1 . The days of staring attentively at the computer screen pretending to be interested in an assignment even though you are bored out of your mind may soon be coming to an end. That’s because if Dr. Harry Witchel has his way, computers of the future will be able to detect （察觉）boredom and even react to it real-time.
But before you get concerned, the machine is not reading your mind. It is just keeping track of the constant involuntary movements that people exhibit when in front of a computer or even a television. These are not the bigger instrumental actions like moving a mouse or using the remote, but subtle barely noticeable movements like scratching or stretching. Witchel says the level of movement is directly relative to how absorbed the person is in what he/she is reading or watching — the higher the interest level, the lesser the movement!
To test the theory Witchel and his team invited 27 people and exposed them to a variety of digital content for three minutes at a time. The activities ranged from playing online games to reading documents like the EU banking regulations that most people would find boring. A video motion tracker monitored their movements as they powered through each assignment. Just as the researchers had suspected, the involuntary actions decreased surprisingly, by as much as 42%, when the subjects were totally absorbed in what they were reading or seeing.
Fortunately, the scientists are not planning to use the findings that were published in the online Journal to create machines that report students who are not focusing at school. Instead, they believe that combining the motion detecting technology into future computers will help enhance （加强）the digital learning experience.
The scientists say that being able to measure the student’s interest level, will enable educators to adjust the materials real-time and re-engage the student. Witchel also believes that the technology can provide filmmakers with honest audience opinions and in the future, also be used in developing more understanding companion robots.
1. Dr. Harry Witchel wants future computers to have the competence to_______.| A．sense when users feel tired and less absorbed |
| B．record how long people surf on the Internet |
| C．help educators to prepare teaching materials |
| D．read the people’s mind in front of a computer |
| A．The machine will be used to detect whether the students are focusing at school. |
| B．Subjects will make fewer unconscious movements if they are concentrated. |
| C．Future computers are intended to cure adolescents of their network addiction. |
| D．Most people think banking documents boring because they are of little value. |
| A．Being Exposed to Computers All Day Long Makes You Bored. |
| B．Scientists are Developing a More Advanced Computer Now. |
| C．Computers of the Future May be Able to Detect Boredom. |
| D．The Future Machine is Helpful to Teachers And Students. |
2 . Are We Grown up Yet? Study says not till 26. Most Americans believe someone isn’t grown up until age 26, probably with a completed education, a full-time job, a family to support and financial independence, a survey said. But they also believe that becoming an official grown-up is a process that takes five years from about the age of 20, concluded the report from the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center. The findings were based on a representative sample of 1 398 people over age 18 surveyed in person in 2002.
The survey found the following ages at which people expect the changes to grown-ups to be completed: Age 20.9 self-supporting; 21.1 no longer living with parents; 21.2 full-time job; 22.3 education complete; 24.5 being able to support a family financially; 25.7 married; and 26.2 having a child. “It is generally accepted by social groups on the relative importance of the seven changes.” said Tom Smith, director of the survey. The only disagreement is on views about supporting a family, having a child and getting married. “Older adults and the widowed and married regard these as more important than younger adults.” he added. “This probably reflects in large part a change in values across generations away from traditional family values.”
The most valued step toward reaching adulthood, the survey found, was completing an education, followed by full-time employment supporting a family, financial independence, living marriage and parenthood.
1. The most important step in growing up is .| A．getting a full-time job | B．finishing education |
| C．supporting a family | D．getting married |
| A．21.2. | B．20.9. |
| C．24.5. | D．26.2. |
| A．Widows. | B．Older adults. |
| C．Married people. | D．Younger people. |
| A．argumentative | B．positive |
| C．negative | D．objective |
3 . For many of us, the idea of devoting a whole evening a week to learning a language is a terrifying thing, as is opening a new set of books and CDs.
Babbel is a comprehensive learning system that allows the user to make learning part of his or her everyday life. Launched in 2007 in Berlin, it’s created and maintained by a team of 300 employees from 28 nations, including linguists, language teachers, native speakers, and authors.
The 14 language courses on offer are designed to be used on the go, anywhere and at any time, thanks to Babble’s multi-platform mobile apps. These contain 2,000-3,000 vocabulary words per language, pronounced by native speakers and accompanied by relevant images.
This native-speaker approach, says Markus Witte, CEO and founder of Babbel, is key to the company’s success. “The courses are designed by experienced language teachers and linguists,” he explained. “Their knowledge about learning processes and language pairings is extremely important when designing lessons. We offer 14 learning languages for seven mother tongues and it makes a huge difference whether a Portuguese or an English native Learns Spanish.
One of the real joys is being able to set your own pace and learn what you want and when you want to. Simply choose the language you want and start learning it right away with integrated speech recognition(综合的语音识别系统).
