1 . J. K. Rowling frequently shows there is magic every day. Her Harry Potter series has helped people through times of stress and depression and she is always there to deliver wise words of encouragement.
She is one celebrity who is very active on Twitter. So when a single dad named Matt Burke sent her a message thanking her for the series, she noticed. Her series had helped strengthen his relationship with his 9yearold daughter Bailey.
He included a link to his article titled Being a Broke Parent. He explained how he hadn’t found a level of financial stability that allowed him to pay bills on time and take his daughter on more activities and events. The family also doesn’t have the Internet or TV, which means there’s no “digital babysitter” and he has to rely on his own creative ways to bond with his daughter. Since he received the series, the main thing that has occupied them these days is reading books together.
Burke admits that he thought he was “too cool” for the books when they first came out and he was in his twenties, but he’s loving reading them now. “We switch off chapter by chapter reading them out loud,“Burke explains.” This not only allows her to get more used to reading aloud in front of someone, but it gets me directly involved in something she loves, and it gives me the chance to be very dramatic when I read my chapters and bring myself into the characters in the book, which has proven to be a ton of fun.”
After hearing Burke’s story, Rowling said how honored she was when Harry Potter was a part of his family’s life and offered Burke more books. Besides, people are also offering to send Burke more books as gifts. For Burke, this experience, far more than gifts, will be what he treasures.
1. Why did Burke thank J. K. Rowling according to the text?A.She guided him how to write a good story. |
B.She encouraged him when he was in trouble. |
C.Her books helped him through times of confusion. |
D.Her books helped him improve his bond with his daughter. |
A.He has found it interesting to read the series. | B.He was too old to understand the series better. |
C.He has chosen a better way of reading the series. | D.He hopes to play a role in the drama in the future. |
A.Useless. | B.Normal. | C.Valuable. | D.Boring. |
A.J. K. Rowling chooses to help improve kids’ health. |
B.J. K. Rowling gives a magical gift to a single father. |
C.J. K. Rowling has a deep influence on others’ growth. |
D.Burke comes to know J. K. Rowling through her series. |
2 . Everyone complains. Even if you argue that you are the happiest person in the world, you still complain sometimes. Sometimes you complain without even realizing it, but rarely is it ever helpful.
When you find yourself thinking or saying a negative comment about something or someone, stop and force yourself to say something positive instead. Seek the help of a cheerful friend to change you when you complain and help you to see the positive in the situation.
Make a list of things you are grateful for.
You often complain about the things you don’t have without noticing those things you already have. Be grateful for what you have in your life because you are lucky simply for being yourselves.
Learn to adapt to the changes.
There are many things you can’t change.
Allow yourself to vent (发泄) your feelings every once in a while.
Constantly ignoring negative thoughts could add up. If you are really going through a rough time, don’t be afraid to share your feelings with a close friend or family member or see a therapist.
Find what makes you happy.
A.Sometimes this list can be easy, full of hobbies you enjoy. |
B.The best and only thing you can do is to accept them. |
C.Change the way you think. |
D.Are you constantly complaining about your present job? |
E.Set down things you are thankful for and you’ll see that you don’t have any reason to complain. |
F.Make friends with positive people. |
G.So how can you manage to force yourselves to end complaining? |
3 . If you can potty-train (如厕训练) a child, so can you train a cow. At least, that was the theory a group of researchers in Germany decided to test, aiming to find a solution to the environmental damage caused by animal waste.
Farmed cattle produce about 66-88 pounds of waste and 8 gallons of urin (尿液) each day and are free to relieve themselves where they please. However, the spread of their waste into the soil can have negative effects on the environment.
The main question for Langbein, an animal psychologist at the Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN) in Germany, and his team was: “Why shouldn’t cattle be able to learn how to use a toilet? Animals are quite clever, and they can learn a lot.” Langbein said in a statement.
The team of scientists from FBN and FLI in Germany and the University of Auckland in New Zealand began to train the calves to use toilets, in a process they called “MooLoo training”. In the first stage of training, the cattle were put in a closed toilet. And whenever they urinated, they were given a reward of barley (大麦). “Once they were allowed outside, the calves would go in the toilet to get their reward, but they soon learned that there’s only a reward if they urinate.” FBN’s Neele Dirksen, first author of the study, told CNN.
