1 . Types of Social Groups

Life places us in a complex web of relationships with other people. Our humanness arises out of these relationships in the course of social interaction. Moreover, our humanness must be sustained through social interaction -- and fairly constantly so. When an association continues long enough for two people to become linked together by a relatively stable set of expectations, it is called a relationship.

People are bound within relationships by two types of bonds: expressive ties and instrumental ties. Expressive ties are social links formed when we emotionally invest ourselves in and commit ourselves to other people. Through association with people who are meaningful to us, we achieve a sense of security, love, acceptance, companionship, and personal worth. Instrumental ties are social links focused when we cooperate with other people to achieve some goal.

Occasionally, this may mean working with, instead of against, competitors. More often, we simply cooperate with others to reach some end without endowing the relationship with any larger significance.

Sociologists have built on the distinction between expressive and instrumental ties to distinguish between two types of groups: primary and secondary. A primary group involves two or more people who enjoy a direct, intimate, cohesive relationship with one another. Expressive ties predominate in primary groups: we view the people as ends in themselves and valuable in their own right. A secondary group entails two or more people who are involved in an impersonal relationship and have come together for a specific, practical purpose. Instrumental ties predominate in secondary groups ; we perceive people as means to ends rather than as ends in their own right. sometimes primary group relationships evolve out of secondary group relationships. This happens in many work settings. People on the job often develop close relationships with coworkers as they come to share gripes, jokes, gossip, and satisfactions.

A number of conditions enhance the likelihood that primary groups will arise. First, group size is important. We find it difficult to get to know people personally when they are milling about and dispersed in large groups. In small groups we have a better chance to initiate contact and establish rapport with them. Second, face - to - face contact allows us to size up others. Seeing and talking with one another in close physical proximity makes possible a subtle exchange of ideas and feelings. And third, the probability that we will develop primary group bonds increases as we have frequent and continuous contact. Our ties with people often deepen as we interact with them across time and gradually evolve interlocking habits and interests.

Primary groups are fundamental to us and to society. Sociologists view primary groups as bridges between individuals and the larger society because they transmit, mediate, and interpret a society’s cultural patterns and provide the sense of oneness so critical for social solidarity. Primary groups, then serve both as carriers of social norms and as enforcers of them.

1. According to Paragraph 1, which of the following statements is true of a relationship?

A．It is a structure of associations with many people.

B．It should be studied in the course of social interaction.

C．It places great demands on people.

D．It develops gradually over time.

2. Which of the following can be inferred from the author’s claim in paragraph 4 that primary group relationships sometimes evolve out of secondary group relationships?

A．Secondary group relationships begin by being primary group relationships.

B．A secondary group relationship that is highly visible quickly becomes a primary group relationship.

C．Sociologists believe that only primary group relationships are important to society.

D．Even in secondary groups, frequent communication serves to bring people into close relationships.

3. The phrase “size up” in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to “________”.

A．enlarge	B．evaluate
C．impress	D．accept

4. This passage is developed primarily by ________.

A．drawing comparisons between theory and practice

B．presenting two opposing theories

C．defining important concepts

D．discussing causes and their effects

2 . Concerns about the harm caused by “too much” screen time—particularly when it is spent on social media—are widespread. But working out what a “healthy” ___ might be is far from easy.

Some negative experiences on social media—like ____ how your appearance compares to others—do affect some children. However, this does not mean that technology use in ____ is harmful and it is difficult to make claims about how it will affect different people.

Consider the picture painted by a UNICEF review of existing research into the effects of digital technology on children’s ____ comfort, including happiness, mental health and social life. Rather than stating that social media was harmful, it suggested a more ____ effect.

The UNICEF report highlighted a 2017 study that examined 120,000 UK 15-year-olds. Among those teenagers who were the lightest users, it was found that increasing the time spent using technology was linked to ____ comfort—possibly because it was important for keeping up friendships. ____, among the heaviest users of technology, any increase in time was linked to lower levels of comfort. Overall, the UNICEF study suggested that some screen time could be good for children’s mental health.

A broader look at evidence provided by some other high quality studies again suggests the story is not ____. An early study in 2013 looked at how the television and video game habits of 11,000 UK five-year-olds affected them two years later. It is one of few studies actually ____ the effects of technology over time. It suggested that, compared with children who watched one hour of television or less on a weekday, a small increase in conduct problems was seen among those who watched more than three hours each day. Playing electronic games, however, was not seen as leading to a greater ____ of friendship or emotional problems.

