1 . In life，once on a path，we tend to follow it，for better or worse. What's sad is that even if it's the later，we often accept it anyway because we are so used to the way things are that we don't even recognize that they could be different.
This is what psychologists call functional fixedness.
The inability to think in new ways affects people in every comer of society. The political theorist Hannah Arendt coined the phrase frozen thoughts to describe deeply held ideas that we no longer question but should. In Arendt's eyes，the complacent（自满的）reliance on such accepted “truths”also made people blind to ideas that didn't fit their worldview，even when there was ample evidence for them. Frozen thinking has nothing to do with intelligence，she said. “It can be found in highly intelligent people.
Ardent considered critical thinking to be a moral imperative-in its absence，a society could go the way of Nazi Germany.
Another context in which frozen thinking can turn truly dangerous is medieine. If you land in the hospital，it's natural to want to be treated by the most experienced physicians. But according to a 2014 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association（JAMA），you'd be better off being treated by the relative novices. The authors of the study explained that most errors made by doctors are connected to a tendency to form opinions quickly，based on experience. In cases that are not routine，the expert doctors may miss important aspects of the problem that are not consistent with their initial analysis. As a result，although junior doctors may be slower and less confident in treating run-of the mill cases，they can be more open-minded with unusual cases.
Fortunately，psychologists have found that anyone can unfreeze his or her thinking. One of the most effective ways is to introduce a little discord to one's intellectual interactions. Experiments have shown that it can not only sway（使动摇）us with regard to the issue at hand；it can also thaw frozen thinking in general，even in contexts unrelated to the original discussion.
1. Which of the following will Ardent agree with?| A．Many deeply held ideas are worth questioning. |
| B．Intelligent people tend to be more open-minded. |
| C．Critical thinking can save us from a world of conflict. |
| D．Believing in so-called truths can blind our judgement. |
| A．Inadequate preparation. | B．A lack of proper training. |
| C．Over-reliance on experience. | D．Wrong approaches in initial analysis. |
| A．rare. | B．complicated. |
| C．novel. | D．regular. |
| A．Unfreeze Your Brain | B．Follow It Or Break It |
| C．Critical Thinking Matters | D．What Shapes Your Thinking |
2 . By the end of the century, if not sooner, the world’s oceans will be bluer and greener thanks to a warming climate, according to a new study.
At the heart of the phenomenon lie tiny marine microorganisms (海洋微生物) called phytoplankton. Because of the way light reflects off the organisms, these phytoplankton create colourful patterns at the ocean surface. Ocean colour varies from green to blue, depending on the type and concentration of phytoplankton. Climate change will fuel the growth of phytoplankton in some areas, while reducing it in other spots, leading to changes in the ocean’s appearance.
Phytoplankton live at the ocean surface, where they pull carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) into the ocean while giving off oxygen. When these organisms die, they bury carbon in the deep ocean, an important process that helps to regulate the global climate. But phytoplankton are vulnerable to the ocean’s warming trend. Warming changes key characteristics of the ocean and can affect phytoplankton growth, since they need not only sunlight and carbon dioxide to grow, but also nutrients.
Stephanie Dutkiewicz, a scientist in MIT’s Center for Global Change Science, built a climate model thatprojectschanges to the oceans throughout the century. In a world that warms up by 39C, it found that multiple changes to the colour of the oceans would occur. The model projects that currently blue areas with little phytoplankton could become even bluer. But in some waters, such as those of the Arctic, a warming will make conditions riper for phytoplankton, and these areas will turn greener.” Not only are the quantities of phytoplankton in the ocean changing,” she said, “but the type of phytoplankton is changing.”
And why does that matter? Phytoplankton are the base of the food web. If certain kinds begin to disappear from the ocean, Dutkiewicz said, “it will change the type of fish that will be able to survive.” Those kinds of changes could affect the food chain.
Whatever colour changes the ocean experiences in the coming decades will probably be too gradual and unnoticeable, but they could mean significant changes. “It’ll be a while before we can statistically show that the changes are happening because of climate change,” Dutkiewicz said, “ but the change in the colour of the ocean will be one of the early warning signals that we really have changed our planet.”
