1 . 3D Printing and AR Technology in Physical Stores

These days, shopping often involves an Internet connection and a laptop or smartphone. However, businesses are now trying to use new technology, such as 3D printing and augmented reality, to bring customers back into stores.

At the National Retail Federation show in New York City, many companies _________ these new technologies. The computer company Intel is experimenting with 3D printing. It is using the Mach 2XS commercial printer. _________ printing words on paper, the Mach 2XS prints clothes. _________, it uses thread to print out a sweater. It prints the sweater out row by row, until it is fully formed. Ryan Parker is the general manager of Responsive Retail at Intel. He says the 3D printers print out clothing, made just for the _________ in size and style, in about 45 minutes.

More and more consumers shop _________. But young people still seem to like going to physical stores. A recent study led by the IBM Institute for Business Value and the National Retail Federation shows that 67 percent of people between ages 13 to 21 shop in physical stores most of the time. A London-based company, Ads Reality, is trying to use augmented reality, or AR technology in stores. Augmented reality is a technology that creates computer-generated images and _________ them in a way that makes them look real. “When it’s used in the right way, it’s a very powerful tool to drive mobile engagement and store _________,” said Richard Corps, managing director. The company’s latest product is an “AR Window”. It superimposes (叠加) _________ augmented reality characters on big screens in store windows. “It looks like these characters are actually inside the store…it stops people outside the store because they’re amazed to see these characters…and then it _________ them inside the store because they want to have their photographs taken with these characters, ” Corps said.

Customer service robots might also become a __________ store experience. The New York Company Autonomous is experimenting with customer service robots. These wheeled __________ include a Wi-Fi connection to a real person who can be seen on the robots’ screen. Robots in a hardware store, for example, could be __________ from anywhere by experts in different fields, like plumbing or electrical wiring. Autonomous chief Duy Huynh says the robots can make the shopping experience personal. With our technology, when you walk into a store one of our robots will __________ you and behind the robot, it’s going to bring someone who knows your shopping __________, who has been helping you for the past six months, who knows what you need, to talk to you. So to us that’s really, really important and that’s the very first time you can actually do __________ offline.

1.

A．supervised

B．demonstrated

C．prospected

D．interpreted

2.

A．Instead of

B．In spite of

C．In terms of

D．Regardless of

3.

A．As a result

B．In addition

C．For example

D．In fact

4.

A．imagination

B．personality

C．reality

D．individual

5.

A．abroad

B．online

C．together

D．randomly

6.

A．projects

B．prioritizes

C．promotes

D．processes

7.

A．regulation

B．virtue

C．campaign

D．traffic

8.

A．well-illustrated

B．newly-released

C．life-sized

D．previously-designed

9.

A．forces

B．drives

C．tricks

D．offers

10.

A．rare

B．special

C．fortunate

D．common

11.

A．devices

B．elements

C．instruments

D．applications

12.

A．delivered

B．transported

C．eliminated

D．operated

13.

A．appoint

B．approach

C．attach

D．attract

14.

A．exchanges

B．differences

C．habits

D．advertisements

15.

A．civilization

B．materialization

C．personalization

D．transportation

2 . The New Technology and Travel Revolution

Technological advances have changed the way we travel, and these new developments promise an even more _______ and exciting experience. Do you want to know what it has _______ for us in the not-too-distant future?

Today, nobody _______ that technology and travel are the perfect combination. This _______ force also plays a crucial role in the way we travel. According to a Google Travel study, it is so _______ that 74% of travelers plan their trips on the Internet, while only 13% still use travel agencies to prepare them.

The cell phone has become our tour guide, travel agency, best restaurant locator, map, and more. It’s _______ during the entire purchase journey. In fact, according to TripAdvisor, 45% of users use their smartphones for everything having to do with their vacations.

