1 . In a recent series of experiments at the University of California, researchers studied toddlers’ thinking about winners and losers, bullies (欺凌) and victims.
In the first experiment, toddlers (学步儿童) watched a scene in which two puppets (木偶) had conflicting goals: One was crossing a stage from right to left, and the other from left to right. The puppets met in the middle and stopped. Eventually one puppet bowed down and moved aside, letting the other one pass by. Then researchers asked the toddlers which puppet they liked. The result: 20 out of 23 toddlers picked the higher-status puppet — the one that did not bow or move aside. It seems that individuals can gain status for being dominant (占优势的) and toddlers like winners better than losers.
But then researchers had another question: Do toddlers like winners no matter how they win? So, researchers did another experiment very similar to the one described above. But this time, the conflict ended because one puppet knocked the other down and out of the way. Now when the toddlers were asked who they liked, the results were different: Only 4 out of 23 children liked the winner.
These data suggest that children already love a winner by the age of 21-31 months. This does not necessarily mean that the preference is inborn: 21 months is enough time to learn a lot of things. But if a preference for winners is something we learn, we appear to learn it quite early.
Even more interesting, the preference for winners is not absolute. Children in our study did not like a winner who knocked a competitor down. This suggests that already by the age of 21-31 months, children’s liking for winners is balanced with other social concerns, including perhaps a general preference for nice or helpful people over aggressive ones.
In a time when the news is full of stories of public figures who celebrate winning at all costs, these results give us much confidence. Humans understand dominance, but we also expect strong individuals to guide, protect and help others. This feels like good news.
1. One of the purposes of the experiments is to ________.A.teach toddlers how to gain higher status |
B.offer toddlers a chance to watch a scene |
C.observe the process of toddlers’ solving a conflict |
D.find out toddlers’ attitude toward winners and losers |
A.obeying rules |
B.gaining status |
C.giving in to the other |
D.showing good manners |
A.They are excellent learners. |
B.They are always changeable. |
C.They show mercy to the loser. |
D.They value kindness over winning. |
A.Disappointing. | B.Encouraging. |
C.Unexpected. | D.Controversial. |
DRUMMING WITH GRANDPA
Roger was filled with excitement as his mother told him his grandfather was on his way over. He always had fun together with his grandfather who once drummed in a band. They could make the whole house shake with their joyful music. Roger got excited and practiced drumming all morning.
Finally, Dad's car pulled up in front of the house. Upon hearing the car door opened. Roger shouted for joy from his bedroom window, "Hi, Grandpa! Listen to this!” Taking a deep breath, he raised his drumsticks and began rocking and rolling, just like Grandpa had taught him. Jumping up. he raced outside to his grandfather and asked, "Grandpa. what do you think? Are you ready to drum together?" Grandpa, giving Roger a hug, said. "It was wonderful, but I'm afraid I can't play right now.” Dad smiled at Roger, telling him some of Grandpa's finger joints were hurting him and that maybe he would want to play after a short rest. Roger didn't ask again.
After lunch, Roger went to his room to get his skateboard, finding someone had already stepped into the room. It was Grandpa who stood near the drum set. He picked up a drumstick and began to play. Thump! Thump! But just with two thumps, the drumstick fell onto the floor. Grandpa reached for it, trying to pick it up, but the drumstick fell out of his hand. He tried again and the same thing happened. Grandpa moved his red and swollen fingers, looking upset. Seeing this, Roger shut the door noiselessly. He walked to the sitting room where Dad was reading and asked Dad to drive him to his friend's house. "David has a drum with the pedal (踏板)and I'd like to borrow it," Roger told Dad about his plan. Dad got the car keys and off they went.
注意:
1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
''Grandpa, a surprise!” Roger shouted when they returned with a big box.
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Slowly, Grandpa reached out his foot and pushed the pedal as Roger did.