Registration with Babbel is completely free, as is one beginner and advanced lesson in every language, so you can start making progress immediately. If you choose to sign up you are offered monthly, three-monthly, six-monthly or yearly payment plans and this gives you immediate access to your chosen language on WWW.Babbel.Com as well as via the mobile apps.
For many of us, the commitment of an evening’s work is the last thing we want after a full day. So if you don’t have the hours to put in, Babbel lets you save your completed lesson in the cloud so you can pick up where you left off. You are also allowed to repeat a course or lesson as many times as you like and, if you miss the pleasure of formal education, you can even get a certificate for every course you complete. Babbel’s real goal, says Witte, is to have its learners ready for using their new language in real life after just a few lessons.
1. Babbel’s apps ________.| A．offer free essential lessons |
| B．provide seven language courses |
| C．contain vocabulary words pronounced by experienced teachers |
| D．have vocabulary words with related pictures |
| A．get certificates of formal education |
| B．take courses developed by native speakers |
| C．control the process of learning themselves |
| D．communicate with experienced teachers on line |
| A．To give advice on choosing apps. |
| B．To present findings of education research. |
| C．To show advantages of online learning. |
| D．To introduce a language learning system. |
4 . As the Camp Fire continued, killing at least 85 people and displacing thousands more in Northern California, Madison waited there.
Gaylord, the Anatolian shepherd mix’s owner, was not able to get to her home in Paradise, when the fire began to spread, meaning Madison was left behind. For weeks, all Gaylord could do was pray for Madison’s safety, according to California-based animal rescue organization Paw Print Rescue.
Sullivan, a volunteer with the organization, had already helped locate Madison’s brother Miguel in a different city. But Madison was even more difficult to find. Sullivan spotted Madison a few times in a canyon (峡谷), apparently guarding his land, and put out fresh food and water regularly in hopes that the dog would turn up, according to a Facebook post by Sullivan. She even placed an article of clothing that smelled like Gaylord near the home “to keep Madison’s hope alive until his people could return,” Sullivan wrote.
When the evacuation (疏散) order was lifted last week and Gaylord went back to her home—which had been ruined by the fire—her prayers were answered: Madison was there, seemingly protecting what little remained of his family’s home. “Well, I’m so happy to report that Gaylord was allowed to return to her home today and THERE MADISON WAS!!!! He had stayed to protect what was left of his home, and never gave up on his people!” Sullivan wrote in the comment on her Facebook post. “I’m so happy I’m crying as I write this! He didn’t give up through the storms or the fire!” she added.
Soon afterward, Madison was reunited with Miguel for the first time since the fire broke out. An emotional Gaylord said in an interview with the network that she was overcome with joy to see Madison waiting for her. She also expressed how grateful she was to Sullivan. Gaylord said fighting through tears, “You could never ask for better animals. He is the best dog.”
1. What did Madison do during the Camp Fire?| A．He rescued Sullivan. |
| B．He waited for Gaylord. |
| C．He stayed with Miguel. |
| D．He ran away from Paradise. |
| A．To keep Madison warm. |
| B．To get Madison to turn up. |
| C．To help Madison remember his owner. |
| D．To encourage Madison not to give up. |
| A．In a different city. | B．In a canyon. |
| C．At a camp. | D．At his home. |
| A．Patience. | B．Unity. |
| C．Devotion. | D．Wisdom. |
5 . A survey of 1,000 people showed that an incredible 60 percent of workers ate at their desks every day while two thirds take 30 minutes or less for lunch. This means they are working an extra 180 hours a year—equal to 16 eight-hour days. Even when staffs do manage to leave their desks, they are usually on business with nearly a quarter admitting to regularly using the time to catch up with professional contacts.
An academic expert in the science of workplaces said employees were putting their health at risk by refusing to take a lunch break. Dr Tissington, Associate Dean of Business Partnerships at Aston University, said people feel “under pressure” at work, with many spending long hours at their desks, “tapping away at keyboards, staring at screens and sitting with bad posture in awkward positions.”
He said it was important for workers to take regular breaks, get up, move and walk around a bit. “Resting, or taking a break in the middle of the day helps to clear out the mind and prepares us for a productive afternoon,” he said. “The feeling of guilt for taking lunch breaks is a subject that is concerning and probably requires proper investigation,” he added.
Dr. Tissington mentioned he makes sure to get away from his desk at lunchtime and deliberately chooses to get lunch from different places—changing his route to get there. “This has the added benefit of exercise,” he explained,” and, working in a large organization, it gives me the opportunity to meet different colleagues along the way.”
