1 . If you wear glasses, chances are you are smarter. Research published in the famous British journal Nature Communications has found that people who displayed higher levels of intelligence were almost 30 percent more likely to wear glasses.
The scientists studied the genes of thousands of people between the ages of 16 and 102.The study showed intelligence can be connected to physical characteristics. One characteristic was eyesight. In out of 10 people who were more intelligent, there was a higher chance they needed glasses. Scientists also said being smarter has other benefits. It is connected to better health.
It is important to remember these are connections which are not proven causes. Scientists call this correlation. Just because something is connected to something else does not mean one of those things caused the other. And it’s worth noting that what constitutes intelligence is subjective and can be difficult, if not impossible, to measure.
Forget genes though. Plenty of proof shows wearing glasses makes people think you are more intelligent, even if you do not need glasses. A number of studies have found people who wear glasses are seen as smarter, hard-working and honest. Many lawyers use this idea to help win their cases. Lawyer Harvey Solves explained this. Glasses soften their appearance. He said Sometimes there has been a huge amount of proof showing that people he was defending broke the law. He had them wear glasses and they weren’t found guilty.
Glasses are also used to show someone is intelligent in movies and on TV. Ideas about people who wear glasses have begun to shift. People who do not need glasses sometimes wear them for fashion only. They want to look worldly or cool. But not everyone is impressed by this idea, though. GQ magazine said people who wear glasses for fashion are trying too hard to look smart and hip (时髦的). However, that hasn’t stopped many celebrities from happily wearing glasses even if they do not need them. Justin Bieber is just one high-profile fan of fashion glasses.
1. What does the new study show?| A．People wearing glasses are smarter. |
| B．People wearing glasses are healthier. |
| C．Wearing glasses can make people cleverer. |
| D．Wearing glasses is associated with higher IQ. |
| A．Shift. | B．Link. | C．Proof. | D．Consequence. |
| A．Because it can create a moral image. |
| B．Because it can mislead the witnesses. |
| C．Because it can highlight clients’ qualities. |
| D．Because it can prove the clients’ innocence. |
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. | C．Mixed | D．Indifferent. |
2 . At a young age, Darrius Simmons fell in love with the piano. As he watched others play, he was
“I decided at age 10 that I wanted to learn how to play the piano,
The Warren, Ohio teenager was born with a genetic
Simmons knew he would have to
The now 18-year-old not only learned how to play and read music but also began composing.
His mother, Tamara Simmons, isn’t surprised by Darrius’
From mastering music to beating
| A．frightened | B．amazed | C．interested | D．disturbed |
| A．challenge | B．opportunity | C．fortune | D．trouble |
| A．while | B．but | C．and | D．therefore |
| A．more | B．much | C．fewer | D．less |
| A．surprised | B．worried | C．sure | D．glad |
| A．condition | B．environment | C．situation | D．tendency |
| A．one | B．two | C．three | D．five |
| A．encourage | B．prevent | C．remove | D．change |
| A．actions | B．roads | C．instructions | D．passions |
| A．reach | B．repair | C．remove | D．clean |
| A．adopt | B．abandon | C．develop | D．change |
| A．by | B．in | C．through | D．on |
| A．support | B．run | C．operate | D．work |
| A．why | B．because | C．when | D．whether |
| A．easy | B．tough | C．funny | D．stupid |
| A．ideas | B．creations | C．difficulties | D．achievements |
| A．kind | B．determined | C．talented | D．generous |
| A．spiritual | B．mental | C．physical | D．emotional |
| A．please | B．persuade | C．inspire | D．cheer |
| A．partner | B．symbol | C．aim | D．motivation |
3 . As the train picked up its speed, the passengers slowly settled down on their seats, I
It was 4:50 pm, evening time. So,
She looked at me and friendly said, “
Suddenly my enthusiasm
She smiled and said, “Yes!”