This is why there’s a need to _______ corporate services and communications to these devices. KLM, for example, has already created an information service for passengers using Facebook Messenger. This system, once someone has made a _______, sends the user information regarding their ticket through Facebook Messenger as well as their boarding pass or updates about the _______ of their flight. This way, the user has all the relevant information about their trip in the palm of their hand using an app that they already use, ________ the need to download anything else.

Augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) have also entered the travel world, and the truth is that it’s a trend ________ all the possibilities they can offer. More and more companies use it to show users a cabin on a cruise ship or transport them, for a few seconds, to the Great Wall of China.

In addition, we’re all familiar with Siri and Alexa, the ________ assistants that meet all our needs: what’s the weather like today in my city, turn the radio on, open my email, and more. Hotels are now starting to ________ this “help” thanks to the arrival of virtual assistants that are ________ designed for this environment. IBM recently ________ Watson Assistant, an AI-powered virtual assistant that creates an interactive and personalized experience for consumers. This is the open technology that firms can employ and adapt to their needs. This way, the virtual assistant won’t be called Watson but instead, have the name that the hotel chooses.

1.

A．relative

B．extensive

C．interactive

D．positive

2.

A．in trouble

B．in store

C．in a box

D．in the middle

3.

A．doubts

B．greets

C．concludes

D．reasons

4.

A．individual

B．joint

C．separate

D．independent

5.

A．innovative

B．peculiar

C．prevalent

D．initial

6.

A．from all sides

B．side by side

C．on your side

D．by our side

7.

A．place

B．devote

C．direct

D．adapt

8.

A．recognition

B．reservation

C．support

D．revision

9.

A．status

B．statue

C．environment

D．stair

10.

A．regulating

B．restoring

C．eliminating

D．storing

11.

A．instead of

B．due to

C．contrary to

D．along with

12.

A．visual

B．digital

C．actual

D．virtual

13.

A．enlist

B．participate

C．attach

D．resemble

14.

A．specifically

B．generally

C．specially

D．equally

15.

A．altered

B．performed

C．launched

D．imposed

3 . Pablo Ruiz Picasso’s family moved to Barcelona in the autumn of 1895, and Pablo entered the local art academy, where his father had assumed his last post as professor of drawing. The family hoped that their son would achieve success as an academic _____ , and in 1897 his eventual _____ in Spain seemed assured; in that year his painting Science and Charity, for which his father modelled for the doctor, was _____ an honourable mention in Madrid at the Fine Arts Exhibition.

The Spanish capital was the _____ next stop for the young artist intent on gaining recognition and _____ family expectations. Pablo duly set off for Madrid in the autumn of 1897 and entered the Royal Academy of San Fernando. But finding the teaching there _____ , he increasingly spent his time recording life around him, in the cafes, on the streets, and in the Prado, where he discovered Spanish painting. Works by those and other _____ would capture Picasso’s imagination at different times during his long career.

Picasso fell _____ in the spring of 1898 and spent most of the _____ year convalescing(逐步康复) in the Catalan village of Horta de Ebro in the company of his Barcelona friend Manuel Pallares. When Picasso ______ Barcelona in early 1899, he was a changed man: he had put on weight; he had learned to live on his own in the open countryside; he spoke ______ ; and, most importantly, he had made the decision to break with his art-school training and to reject his family’s plans for his future. He even began to show a ______ preference for his mother’s surname, and more often than not he signed his works P. R. Picasso; by late 1901 he had dropped the Ruiz altogether.

In Barcelona Picasso moved among a circle of Catalan artists and writers whose eyes were turned ______ Paris. Those were his friends at the café Els Quatre Gats (“The Four Cats”, styled after the Chat Noir (“Black Cat”) in Paris), where Picasso had his first Barcelona exhibition in February 1900, and they were the ______ of more than 50 portraits in the show. In addition, there was a dark, moody “modernista” painting, Last Moments (later painted over), showing the visit of a ______ to the bedside of a dying woman, a work that was accepted for the Spanish section of the Exposition Universelle in Paris in that year. Eager to see his own work in place and to experience Paris firsthand, Picasso set off in the company of his studio mate Carles Casagemas (Portrait of Carles Casagemas, 1899) to conquer, if not Paris, at least a corner of Montmartre.