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3 . Ecology is a complicated thing. Given the facts that elephant damage often kills trees and bush fires often kill trees, it would be
One common way in which elephants harm trees is by stripping(剥) them of their bark(树皮). Dr Wigley, who did indeed start from the obvious
The researchers also found something else when they were measuring the trees’ wounds: ants. Ten of the 20 trees in the fire-prevention zone developed ant colonies in their wounds. The ants in question were a species that is known to damage trees and is supposed to
A.difficult | B.reasonable | C.necessary | D.awful |
A.however | B.therefore | C.furthermore | D.somehow |
A.uniquely | B.barely | C.actually | D.merely |
A.phenomenon | B.evidence | C.imagination | D.assumption |
A.equally | B.regularly | C.severely | D.purposely |
A.burnt with | B.protected from | C.covered by | D.exposed to |
A.participants | B.partners | C.victims | D.friends |
A.mark | B.remove | C.hit | D.measure |
A.regulated | B.checked | C.healed | D.monitored |
A.disappointment | B.surprise | C.joy | D.relief |
A.vitality | B.height | C.bark | D.strength |
A.controlled | B.prevented | C.started | D.boosted |
A.disturb | B.promote | C.impact | D.quicken |
A.therefore | B.nevertheless | C.then | D.otherwise |
A.beneficial | B.unbelievable | C.effective | D.cruel |
Teen Becomes A Local Hero
When Sydney Raley headed into her weekend shift on Saturday, December 18, she likely expected to do more of the same: Stand at the drive-through window, take orders over the headset, and hand each customer their meal with a smile.
In fact. that’s exactly how it started. Sydney Raley has been working at MC Donald’s for about seven months and so far, it’s been her typical after-school job. The day had been mostly normal -making coffee, making drinks, and going into the lunch rush.
But a few hours into her shift. things took a dramatic turn. After handing a customer some of their food, Sydney let them know that more would be coming as soon as it was ready. But just seconds later, she noticed a terrible look of panic spread across the woman’s face. Then came the coughing. She was coughing like crazy and was speechless. Her daughter was in the passenger seat and looked extremely confused and frightened.
Sydney immediately knew she was choking. The first aid training Sydney received more than four years ago hit her. Most 15-year-olds might panic at the sight of this. But not Sydney. Instead, the teen remained calm and quickly shouted to both her manager and the woman’s daughter to dial 911. Then, she dove through the drive-through window and came to the rescue.
The teen pushed the driver’s side door forcefully open and got the choking woman to her feet. Then she dug down deep into her memory bank to recall everything she learned from her Red Cross babysitter class-which she’d taken four years earlier. All that training of how to use the Heimlich maneuver(哈姆立克急教法)immediately kicked in. Still, she had never actually had to use the life-saving technique before, and after a few tries, it wasn’t quite working. Luckily, another customer was just a few feet away in the parking lot.
注意:1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
She shouted to that man for assistance.
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The story has made headlines throughout the country.
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5 . A robot created by Washington State University (WSU) scientists could help elderly people with dementia (痴呆) and other limitations live independently in their own homes.
The Robot Activity Support System, or RAS, uses sensors installed in a WSU smart home to determine where its residents are, what they are doing and when they need assistance with daily activities. It navigates (定位) through rooms and around obstacles to find people on its own, provides video instructions on how to do simple tasks and can even lead its owner to objects like their medication or a snack in the kitchen.
“RAS combines the convenience of a mobile robot with the activity detection technology of a WSU smart home to provide assistance in the moment, as the need for help is detected,” said Bryan Minor, a postdoctoral researcher in the WSU School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
Currently, an estimated 50 percent of adults over the age of 85 need assistance with every day activities such as preparing meals and taking medication and the annual cost for this assistance in the US is nearly $2 trillion. With the number of adults over 85 expected to triple by 2050, researchers hope that technologies like RAS and the WSU smart home will relieve some of the financial strain on the healthcare system by making it easier for older adults to live alone.
RAS is the first robot researchers have tried to incorporate into their smart home environment. They recently published a study in the journal Cognitive Systems Research that demonstrates how RAS could make life easier for older adults struggling to live independently.