So how much time should our children spend looking at screens? It is difficult to be ____ as different people spend time online in such different ways. A useful comparison might be with sugar. Broadly speaking, people ____ that too much sugar can be bad for your health. But the effect it might have can depend on many factors, from the type of sugar to the person and the amount. We would not ____ trust anyone who claims to predict how someone is affected by consuming one gram of sugar. The same could be said for ____ usage: the outcomes depend on so many factors that only very ___ predictions are possible.

1.

A．amount

B．comparison

C．experience

D．medium

2.

A．accounting for

B．boasting of

C．commenting on

D．worrying about

3.

A．general

B．particular

C．private

D．public

4.

A．domestic

B．material

C．physical

D．psychological

5.

A．complex

B．dramatic

C．harmless

D．predictable

6.

A．improved

B．maximum

C．relative

D．small

7.

A．As a rule

B．In contrast

C．On the whole

D．Worse still

8.

A．convincing

B．definite

C．probable

D．true

9.

A．estimating

B．experiencing

C．reducing

D．tracing

10.

A．connection

B．power

C．promotion

D．risk

11.

A．balanced

B．independent

C．precise

D．subjective

12.

A．agree

B．forget

C．object

D．remember

13.

A．equally

B．readily

C．reluctantly

D．weakly

14.

A．emotion therapy

B．social media

C．TV broadcasting

D．video game

15.

A．confident

B．optimistic

C．rough

D．wild

3 . As the train picked up its speed, the passengers slowly settled down on their seats, I _________ the lower berth(铺位), so that I could enjoy the _________ of outside from the moving train. I don’t know why I always preferred to get the _________ seat. An elderly lady _________ the front seat of mine. I looked at her. She must be in her eighties, I guessed. At one point, we met our _________. She smiled at me and I gave her a response. Both of us were _________. By that time, the train was in its full speed.

It was 4:50 pm, evening time. So, _________ time was still in a long way, I couldn’t _________ myself any longer and asked, “Auntie! Where are you going?”

She looked at me and friendly said, “_________ camp, dear.”

Suddenly my enthusiasm __________ to know the reason. I politely said. “Auntie, you are __________ someone?”

She smiled and said, “Yes!”

Just to continue the conversation, I talked to her in a very cheerful __________. “Auntie, you must be feeling so __________ to see your child and your grandchildren.”

________, this question hurt her a little but boldly (大胆地) she answered, “Oh, dear! You are so sweet! Anyway, I had only one son who was __________ and was killed in a battle just a few days before. I bought so many new clothes for him. So, I thought why not __________ my son’s clothes for some other soldiers, so that I would control my __________ and would be happy thinking that my own son has __________ it.”

I was shocked hearing her heartbreaking story! But I __________ the old lady from the core of my heart, I was thinking of her __________ heart!

1.

A．preferred

B．reserved

C．overlooked

D．substituted

2.

A．beauty

B．fantasy

C．impression

D．miracle

3.

A．back

B．front

C．window

D．best

4.

A．undertook

B．occupied

C．controlled

D．possessed

5.

A．heads

B．hands

C．faces

D．eyes

6.

A．silent

B．amazed

C．considerate

D．concerned

7.

A．supper

B．bed

C．play

D．chat

8.

A．balance

B．commit

C．excuse

D．resist

9.

A．City

B．Neighborhood

C．School

D．Army

10.

A．shrank

B．accelerated

C．doubled

D．chanced

11.

A．mourning

B．visiting

C．hunting for

D．thinking about

12.

A．mood

B．rhythm

C．condition

D．situation

13.

A．curious

B．tentative

C．excited

D．sincere

14.

A．However

B．Eventually

C．Hopefully

D．Perhaps

15.

A．cast away

B．called up

C．picked up

D．brought in

16.

A．distribute

B．spare

C．collect

D．weave

17.

A．disappointment

B．embarrassment

C．sorrow

D．delight

18.

A．worn

B．polished

C．dyed

D．worshiped

19.

A．saluted

B．recognized

C．understood

D．memorized

20.

A．broken

B．fascinating

C．stubborn

D．brave

4 . Mental illness and disability were family problems for English people living between 1660 and 1800. Most women and men who suffered from mental illness were not institutionalized as this was the period before the extensive building of mental hospitals. Instead, they were housed at home, and cared for by other family members.