1.

A．painter

B．writer

C．professor

D．critic

2.

A．works

B．success

C．power

D．fame

3.

A．offered

B．sold

C．awarded

D．presented

4.

A．necessary

B．obvious

C．favourite

D．interesting

5.

A．achieving

B．obeying

C．seeking

D．fulfilling

6.

A．academic

B．stupid

C．indifferent

D．satisfying

7.

A．travellers

B．teachers

C．artists

D．archaeologists

8.

A．ill

B．upset

C．down

D．asleep

9.

A．permitting

B．recovering

C．remaining

D．struggling

10.

A．moved to

B．settled in

C．lived in

D．returned to

11.

A．Barcelona

B．Catalan

C．French

D．British

12.

A．welcomed

B．planned

C．decided

D．covered

13.

A．on

B．over

C．up

D．toward

14.

A．subjects

B．characters

C．spectators

D．painting

15.

A．doctor

B．priest

C．policyholder

D．policeman

5 . It’s Time for Apple to Build a Less Addictive iPhone

It’s not Apple’s fault that you feel enslaved by your phone. But the company giving the world the modern smartphone has a perfect opportunity to create a brave and groundbreaking new _____ on that device: a phone that encourages you to use it more thoughtfully, more deliberately — and a lot less.

Tech “addiction” is a topic of rising _____. The issue isn’t really new. Researchers who study how we use digital technology have for years been warning of its potential _____ effects on our cognition, psyche and well-being. They’re worried about distraction, productivity, how social networks alter our emotional lives and relationships, and what they’re doing to children.

Companies that make money from your _____   — that is, ad-supported apps like Facebook and YouTube — now _____ armies of people who work with supercomputers to hook you even more deeply into their services. Sure, we should call on them to act more _____ — and Facebook, for its part, has said it’s willing to lose money to improve its users’ well-being — but will they be able to suppress their economic interests?

Government _____ and more restraint from users might also help. The former is unlikely and the latter is insufficient. So who’s left? The same company that always seems to _____ when it’s time to cross into a new era of technology: Apple.

Apple isn’t responsible for the excesses of the digital ad business. _____ , it still has a moral responsibility to — and a business interest in — the well-being of its customers.

While Apple is not part of the ad business, it has lots of ______ over it. Every tech company needs a ______ on the iPhone or iPad; this means that Apple can set the rules for everyone. A single update to its operating system, ______ , could curb some of the worst excesses in how apps monitor and notify you to keep you ______ (as it has done, for instance, by allowing ad blockers in its mobile devices). As smartphone makers tend to copy Apple’s best inventions, whatever Apple did to reduce our dependence on our phones, others will soon ______ .

Another thing that Apple is good at is marketing. It could easily make a lot of ads showing people getting more out of iPhones and iPads by ______ from them for a little while. Note that it already sells a device, the Apple Watch, whose marketing praises the magic of leaving your phone behind.

How we live with technology is the cultural issue of the next half-century. Let’s hope it’s working on something grand.

1.

A．take

B．demand

C．application

D．setting

2.

A．coverage

B．popularity

C．interest

D．concern

3.

A．objective

B．passive

C．negative

D．decisive

4.

A．loyalty

B．comments

C．attention

D．purchases

5.

A．attract

B．employ

C．remind

D．advise

6.

A．frequently

B．responsibly

C．aggressively

D．skilfully

7.

A．regulation

B．recognition

C．reduction

D．rejection

8.

A．fix up

B．wake up

C．turn up

D．speed up

9.

A．Similarly

B．Otherwise

C．Normally

D．Nevertheless

10.

A．control

B．dependence

C．hesitation

D．patience

11.