“While we are still in an early stage of development, our initial results with RAS have been promising,” Minor said. “The next step in the research will be to test RAS’ performance with a group of older adults to get a better idea of what prompts, video reminders and other preferences they have regarding the robot.”
1. How does RAS serve elderly people?A.Through sensors. | B.Through objects. |
C.Through a mobile robot. | D.Through their daily activities. |
A.It is the first robot used in daily life. | B.Its function remains to be tested. |
C.It can locate people and do any task. | D.It can cook for owners on its own. |
A.Doubtful. | B.Negative. |
C.Optimistic. | D.Uncertain. |
A.Elderly people leave the nursing home. |
B.Smart Home Tests first elder-Care robot. |
C.RAS, the first robot to make home smart. |
D.Older adults have benefited from RAS. |
6 . It’s late in the evening, time to close the book and turn off the computer. You’re done for the day. What you may not realize, however, is that the learning process actually continues in your dreams.
It might sound like science fiction, but researchers are increasingly focusing on the relationship between the knowledge and skills our brains absorb during the day and the often strange imaginings they generate at night. Scientists have found that dreaming about a task we’ve learned improves performance in that activity (suggesting that there’s some truth to the popular idea that we’re “getting” a foreign language once we begin dreaming in it). What’s more, dreaming may be an essential part of understanding, organizing and retaining what we learn.
While we sleep, research indicates, the brain replays the patterns of activity it experienced during waking hours, allowing us to enter what one psychologist calls a neural (神经的) virtual reality. A vivid example of such replay can be seen in a video researchers made recently about sleep disorders. They taught a series of dance moves to patients suffering from sleepwalking and related conditions. They then videotaped the subjects as they slept. Lying in bed, eyes closed, one female patient on the tape performs the dance moves she learned earlier.
This shows that while our bodies are at rest, our brains are drawing what’s important from the information and events we’ve recently encountered, then integrating that material into the vast store of what we already know. In a 2010 study, researchers reported that college students who dreamed about a computer maze (迷宫) task they had learned showed a 10-fold improvement in their ability to find their way through the maze compared with participants who did not dream about the task.
That study’s chief researcher Herbert Smith suggested that studying right before bedtime or taking a nap following a study session in the afternoon might increase the probability of dreaming about the material. Think about that as you go to sleep tonight.
1. What happens when one enters a dream state?A.The body continues to act as if the sleeper were awake. |
B.The neural activity of the brain will become intensified. |
C.The brain once again experiences the learning activities of the day. |
D.The brain behaves as if it were playing a virtual reality video game. |
A.It replaces old information with new material. |
B.It processes and absorbs newly acquired information. |
C.It regroups information and places it in different files. |
D.It systematizes all the information collected during the day. |
A.Staying up late before finally going to bed. |
B.Having a period of sleep right after studying. |
C.Having a dream about anything you are interested in. |
D.Thinking about the chances of dreaming about the material. |
A.How study affects people’s dreams. |
B.Why people learn more after sleeping. |
C.What time students should study and sleep. |
D.How dreaming may lead to improved learning outcomes. |
7 . In the Fake News Era, Building Trust with Consumers Is Crucial
With consumers growing increasingly frustrated with online advertising and privacy concerns, how to you convince shoppers to buy your narrative(叙述), let alone your product?
A recent report by Trust-Radius, a software review company that connects buyers and vendors(供应商), may be able to shed some light. Among other interesting findings, it turns out that it may actually benefit brands to be painfully
Consumer awareness of influencer marketing tactics(策略)is increasing.
