2 . Now let us look at how we read. When we read a printed text, our eyes move across a page in short, jerky movement. We recognize words usually when our eyes are still when they fixate (固定). Each time we fixate, we see a group of words, this is known as the recognition span or the visual span. The length of time for which the eyes stop — the duration of the fixation — varies considerably from person to person. It also varies within one person according to his purpose in reading and his familiarity with the text. Furthermore, it can be affected by such factors as lighting and tiredness.

Unfortunately, in the past, many reading improvement courses have concentrated too much on how our eyes move across the printed page. As a result of this misleading emphasis on the purely visual aspects of reading, numerous exercises have been devised to train the eyes to see more words at one fixation. For instance, in some exercises, words are flashed on to a screen for, say, a tenth or a twentieth of a second. One of the exercises has required students to fix their eyes on some central point, taking in the words on either side. Such word patterns are often constructed in the shape of rather steep pyramids so the reader takes in more and more words at a successive fixation. All these exercises are very clever, but it is one thing to improve a person’s ability to see words and quite another thing to improve his ability to read a text efficiently. Reading requires the ability to understand the relationship between words. Consequently, for these reasons, many experts have now begun to question the usefulness of eye training, especially since any approach which trains a person to read isolated words and phrases would seem unlikely to help him in reading a continuous text.

1. The time of recognition span can be affected by the following facts except         .

A．lighting and tiredness	B．one’s purpose in reading
C．the length of a group of words	D．one’s familiarity with the text

2. The author may think that reading            .

A．demands more mind than eyes

B．demands a deeply-participating mind

C．requires a reader to see words more quickly

D．requires a reader to take in more words at each fixation

3. What does the author mean by saying“but it is one thing to improve a person’s ability to see words and quite another thing to improve his ability to read a text efficiently” in the second paragraph?

A．The ability to see words is not needed when an efficient reading is conducted.

B．The reading exercises mentioned can’t help to improve one’s ability of efficient reading.

C．The reading exercises mentioned have done a great job to improve a person’s ability to see words.

D．The reading exercises mentioned can’t help to improve both ability to see and to comprehend words.

4. Which of the following is NOT true?

A．The emphasis on the purely visual aspects is misleading.

B．Many experts begun to question the efficiency of eye training.

C．The visual span is a word or a group of words we see each time.

D．The eye training will help readers in reading a continuous text.

3 . The stress of daily life has given rise to a new phenomenon—sleep texting. People with this condition send text messages while asleep to their friends and family—completely _________ that they are doing it.

Sleep specialist Dr. Cunnington, of Melbourne Sleep Disorder Centre in Australia, said patients had reported _________ of sleep texting -and he has advised people to leave their _________ outside the bedroom.

He said, “We have had patients who have reported sending text messages to their friends and family while asleep. It is one of those things that happens, but it is very _________, and certainly not a common trend.”

Unsurprisingly, there are no _________ into sleep texting—but a _________ phenomenon, sleep emailing, was studied in 2008.

Researchers at the University of Toledo reported the case of a woman, 44, who would _________ e-mails while sound asleep. She had no recollection (记忆) of sending the e-mails when she was awake. Dr. Cunnington said cases of sleep emailing were more common, and were likely to have a more _________ effect on the lives of sufferers.

He said, “Emails can be sent to work colleagues and have much more serious _________, whereas text messages are more likely to be __________ sent to a friend or family member, so people aren’t as likely to complain of a problem.”

Dr. Cunnington described sleep texting as the __________ of people having too much to do during waking life. He explained: People are doing so much during a normal day that it can mean that they feel like they’re “on call” even at night.

“ __________ it’s so easy to receive e-mails constantly, and get notifications (通知) from smartphones, it becomes more difficult for us to ________ our waking and sleeping lives.”

Dr. Cunnington said people __________ to get a quality night’s sleep must realize that the key point is that people need to respect their sleep, and make an effort to __________ at night.

1.

A．curious

B．unaware

C．sure

D．grateful

2.

A．missions

B．intention

C．courses

D．incidents

3.

A．mobile phones

B．personal computers

C．unfinished work

D．sleeping pills

4.

A．true

B．attractive

C．obvious

D．rare

5.

A．clues

B．details

C．studies

D．insights

6.