1. What directly makes the change of the ocean’s appearance?| A．The increase of phytoplankton. |
| B．The way light reflects off the organisms. |
| C．The type and concentration of phytoplankton. |
| D．The decline of phytoplankton. |
| A．Control. | B．Use. |
| C．Predict. | D．Discover. |
| A．Phytoplankton are sensitive to the ocean’s warming trend. |
| B．Phytoplankton absorb carbon dioxide at the bottom of the ocean. |
| C．Oceans with more phytoplankton may appear bluer |
| D．Data have been found to show the change in the colour of the ocean |
| A．To introduce a new method to study phytoplankton. |
| B．To explain the effect of climate change on oceans. |
| C．To analyze the consequences of ocean colour changes. |
| D．To analyze the composition of the ocean food chain. |
3 . Salty water just below the surface of Mars could hold enough oxygen to support the kind of microbial （微生物的） life that existed and developed quickly on Earth billions of years ago， researchers reported on Monday.
In some locations， the amount of oxygen available could even keep alive a primitive， multicellular （多细胞的） animal such as a sponge （海绵动物）， they reported in the journal Nature Geosciences. "We discovered that brines-water with high concentrations of salt - on Mars can contain enough oxygen for microbes to breathe，" said lead author Vlada Stamenkovic， a theoretical physicist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. "This fully revolutionizes our understanding of the potential for life on Mars， today and in the past. "
Up to now， it had been assumed that the trace （微量） amounts of oxygen on the Red Planet were insufficient to sustain even microbial life. "We never thought that oxygen could play a role for life on Mars due to its rarity in the atmosphere， about 0.14 percent，" Stamenkovic said. By comparison， the life-giving gas makes up 21 percent of the air we breathe.
On Earth， aerobic-that is， oxygen breathing -life-forms evolved （净化） together with photosynthesis （光合作用）， which converts CO2 into O2. The gas played a critical role in the existence of complex life， known after the so-called Great Oxygenation Event some 2.35 billion years ago.
But our planet also holds microbes -at the bottom of the ocean， in boiling hot springs -that live in environments lack of oxygen. "That's why -whenever we thought of life on Mars -we studied the potential for anaerobic （无氧的）life，" Stamenkovic said.
1. The underlined word "insufficient" in Para. 3 means " ______ ".| A．enough | B．not enough |
| C．wrong | D．right |
| A．this research changes people's understanding of the potential for life on Mars |
| B．the life-giving gas makes up 31 percent of the air people breathe on earth |
| C．Great Oxygenation Event happened some 2.35 million years ago |
| D．earth holds microbial life at the bottom of the desert |
| A．Mars is fit for living |
| B．multicellular animals are living on Mars |
| C．oxygen plays a role for life on earth |
| D．Mars is likely to have enough oxygen to support life |
4 . Two of the saddest words in the English language are “if only(要是……就好了)”. I live my life with the goal of never having to say those words, because they convey regret, lost opportunities, mistakes, and disappointment.
My father is famous in our family for saying “Take the extra minute to do it right.” I always try to live by the “extra minute” rule. When my children were young and likely to cause accidents, I always thought about what I could do to avoid an “if only” moment, whether it was something minor like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a counter, or something that required a little more work such as taping padding (衬垫) onto the sharp corners of a glass coffee table.
I don’t only avoid those “if only” moments when it comes to safety. It’s equally important to avoid “if only” in our personal relationships. We all know people who lost a loved one and regretted that they had foregone an opportunity to say “I love you” or “I forgive you.” When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday, I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn’t be here. But then I thought about the fact that he was 84 years old and I realized that I shouldn’t give up an opportunity to see him. I called him and told him I had decided to go to work on my day off after all.
I know there will still be occasions when I have to say “if only” about something, but my life is definitely better because of my policy of doing everything possible to avoid that eventuality. And even though it takes an extra minute to do something right, or it occasionally takes an hour or two in my busy schedule to make a personal connection, I know that I’m doing the right thing. I’m buying myself peace of mind and that’s the best kind of insurance for my emotional well-being.
