1 . Have you ever been in a bathroom, dressing room or another private area with a mirror and had that feeling that someone is watching you? You can check to see if a mirror is transparent by observing how it is installed and using a few simple techniques to determine if there’s a wall behind it.
Check out the lighting. For a two-way mirror to be effective, the light on the mirrored side needs to be 10 times brighter than the light on the other side. If the lighting is dimmer, it’s possible to see through the glass to the observation area. Look around and determine whether the lighting seems extraordinarily bright.
Sound it out. The sound of tapping a two-way mirror has also been described as bright or sharp as opposed to a thud (砰的一声) from an everyday mirror. Tap on the surface of the mirror with your knuckle (指节).
| A．Turn off the lights. |
| B．Try to look through the glass. |
| C．Observe how the mirror is installed. |
| D．If so, you might be looking at a two-way mirror. |
| E．There are some accurate ways to tell if a mirror is two-way or not. |
| F．A normal mirror will produce a dull, flat sound, since it’s placed in front of a wall. |
| G．People standing on the other side of the wall can observe someone looking in the mirror. |
2 . Everyone wants to perform well at school. Add these tips to your life and you should be on your way to being a top student!
Taking notes is important. You don’t need to write down every single word your teacher says but write down what he or she writes on the blackboard, or any special fact you think you might need for a test.
Don’t skip school. You will be missing courses.
Keep a good attitude (态度) towards things. If you have an “ I don’t care about school or this class” attitude, then teachers will be less willing to help you with problems. The same goes for lazy attitude. Have a respectful attitude to the teacher and other students.
Always ask questions.
| A．Be prepared. |
| B．Write in your own words. |
| C．Staying organized will be helpful. |
| D．Pay attention to what the teacher says. |
| E．It is true that you could make up the work. |
| F．There is no shame (羞愧)in needing some help. |
| G．Try not to laugh when other students make mistakes. |
4 . Terrie Mitchell, 34, from Sheffield, received an unexpected present when she was finally reunited with her beloved cat — 11 years after she first went missing. Chloe, who only has one eye, was discovered living in an overturned wheelie bin just a few streets away from where she was last seen.
Chloe was first brought into her family home as a kitten, when Ms. Mitchell was aged 21 and still living at home with her mum, Jean. When she moved out with her partner, she let the longhaired black cat stay in the house she was used to. But when Ms. Mitchell’s mother died unexpectedly at the age of 60, Chloe disappeared and could not be found anywhere.
Despite searching for her, she all but gave up hope of ever seeing her cat again until she spotted a Facebook post featuring the longhaired cat. Postwoman Andrea Hurst had been delivering a parcel to an elderly lady, when she spotted the cat living in the wheelie bin. On her next round, she asked about the cat and was told she had been staying there for more than six years as the woman had been feeding her. The kindly woman asked a local cat shelter to collect Chloe, before using the social media site to locate the original owners. She wrote, “This is probably a long shot,but does anyone recognize this beautiful cat?”
Ms. Mitchell noticed the post by chance and commented, “Omg, this is my cat!!!!! I can’t stop shaking!!!!! Her name is Chloe!!! Please whoever knows contact me...”
The vet, who confirmed Chloe was more than 10 years old, told her owner it was nothing short of a miracle. Today Chloe is settling in well at her new home and even responds to her original name. Her delighted owner added, “Now I feel guilty that I didn’t search for her better, because she was obviously around. It could give hope to people who haven’t seen their pets for years.”