Transparency(透明度)is crucial. The report found that there is a large trust
Along with the combination of take news, advertising fraud, and data leaks, there have been fake reviews as well. Review sites have been
The challenge for brands today is determining how to use the
A.nervous | B.honest | C.careful | D.particular |
A.Instead | B.Otherwise | C.Moreover | D.However |
A.reviews | B.reactions | C.experiences | D.instructions |
A.weight | B.risks | C.warnings | D.burdens |
A.relationship | B.influence | C.gap | D.extension |
A.refuse | B.hesitate | C.desire | D.claim |
A.advanced | B.perfect | C.remarkable | D.unique |
A.consider | B.offer | C.select | D.exercise |
A.efficient | B.profitable | C.human | D.responsible |
A.associated with | B.mistaken by | C.praised as | D.criticized for |
A.On the contrary | B.In fact | C.By contrast | D.In a word |
A.cooperation | B.complaint | C.interaction | D.appointment |
A.safety | B.loyalty | C.convenience | D.employment |
A.money | B.choice | C.habit | D.voice |
A.dialogue | B.debate | C.competition | D.contract |
"Pick up the pace!" said Amy's husband. "But I can't!" Amy said, her heart beating quickly inside. "I can't go any faster! Her husband encouraged her. "Yes, you can! You're making progress every day.”
To help Amy stay healthy, her husband had been running with her for over two years. Several years ago, Amy could barely walk down the stairs of her apartment building due to fatness caused by eating disorders. She realized the problem after a failed job interview and began walking to improve her ability to move. At first, she could walk for only 15 minutes at a time. But she pushed herself every day, walking 5 minutes longer than she did the day before until she walked for an hour and eventually two. For three years, Amy kept her walking habit, slowly and painstakingly building her body shape. Then she changed her walking shoes to running shoes about two years ago and became an excellent runner.
In March 2001, an advertisement invited people to nominate(提名)an ordinary person who inspired them to bring the Olympic flame to Salt Lake City as torch bearers(火炬手)or support runners.(Support runners serve as “guardians of the flame" and run with torch bearers along the journey.)Amy's experiences touched her husband, so he nominated her to be a torch bearer. The possibility to be selected was low, but Amy wanted to try.
Running taught Amy the importance of training for a race. She pictured herself running a race and crossing the finish line. For months, she ran through her neighborhood carrying a broken-off broom handle, feeling the weight of the torch. She waved at her neighbors, pretending they were cheering crowds. She also printed a picture of a torch bearer wearing the white uniform, replaced the face with a picture of hers, and put it onto her refrigerator door.
Every day, Amy imagined herself as a torch bearer. She was training for a historic running event. On September 26th, while on her daily run through her neighborhood, an express package arrived.
注意:1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1:
Amy opened it and found a letter and a book on the Olympics.
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Paragraph 2:
"One of today's torch bearers can't run her part, " announced the relay organizer.
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1.明智上网的重要性;
2.提出具体建议(两到三条)。
注意:1.写作词数应为80左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Be Wise Internet Users
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The easy way out isn't always easiest. I learned that lesson when I decided to treat my father to a special meal. I glanced through the cookbook and chose a menu which included homemade bread. Knowing the bread would take time, I started on it as soon as he left for work.
As I was not experienced in cooking, I thought if a dozen was good, two dozen would be better, so I doubled everything. As Dad loved oranges, I also opened a can of orange and poured it all into the bowl. Soon there was sticky dough (面团) covered with ugly yellowish marks. Realizing I had been defeated, I put the dough in the rubbish bin outside so I wouldn't have to face him laughing at my work.
I went on preparing the rest of the meal, and, when Dad got home, we sat down to Cornish chicken with rice. He tried to enjoy the meal but seemed disturbed. Twice he got up and went outside, saying he thought he heard a noise. The third time he left, I went to the windows to see what he was doing.
Looking out, I saw Dad standing about three feet from the rubbish bin, holding the lid up with a stick and looking into the container. When I came out of the house, he dropped the stick and explained that there was something alive in the rubbish bin. Picking up the stick again, he held the lid up enough for me to see. I felt cold. But I stepped closer and looked harder.
Without doubt it was my work. The hot sun had caused the dough to double in size and the. fermenting yeast (酵母) made the surface shake and sigh as though it were breathing. I had to admit what the "living thing" was and why it was there. I don't know who was more embarrassed by the whole thing, Dad or me.
注意:1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
My dad tapped me gently on the shoulder, and we went inside.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________At a party three months later, everyone wanted to try my bread.
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