1. Which of the following is an example of the “extra minute” rule?| A．Start the car the moment everyone is seated. |
| B．Leave the room for a minute with the iron working. |
| C．Wait for an extra minute so that the steak tastes better. |
| D．Move an object out of the way before it trips someone. |
| A．take up | B．stay away |
| C．run out of | D．give up |
| A．keep her appointment with the eye doctor |
| B．meet her father who was already an old man |
| C．join in the holiday celebration of the company |
| D．finish her work before the deadline approached |
| A．The Peace of Mind | B．The Most Useful Rule |
| C．The Two Saddest Words | D．The Emotional Well-being |
5 . How do you spend your time？To get it，Paul T．Rankin asked sixty-eight individuals to keep an accurate，detailed record of what they did every minute of their waking hours．He discovered that 70percent of their waking time was spent on one thing only-communication．Put that evidence alongside the research findings uncovered by the Human Engineering Laboratories，they discovered that，vocabulary，more than any other factor yet known，predicts financial success．New words make us better thinkers as well as communicators．What better reason for beginning right now to extend your vocabulary？But how？
Hybrid （杂交产生的） corn combines the best qualities of several varieties to ensure maximum productivity．A hybrid approach to vocabulary should，in the same way，ensure maximum results．That's why you should use the CPD formula．
Through Context．When students in a college class were asked what should be done when they came across an unknown word in their reading，84percent said，"Look it up in the dictionary．"If you do，however，you short-circuit the very mental processes needed to make your efforts most productive．
But there's another reason．Suppose someone asks you what the word"fast"means．You answer，"speedy or swift"．But does it mean that in such context as"fast color"or"fast friend"？And if a horse is fast，is it securely tied or galloping at top speed？It could be either．It all depends．On the dictionary？No，on the context．After all，there are over twenty different meanings for"fast"in the dictionary．But the dictionary doesn't tell you which meaning is intended．That's why it makes such good sense to begin with context．
Through Word Parts．Now for the next step．Often unfamiliar words contain one or more parts，which，if recognized，provide definite help with meaning．Take the word"monolithic"for example．Try to separate the parts．There is the prefix mono-，meaning"one"，and the root-lith，meaning"stone"．Finally，there's the suffix-ic，meaning"consisting of"．Those three parts add up to this definition："consisting of one stone"．
To speed up your use of word parts，you will be introduced to the fourteen most important words in the English language．The prefix and root elements in those few words are found in over 14，000words．With those amazingly useful shortcuts，you can build up vocabulary，not at a snail's pace，one word at a time，but in giant leaps，up to a thousand words at a time．
Through the Dictionary．Now you can see why you should consult the dictionary last，not first．You've looked carefully at the context．You've looked for familiar word parts．Now you play Sherlock Homes．In light of context or word parts，you try to solve a mystery．What exactly does that strange word mean？Only after you go through the mental gymnastics to come up with a tentative （不确定的） definition should you open the dictionary to see if you're right．
You are now personally involved．Your increased interest will lead to a better memory of both word and meaning．It also encourages your development of the habits needed to accelerate your progress．And when you see in black and white the definition you had expected，what a feeling of accomplishment is yours．In that way，the CPD Formula provides the exact approaches for maximum effectiveness．
Well，there it is，your new formula-Context，Parts，Dictionary．Use it!The results will be like the money in the bank．
1. The research findings of the Human Engineering Laboratories show that ______ ．| A．intelligence and vocabularies are closely related |
| B．income and vocabularies are closely related |
| C．people of large vocabularies are bound to succeed in the future |
| D．vocabulary is of great importance to a student's academic performance |
| A．Seek help from others． |
| B．Infer the meaning through context． |
| C．Look for familiar word parts． |
| D．Consult the dictionary． |
| A．Involving only one language． |
| B．Using two languages． |
| C．Speaking or using many languages． |
| D．Involving more than one language． |
| A．use the dictionary |
| B．build up vocabulary through context |
| C．extend vocabulary with the help of dictionaries |
| D．enlarge vocabulary by means of the CPD formula． |
6 . In recent years, Boston Dynamics has become known for two things. One, creating robots whose movements mimic (模仿) humans and animals. Many find their accuracy surprising and concerning. The second reason is posting mysterious videos of these robots online without warning. The videos quickly go popular and spread a mixture of excitement and terror over the rapid rise of self-operating machines.
The company has made four-legged robots in recent years, with names like Spot, Wildcat and BigDog. These robots can do tasks such as open doors, carry heavy loads and run nearly 20 miles per hour. The company's most popular product appears to be Atlas, the robotic athlete. It calls Atlas "the world's most dynamic humanlike robot."