A．carrier

B．platform

C．permit

D．presence

12.

A．in fact

B．for example

C．by contrast

D．in particular

13.

A．updated

B．hooked

C．occupied

D．excited

14.

A．kick off

B．take over

C．pick up

D．follow suit

15.

A．benefiting

B．learning

C．unplugging

D．unlocking

7 . The Meaning and Power of Smell

        The sense of smell, or olfaction, is powerful. Odours affect us on a physical, psychological and social level. For the most part, however, we breathe in the aromas which surround us without being _____ aware of their importance to us.

A survey asked participants to comment on how important smell was to them in their lives. It became apparent that smell can _____ strong emotional responses. A scent associated with a good experience can bring a rush of joy, while a foul odour or one associated with a bad memory may make us _____. Odours are also essential _____   in social bonding. Infants can recognise the odours of their mothers soon after birth and adults can often identify their children or _____ by scent. In one well-known test, women and men were able to _____ by smell alone clothing worn by their marriage partners from similar clothing worn by other people. Most of the subjects would probably never have given much thought to odour as a clue for _____ family members before being involved in the test, but as the experiment revealed, smells register.

In spite of its importance to our emotional and sensory lives, smell is probably the most   _____ sense in many cultures. The reason often given for the low regard in which smell is held is that, _____ its importance among animals, the human sense of smell is feeble and undeveloped. While it is true that the olfactory powers of humans are nothing like as fine as those ______ by certain animals, they are still remarkably acute. Our noses are able to recognise thousands of smells, and to ______ odours. To be specific, we can tell from odours which are present only in extremely small ______ .

Smell, however, is a highly elusive phenomenon. Odours, unlike colours, for instance, cannot be named in many languages because the specific vocabulary simply doesn’t exist. “It smells like...,” we have to say when describing an odour, ______ to express our olfactory experience. Nor can odours be recorded: there is no effective way to either capture or store them over time.

______ , smell is not simply a biological and psychological phenomenon. Smell is cultural, hence it is a social and historical phenomenon. Odours are invested with cultural values: smells that are considered to be offensive in some cultures may be perfectly ______ in others. Therefore, our sense of smell is a means of, and model for, interacting with the world.

1.

A．immediately

B．consciously

C．adequately

D．constantly

2.

A．evoke

B．offer

C．predict

D．receive

3.

A．frustrated

B．confused

C．disgusted

D．optimized

4.

A．components

B．qualities

C．cues

D．features

5.

A．belongings

B．spouses

C．neighbours

D．friends

6.

A．distinguish

B．explore

C．track

D．calculate

7.

A．reuniting

B．raising

C．maintaining

D．identifying

8.

A．exaggerated

B．undervalued

C．undeveloped

D．elementary

9.

A．regardless of

B．in terms of

C．in line with

D．in comparison with

10.

A．monitored

B．controlled

C．possessed

D．performed

11.

A．remove

B．preserve

C．perceive

D．destroy

12.

A．quantities

B．symptoms

C．changes

D．consequences

13.

A．attempting

B．sticking

C．imagining

D．struggling

14.

A．Instead

B．Therefore

C．However

D．Furthermore

15.

A．feasible

B．acceptable

C．natural

D．plausible

8 . Vigilance: The Next Strategic Weapon for Entrepreneurs

Can your organization see around corners? It’s a crucial capability in today’s world. Kodak and digital cameras, Nokia and the smartphone: the pages of business history are crowded with examples of companies that missed the boat. And you can expect more chapters to be written, considering the unprecedented levels of change and ______ today. It’s become even harder to spot early warning signals, making vigilance an ever more ______ leadership capability. Are you truly vigilant? And just what does that take?

We ______ this issue by comparing vigilant and vulnerable companies. We did not just want to understand why companies ______ or missed external opportunities but also why some leaders got blindsided by internal problems that ______ for years. Why did Volkswagen or Boeing miss the tripwires(使人挫败的人或事)or run through red lights that were flashing before scandals and disasters unfolded?