Just to continue the conversation, I talked to her in a very cheerful
I was shocked hearing her heartbreaking story! But I
| A．preferred | B．reserved | C．overlooked | D．substituted |
| A．beauty | B．fantasy | C．impression | D．miracle |
| A．back | B．front | C．window | D．best |
| A．undertook | B．occupied | C．controlled | D．possessed |
| A．heads | B．hands | C．faces | D．eyes |
| A．silent | B．amazed | C．considerate | D．concerned |
| A．supper | B．bed | C．play | D．chat |
| A．balance | B．commit | C．excuse | D．resist |
| A．City | B．Neighborhood | C．School | D．Army |
| A．shrank | B．accelerated | C．doubled | D．chanced |
| A．mourning | B．visiting | C．hunting for | D．thinking about |
| A．mood | B．rhythm | C．condition | D．situation |
| A．curious | B．tentative | C．excited | D．sincere |
| A．However | B．Eventually | C．Hopefully | D．Perhaps |
| A．cast away | B．called up | C．picked up | D．brought in |
| A．distribute | B．spare | C．collect | D．weave |
| A．disappointment | B．embarrassment | C．sorrow | D．delight |
| A．worn | B．polished | C．dyed | D．worshiped |
| A．saluted | B．recognized | C．understood | D．memorized |
| A．broken | B．fascinating | C．stubborn | D．brave |
4 . If there were an app on your phone that could improve your memory, would you try it? Who wouldn't want a better memory? After all, our memories are fragile and can be impaired (损害) by diseases, injuries, mental health conditions and aging.
A multibillion-dollar industry for brain training already capitalizes on this perceived need by providing an abundance of apps for phones and tablets that provide mental challenges that are easily accessible and relatively inexpensive.
However, brain training has become a controversial attempt. Some researchers have expressed deep reservations about both its reliability and its validity. There was even a statement issued calling brain training into question, which, in turn, resulted in a counter response from researchers who defended it.
The main controversies center around the extent to which the practice of these skills results in actual benefits that are consequential for your daily life. Does recalling an increasing number of digits (数字) help you remember to take your medication, do better on a school exam, remember the name of the person whom you met yesterday or even make better life choices?
Some scientists question whether this is even possible. Others argue that we should consider the brain like our muscles, which can be exercised and strengthened. In this analogy (类比), daily challenges, even demanding ones such as reading a detailed newspaper article or solving an algebra problem, might not be sufficiently challenging to furnish an adequate work-out for the brain.
Just as athletes engage in strength and conditioning by repeatedly exercising certain muscle groups and body systems, targeted repetition of memory exercises may be the key to strengthening arid conditioning our memory processes. Memory training apps require tracking a large number of objects while one is distracted with a secondary task (such as making mental calculations). That degree of difficulty and repetition, however, may be rare in daily life, which is the gap that memory apps aim to fill.
1. What do the underlined words “capitalizes on” in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Provides money for. | B．Takes advantage of. |
| C．Takes notice of. | D．Makes up for. |
| A．They think it should be totally banned. |
| B．They are optimistic about its effectiveness. |
| C．They are divided on its practical benefits in real life. |
| D．They agree that it will pose challenges to our daily life. |
| A．Challenges in daily life provide enough exercise for the brain. |
| B．Memory training apps may help strengthen our brain. |
| C．Regular physical exercise can boost our mental capacity. |
| D．Brain training may not achieve its desired effects. |
| A．To prove the importance of brain training. |
| B．To analyze the benefits and risks of brain training. |
| C．To discuss the reliability of memory training. |
| D．To promote apps that are targeted at memory training. |
5 . The Largest World Fairs of All Time
New York World Fair — New York. 1939
The 1939 New York World Fair was the largest exposition (博览会) in US history with visitors over 14 million. The Fair was planned during the Great Depression and was aimed at relieving the city from economic depression by attracting foreign investment. Major inventions to emerge (出现) at the New York World Fair included nylon fabric, a streamlined pencil sharpener, and a futuristic car city imagined by General Moiors.
Exposition liniverselle — Paris, 1900
The Exposition Universelle was one of the earliest expositions to feature multiple countries with France inviting various countries to display their technological advancements and cultural heritage. Exposition Universelle was the birthplace of many inventions that we enjoy today including escalators (自动扶梯) and talking films.
Expo’ 70 — Osaka. Japan
Expo’ 70 was the biggest exposition of the 20th century and the second largest in history. Expo 70 had a record attendance of over 64 million visitors, a 40-year record that would not be broken until Expo 2010 in Shanghai. Notable exhibitions included a large piece of moon rock that was brought back from the Apollo 12 mission.
Expo 2010 — Shanghai. China
Expo 2010 goes down as the largest fair in history, having attracted 73 million people. It also had the highest international participation of any exposition in the world with 246 countries participating. The opening ceremony featured the biggest LED screen in the world as well as one of the biggest fireworks displays in history.