The robot is guided by 3-D vision. It also uses LiDAR, short for Light Detection And Ranging, a sensor (传感器) that uses a laser (激光) to measure the distance between objects. With this technology, the small robot can pull nearly 25 pounds. The company says Atlas can also handle objects in its environment, cross rough land, keep its balance when pushed and get back up when knocked down.
Three years ago, Atlas was recorded clumsily walking through the snow at a slow speed. Curiosity about Atlas increased last year when Boston Dynamics posted a video clip on YouTube. In it, the previously awkward robot goes for a jog in a grassy area. The video seemed to surprise many viewers, including the newspaper called the Daily Mail. The newspaper was reporting on Atlas's physical accomplishment at the time.
The paper wrote, "If you thought you'd be able to run away from the terrifying new robots, bad news."
1. What is the main idea of the passage?| A．Robots mimicking humans and animals go popular. |
| B．Boston Dynamic is likely to create more new robots. |
| C．Humanlike robots are developing at a surprising speed. |
| D．A new video of the latest robots make people amused. |
| A．Dangerous. | B．Unskillful. |
| C．Graceful. | D．Convenient. |
| A．It’s bad that we can run away from the new robots. |
| B．People are happy about the improvements to new robots. |
| C．Human’s power over machines and robots has come to an end. |
| D．Improvements to robots raised concern among us human. |
| A．A science magazine. | B．An advertisement. |
| C．Children’s literature. | D．A fantasy novel. |
7 . If maths is the language of the universe, bees may have just uttered their first words. New research suggests these busybodies of the insect world are capable of addition and subtraction (减法) — using colors in the place of plus and minus symbols.
In the animal kingdom, the ability to count — or at least distinguish between differing quantities — isn’t unusual: It has been seen in frogs, spiders, and even fish. But solving equations (方程式) using symbols is rare, so far only achieved by famously brainy animals such as chimpanzees and African grey parrots.
Building on previous research that says the social insects can count to four and understand the concept of zero, researchers wanted to test the limits of what their tiny brains can do.
Scientists trained 14 bees to link the colors blue and yellow to addition and subtraction, respectively. They placed the bees at the entrance of a Y-shaped maze (迷宫), where they were shown several shapes in either yellow or blue. If the shapes were blue, bees got a reward if they went to the end of the maze with one more blue shape (the other end had one less blue shape); if the shapes were yellow, they got a reward if they went to the end of the maze with one less yellow shape.
The testing worked the same way: Bees that “subtracted” one shape when they saw yellow, or “added” one shape when they saw blue were considered to have aced the test. The bees got the right answer 63% to 72% of the time, depending on the type of equation and the direction of the right answer — much better than random guesses would allow—the researchers report today in Science Advances.
Though the results came from just 14 bees, researchers say the advance is exciting. If a brain about 20,000 times smaller than ours can perform maths using symbols, it could pave the way to novel approaches in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. Just don’t ask the bees to do your homework anytime soon.
1. Why do the scientists conduct the research?| A．To teach them maths. | B．To test the power of tiny brains. |
| C．To explain the meaning of colors. | D．To get access to machine learning. |
| A．Given up. | B．Entered for. |
| C．Got through. | D．Checked over. |
| A．Language acquisition. | B．Arithmetic learning. |
| C．Protection of animals. | D．Development of AI. |
| A．Bees “Like” Counting |
| B．Bees “Tell” Colors Apart |
| C．Bees “Perform” Maths Using Shapes |
| D．Bees “Get” Addition and Subtraction |
8 . Seeds on Ice
Close to the North Pole，remote and rocky Plateau Mountain in the Norwegian archipelago of
Svalbard seems an unlikely spot for any global effort to safeguard agriculture. In this cold and deserted environment，no grains，no gardens，no trees can grow. Yet at the end of a 130-meter-long tunnel cut out of solid stone is a room filled with humanity’s most precious treasure, the largest and most diverse seed collection—more than a half-billion seeds.
A quiet rescue mission is under way. With growing evidence that unchecked climate change-will seriously affect food production and threaten the diversity （多样性） of crops around the world，the Svalbard Global Seed Vault （地窖） represents a major step towards ensuring the preservation （贮藏） of hundreds of thousands of crop varieties. This is a seed collection, but more importantly, it is a collection of the traits found within the seeds：the genes that give one variety resistance to a particular pest and another variety tolerance for hot，dry weather.
