1 . We all know that unpleasant feeling when we’re talking about something interesting and halfway through our sentence we’re interrupted. But was that really an interruption? The answer depends on whom you ask, according to new research led by Katherine Hilton from Stanford University.
Using a set of controlled audio clips (录音片段), Hilton surveyed 5, 000 American English speakers to better understand what affects people’s perceptions of interruptions. She had participants listen to audio clips and then answer questions about whether the speakers seemed to be friendly and engaged, listening to one another, or trying to interrupt.
Hilton found that American English speakers have different conversational styles. She identified two distinct groups: high and low intensity speakers. High intensity speakers are generally uncomfortable with moments of silence in conversation and consider talking at the same time a sign of engagement. Low intensity speakers find it rude to talk at the same time and prefer people speak one after another in conversation.
The differences in conversational styles became evident when participants listened to audio clips in which two people spoke at the same time but were agreeing with each other and stayed on topic, Hilton said. The high intensity group reported that conversations where people spoke at the same time when expressing agreement were not interruptive but engaged and friendlier than the conversations with moments of silence in between speaking turns. In contrast, the low intensity group perceived any amount of simultaneous (同时) chat as a rude interruption, regardless of what the speakers were saying.
“People care about being interrupted, and those small interruptions can have a massive effect on the overall communication,” Hilton said. “Breaking apart what an interruption means is essential if we want to understand how humans interact with each other.”
1. What does Hilton’s research focus on?A.What interruptions mean to people. |
B.Whether interruption is good or not. |
C.How to avoid getting interrupted. |
D.Why speakers interrupt each other. |
A.Record an audio clip. | B.Answer some questions. |
C.Listen to one another. | D.Have a chat with a friend. |
A.It’s important. | B.It’s interesting. |
C.It’s inefficient. | D.It’s impolite. |
A.Human interaction is complex. |
B.Communication is the basis of life. |
C.Interruptions promote thinking. |
D.Language barriers will always exist. |
2 . It’s about 250 miles from the hills of west-central Iowa to Ehlers’ home in Minnesota. During the long trip home, following a weekend of hunting. Ehlers
Back home, Ehlers was troubled by that
A local farmer told them the dog sounded like one
Jeff had
Ehlers returned to Minnesota, and then drove 100 miles to Minneapolis to put Rosie on a flight to Michigan. “It’s good to know there’s still someone out there who
“I figured whoever lost the dog was probably just as
A.read | B.forgot | C.thought | D.heard |
A.fighting | B.trembling | C.eating | D.sleeping |
A.tried | B.agreed | C.promised | D.regretted |
A.calmed down | B.stood up | C.rolled over | D.run off |
A.injured | B.stolen | C.lost | D.rescued |
A.home | B.past | C.back | D.on |
A.preparation | B.explanation | C.test | D.search |
A.cautiously | B.casually | C.skillfully | D.angrily |
A.surprise | B.joy | C.hesitation | D.anxiety |
A.predicted | B.advertised | C.believed | D.recorded |
A.house | B.phone | C.street | D.car |
A.called | B.copied | C.counted | D.remembered |
A.fed | B.adopted | C.found | D.cured |
A.hunted | B.skied | C.lived | D.worked |
A.on purpose | B.on time | C.in turn | D.in vain |
A.cares | B.sees | C.suffers | D.learns |
A.place | B.trouble | C.waste | D.extreme |
A.service | B.plan | C.effort | D.team |
A.equal | B.allergic | C.grateful | D.close |
A.suitable | B.proud | C.wise | D.willing |
On our way to the house, it was raining
We were first greeted with the barking by a pack
When they were free from work, they invited us to local events and let us know of an interesting
4 . Last year I decided to do some volunteer work. I began to
I was sent to the Coronado National Forest for my first 8-day
My job was to
Three days later, a beautiful stairway came into being. The
But on the last night we were
A.calculate | B.negotiate | C.advertise | D.research |
A.imagined | B.introduced | C.enjoyed | D.found |
A.annoyed | B.surprised | C.scared | D.excited |
A.arriving | B.sleeping | C.thinking | D.walking |
A.confident | B.friendly | C.energetic | D.curious |
A.funny | B.good | C.lucky | D.easy |
A.tour | B.project | C.campaign | D.course |
A.drop | B.make | C.carry | D.buy |
A.nice | B.safe | C.long | D.quick |
A.build | B.test | C.clean | D.guard |
A.helped | B.ended | C.allowed | D.meant |
A.hunted | B.trained | C.seen | D.fed |
A.satisfaction | B.ambition | C.expectation | D.intention |
A.work | B.memory | C.record | D.story |
A.left | B.caught | C.attacked | D.separated |
A.boiling | B.average | C.normal | D.freezing |
A.tidy | B.dry | C.new | D.soft |
A.By the way | B.Regardless of that | C.Needless to say | D.In either case |
A.survived | B.resisted | C.escaped | D.recovered |
A.smarter | B.stronger | C.happier | D.busier |
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧),并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线,并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;
2.只允许修改10处,多者(从第11处起)不计分。
I became interesting in playing football thanks to a small accident. One afternoon where I was in primary school, I was walking by the school playground. Suddenly football fell just in front of me but almost hit me. I stopped the ball and kicked it hardly back to the playground. To everyone’s surprising, the ball went into the net. All the football player on the playground cheered loudly, say that I had a talent for football. From now on, I started to play my football with classmates after school. I am a good player now.
