it to your neighborhoods. |
| C．Drive it out of your neighborhood. |
| D．Record the dates and time of the barking. |
| A．They may like the barking. |
| B．They all think their dogs are friendly. |
| C．They have been used to the barking of the dogs. |
| D．They may be out when the worst barking happens. |
| A．Become better. |
| B．Become worse. |
| C．Remain unchanged. |
| D．Become more personal. |
| A．Love me, love my dog. |
| B．Barking dogs seldom bite. |
| C．Good communication is a must. |
| D．Treat violence with violence(暴力). |
2 . Learning a second language is tough at any age. Now, in a new study, scientist have found out the exact age after which your chances of reaching fluency（流利）in a second language seem to plummet:10.
The study published in the journal Cognition, found that it's "nearly impossible" for language learners to reach native-level（母语水平）fluency if they start learning a second language after age 10. "It turns out you're still learning fast," says study co-author Joshua Hartshorne. "It's just that you run out of time, because your ability to learn starts dropping at around 17 or 18 years old," People who start a few years after age 10 may still become quite good at a language, the authors say, but they are unlikely to become fluent.
Kids may be better than adults at learning new languages for many reasons. Children's brains are more plastic than those of adults, meaning they're better able to adapt and respond to new information. Kids may also be more willing to try new things than adults are. Their comparatively new understanding of their native language may also be advantageous.
These findings may seem discouraging, but it was inspiring for scientists to learn that the key period for fluent language learning might be longer than previously thought. Some scientists believed that the window begins to close shortly after birth, while others made it longer to very early childhood. Compared with those judgments-age 17 or 18 —when language learning ability start to drop off—seems relatively old.
For this study, the researchers created an online test promising to guess people's native language and home country based on their responses to English grammar questions. Almost 670,000 people took it, giving the researchers huge amounts of data from English speakers of many ages and backgrounds. Examining the responses and grammar mistakes allowed them to made unusually exact judgments about language learning.
1. What does the underlined word "plummet" in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Drop sharply. | B．Increase greatly. |
| C．Appear gradually. | D．Double suddenly. |
| A．Adults tend to perform badly in learning a second language. |
| B．Children are at an advantage in acquiring a new language. |
| C．All these new findings are quite discouraging for scientists. |
| D．People have different key periods for mastering a language. |
| A．The purpose of the study. | B．The findings of the study. |
| C．The subject of the study. | D．The process of the study. |
| A．Kids Are Better at Learning New Languages |
| B．Adults Can't Learn a Second Language Well |
| C．Never Say Die When Learning a New Language |
| D．Better to Learn a New Language Before Age 10 |
3 . For many people, remembering to take their daily medicine can be the difference between life and death. Yet, people forget all the time. Now a study from North Carolina State University has found that changes in daily behavior have a significant effect on whether we remember to take our medicine-and that these changes influence older and younger adults differently.
“We've found that it is not just differences between people, but differences in what we do each day, that affect our ability to remember to take medicine,” says Dr. Shevaun Neupert, lead author of a paper describing the research. “This is the first time anyone has looked at the effect of daily changes in how busy we are affects our ability to remember medicines.”
“For example, young people do the best job of remembering to take their medicine on days when they are busier than usual,” Neupcrt says. “But older adults do a better job of remembering their medicine on days when they are less busy.”
The researchers evaluated study participants who were on daily medicines. The participants were divided into two groups: younger adults(between the ages of 18 and 20) and older adults(between the ages of 60 and 89).
For both age groups, the researchers found that participants were more likely to remember to take their medicines on days when they performed better than usual on “cognition(认知)tests”-which evaluate memory and critical thinking.
“We found that cognition is an important factor in remembering medicines,” Neupert says. “but that how busy we are is also important." This has very real applications for helping people remember to take medicines that can be essential to their health and well-being.
“We've found such a disparity between young and old adults, that it's clear we need to tailor our messages to these two groups.” Neupert says. “For example, it is important for young people to stay busy and be active. That will help them, remember to take their medicines. However, we need to let older adults-know that they need to give particular attention to remembering medicines on days when they expect to be busier than usual.”