Few people will ever see or come into contact with the contents of this vault. In sealed boxes，behind multiple locked doors，monitored by electronic security systems, enveloped in below—zero temperatures, and surrounded by tons of rock, hundreds of millions of seeds are protected in their mountain fortress. Frozen in such conditions inside the mountain, seeds of most major crops will remain viable for hundreds of years, or longer. Seeds of some are capable of retaining （保留） their ability to grow for thousands of years.
Everyone can look back now and say that the Seed Vault was a good and obvious idea, and that of course the Norwegian government should have approved and funded it. But back in 2004, when the Seed Vault was proposed, it was viewed as a crazy，impractical, and expensive idea.
We knew that nothing would provide a definite guarantee. But we were tired，fed up，and frankly scared of the steady, greater losses of crop diversity. The Seed Vault was built by optimists who wanted to do something to preserve options so that humanity and its crops might be better prepared for change. If it simply resupplied seed gene banks with samples those gene banks had lost, this would repay our efforts.
The Seed Vault is about hope and commitrnent - about what can be done if countries come together and work cooperatively to accomplish something significant，long-lasting，and worthy of who we are and wish to be.
1. According to the passage, the Seed Vault is ___________.| A．a tunnel where the collected seeds are displayed |
| B．a stone room that contains the seeds of endangered crops |
| C．a seed gene bank that stores diverse seeds for future agriculture |
| D．a lab where researchers study how to maintain the diversity of crops |
| A．mature | B．clean |
| C．alive | D．valuable |
| A．how the seeds are preserved | B．where people keep the seeds |
| C．why the seeds are protected | D．what people do to study the seeds |
| A．the Seed Vault offers a solution to climate change |
| B．most countries took part in rescuing the seed varieties |
| C．the Seed Vault guarantees to prevent the loss of crop diversity |
| D．many people originally considered building the Seed Vault unwise |
A study of six big-city Ohio public schools showed students who were required to wear uniforms had improved graduation, behavior and attendance rates. Academic performance was unchanged.
Some high schools in Texas have also joined in the movement. Yet studies find mixed results from requiring uniforms. And some schools have turned away from such policies.
Supporters believe dressing the same creates a better learning environment and safer schools. The school district in Long Beach, California, was the first in the country to require uniforms in all elementary and middle schools. The example helped build national interest in uniforms as a way to deal with school violence and improve learning.
Findings in Long Beach suggested that the policy resulted in fewer behavior problems and better attendance. But researcher Viktoria, who has looked at those findings, says they were based only on opinions about the effects of uniforms.
She says other steps taken at the same time to improve schools in Long Beach and statewide could have influenced the findings. The district (the area marked by government) increased punishments for misbehavior. And California passed a law to reduce class sizes.
In Florida, for example, researcher Sharon found that uniforms seemed to improve behavior and reduce violence. In Texas, Eloise found fewer discipline problems among students required to wear uniforms, but no effect on attendance.
Sociologist David has studied school uniform policies since1998．He collected the reports in the book. In his own study, he found that reading and mathematics performance dropped after a school in Pennsylvania(宾夕法尼亚州) required uniforms.
Political and community pressures may persuade schools to go to uniforms to improve learning. But David and others believe there is not enough evidence of a direct relationship. In fact, he says requiring uniforms may even increase discipline problems.
1. Which of the following researchers are NOT supporters of school uniform policies?
| A．Viktoria and Sharon. | B．Sharon and David. |
| C．Eloise and Sharon. | D．Viktoria and David. |
| A．serious crime | B．bad performance |
| C．absence for class | D．action against wearing uniforms |
| A．More work is needed to get better information about uniform’s effect. |
| B．The number of schools requiring uniforms in the U.S. will become less sharply. |
| C．Wearing uniforms has little to do with behavior and learning. |
| D．Politicians and communities won’t vote for uniform policies. |
| A．More and more students are required to wear uniforms in the U.S. |
| B．Wearing uniforms contributes to good academic performance. |
| C．Researchers in the U.S. argue for school uniform policies. |
| D．Evidence for school uniform polices in the U.S. is seen as weak. |