Now a new study by Cambridge historian Dr. Elizabeth Foyster will reveal the impact on families of caring for mentally ill and disabled relatives.

Much has been written about the insane themselves but few studies have considered mental illness from the perspective of the carers. The lifetime burden of caring for those individuals whose mental development did not progress beyond childhood, and who contemporaries labeled as ‘idiots’ or ‘fools’, has been little explored by historians. Foyster’s research, which has been funded by the Leverhulme Trust, will carefully examine the emotional and economic consequences for families at a time when the Poor Law bound them to look after their mentally ill and disabled family members.

By asking key questions about the impact of ‘care in the community’ in the 18th century, Foyster hopes that her research will bridge social and medical history. Specifically, she aims to provide an historical perspective for contemporary debates such as how resources can be stretched to provide for children with learning difficulties and an aging population.

“The stresses and strains of family were worsened by high infant mortality and low life expectancy, and many individuals were pushed towards mental breakdown,” she explained. “Moreover, inherited conditions, senility(高龄) and what today would be described as ‘special needs’ could put great emotional demands on family members who had primary responsibility for their sick or disabled relatives.”

The research will shed light upon how caring for the mentally ill and disabled raised difficult issues for families about the limits of intergenerational responsibility, and whether family ties were weakened or strengthened by the experience. The questions of how far shame was attached to having insanity or idiocy within a family, and at what point families began to seek outside help, will also be addressed.

“The family must have seemed an inescapable feature of daily life between 1660 and 1800,” said Foyster. “Although there were those who were abandoned and rejected, for the majority, mental disability was accommodated within the family unit. I aim to get to the heart of what this really meant for people’s lives.”

1. Which is NOT the reason why those mentally ill and disabled were not institutionalized from 1660 to 1800?

A．Mental illness and disability were family problems then.

B．The extensive building of mental hospitals didn’t start yet.

C．They were abandoned by the government and the family.

D．The family would be found guilty if they didn’t care for them.

2. Why does Foyster want to carry out this study?

A．Because it can provide some food for thought for some current social issues.

B．Because the stresses and strains of family life have driven many people crazy.

C．Because she’s looking for ways to communicate with the sick or disabled people.

D．Because the limits of intergenerational responsibility in such families, interest her.

3. Which question will NOT be studied in the research?

A．How should resources today be stretched to provide for an aging population?

B．How did caring for the sick and disabled affect the family’s earning power?

C．How shameful did a family feel when their insane or disabled relatives were found out?

D．At what point did those families have to begin to look for outside help?

4. The passage is written in order to ________.

A．reveal the impact on families of caring for mentally ill and disabled relatives

B．provide an historical perspective to contemporary debates

C．shed light upon whether family ties were weakened or strengthened

D．introduce a new historical study carried out by a Cambridge historian

5 . If you wear glasses, chances are you are smarter. Research published in the famous British journal Nature Communications has found that people who displayed higher levels of intelligence were almost 30 percent more likely to wear glasses.

The scientists studied the genes of thousands of people between the ages of 16 and 102.The study showed intelligence can be connected to physical characteristics. One characteristic was eyesight. In out of 10 people who were more intelligent, there was a higher chance they needed glasses. Scientists also said being smarter has other benefits. It is connected to better health.

It is important to remember these are connections which are not proven causes. Scientists call this correlation. Just because something is connected to something else does not mean one of those things caused the other. And it’s worth noting that what constitutes intelligence is subjective and can be difficult, if not impossible, to measure.

Forget genes though. Plenty of proof shows wearing glasses makes people think you are more intelligent, even if you do not need glasses. A number of studies have found people who wear glasses are seen as smarter, hard-working and honest. Many lawyers use this idea to help win their cases. Lawyer Harvey Solves explained this. Glasses soften their appearance. He said Sometimes there has been a huge amount of proof showing that people he was defending broke the law. He had them wear glasses and they weren’t found guilty.

Glasses are also used to show someone is intelligent in movies and on TV. Ideas about people who wear glasses have begun to shift. People who do not need glasses sometimes wear them for fashion only. They want to look worldly or cool. But not everyone is impressed by this idea, though. GQ magazine said people who wear glasses for fashion are trying too hard to look smart and hip (时髦的). However, that hasn’t stopped many celebrities from happily wearing glasses even if they do not need them. Justin Bieber is just one high-profile fan of fashion glasses.

1. What does the new study show?

A．People wearing glasses are smarter.