1. Which Expo is the biggest one in history?| A．Expo 70 — Osaka. Japan. |
| B．Exposition Universelle — Paris |
| C．Expo 2010 — Shanghai, China. |
| D．New York World Fair — New York |
| A．To attract more inventions |
| B．To improve the nation’s economy. |
| C．To display the technological development. |
| D．To share achievements with other countries |
| A．A piece of rock from space |
| B．A rocket in the Apollo 12 mission. |
| C．The cultural heritage from countries |
| D．The biggest LED screen in the world |
6 . A video of a three-year-old girl being kicked by her own mother during a photo shot went viral (疯狂传播) on Thursday, indicating China’s under per forma nee in regulating the emerging child modeling industry.
The girl, known as Niu Niu, was physically abused by her mother in several videos. The videos have annoyed Chinese media and Internet users alike. Many netizens and scholars call for local authorities to carry out further investigations into possible child abuse.
In response to the public outcry (强烈抗议), Niu Niu’s mother issued an apology via Sina Wei bo on Thursday, condemning accusations of abuse. She noted that she was merely guiding her daughter for better shots and the girl is well looked after.
Despite her apology, many E-shops which used Niu Niu’s images for brand promotion have canceled their cooperation with the mother, while over 110 well-known child garment shops on Taobao have signed up for a campaign to provide better protection for child models.
“It is necessary to adopt comprehensive laws and regulations to further protect the kids, preventing their parents and companies from exploiting (利用) them,” Fang Zhiqing, a lawyer and child protection expert, said.
Niu Niu is not alone. In Zhili, a small town in Zhejiang province, thousands of children from across China are taken here by their parents to seize the chance of fame. With a population of 450,000. Zhili has over 13,000 manufacturers of child clothing. In 2017, the town earned over 7 billion yuan by selling do thing for children online, thus providing opportunities for child models.
“China’s current advertisement law isn’t workable when it comes to the industry of child modeling, as it lacks clear supervision measures and clear legal punishment.” Fang added. “It is important to issue new laws which regulate child modeling.”
1. What caused the public outcry?| A．Videos showing how child models work. |
| B．Problems in Chinese advertising industry. |
| C．Several cases of child abuse in recent China. |
| D．A girl being physically abused by her mother. |
| A．Taobao canceled the account of Niu Niu. |
| B．The local police charged Niu Niu’s mother. |
| C．Niu Niu’s mother admitted abusing her daughter. |
| D．Shops stopped their cooperation with the mother. |
| A．The appearance of online shopping. |
| B．The huge online sales of child clothing. |
| C．The fast development of manufacturing. |
| D．The change of parents’ ideas about success. |
| A．China should regulate child modeling. |
| B．There are too many child models in China. |
| C．New economic laws should be issued in Chinch |
| D．China s current advertisement law isn’t workable. |
7 . There is proof that, in the past, large comets（彗星）or asteroids（小行星）have struck the Earth. Thirty-five million years ago, a three-kilometer-wide rock hit the ocean floor, 160 kilometers from what is now Washington, D. C., leaving an 85-kilometer-wide crater（坑）buried beneath Chesapeake Bay. Another giant rock, called Titan, ten kilometers in diameter smashed into the Gulf of Mexico around 65 million years ago, giving off thousands of times more energy than all the nuclear weapons on the planet combined. "The whole Earth burned that day," says Ed Lu, a physicist and former astronaut. "The chaos and destruction were unimaginable. Three-quarters of all life forms, including the dinosaurs, died out."
Astronomers have found numerous asteroids big enough to cause a disaster for the whole planet. None is on course to do so in our lifetimes, but there are many smaller asteroids that could strike in the near-future, with destructive effects. On June 30, 1908, an object as big as a 15-story building fell in Tunguska, a remote part of Siberia. The object, an asteroid or a small comet, exploded several kilometers before impact, burning and blowing down trees across 2, 000 square kilometers. Clouds of dust and ice filled the sky. The particles reflected the surfs light onto the Earth, and for days people in Europe could read newspapers outdoors at night. More recently, in 2013, a 20-meter meteor（流星）exploded over Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, injuring dozens of people on the ground. It was the largest object to enter the Earth's atmosphere since Tunguska.
The next time a large object falls out of the sky, we may be taken by surprise. Currently, there is no early-warning system for near-Earth objects. However, over the next decade, sky surveys, like the one being done by Tholen should begin filling that gap. Astronomers are making a list of thousands of asteroids to help us predict the next strike. "Every couple of weeks," says Lu, "we're going to be finding another asteroid with, like, a one-in-a-thousand chance of hitting the Earth."