1. What do we know about Chloe from the first two paragraphs?| A．She is a shorthaired cat with only one eye. |
| B．She disappeared before Mitchell’s mother died. |
| C．She stayed in Jean’s house before she disappeared. |
| D．She was discovered in a wheelie bin far from Mitchell's house. |
| A．Jean. | B．An unknown person. | C．The vet. | D．Andrea Hurst. |
| A．Amazed. | B．Worried. | C．Hopeless. | D．Guilty. |
| A．The Best Gift | B．A Kind Woman |
| C．An Unexpected Reunion | D．A Missing Cat |
| A．in his forty; occupation | B．in the forties; intention |
| C．in his forties; dedication | D．in the forty; commitment |
| A．expose | B．expand | C．engage | D．endure |
7 . One of my neighbors used to have a beautiful tree in her front yard. It was nothing more than a little branch
When the two-day snowstorm struck our town, heavy snow
| A．unless | B．when | C．until | D．because |
| A．erupt | B．wind | C．shoot | D．stand |
| A．spring | B．summer | C．fall | D．winter |
| A．fell on | B．took apart | C．got through | D．tore down |
| A．top | B．middle | C．bottom | D．root |
| A．dancing | B．spreading | C．trembling | D．lying |
| A．obvious | B．unexpected | C．subtle | D．severe |
| A．Consequently | B．Eventually | C．Thankfully | D．Accidentally |
| A．replace | B．decorate | C．plant | D．remove |
| A．everything | B．something | C．anything | D．nothing |
| A．falling | B．shaking | C．floating | D．shinning |
| A．vision | B．example | C．reminder | D．view |
| A．however | B．therefore | C．moreover | D．otherwise |
| A．leaf | B．stump | C．branch | D．stick |
| A．life | B．time | C．effort | D．nature |
| A．beat | B．smile | C．hurt | D．sink |
| A．mixed | B．changeable | C．separate | D．stable |
| A．sorrow | B．wealth | C．pleasure | D．sympathy |
| A．break | B．pull | C．benefit | D．attach |
| A．connections | B．families | C．bodies | D．souls |
8 . Nostalgia (怀旧) has become increasingly common in our current climate of unexpected, fast-paced change. More and more people are turning back with longing for what feels like simpler, sweeter times. They collect cassette tapes, manual typewriters even decades-old video games.
Is it a mistake to get too obsessed with the past? Some psychologists warn that too much devotion to the so-called good old days is an escape from reality; it can indicate loneliness or that a person is having a difficult time coping in the present. Psychologist Stephanie Coontz argues that nostalgia distracts us from addressing the problems of modern life and contributes to anxiety, depression, insomnia etc.
But new studies suggest that a modest dose of nostalgia is not only harmless, but actually beneficial. They suggest it helps strengthen our sense of identity and makes us feel more optimistic and inspired. It is also a tool for self-discovery and memories are a psychological immune response that is triggered when you want to take a break from negativity. Interestingly, those happy memories can be particularly beneficial both to kids in their teens and to society’s elders. Recalling our childhood reminds us of “the times when we were accented and loved unconditionally,” says Krystine Batcho, a psychologist. “That is such a powerfully comforting phenomenon, knowing that there was a time in life when we didn’t have to earn our love.” Nostalgia can transform even the most ordinary past into legends which warms the heart and the body. Let’s not forget that nostalgia has been a source of inspiration to innumerable American writers. Mark Twain recalled his boyhood, writing, “after all these years, I can picture that old time to myself now, just as it was then: The white town drowsing in the sunshine of a summer’s morning.”
So go ahead, daydream a little about your best childhood friend, your first car, a long-gone family pet. As Dr. Sedikidessays, “Nostalgia is absolutely central to human experience.” But at the same time, keep these words of wisdom from the great inventor Charles Kettering in mind as well: “You can’t have a better tomorrow if you are thinking about yesterday all the time.”