Whether it’s a missed opportunity or threat, from either inside or outside the organization, the root cause is usually ______ of organizational vigilance. We all miss signals due to limited attention, competing ______ , and, often, a lack of curiosity. What manager has not said, “My plate is full,” then ______ a signal of potential problem and later regretted it?

In my new book See Sooner, Act Faster, coauthored with Wharton professor George Day, we ______ the key skills and practices of vigilant organizations and leaders.

______ methods of strategic planning, risk analysis and decision modeling are less effective today. This may seem odd, given the growing information processing capabilities available. But there is just too much uncertainty on the surface and too little ______ at the core. To deal with this new reality, you’re going to need a new set of skill-building tools, including: how to allocate the scarce resource of attention, detect weak signals and respond ______ ahead of competitors. You can use the diagnostic survey at the end of our book to check current levels of vigilance in your organization. Then, ______ the leadership agenda that follows to build vigilance throughout your organization as planned.

Assemble a diverse team of independent thinkers from both inside and outside the company. Invite everyone to ______ concerns, doubts or intuitions. The leadership team can then spotlight issues that may emerge as big ones over the next few years.

Many companies interrogate the present by monitoring blogs, social media sites and chat rooms for signs of brewing trouble with customers, but they may not really see ahead. Truly vigilant organizations, ______ , track market changes by studying cases that signal opportunities or threats. Leaders should also develop different future scenarios that capture how today’s major uncertainties might jointly play out in years to come.

Looking around corners for new threats and opportunities allow leaders to peer farther ahead than rivals.

1.

A．uncertainty

B．curiosity

C．regrets

D．accidents

2.

A．critical

B．managerial

C．inseparable

D．challenging

3.

A．resolved

B．researched

C．clarified

D．raised

4.

A．offered

B．welcomed

C．spotted

D．created

5.

A．deposited

B．worsened

C．struggled

D．improved

6.

A．threat

B．overuse

C．absence

D．sufficiency

7.

A．priorities

B．strategies

C．quality

D．necessity

8.

A．observed

B．received

C．ignored

D．detected

9.

A．identified

B．practised

C．displayed

D．assessed

10.

A．Current

B．Traditional

C．Standard

D．Basic

11.

A．stability

B．diversity

C．capacity

D．individuality

12.

A．potentially

B．independently

C．systematically

D．strategically

13.

A．cultivate

B．implement

C．evaluate

D．revise

14.

A．voice

B．control

C．satisfy

D．track

15.

A．in contrast

B．in addition

C．in short

D．in other words

9 . Climate Change: Yes, Your Individual Action Does Make a Difference

What can we do in the face of the climate emergency? Many say we should drive less, fly less, eat less meat. But others argue that personal actions like these are a pointless drop in the ocean when _____ the huge systemic changes that are required to prevent _____ global warming.

It’s a debate that has been raging for decades. _____ , in terms of global greenhouse gas emissions, a single person’s contribution is basically irrelevant (much like a single vote in an election). But my research, first in my masters and now as part of my PhD, has found that doing something bold like giving up flying can have a wider _____ effect by influencing others and shifting what’s viewed as “normal”.

In a survey I _____ , half of the respondents who knew someone who had given up flying because of climate change said they flew less because of this example. That alone seemed pretty impressive to me. Furthermore, around three quarters said it had changed their _____ towards flying and climate change in some way. These effects were _____ if a high-profile person had given up flying, such as an academic or someone in the public eye. _____ , around two thirds said they flew less because of this person, and only 7% said it had not affected their attitudes.

I wondered if these impressionable people were already behaving like squeaky-clean environmentalists, but the _____ suggested not. The survey respondents fly considerably more than average, meaning they have plenty of potential to fly less because of someone else’s example.