1. When did the largest object mentioned in the text enter the Earth's atmosphere?| A．65 million years ago. | B．35 million years ago. |
| C．In 1908. | D．In 2013. |
| A．The recent findings of rare stars. | B．The significance of disaster prevention. |
| C．The new knowledge of space travel. | D．The threat of comets and asteroids. |
| A．The chance of the earth being hit is decreasing. |
| B．Titan destroyed most life forms on earth. |
| C．The dinosaurs died out due to a nuclear explosion. |
| D．We have already had mature warning systems. |
| A．Pessimistic. | B．Indifferent. |
| C．Optimistic. | D．Neutral. |
8 . I had just won a bidding for a 1950s cookie tin full of memories at an estate sale. Delighted at my victory, I took the box and gave it a shake. The contents rattled. Inside were hundreds of buttons, pins, and other items, all glittering in the sunlight. As a girl, I'd always enjoyed digging through my mom's box, just as my daughters enjoyed looking through mine.
My eye caught the movement of a swing on the front porch of the house. An old woman watched the happenings in her yard. As I carried my purchases to my car, I stopped to chat with her. She told me she was selling almost all her possessions because she was moving to a nursing home.
Her eyes fell to the button box, and when she looked up, they were glistening with tears. I took the lid off the tin, and her rough hands lifted a handful of buttons and then slowly dropped them back into the container. Her fist closed around a delicate pearl button, now yellow with age. "It was from my first husband's uniform," she said. "It's one of the few things that remind me of him when he didn't return home alive." They had been married seven months before he left to serve his country in World War II.
As we sifted through the box together, we found hairpins ranging from black to brown to shades of gray and even white; a key to a music box that played a special love song; garter clips, wooden nickels, ruby buttons; all took her further down memory lane. I learned about her wedding, the birth of her children, and much more of the life she'd led for 89 years.
After our chat, I set the woman's box of memories down on the swing and slid my hands into hers. I knew we would talk again, when I went to visit her at her new home. And I knew that when l reached my own home, my heart would pull me to my sewing room, where I would rediscover my own lifetime of memories in my own button box.
1. How did the author feel when she got the tin?| A．Curious. | B．Regretful. |
| C．Joyful. | D．Embarrassed. |
| A．She was to sell her house and move to a new one. |
| B．She had to sell many things to make ends meet. |
| C．She didn't marry again after her husband died. |
| D．She was the former owner of the cookie tin. |
| A．Examined. | B．Picked. |
| C．Carried. | D．Decorated. |
| A．Antiques that add history to a place. |
| B．Memories of unpleasant experiences. |
| C．Objects that bring moments to mind. |
| D．Expressions of kindness from strangers. |
9 . Scientists may one day be able to destroy viruses in the same way that opera singers break wine glasses. New research mathematically determined the frequencies at which simple viruses could be shaken to death.
The capsid (壳) of a virus is something like the shell of a turtle, said physicist Otto Sankey of Arizona State University. “If the shell can be damaged by mechanical vibrations (震动), the virus can be destroyed.”
Recent experimental evidence has shown that laser (激光) pulses with the right frequency can kill certain viruses. However, locating these resonant (共振的) frequencies is a bit of trial and error. Experiments must try various conditions, Sankey said.
To further this search, Sankey and his student Eric Dykeman have developed a way to calculate the vibrations of every atom in a virus shell. From this, they can determine the lowest resonant frequencies. An experiment has recently shown that pulses of laser light can cause destructive vibrations in virus shells. Sankey said, “Like pushing a child on a swing from rest, one sudden push gets the virus shaking.”
However, it is difficult to calculate what sort of push will kill a virus, since there can be millions of atoms in its shell structure. A direct calculation of each atom’s movements would take several hundred thousand Gigabytes of computer memory, Sankey explained.
The team plans to use their technique to study other, more complicated viruses. However, it is still a long way from using this to destroy the viruses in infected people. “This is such a new field, and there are so few experiments that the science has not yet had enough time to prove itself,” Sankey said. “We remain hopeful but remain skeptical at the same time.”
1. What is the new way to kill viruses?| A．Replacing viruses’ capsids with shells. |
| B．Breaking viruses’ capsids by vibration. |
| C．Locating the position of certain viruses. |
| D．Damaging the conditions that viruses like. |
| A．To prove how simple the new theory is. |
| B．To explain how to start the virus shaking. |
| C．To suggest the idea comes from our real life. |
| D．To show the destructive power of vibrations. |
| A．The shell structure of viruses. |
| B．The lack of computer memory. |
| C．The challenging part of the research. |
| D．The importance of atoms’ movement. |
| A．Disapproving. | B．Worried. |
| C．Uncaring. | D．Positive. |
10 . 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. |