To encourage calves to use the toilets, researchers also came up with a punishment. “We first used in-ear headphones and we played a very noisy sound whenever they urinated outside,” said Langbein. “We thought this would punish the animals, but they didn’t care. Eventually, a splash of water worked well as a gentle punishment.”
The calves were trained for 45 minutes every other day. And after 10 training days, the team had managed to train 11 out of the 16 calves involved in the experiment. The study shows that it is possible to train calves to use toilets, and Langbein said he hoped that “in a few years all cows will go to a toilet.”
1. What is the main purpose of “MooLoo training”?A.Reducing the amount of cattle’s waste. |
B.Teaching cattle to use toilets where they please. |
C.Preventing the cattle’s waste spreading into the soil. |
D.Protecting the environment from being polluted by animal waste. |
A.Offering barley. | B.Giving water splash. |
C.Playing noisy sound. | D.Wearing in-ear headphones. |
A.Useless. | B.Doubtful. | C.Effective. | D.Cruel. |
A.Cattle are clever enough to use toilets | B.Cattle’s waste harms the environment |
C.Scientists adopt new methods to raise cattle | D.MooLoo training helps improve the environment |
4 . If you’re looking to pick up an exercise bike on sale, our guide to the amazing exercise bike deals available right now will help you.
![]() | Bowflex C7 Bike — was S1,499.99, now S899.99 at Best Buy Save a huge $600 on this high-quality Bowflex bike in this excellent deal from Best Buy in the run-up to Black Friday. With this bike, you can access daily custom workouts and cycle through virtual scenic destinations, all for less than $900. Grab it now before it sells out. |
![]() | NordicTrack GX 2.7U — was $799.99, now $349.99 at Best Buy Featuring a 5" multicolor display, an interia-enhanced flywheel and 20 resistance levels, this exercise bike is currently discounted by $450 at Best Buy. It even has 20 onboard workouts already built in as well! |
![]() | Costway Exercise Bike — was $399.99, now $195.99 at Target With a multifunctional display and phone holder, adjustable resistance and a silent steel flywheel, this exercise bike is designed to offer you exceptionally good value for your money — and at this discount, who could turn their nose up at it! |
![]() | Geemax Bike — was $239.99, now $159.99 at Walmart This exercise bike from Geemax features a maximum load weight of 264.55 lbs, an 8kg balanced bidirectional (双向的) steel flywheel, stepless resistance adjustment and an LCD monitor to keep track of your workouts. Plus, the 245 user reviews look pretty promising! |
1. Which provides virtual scenery while you are riding it?
A.A Bowflex C7 Bike. | B.A NordicTrack GX 2.7 U. |
C.A Costway Exercise Bike. | D.A Geemax Bike. |
A.$595.98. | B.$450. |
C.$204. | D.$195.99. |
A.A multifunctional display. | B.A phone holder. |
C.A bidirectional steel flywheel. | D.An LCD monitor. |
5 . With more people concerned about the environment, you can expect to see many more electric vehicles( EVs电动汽车) on the road in future.
Since they’re powered by electricity, EVs also apply full power as soon as the driver hits the accelerator (加速器).
Of course, there are also disadvantages. Most EVs can drive over 200 miles on one full charge.
A.There are many benefits of owning an EV. |
B.At that point, though, they need to be recharged. |
C.Many drivers also report that EVs feel more secure. |
D.This may help them speed up faster than gas-powered cars. |
E.As the name suggests, electric vehicles rely on electricity alone. |
F.Many people prefer EVs because they can reduce their stress. |
G.So what is it like to drive an electric vehicle instead of a gas-powered car? |
6 . Counting stars is pretty difficult in areas with lots of light, like major cities. A study says even in the clearest skies, you’re still seeing turbulence (涡流) in the atmosphere that makes stars twinkle. Want a truly perfect view of outer space? An international research team has found the spot, but you’ll need to wrap up warm. It’s in Antarctica!
According to the University of New South Wales, turbulence causes light coming from stars to bend as it reaches the Earth’s surface. That instability( 不稳定) in the air makes stars twinkle.
The location in Antarctica, however, has so little turbulence that it hardly interferes (干扰) with the light from stars, making the view extraordinarily clear. The Chinese-led research team built a system of telescopes on the top of a plateau(高原), named Dome A, which sits 4,000 feet above sea level.