6 . My Favourite Books
Jo Usmar is a writer for Cosmopolitan and co-author of the This Book Will series(系列) of lifestyle books. Here she picks her top reads.
Matilda
Roald Dahl
I once wrote a paper on the influence of fairy tales on Roald Dahl’s writing and it gave me a new appreciation for his strange and delightful words. Matilda’s battles with her cruel parents and the bossy headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, are equally funny and frightening, but they’re also aspirational.
After Dark
Haruki Murakami
It’s about two sisters—Eri, a model who either won’t or can’t stop sleeping, and Mari, a young student. In trying to connect to her sister, Mari starts changing her life and discovers a world of diverse “night people” who are hiding secrets.
Gone Girl
Gillian Fynn
There was a bit of me that didn’t want to love this when everyone else on the planet did, but the horror story is brilliant. There’s tension and anxiety from the beginning as Nick and Amy battle for your trust. It’s a real whodunit and the frustration when you realise what’s going on is horribly enjoyable.
The Stand
Stephen King
This is an excellent fantasy novel from one of the best storytellers around. After a serious flu outbreak wipes out 99.4% of the world’s population, a battle unfolds between good and evil among those left. Randall Flagg is one of the scariest characters ever.
1. Who does “I” refer to in the text?A.Stephen King. | B.Gillian Flynn. |
C.Jo Usmar. | D.Roald Dahl. |
A.Cosmopolitan. | B.Matilda. |
C.After Dark. | D.The Stand. |
A.A folk tale. | B.A biography. |
C.A love story. | D.A horror story. |
7 . “You can use me as a last resort(选择), and if nobody else volunteers, then I will do it.” This was an actual reply from a parent after I put out a request for volunteers for my kids’ lacrosse(长曲棍球) club.
I guess that there’s probably some demanding work schedule, or social anxiety around stepping up to help for an unknown sport. She may just need a little persuading. So I try again and tug at the heartstrings. I mention the single parent with four kids running the show and I talk about the dad coaching a team that his kids aren’t even on … At this point the unwilling parent speaks up, “Alright. Yes, I’ll do it.”
I’m secretly relieved because I know there’s real power in sharing volunteer responsibilities among many. The unwilling parent organizes the meal schedule, sends out emails, and collects money for end-of-season gifts. Somewhere along the way, the same parent ends up becoming an invaluable member of the team. The coach is able to focus on the kids while the other parents are relieved to be off the hook for another season. Handing out sliced oranges to bloodthirsty kids can be as exciting as watching your own kid score a goal.
Still, most of us volunteers breathe a sigh of relief when the season comes to a close. That relief is coupled with a deep understanding of why the same people keep coming back for more: Connecting to the community(社区) as you freely give your time, money, skills, or services provides a real joy. Volunteering just feels so good.
In that sense, I’m pretty sure volunteering is more of a selfish act than I’d freely like to admit. However, if others benefit in the process, and I get some reward too, does it really matter where my motivation lies?