1. Which shows what is new about the research on remembering medicines?| A．Age differences. | B．Differences between people. |
| C．Changes in the amount of work. | D．Changes in the types of work. |
| A．Difference. | B．Disadvantage. |
| C．Connection. | D．Coincidence. |
| A．Keep themselves busy. | B．Take a cognition test. |
| C．Always remind themselves about it. | D．Think of their health and well-being. |
| A．One's daily medicine and daily work. |
| B．The time and place to take medicine. |
| C．The connection between medicine and health. |
| D．Changes in daily behavior and age differences. |
4 . “Nature never stops being amazing,” says Rosemary Mosco, master of humorous nature art. Her new book, Birding Is MyFavorite Video Game, combines fascinating facts with charming pictures, and it's guaranteed to make you laugh. In fact, the learning and laughing are both equally important to Rosemary.
“There's so much to love about birds,” notes Rosemary. “I admire that they're real-life, modern dinosaurs! As an artist, I'm captivated by their color variations. Once you get into birds, the interest snowballs. You can find them almost everywhere. You start to notice subtle behaviors and wing patterns. You're never bored again. Teaching a kid to watch birds is a huge gift.”
Birds make regular appearances in Rosemary's nature art comics. She created charts explaining the songs and calls of common eastern and western birds. One of her most popular pieces is a flow chart helping you to decide whether or not to help a baby bird fallen from a nest. And her own personal favorite cartoon is about tiny owls, meant to be both motivational and mildly disturbing. Rosemary explains: “One reader asked me if we had any evidence that these owls can kill and eat a moose. My response was, not yet…”
Rosemary loves other animals, and is especially proud of a poster she drew showing every snake in the US and Canada. She also has a real soft spot for butterflies. “Their behaviors can be surprisingly complex,” she points out. “They defend habitats with dogfights. They have complex relationships with poisonous plants. Some of them eat waste and drink tears. Oh, and it helps that they pose nicely for photos.”
Mostly self-taught, Rosemary has taken a few art courses, even studying video game art for a bit. During her career, she's created many educational charts, and has been working on some children's science books. She also has an upcoming comics novel about the solar system.
“I'm excited to share more stories about the natural world.” Rosemary says about the future of her nature art comics. “Humor gives science wings!”
1. What is the main feature of Rosemary's comics?| A．A novel of ecology and cartoons. | B．A combination of nature art and science. |
| C．A mixture of entertainment and education. | D．A book of interesting facts and behavior charts. |
| A．Puzzled. | B．Attracted. | C．Shocked. | D．Encouraged. |
| A．share the content of Rosemary's comics | B．explain the popularity of Rosemary's art |
| C．prove the hardship of Rosemary's creation | D．disclose the source of Rosemary's inspiration |
| A．Take some art courses. | B．Write a new birding book. |
| C．Draw the sun humorously. | D．Observe moose's behavior. |
5 . For those who can stomach it, working out before breakfast may be more beneficial for health than eating first, according to a study of meal timing and physical activity.
Athletes and scientists have long known that meal timing affects performance. However, far less has been known about how meal timing and exercise might affect general health.
To find out, British scientists conducted a study. They first found 10 overweight and inactive but otherwise healthy young men, whose lifestyles are, for better and worse, representative of those of most of us. They tested the men’s fitness and resting metabolic (新陈代谢的) rates and took samples (样品) of their blood and fat tissue.
Then, on two separate morning visits to the scientists’ lab, each man walked for an hour at an average speed that, in theory, should allow his body to rely mainly on fat for fuel. Before one of these workouts, the men skipped breakfast, meaning that they exercised on a completely empty stomach after a long overnight fast (禁食). On the other occasion, they ate a rich morning meal about two hours before they started walking.
Just before and an hour after each workout, the scientists took additional samples of the men’s blood and fat tissue.
Then they compared the samples. There were considerable differences. Most obviously, the men displayed lower blood sugar levels at the start of their workouts when they had skipped breakfast than when they had eaten. As a result, they burned more fat during walks on an empty stomach than when they had eaten first. On the other hand, they burned slightly more calories (卡路里), on average, during the workout after breakfast than after fasting.
But it was the effects deep within the fat cells that may have been the most significant, the researchers found. Multiple genes behaved differently, depending on whether someone had eaten or not before walking. Many of these genes produce proteins (蛋白质) that can improve blood sugar regulation and insulin (胰岛素) levels throughout the body and so are associated with improved metabolic health. These genes were much more active when the men had fasted before exercise than when they had breakfasted.
The implication of these results is that to gain the greatest health benefits from exercise, it may be wise to skip eating first.