1. What did some psychologists in paragraph 2 probably agree?| A．Nostalgia can cause some mental problems. |
| B．Nostalgia makes us devoted to the present life. |
| C．Nostalgia shows you are trying to get rid of loneliness. |
| D．Nostalgia helps us cope with the difficult time we are going through. |
| A．It can enable us to know ourselves better |
| B．It can bring us some comfort when we recall |
| C．We are likely to gain attention if we recall the happy childhood |
| D．We can sometimes break away from negativity with happy memories |
| A．The reasons why we should avoid nostalgia. |
| B．The great changes nostalgia will bring to you. |
| C．The bad memories that always stick around you. |
| D．The bad influence of too much devotion to nostalgia. |
| A．People tend to be lost in nostalgia. |
| B．People actually benefit from nostalgia. |
| C．Childhood memories influence present life. |
| D．There are some periods when people look back. |
9 . Golden Generation
A national team, mostly consisting of teenagers, pushed China to its biggest-ever medal achievement at the Winter Olympics. At the same time, a series of breakthroughs at the Games
Gu Ailing also became the first athlete
Needless to say, another teenager star, Su Yiming, also became a
“The
“With winter sports becoming popular in our country amid the fast social and
The Beijing Winter Games also
“
| A．specializes | B．signals | C．swallows | D．subscribes |
| A．Thanks to | B．In addition to | C．Regardless of | D．In terms of |
| A．confirmed | B．concludes | C．clarifies | D．claimed |
| A．in detail | B．in history | C．by nature | D．with pride |
| A．ever | B．never | C．already | D．yet |
| A．incidents | B．events | C．affairs | D．issues |
| A．access | B．start | C．face | D．popularity |
| A．civilization | B．teenage | C．household | D．education |
| A．performance | B．knowledge | C．concept | D．ambition |
| A．on | B．at | C．of | D．with |
| A．typical | B．fortunate | C．relevant | D．previous |
| A．rise | B．profession | C．convention | D．explosion |
| A．accounts | B．represents | C．estimates | D．recommends |
| A．agricultural | B．historical | C．economic | D．natural |
| A．hold up | B．break up | C．get up | D．pick up |
| A．deeply | B．greatly | C．thoroughly | D．countlessly |
| A．signed | B．allowed | C．followed | D．marked |
| A．lying | B．shaking | C．laying | D．rocking |
| A．As long as | B．If only | C．As far as | D．In that |
| A．focus | B．impress | C．witness | D．observe |
10 . Researchers say two-way communication is possible with people who are asleep and dreaming. Specifically, with people who are lucid (清醒的) dreaming — that is, dreaming while being aware you’re dreaming.
In separate experiments, scientists in the U.S., France, Germany and the Netherlands asked people simple questions while they slept. Sleepers would respond by moving their eyes or faces in a certain way to indicate their answers.
“Since the1980s, we’ve known that lucid dreamers can communicate out of dreams by using these signals,” says Karen Konkoly, a Ph.D. student at Northwestern University, who is the first author on the study published this month in Current Biology. “But we were wondering, can we also communicate in? Can we ask people questions that they could actually hear in their dreams so that we could kind of have a more meaningful conversation?”
Lucid dreaming is not common. So to study it, they found people who had experience with it and also trained people to try to make lucid dreaming more likely. Before they went to sleep, the participants were also trained on how to communicate their answers. Special sensors measured people’s eye movements or experts would judge their facial movements. For example, a typical question would be to ask what is 8 minus 6. A 19-year-old American man was able to respond by moving his eyes left-right, left-right-two times-to signal “2”.
Out of the 158 trials among 36 participants, about 18% of the time they were able to give correct answers. In another 18%, it wasn’t clear if participants were responding or not. They were wrong 3% of the time. Most often, 61%, participants didn’t respond at all.
The researchers write that their findings present “new opportunities for gaining real-time information about dreaming” and “could begin a new era of investigations into multiple dimensions of sleep”.
Konkoly says there’s the possibility of one day doing a sort of “dream therapy (疗法)” for talking down people experiencing lucid nightmares.
1. What can lucid dreamers do while dreaming?| A．Explain simple ideas. | B．Move around freely. |
| C．Respond with eye movements. | D．Start a conversation. |
| A．To develop dream therapies. | B．To look deep into lucid dreaming. |
| C．To popularize lucid dreaming. | D．To cure patients with sleep problems. |
| A．The result was a total disappointment. | B．61%of the participants never answered. |
| C．18%of the participants gave right answers. | D．Chances are the participants can give accurate answers. |
| A．Optimistic. | B．Doubtful. | C．Critical. | D．Unclear. |