“Dome A is the highest point in the central plateau of Antarctica, and the atmosphere is extremely stable here, much more so than anywhere else on Earth,” says UNSW Professor Michael Ashley. “The result is that the twinkling of the stars is greatly reduced, and the star images are much sharper and brighter. In fact, this special place even has advantages over the famous Hubble Space Telescope.”
“Satellites are a lot more expensive,” the astronomer explains. “But another advantage of making Earth-based observations is that you can always add the latest technology to your telescope on the ground. In space, everything is delayed (延迟). So you end up with technology in space lagging that on the ground by 10 years or more.”
One of the biggest advantages Dome A’s location has is that winter nights in Antarctica are very long. In fact, scientists will be able to track stars continuously since some nights in midwinter last for almost 24 hours.
1. Why is the view of stars extraordinarily clear in Antarctica?A.Because stars appear bigger there. |
B.Because turbulence hardly exists there. |
C.Because there is little air pollution there. |
D.Because more light coming from stars arrives there. |
A.Based on. | B.Linked to. |
C.Competing with. | D.Falling behind. |
A.It sits 4,000 feet above sea level. |
B.It has very long winter nights there. |
C.The famous Hubble Space Telescope is there. |
D.Telescopes there are equipped with the latest technology. |
A.Business. | B.Environment. |
C.Science. | D.Tourism. |
7 . Robots can deliver food on a college campus and hit a hole in one on the golf course, but even the most advanced robot can’t perform basic social interactions that are vital to everyday human life.
MIT researchers have now added certain social interactions to a framework for robotics, enabling machines to understand what it means to help or hinder (阻碍) one another, and to learn to perform these social behaviors on their own. In a simulated (模拟的) environment, a robot watches its companion, guesses what task it wants to accomplish, and then helps or hinders the other robot based on its own goals. The researchers also showed that their model creates realistic and predictable social interactions. When they showed videos of these simulated robots interacting with one another to humans, the human viewers mostly agreed with the model about what type of social behavior was occurring.
Equipping robots with social skills could lead to smoother and more positive human-robot interactions. For instance, a robot in a nursing home could use these abilities to help create a more caring environment for elderly individuals. The new model may also enable scientists to measure social interactions quantitatively (数量上), which could help psychologists study autism (自闭症) or analyze the effects of antidepressants (抗抑郁药).
“Robots will live in our world soon enough and they really need to learn how to communicate with us on human terms. They need to understand when it is time for them to help and when it is time for them to see what they can do to prevent something from happening. This is very early work and we are barely scratching the surface, but I feel like this is the first very serious attempt for understanding what it means for humans and machines to interact socially,” says Boris Katz, leading research scientist.
1. What can robots in use at present do?A.Talk with humans freely. |
B.Measure social interactions. |
C.Perform various social skills. |
D.Accomplish basic instructed tasks. |
A.Opinions about robots having social skills. |
B.Ways of developing robots’ social skills. |
C.Significance of developing robots’ social skills. |
D.Purposes of equipping robots with social skills. |
A.Challenging but promising. |
B.Shallow and time-consuming. |
C.Successful but old-fashioned. |
D.Urgent and accurate. |
A.Future Robots on Campus | B.Giving Robots Social Skills |
C.New Research into Robots | D.Linking Robots and Humans |
8 . Borrowing Rules of Some Public Libraries
General Borrowing Rules
Borrowing Periods
*3 weeks for books and magazines
*2 weeks for new books
*1 week for entertainment DVDs
*1 week for documentary DVDs
*3 days for new DVDs(with stickers)
Renewals (续借)
All items except DVDs, Interlibrary Loan items, and new books may be renewed once if no one is waiting for them. Renewals may be made by calling 794-4244 ext. 4721.
Limits on Borrowing Rules
Adults(18 and over)may borrow
*30 items total from any of the Vineland, Bridgeton, and Millville libraries
*5 books from Vineland Public Library on any one topic for 3 weeks
*4 entertainment DVDs for 1 week
*4 documentary DVDs for 1 week
*6 magazines for 3 weeks
First-time borrowers are limited to 2 items.
Children(17 and under)may borrow
*30 items total
*3 books on one topic
*4 videos or DVDs
*6 magazines
Fines
*15 cents per day for adult books, magazines and music CDs
*35 cents a day for new books(14-day loan from the New Book shelves)
*$2.00 per day for overdue videos and DVDs
*10 cents per day on children’s materials and Audio Books
*10 cents per day on all other library materials
Borrowers are responsible for the replacement cost of any damaged or lost items. A $3 processing fee will also be charged.