1. The underlined expression “stomach it” in Paragraph 1 most probably means “______”.| A．digest the meal easily | B．manage without breakfast |
| C．decide wisely what to eat | D．eat whatever is offered |
| A．Their lifestyles were typical of ordinary people. |
| B．Their lack of exercise led to overweight. |
| C．They could walk at an average speed. |
| D．They had slow metabolic rates. |
| A．They successfully lost weight. | B．They consumed a bit more calories. |
| C．They burned more fat on average. | D．They displayed higher insulin levels. |
| A．A workout after breakfast improves gene performances. |
| B．Too much workout often slows metabolic rates. |
| C．Lifestyle is not as important as morning exercise. |
| D．Physical exercise before breakfast is better for health. |
6 . Instagram（图片分享社交应用程序）is about to take its biggest step toward removing likes from its platform. After months of testing an option to hide likes in select international markets, Instagram, which is owned by Facebook（FB）, has already been testing hiding likes in seven other countries, including Canada, Ireland and Australia. For years, likes have been central to how celebrities, brands, politicians and everyday users experience Instagram and Facebook. It's a way of measuring popularity and success. But in recent months, Instagram has been rethinking how likes contribute to making its platform more toxic. Now it's considering a change.
The total number of likes on posts — which appear as hearts on the app ——will disappear from Instagram's main feed, profile pages and permalink（永久链接）pages. The owner of the account can still see their own likes, but their followers won't know the count.
CNN Business previously spoke with users in countries with the test. The majority felt this move would improve well-being on the app. Instagram is the most detrimental（不利的，有害的）social networking app for young people's mental health, such as negatively impacting body image, according to one study.
But other users and psychologists said hiding likes won't fix everything. The test doesn't address some of the key ways that activity on Instagram can impact the well-being of users, including bullying, feeling left out and thinking other people's lives are better than their own.
Renee Engeln, a psychology professor at Northwestern University, voiced his opinion that the biggest impact of Instagram is the content and the exposure to this constant stream of perfected images is what seems to hurt psychologically. Plus, users can still see their own likes ——and feel badly if their posts don't perform well.
1. How do users experience Instagram in this passage?| A．By giving likes. | B．By hiding likes. |
| C．By selecting platforms. | D．By showing off talents. |
| A．profitable | B．poisonous |
| C．popular | D．positive |
| A．Instagram has affected youngsters' mental health. |
| B．The account owners won't know the count o£ likes. |
| C．Instagram tested hiding likes in seven countries first. |
| D．The majority think Instagram has been a well-being app. |
| A．Instagram Misuses Likes |
| B．More People Are Against Likes |
| C．Likes Cause Mental Problems |
| D．Likes will Be Hidden on Instagram |
Their cheery song brightens many a winter's day. But robins are in danger of wearing themselves out by singing too much. Robins are singing all night一as well as during the day, British-based researchers say.
David Dominoni, of Glasgow University, said that light from street lamps, take away signs and homes is affecting the birds' biological clocks, leading to them being wide awake when they should be asleep.
Dr Dominoni, who is putting cameras inside nesting boxes to track sleeping patterns, said lack of sleep could put the birds’ health at risk. His study shows that when robins are exposed to light at night in the lab, it leads to some genes being active at the wrong time of day. And the more birds are exposed to light, the more active they are at night.
He told people at a conference, "There have been a couple of studies suggesting they are increasing their song output at night and during the day they are still singing. Singing is a costly behaviour and it takes energy. So by increasing their song output, there might be some costs of energy."
And it is not just robins that are being kept awake by artificial light. Blackbirds and seagulls are also being more nocturnal. Dr Dominoni said, "In Glasgow where I live, gulls are a serious problem. I have people coming to me saying `You are the bird expert. Can you help us kill these gulls?'.During the breeding(繁殖)season, between April and June, they are very active at night and very noisy and people can't sleep."
Although Dr Dominoni has only studied light pollution, other research concluded that robins living in noisy cities have started to sing at night to make themselves heard over loud noise.
However, some birds thrive(兴旺)in noisy environments. A study from California Polytechnic University found more hummingbirds in areas with heavy industrial machinery. It is thought that they are capitalising on their predators(天敌)fleeing to quieter areas.
1. According to Dr Dominoni's study, what cause robins to sing so much?
| A．The breeding season. |
| B．The light in modern life |
| C．The dangerous environment. |
| D．The noise from heavy machinery. |
| A．The environment might be polluted. |
| B．The birds' health might be damaged. |
| C．The industry cost might be increased. |
| D．The people's hearing might be affected. |
| A．Active at night. | B．Inactive at night. |
| C．Active during the day. | D．Inactive during the day. |
| A．Because there are fewer dangers. |
| B．Because there is more food to eat. |
| C．Because there is less light pollution |
| D．Because there are more places to take shelter. |