B．People wearing glasses are healthier.

C．Wearing glasses can make people cleverer.

D．Wearing glasses is associated with higher IQ.

2. What does the underlined word in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Shift.

B．Link.

C．Proof.

D．Consequence.

3. Why do some lawyers ask their clients to wear glasses in court?

A．Because it can create a moral image.

B．Because it can mislead the witnesses.

C．Because it can highlight clients’ qualities.

D．Because it can prove the clients’ innocence.

4. What is the general attitude to those who wear glasses for fashion?

A．Positive.

B．Negative.

C．Mixed

D．Indifferent.

6 . 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.

2. What can we know about RAS?

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.

3. What’s Minor’s attitude toward the future of RAS?

A．Doubtful.	B．Negative.
C．Optimistic.	D．Uncertain.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

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.

7 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Many athletes have been told that smiling while     1    (sweat) will make our efforts feel easier. A marathon runner smiled widely through the final miles of his fastest-ever marathon; afterward, he said what he had hoped     2    (be) that the smiling would ease him to the finish line; But there has been little solid scientific evidence to support this idea. In recent years several past studies     3    (examine) whether deliberately smiling can make changes to how people feel psychologically during races,     4     few have looked at the physical effect     5     sports performance.

Researchers decided     6    (gather) a group of experienced recreational runners and have them alternatively smile broadly as they ran. Many of the runners found it difficult to smile throughout the whole session, though. Their smiles became     7    (increase) fixed and unnatural. Such false smiles make     8    (few) facial muscles (肌肉) start working than the sincere version and most likely result in less     9    (relax) and performance improvement. So the key to using a happy smile to make you     10     better runner may be to smile sincerely and often near a race’s end, but in 30-second bursts, rather than constantly.

8 . After getting "paying-it-forward. " several times, I always wish I could buy a coffee for a stranger too.

That particular morning, I _______in my rearview mirror(后视镜)when I got to the drive-through window to pay. A _______woman was driving a sports car behind. I could see her gold jewelry shining in the sunshine."No way does she need me to buy her coffee!" I was quite _______ , but then that _______shouted in my heart: “Pay for her coffee. "

Are you kidding me? I was _______on cash myself, and I was already feeling guilty for _______ cash on my own coffee. _______, I told the cashier, "Please put the red sports cars _______on my bill. " As soon as I said it, I felt _______. I knew I had followed my heart. I paid the server and drove to the parking lot.

________ , the sport car followed. The lady________and said, "I don’t know why I am telling you this but I need you to know how much I________that coffee. " She started to ________, "our business partner ________us and left us in the cold. This could not have come at a worse time ________we lost our son to cancer last month. I thought nobody ________ about us, and then you appeared. Thank you ever so much. "

Now I was the one who was ________tears. We chatted and she ________me that I gave her much more than a cup of coffee that morning. Next time I am in the drive-through and feel the ________to pay it forward-there will be no ________.

1.

A．noticed

B．watched

C．recognized

D．glanced

2.

A．crazy

B．well-dressed

C．pale-looking

D．cautious

3.

A．positive

B．passive

C．uncertain

D．ashamed

4.

A．opinion

B．idea

C．voice

D．wish

5.

A．loose

B．easy

C．soft

D．low

6.

A．wasting

B．spending

C．giving

D．losing

7.

A．However

B．Instead

C．Besides

D．Therefore

8.

A．price

B．debt

C．order

D．budget

9.

A．amused

B．regret

C．encouraged

D．relief

10.

A．Unfortunately

B．Immediately

C．Unexpectedly

D．Obviously

11.

A．came up

B．turned up

C．visited

D．moved

12.

A．appreciate

B．expect

C．miss

D．dislike

13.

A．argue

B．smile

C．complain

D．cry

14.

A．helped

B．cheated

C．treated

D．defeated

15.

A．once

B．before

C．as

D．though

16.

A．talked

B．heard

C．cared

D．worried

17.

A．sending back

B．fighting back

C．taking back

D．getting back

18.

A．advised

B．convinced

C．astonished

D．reminded

19.

A．command

B．request

C．duty

D．urge

20.

A．hesitation

B．debate

C．delay

D．tremble

9 . What if a rollercoaster ride looked like this: no rails, no trains, just a chair on a mechanical arm (机械手臂) and a pair of glasses—VR glasses meaning virtual reality? That’s how it is in Nanchang, China, where a new amusement park relies entirely on digital entertainment.