Office workers had admitted to sacrificing their lunch breaks to further their careers. PR assistant Tammy Phillips, 24, said he hadn’t taken a lunch break since past two years. “The way I view it is that I can get on with work when it’s quieter at lunch time and it never hurts your career for the bosses to see you at your desk when your colleagues swan out for a sandwich,” he said.
“The competition for jobs now is so fierce that I’ve known friends who have quit smoking because they don’t want to be seen to go out for a cigarette during the day.”
1. We can learn from the first paragraph that ________.| A．workers want to escape from their work |
| B．many workers do not take a full lunch break |
| C．different workers have different lunch breaks |
| D．most workers are not permitted to have a full lunch break |
| A．He enjoys physical exercise. |
| B．He feels guilty at taking lunch breaks. |
| C．He likes to stay away from his colleagues. |
| D．He takes different routes to have lunch purposely. |
| A．Time for Having a Lunch Break |
| B．An Increasingly Popular Working Style |
| C．Lunch Skippers Work Extra 16 Days Yearly |
| D．Giving up a Lunch Break: Risk Your Health |
6 . 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 that projects changes to the oceans throughout the century. In a world that warms up by 3℃，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. ”
1. What are the first two paragraphs mainly about?| A．The various patterns at the ocean surface. |
| B．The cause of the changes in ocean colour. |
| C．The way light reflects off marine organisms. |
| D．The efforts to fuel the growth of phytoplankton. |
| A．Sensitive. | B．Beneficial |
| C．Significant | D．Unnoticeable |
| A．Phytoplankton play a declining role in the marine ecosystem. |
| B．Dutkiewicz's model aims to project phytoplankton changes |
| C．Phytoplankton have been used to control global climate |
| D．Oceans with more phytoplankton may appear greener. |
| A．To assess the consequences of ocean colour changes |
| B．To analyse the composition of the ocean food chain |
| C．To explain the effects of climate change on oceans |
| D．To introduce a new method to study phytoplankton |
7 . The problem of robocalls has gotten so bad that many people now refuse to pick up calls from numbers they don’t know. By next year, half of the calls we receive will be scams(欺诈). We are finally waking up to the severity of the problem by supporting and developing a group of tools, apps and approaches intended to prevent scammers from getting through. Unfortunately, it’s too little, too late. By the time these “solutions”(解决方案) become widely available, scammers will have moved onto cleverer means. In the near future, it’s not just going to be the number you see on your screen that will be in doubt. Soon you will also question whether the voice you’re hearing is actually real.
That’s because there are a number of powerful voice manipulation(处理) and automation technologies that are about to become widely available for anyone to use. At this year’s I/O Conference, a company showed a new voice technology able to produce such a convincing human-sounding voice that it was able to speak to a receptionist and book a reservation without detection.
These developments are likely to make our current problems with robocalls much worse. The reason that robocalls are a headache has less to do with amount than precision. A decade of data breaches(数据侵入) of personal information has led to a situation where scammers can easily learn your mother’s name, and far more. Armed with this knowledge, they’re able to carry out individually targeted campaigns to cheat people. This means, for example, that a scammer could call you from what looks to be a familiar number and talk to you using a voice that sounds exactly like your bank teller’s, tricking you into “confirming” your address, mother’s name, and card number. Scammers follow money, so companies will be the worst hit. A lot of business is still done over the phone, and much of it is based on trust and existing relationships. Voice manipulation technologies may weaken that gradually.
We need to deal with the insecure nature of our telecom networks. Phone carriers and consumers need to work together to find ways of determining and communicating what is real. That might mean either developing a uniform way to mark videos and images, showing when and who they were made by, or abandoning phone calls altogether and moving towards data-based communications—using apps like FaceTime or WhatsApp, which can be tied to your identity.
Credibility is hard to earn but easy to lose, and the problem is only going to get harder from here on out.
1. How does the author feel about the solutions to problem of robocalls?| A．Panicked. | B．Confused. | C．Embarrassed. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．aim at victims precisely | B．damage databases easily |
| C．start campaigns rapidly | D．spread information widely |
| A．Honesty is the best policy. |
| B．Technologies can be double-edged. |
| C．There are more solutions than problems. |
| D．Credibility holds the key to development. |
| A．Where the Problem of Robocalls Is Rooted |
| B．Who Is to Blame for the Problem of Robocalls |
| C．Why Robocalls Are About to Get More Dangerous |
| D．How Robocalls Are Affecting the World of Technology |
8 . Much of the work in today’s world is accomplished(完成) in teams. Most people believe the best way to build a great team is to gather a group of the most talented individuals.
To explain this phenomenon, the researchers explored the degree to which a good performance by a team requires its members to coordinate(协调) their actions.