A．similar

B．strange

C．present

D．unique

7.

A．recall

B．collect

C．compose

D．polish

8.

A．generous

B．internal

C．harmful

D．positive

9.

A．consequences

B．preparations

C．injuries

D．discussions

10.

A．accidentally

B．purposefully

C．unreasonably

D．unwillingly

11.

A．theory

B．result

C．excuse

D．loss

12.

A．Because

B．Although

C．Whether

D．So

13.

A．combine

B．satisfy

C．describe

D．separate

14.

A．devoting

B．struggling

C．objecting

D．affording

15.

A．turn on

B．stick to

C．think about

D．switch off

5 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. excelled       B. typically       C. devote        D. destination       E. surely F. barriers        G. winding       H. pursuing       I. keys            J. essentials       K. productive

The Art of Blooming Late

In his teens and early twenties, Mozart had to work as an organist and concertmaster in his native Salzburg to make ends meet. Underpaid and unfulfilled, he felt a(n) burning desire to     1     more time and energy to his art. So after a period of doubt and deliberation, that’s exactly what he did. He quit his job and embarked on what turned out to be the most     2     and creative period of his life.

Even if you never hope to reach Mozart’s level of mastery, you may consider how he removed all the     3     in his path to success. Maybe you’ve done everything right —     4     at school, worked hard, and landed a good, high-paying job-but you’re tired of being just like everyone else.

However, drafting a plan of action can be daunting. What, then, is holding you back? Rich Karlgaard, the publisher of Forbes magazine and author of Late Bloomers, argues that our cultures’ customs with early achievement discourages us from     5     our passions. Instead of having varied interests, studying widely, and taking our time —     6     to self-discovery-we’re encouraged to ace tests, become specialists right away, and pursue safe, stable, and profitable careers. As a result, most of us end up choosing professional excellence over personal fulfillment, and often we lose ourselves in the process.

To prompt a revolution in your own life, there are a few things to keep in mind. First and foremost, it’s never too late to “become” yourself. Aristotle, for example, didn’t fully devote himself to writing and philosophy until he was nearly 50. There are also benefits to taking a long,     7     path to self-fulfillment. Remember that age     8     brings wisdom, resilience, self-knowledge, and creativity.

That said, once you’ve decided to embark on the journey, it may take years, if not longer, to reach your     9    . But as research has shown, small daily changes can have a compound effect and slowly but     10     lead you closer to the person you think you ought to be.

6 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. silence   B. grouping   C. matter   D. implication E. consequences F. mental   G. solution   H. immediate   I. worthwhile   J. regaining   K. satisfy

Research shows that when we are absorbed in an activity, even minor distractions can have a huge effect. According to a study,     1     our initial drive (动力) following an interruption can take about 20 minutes.

Multitasking, as many studies have shown, is a myth (谬论). A more accurate account of what happens when we tell ourselves we are multitasking is that we’re rapidly switching between activities, sucking our mental energy. And the     2     can be surprisingly serious. An experiment found that we lose as many as 10 IQ points when we allow our work to be interrupted by distractions like emails and text messages.

The trouble is that multitasking is enjoyable. It’s fun to     3     your curiosity. Who knows who send the next email or text message and what the content might be? Finding out provides     4     satisfaction. In contrast, resisting distractions and staying on task requires discipline and     5     effort. So, what are we to do?

Our strategy is to change the environment to move temptation further away: shut down your email program or     6     your phone. It’s a lot easier to stay on task when you’re not continuously fighting off mental desires.

Another     7     method is to collect similar activities together, keeping transition time to a minimum point. Instead of spreading phone calls, meetings and emails throughout your day, try     8     related tasks so that there are fewer transitions.

In some jobs, multitasking is unavoidable. Some of us truly do need to keep constant connection with our clients, colleagues and managers. So it’s worth noting that limiting disruptions is the only     9    .

Remember, the more you do to minimize task-switching over the course of the day, the more ability you’ll have for activities that actually     10    . Even small changes can make a big difference.

9 . The battle for women’s right to vote

One hundred years ago, British women were given the vote for the first time. How did it come about?