To explore people’s ______ , I interviewed some of those who had been influenced by a “non-flyer”. They explained that the bold and unusual position to give up flying had conveyed the seriousness of climate change and flying’s contribution to it; ______ the link between values and actions; and even reduced feelings of isolation that flying less was a ______ and sensible response to climate change. They said that “commitment” and “expertise” were the most influential qualities of the person who had stopped flying.

That people are influenced by others is ______ a shocking result. Psychology researchers have spent decades amassing evidence about the powerful effects of social influence, while cultural evolution theory suggests we may have evolved to follow the example of those in prestigious positions because it helped us ______ . Pick up any book on leadership in an airport shopping mall and it will likely ______ the importance of leading by example.

1.

A．set down

B．set against

C．set aside

D．set apart

2.

A．puzzling

B．terrifying

C．devastating

D．astonishing

3.

A．Clearly

B．Especially

C．Fortunately

D．Angrily

4.

A．knock-out

B．knock-down

C．knock-off

D．knock-on

5.

A．confronted

B．conducted

C．contributed

D．combined

6.

A．ways

B．attitudes

C．behaviors

D．shields

7.

A．reduced

B．raised

C．increased

D．decreased

8.

A．In this case

B．In some cases

C．In case

D．In any case

9.

A．results

B．habits

C．points

D．figures

10.

A．reasoning

B．thinking

C．predicting

D．displaying

11.

A．neutralised

B．crystallised

C．actualised

D．generalised

12.

A．subtle

B．visual

C．valid

D．varied

13.

A．merely

B．hardly

C．nearly

D．only

14.

A．survive

B．peak

C．nurse

D．starve

15.

A．bugle

B．flute

C．whistle

D．trumpet

10 . I had been skiing since childhood. I’d _________ fallen, I’d never crashed into anything, and I’d _________ mostly to the “blue” trails — the ones for intermediate (中级水平的) skiers. Therefore, for my first day on the mountain, I decided to _________ a blue run, one I had done many times before.

When I reached the top of the blue trails — only chairlift (缆椅), though, something in the atmosphere _________. Why was it so cold? Were the blue trails always this sharp? The rhythm of the chairlift started to sound less _________.

It _________ that simply having skied “many times before” didn’t mean I was getting better at it. There’s a large body of _________ showing that practice—or even just doing — doesn’t make us any better at the activity, so it is with skiing. The joy of getting better sometimes comes along with the _________ of getting worse.

One afternoon, I took a chairlift with a retired ski _________ named Bob. When I told him I was struggling, he __________ to watch me take an easy slope and assessed what I was doing wrong.

Bob __________ me that the learning process looks a lot like backsliding (倒退). When babies first learn to walk, they progress from __________ imitation. Sometimes it seems that we’re losing ground, but we’re actually __________ a new skill. An __________ attempt is often a sign that you’re learning.

“You’re skiing better already!” he shouted at me.

“Thank you!” I yelled back.

Then I skied a few more feet and __________.

1.

A．frequently

B．rarely

C．mostly

D．steadily

2.

A．submitted

B．reduced

C．stuck

D．restricted

3.

A．tackle

B．declare

C．change

D．skip

4.

A．continued

B．emerged

C．conflicted

D．disappeared

5.

A．refreshed

B．sensitive

C．alien

D．harmonious

6.

A．took on

B．turned out

C．held on

D．worked out

7.

A．trend

B．custom

C．prejudice

D．evidence

8.

A．pain

B．influence

C．bonus

D．award

9.

A．official

B．director

C．constructor

D．instructor

10.

A．offered

B．learned

C．managed

D．preferred

11.

A．urged

B．reminded

C．guaranteed

D．stimulated

12.

A．similar

B．regular

C．random

D．effective

13.

A．unlocking

B．switching

C．testing

D．suspending

14.

A．anxious

B．awkward

C．aimless

D．early

15.

A．fell

B．balanced

C．proceeded

D．abandoned