Another possibility is that when there is a lot of talent on a team, some players may make less effort. Just as in a game of tug-of-war(拔河比赛), whenever a person is added, everyone else pulls the rope with less force.
| A．It’s not a simple matter to determine the nature of talent. |
| B．Sports team owners spend millions of dollars attracting top talent. |
| C．The group interaction and its effect drew the researchers’ attention. |
| D．Stars apparently do not follow this basic principle of sportsmanship. |
| E．Several recent studies examined the role of talent in the sports world. |
| F．Building up a dream team is more complex than simply hiring the best talent. |
| G．This task interdependence distinguishes baseball from football and basketball. |
9 . Want to explore new cultures, meet new people and do something worthwhile at the same time? You can do all the three with Global Development Association(GDA). Whatever stage of life you’re at, wherever you go and whatever project you do in GDA, you’ll create positive changes in a poor and remote community(社区).
We work with volunteers of all ages and backgrounds. Most of our volunteers are aged 17-24. Now we need volunteer managers aged 25-75. They are extremely important in the safe and effective running of our programmes. We have such roles as project managers, mountain leaders, and communication officers.
Depending on which role you choose, you could help to increase a community’s access to safe drinking water, or help to protect valuable local cultures. You might also design an adventure challenge to train young volunteers.
Not only will you help our young volunteers to develop personally, you’ll also learn new skills and increase your cultural awareness. You may have chances to meet new people who’ll become your lifelong friends.
This summer we have both 4-week and 7-week programmes:
Country | Schedule | |
4-week programmes | 7-week programmes | |
Algeria | 5 Jul. — 1 Aug. | 20 Jun. — 7 Aug. |
Egypt | 24 Jul. — 20 Aug. | 19 Jun. — 6 Aug. |
Kenya | 20 Jul. — 16 Aug. | 18 Jun. — 5 Aug. |
South Africa | 2 Aug. — 29 Aug. | 15 Jun. — 2 Aug. |
GDA ensures that volunteers work with community members and local project partners where our help is needed. All our projects aim to promote the development of poor and remote communities.
There is no other chance like a GDA programme. Join us as a volunteer manager to develop your own skills while bringing benefits to the communities.
Find out more about joining a GDA programme:
Website:www.glodeve.org
Email:humanresources@glodeve.org
1. What is the main responsibility of volunteer managers?| A．To seek local partners. | B．To take in young volunteers. |
| C．To carry out programmes. | D．To foster cultural awareness. |
| A．Egypt | B．Algeria | C．Kenya | D．South Africa |
| A．explore new cultures | B．protect the environment |
| C．gain corporate benefit | D．help communities in need |
10 . Alice Moore is a teenager entrepreneur(创业者), who in May 2015 set up her business AilieCandy. By the time she was 13, her company was worth millions of dollars with the invention of a super-sweet treat that could save kids’ teeth, instead of destroying them.
It all began when Moore visited a bank with her dad. On the outing, she was offered a candy bar. However, her dad reminded her that sugary treats were bad for her teeth. But Moore was sick of missing out on candies. So she desired to get round the warning, “Why can’t I make a healthy candy that’s good for my teeth so that my parents can’t say no to it?” With that in mind, Moore asked her dad if she could start her own candy company. He recommended that she do some research and talk to dentists about what a healthier candy would contain.
With her dad’s permission, she spent the next two years researching online and conducting trials to get a recipe that was both tasty and tooth-friendly. She also approached dentists to learn more about teeth cleaning. Consequently, she succeeded in making a kind of candy only using natural sweeteners, which can reduce oral bacteria.
Moore then used her savings to get her business off the ground. Afterwards, she and her father secured their first business meeting with a supermarket owner, who finally agreed to sell Moore’s product—CanCandy.
As CanCandy’s success grows, so does Moore’s credibility as a young entrepreneur. Moore is enthusiastic about the candy she created, and she’s also positive about what the future might bring. She hopes that every kid can have a clean mouth and a broad smile.
Meanwhile, with her parents’ help, Moore is generally able to live a normal teenage life. Although she founded her company early on in life, she wasn’t driven primarily by profit. Moore wants to use her unique talent to help others find their smiles. She donates 10% of AilicCandy’s profits to Big Smiles. With her talent and determination, it appears that the sky could be the limit for Alice Moore.
1. How did Moore react to her dad’s warning?| A．She argued with him. | B．She tried to find a way out. |
| C．She paid no attention. | D．She chose to consult dentists. |
| A．It is beneficial to dental health. | B．It is free of sweeteners. |
| C．It is sweeter than other candies. | D．It is produced to a dentists’ recipe. |
| A．To earn more money. | B．To help others find smiles. |
| C．To make herself stand out. | D．To beat other candy companies. |
| A．Fame is a great thirst of the young. |
| B．A youth is to be regarded with respect. |
| C．Positive thinking and action result in success. |
| D．Success means getting personal desires satisfied |