1. What can we infer about the parent from her reply in paragraph l?A.She knows little about the club. |
B.She isn’t good at sports. |
C.She just doesn’t want to volunteer. |
D.She’s unable to meet her schedule. |
A.Encourage teamwork. |
B.Appeal to feelings. |
C.Promote good deeds. |
D.Provide advice. |
A.She gets interested in lacrosse. |
B.She is proud of her kids. |
C.She’ll work for another season. |
D.She becomes a good helper. |
A.It gives her a sense of duty. |
B.It makes her very happy. |
C.It enables her to work hard. |
D.It brings her material rewards. |
8 . Bacteria are an annoying problem for astronauts. The microorganisms(微生物) from our bodies grow uncontrollably on surfaces of the International Space Station, so astronauts spend hours cleaning them up each week. How is NASA overcoming this very tiny big problem? It’s turning to a bunch of high school kids. But not just any kids. It is depending on NASA HUNCH high school classrooms, like the one science teachers Gene Gordon and Donna Himmelberg lead at Fairport High School in Fairport, New York.
HUNCH is designed to connect high school classrooms with NASA engineers. For the past two years, Gordon’s students have been studying ways to kill bacteria in zero gravity, and they think they’re close to a solution(解决方案). “We don’t give the students any breaks. They have to do it just like NASA engineers,” says Florence Gold, a project manager.
“There are no tests,” Gordon says. “There is no graded homework. There almost are no grades, other than ‘Are you working towards your goal?’ Basically, it’s ‘I’ve got to produce this product and then, at the end of year, present it to NASA.’ Engineers come and really do an in-person review, and...it’s not a very nice thing at times. It’s a hard business review of your product.”
Gordon says the HUNCH program has an impact(影响) on college admissions and practical life skills. “These kids are so absorbed in their studies that I just sit back. I don’t teach.” And that annoying bacteria? Gordon says his students are emailing daily with NASA engineers about the problem, readying a workable solution to test in space.
1. What do we know about the bacteria in the International Space Station?A.They are hard to get rid of. | B.They lead to air pollution. |
C.They appear in different forms. | D.They damage the instruments. |
A.To strengthen teacher-student relationships. |
B.To sharpen students’ communication skills. |
C.To allow students to experience zero gravity. |
D.To link space technology with school education. |
A.Check their product. | B.Guide project designs. |
C.Adjust work schedules. | D.Grade their homework. |
A.NASA: The Home of Astronauts |
B.Space: The Final Homework Frontier |
C.Nature: An Outdoor Classroom |
D.HUNCH: A College Admission Reform |
9 . With the young unable to afford to leave home and the old at risk of isolation(孤独), more families are choosing to live together.
The doorway to peace and quiet, for Nick Bright at least, leads straight to his mother-in-law, she lives on the ground floor, while he lives upstairs with his wife and their two daughters.
Four years ago they all moved into a three-storey Victorian house in Bristol - one of a growing number of multigenerational families in the UK living together under the same roof. They share a front door and a washing machine, but Rita Whitehead has her own kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living room on the ground floor.
“We floated the idea to my mum of sharing at a house,” says Kathryn Whitehead. Rita cuts in: “We spoke more with Nick because I think it’s a big thing for Nick to live with his mother-in-law.”
And what does Nick think? “From my standpoint, it all seems to work very well. Would I recommend it? Yes, I think I would.”
It’s hard to tell exactly how many people agree with him, but research indicates that the numbers have been rising for some time. Official reports suggest that the number of households with three generations living together had risen from 325,000 in 2001to 419,000 in 2013.
Other varieties of multigenerational family are more common. Some people live with their elderly parents; many more adult children are returning to the family home, if they ever left. It is said that about 20% of 25-34-year-olds live with their parents, compared with 16% in 1991.The total number of all multigenerational households in Britain is thought to be about 1.8 million.
Stories like that are more common in parts of the world where multigenerational living is more firmly rooted. In India, particularly outside cities, young women are expected to move in with their husband’s family when they get married.
1. Who mainly uses the ground floor in the Victorian house in Bristol?A.Nick. | B.Rita. | C.Kathryn | D.The daughters. |
A.Positive. | B.Carefree. | C.Tolerant. | D.Unwilling. |
A.Family traditions. | B.Financial reports. | C.Published statistics. | D.Public opinions. |
A.Lifestyles in different countries. | B.Conflicts between generations. |
C.A housing problem in Britain. | D.A rising trend of living in the UK. |
1.建议交流的具体内容及其原因;
2.交流时间和其他相关事项。
注意:1.词数100左右;
2.开头和结尾已给出,不计入总词数。
Dear Jim,
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Yours,
Li Hua