The first appeals for women’s right to vote in Britain date from the early 19th century. In 1818, in his Plan of Parliamentary Reform, Jeremy Bentham insisted that women should be given the vote. Women at the time had no political rights at all-they were deemed to be represented by their husbands or fathers. The old arguments prevailed. Women, it was said, were mentally less able than men; their “natural position” was in the home; they were unable to fight for their country, and thus undeserving of full rights; moreover, they simply didn’t want the vote. This was at least partly true. “I have never felt the want of a vote,” declared Florence Nightingale in 1867, while Queen Victoria condemned the “mad, wicked folly of women’s rights”. Even George Eliot was reluctant to back the cause.

It wasn’t until the second half of the 19th century that the first campaigning women’s groups were formed. Initially they focused on the lack of education, employment opportunities and legal rights for women(married women, at the time, had no independent legal standing); but the question of the vote gradually became central to their demands— both symbolically, as a recognition of women’s rights, and practically, as a means of improving women’s lives.

However, the women’s campaigning was still a subject of debate. While most historians agree that the campaigns were initially very effective in mobilizing women and highlighting injustices, a series of mass processions followed; more than 250,000 women protested in Hyde Park in 1908. Many were arrested and ill-treated; prisoners who went on hunger strike were brutally force-fed. Over time they became steadily more militant— smashing shop windows, setting fire to letter boxes, libraries and even homes. The PM, Herbert Asquith, an opponent of women’s votes, was attacked with a dog whip. Such use of violence was thought, certainly at the time, to have been unfavorable.

With the sacrifices of the First World War strengthening support for widening the right to vote generally, women suspended campaigning. More than a million women were newly employed outside the home— in munitions(军需品) factories, engineering works. Crucially, Asquith was replaced as PM by David Lloyd George, a supporter of votes for women. The Representation of the People Act 1918 was introduced by the coalition government and passed by a majority of 385 to 55, gaining the Royal Assent on 6 February 1918. Women over 30, who were householders or married to one, or university graduates, were given the vote.

1. Which of the following is NOT the reason why women were not qualified to vote?

A．Women had already enjoyed many political rights.

B．Women were too weak to fight against enemies.

C．Women were supposed to do housework and serve their husbands.

D．Women were not as intelligent as men.

2. According to the passage, why did women’s campaigning arouse debate?

A．Because it failed to mobilize women and emphasize injustices.

B．Because women were put in prison and abused during the protest.

C．Because all the emotional behaviors were regarded as improper.

D．Because most women didn’t want the vote.

3. The word “militant”(in Line 5, Para.4) probably refers to ______.

A．extreme

B．splendid

C．compassionate

D．noble

4. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．The first campaigning women groups were formed originally for the sake of legal rights.

B．The PM, Herbert Asquith, an opponent of women’s votes, committed suicide.

C．Women stopped protesting for their vote because they were offered more job opportunities.

D．All women can enjoy their right to vote since the introduction of People Act.

10 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Post-00s is a documentary about growing up, which covers almost every aspect of millennia’s experiences on their path toward adolescence—their struggles with school work, their relationship with peers and their growing desire     1     (keep) a distance from their parents. Over a period of 10 years, the show’s makers followed a group of kids from when they were infants through to when they became teenagers. In other words, the show’s “characters” grow     2     (old) for real, and their stories are all real.

But this five -episode series was different     3     any other TV program with a similar theme. “Coming-of-age” stories, as they’re known, have a special appeal. They     4    , to a large degree, satisfy our curiosity of looking at someone else’s life, and we become more and more attached to the characters     5     we truly know them. While we enjoy the truthfulness of the stories because nothing is set in advance, we can’t help     6     (feel) the cruelty of reality. After all, there’s no re-writing of the script (剧本) and there’s not turning back — this is real life.

The realness can also be seen in Boyhood, a 2014 film     7     won the Silver Bear award for best director at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival. During a period of 12 years, the film follows the life of Mason Jr—    8     (play) by US actor Ellar Coltrane—from when he was 6 to when he finished high school.

One of Boyhood’s appeals comes from its “ordinariness”. Mason Jr isn’t some child genius. He is quietly spoken, fairly typical American boy, growing up in the Texas suburbs. Besides, he fancies     9     (ride) his bike.

    10     coming-of-age stories may look ordinary on the outside, they often allow us to look underneath the surface and see something extraordinary — the power of life itself.