Compared with a traditional theme park, this VR theme park takes up smaller space and much less time to build, but it brings visitors similar playing experience. The park uses VR for a variety of attractions, including the roller coaster ride, a musical video game where you have to hit the right notes, and a shooter in a completely unreal environment. It really gives you the feeling of reality.

The park wants to invest in a future technology and hopes to keep people’s fascination with virtual reality of life. For the technology, it is still highly experimental. What we want to do with virtual reality is to experience things in and beyond reality, but in fact the VR we can experience right now has a lot of limits. For example, although on the visual front, we can say we’ve broken past reality in our visual experience, there’s still a lack of physical feedback, meaning we can see the virtual world around us but we can’t feel them. That limits the technology’s appeal from many applications.

For now, one of its main uses is in professional training. For example, for pilots in a Boeing VR simulator(模拟器), a real touchable interface is combined with a virtual world outside. Some significant development is still needed before we can virtually wander around in our houses, go for a walk without leaving the house or actually hold a product in our hands before buying it online. Nanchang hopes to become a significant VR player in the future not just with digital rollercoasters.

1. What can be an advantage of the VR theme park over traditional ones?

A．Its lower cost.	B．Its shorter building time.
C．Its larger area.	D．Its more exciting attractions.

2. What is the third paragraph about?

A．The limits of the present VR technology.

B．The uses of VR technology in the future.

C．The vivid experience of playing a VR roller coaster.

D．The experiments done to improve VR technology.

3. What can be done now with the aid of VR technology?

A．Playing a musical instrument.	B．Walking out without leaving the house.
C．Training pilots in a simulator.	D．Touching a product when shopping online.

4. What’s the best title for the text?

A．A Roller Coaster without Rails

B．Nanchang: the Next King of VR Technology

C．Virtual Reality: Advantages and Disadvantages

D．VR Brings Theme Park Visitors New Experience

10 . Google previously announced successful tests of machine learning systems designed to assist doctors. In one case, Google reported AI had examined eye diseases with equal accuracy to doctors. Other tests showed that machine learning can be used to study large amounts of patient data to predict future medical events.

Now the company has published two new studies showing a high level of success in identifying metastatic breast cancer. Metastatic means that cancer has spread from its main area to other parts of the body. Metastatic breast cancer is one of the deadliest, causing about 90 percent of all breast cancer deaths worldwide.

In metastatic breast cancer patients, the cancer often travels to nearby lymph nodes(淋巴结). Usually doctors examine lymph node tissue under a microscope to see whether cancer is present. Google notes that previous studies have shown that up to one-fourth of metastatic lymph node classifications end up being changed after a second examination. In addition, studies show that small metastatic material can be missed up to 67 percent of the time when examinations happen under extreme time restrictions.

Google says it created a mathematical algorithm(算法). The algorithm, called Lymph Node Assistant, is trained to find characteristics of tissue affected by metastatic cancer. When the system examined tissue images(图像), it was able to differentiate between metastatic cancer and non-cancer 99 percent of the time. In addition, the Lymph Node Assistant is highly effective at finding the positions of the cancers. Some of these positions would be too small for doctors themselves to identify. The research also showed that the algorithm method can reduce the usual time needed to examine the disease by about 50 percent.

But Google makes clear the AI-based system is not meant to replace the work of medical professionals. Instead, it is designed to reduce the number of false identifications and help doctors work faster and more effectively.

1. What is the main idea of Paragraph 1?

A．Google became a pioneer in training doctors.

B．Machine learning is able to stop future medical events.

C．Google developed artificial intelligence to help doctors.

D．Artificial intelligence cured eye diseases with equal accuracy to doctors.

2. What can we infer about metastatic breast cancer?

A．One-fourth of the metastatic breast cancer patients die in the end.

B．Metastatic breast cancer is very difficult to identify.

C．It results in 90 percent of deaths of all cancers.

D．It can be identified after a second examination.

3. What is the advantage of Google’s new mathematical algorithm?

A．It can offer effective treatment.

B．It can tell the exact positions of cancers

C．It costs 99 percent less time than before.

D．It improves the accuracy of identifying cancers by 50%.

4. What influence will the mathematical algorithm bring?

A．False identification of cancers will be avoided.

B．More effective prevention of cancers will be found.

C．The number of medical professionals will be reduced.

D．Doctors can have a faster understanding of patients’ condition.