1. How long may a borrower keep a new DVD?A.Three days. | B.One week. |
C.Two weeks. | D.Three weeks. |
A.Adults. | B.Children. |
C.New borrowers. | D.Ones damaging items. |
A.15 cents. | B.30 cents. |
C.35 cents. | D.70 cents. |
9 . There have been so many improvements in detecting cancer from blood tests to virtual devices that can detect tumors(瘤) painlessly. Now, a new visual technology will allow doctors to detect skin cancers in just 10 seconds.
Researchers from Tel Aviv University (TAU) have come up with a new visual technology that can find out skin cancer without ever cutting into the patient’s body. Skin cancer detection has always been a long process of doing a traditional examination of harmful changes and then waiting for the results. But this new method is so fast that you can know the results instantly.
Early detection of melanomas (a kind of tumors) can save lives according to the researchers. If a melanoma is detected early, and removed right away, the chances for a full recovery are very good. This new technology is built upon the knowledge that harmful changes give off different colors when placed under special light that shows if they are fatal (致命的)and what type of cancer is present. Instead of removing the harmful changes for examination, the research team pioneered a way to check them on the body.
The research was published in the journal Medical Physics, saying the optical technology was tested on 90 patients and it accurately identified the 5 patients with melanoma and 10 with other skin cancers. In addition, 75 other patients that had harmful changes were correctly identified as cancer-free.
The next stage involves testing the technology on many more patients in the hope that it can be used to create an easy-to-use machine that will be able to find out harmful changes on a screen. The visual technology will have the potential to cause an immense change in the field of detecting and treating skin cancer, which increases survivability and the quality of life.
1. What is the advantage of the new method?A.It saves time. | B.It reduces costs. | C.It’s widely used. | D.It is well received. |
A.By its size. | B.By its shape. | C.By its color. | D.By its position. |
A.By comparison. | B.By giving examples. |
C.By listing causes. | D.By following the time order. |
A.Huge. | B.Insignificant. | C.Negative. | D.Unimportant. |
10 . Chen Guanghui is a guardian for black-necked cranes (黑颈鹤) in the Dashanbao Black-necked Crane National Nature Reserve of Zhaotong city, in southwest China’s Yunnan Province. Whistling is the secret language Chen uses to communicate with the black-necked cranes, a type of migratory bird under first-class protection in China. She says different whistles signal different things. When she whistles in an increasing tone, she tries to tell the cranes: ask your companions to come back for lunch, and they would chirp (吱喳叫) to spread the message right away.
Living near the Dashanbao Nature Reserve, a major winter habitat for the rare species, Chen started to take care of them in 2003, a mission she took over from her mother, whose devotion dates back to the 1990s.
“In the first few days, I remembered they ran away as soon as I approached them. I was very upset and asked my mom to come back, and I was worried they would starve,” says Chen. “I initially tried everything, even singing folk songs to attract them, but failed. Later, I used special whistles and gradually formed close bond with the cranes.”
“I treat them as if they were my own children, and I’m always concerned about them, especially during snowy days when they can’t get food. I feel uncomfortable and anxious when I hear them chirp and usually rush to prepare corn for them.” It’s never been an easy job, and Chen has sustained quite a few injuries over the years, even falling into frozen marsh (沼泽) while trying to save a trapped crane in 2008. However, she never gave up. With love and responsibility, she has persisted in caring for the cranes for about 20 years.
Thanks to the joint protection efforts of Chen and staff members at the nature reserve, now more than 1,900 black-necked cranes overwinter in the area each season every year, up from about 300 when the nature reserve was established.
1. How does Chen Guanghui communicate with black-necked cranes?A.By singing folk songs. | B.By imitating chirps of birds. |
C.By making hand gestures. | D.By blowing special whistles. |
A.Rescuing injured animals. | B.Restoring habitats for rare species. |
C.Looking after black-necked cranes. | D.Building Dashanbao Nature Reserve. |
A.It is inspiring. | B.It is frustrating. |
C.It is interesting. | D.It is unexpected. |
A.Efforts bear fruit. | B.Fortune favors the brave. |
C.Virtue is its own reward. | D.A miss is as good as a mile. |