When you are talking to somebody at a party, do you focus entirely on the person you are speaking with or does your attention keep jumping around the room to all the other people there? General1y, if the person is someone you really want to talk to, you will focus on him. Most other people will only get about half of your attention.
You may think that this is OK, because if you don’t really want to talk to him, then what does it matter if you don’t give him your full attention? Consider two things. First, you may just not realize the importance of that conversation. If you are at a networking meeting and you hope to meet the CEO of Company X, but you end up talking to someone who has a low-level job at a different company, then you may let your attention wander (走神) as you speak to him. But maybe you don’t realize that this person has already met the CEO and could introduce you. Do you think he will do that if he feels you don’t really care about speaking to him? This doesn’t mean you need to spend the whole time talking to him. Five or ten minutes of real attentive (专心的) conversation can be worth 30 minutes to an hour of partial attention.
Second, whether you want to speak to someone is based on the situation. You can love your wife, but if she tries to talk to you while you are watching something you like on TV, where is your attention going? Make your own decision, but if you want her to feel valued, give her your 100% attention. The nice thing is that in many cases you can give her your attention for a few minutes and then return to what you were doing. You miss very little, she feels valued, and all is good.The author’s opinion is made believable mainly by ________.
| A．giving examples | B．using figures | C．asking questions | D．description |
The second paragraph mainly tells you that ________.
| A．you should focus on whoever you are talking to |
| B．you should be interested in everyone at a party |
| C．you can refuse to talk to someone you don’t like at a party |
| D．you should be patient with everyone at a party |
A person who has a low-level job probably ________.
| A．would like to talk to you | B．is the one you’re looking for |
| C．wants to make friends with you | D．is well worth focusing on |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Always be friendly to others at a party. |
| B．Improve your communication skills by focusing on others. |
| C．It is important for you to be active at a party. |
| D．You should respect your wife at any time. |
It’s exciting to imagine how future humans will have solved the problems we have now, or what amazing new inventions will make our lives more convenient and interesting. We asked top scientists to share their predictions on what the world will be like in a century. If they’re right, the 2114 is going to be really cool.
1. Robots will do your chores and more
Robots will be doing most of our jobs, from building homes to teaching math. There are already robots that clean floors and pump gas. In the future they will be more complicated and useful. Unfortunately, with robots taking all the jobs, unemployment will be high.
2. You will read minds.
Speaking of being social, we will communicate in an entirely different way. Forget texts and emails. Mind-reading technology will allow us to send thoughts to each other without speaking a word. We will also be able to send thoughts to objects around us. (Instead of pressing “start” on the microwave, you could just think “start.”) Meanwhile, chips implanted（植入in our brains will improve memory and intelligence.
3. Your car will drive you
Today, around 30,000 Americans die in car accidents each year. One hundred years form now, accidents will be a thing of the past. According to Mark Safford, consultant or the U.S. Department of Transportation, future cars will drive themselves. These electric cars will communicate with other cars on the road to travel safely in close formation at high speeds.
4. You will eat fake meat.
Raising animals is not an efficient way to produce food, and it harms the environment: Cows, chickens, and pigs eat a lot, and then we have to deal with all that poop（粪便. What’s more, that poop can up poisoning lakes, rivers, and streams. Today, scientists can “grow” meat in a lab from animal cells, but it’s expensive and not very delicious. In the future, they will have perfected the process. You’ll order hamburgers that come from factories, not cows. Scientists may even find ways to make lab-grown meat tastier and healthier than the real thing.According to the passage, what is likely to happen when robots become more common in the future?
| A．People will be much lazier. |
| B．More people will lose their jobs. |
| C．People may become physically weaker. |
| D．More people may become less intelligent. |
Mind-reading technology will help people to _______.
| A．have a good memory |
| B．talk to other creatures |
| C．read books efficiently |
| D．convey messages silently |
According to the passage, in the future cars will be__________.
| A．less popular |
| B．more expensive |
| C．much easier to operate |
| D．much smaller and lighter |
Future meat will be ________.
| A．much more affordable |
| B．less tasty but healthier |
| C．more organic and delicious |
| D．more environmentally friendly |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The history of human life. |
| B．The predictable future life. |
| C．The development of science. |
| D．The latest scientific findings. |
The computer keyboard helped kill shorthand—a system of rapid handwriting, and now it’s threatening to finish off handwriting as a whole. When handwritten essays were introduced on the SAT exams for the class of 2012, just 15% of the most 1.5 million students wrote their answers in cursive(草写字母). The rest? Block letters.
And those college hopefuls are just the first edge of a wave of US students who no longer get much handwriting instructions in the primary grades, frequently 10 minutes a day or less. As a result, more and more students struggle to read and write cursive.
At Keene Mill Elementary School in Springfield, all their poems and stories are typed. Children in Fairfax County schools are taught keyboarding beginning in kindergarten. Older students who never mastered handwriting say it doesn’t affect their grades.
There are those who say the culture is at a crossing, turning from the written word to the typed one. If handwriting becomes a lost form of communication, does it matter?
It was at University Virginia that researchers recently discovered a previously unknown poem by Robert, written in his unique script. Handwritten documents are more valuable to researchers, historians say, because their authenticity(真实性) can be confirmed. Students also find them more fascinating.
The loss of handwriting also may be a cognitive(认知的) opportunity missed. Several academic studies have found that good handwriting skills at a young age can help children express their thoughts better—a lifelong benefit.
It doesn’t take much to teach better handwriting skills. At some schools in Prince George’s County, elementary school students use a program called Handwriting Without Tears for 15 minutes a day. They learn the correct formation of manuscript letters through second grade, and cursive letters in third grade.
There are always going to be some kids who struggle with handwriting because of their particular neurological(神经系统的) writing, learning issues or poor motor skills. Educators often point to this factor in support of keyboarding.What is the author concerned about after 2012 Sat exams?
| A．Keyboarding. | B．Shorthand. |
| C．Handwriting. | D．Block letters. |
A poem by Robert mentioned in the passage is used to ____________.
| A．prove how valuable handwriting is |
| B．explain what a famous poet he is |
| C．show how unique his poem is |
| D．stress how fascinating the documents are |
The example of Handwriting Without Tears helps to argue that _____________.
| A．the schools are responsible for the loss of handwriting |
| B．the loss of handwriting is a cognitive opportunity missed |
| C．it doesn’t take much to teach better handwriting skills |
| D．the culture is turning from the written word to the typed one |
According to the author, when is a perfect time to learn handwriting?
| A．Kindergarten. | B．Primary school. |
| C．High school. | D．College. |
What is the author’s attitude towards this debate?
| A．Devotion. | B．Encouragement. |
| C．Critical. | D．Objective. |
I wasn’t surprised when I read that actress Helen Hunt recently stated that she would never allow her young daughter to become a child star. Ms Hunt is the daughter of a Hollywood technical director, and grew up in Hollywood. Now in her late 40s, she started acting and modeling when she was eight and has probably seen a lot over those years in show business.
She has had a successful career. She earned four Golden Globes and four Emmys. She also attained the top honor of her profession when she won the Best Actress Academy Award for her role in the 1992 movie, As Good As It Gets. Given those accolades, Ms Hunt is successful. There is no doubt that her early experiences as a child star prepared her for what has been an outstanding adult career. Given those achievements, why would this star declare she’ll never allow her daughter, now at the age of six, to follow in her footsteps?
Everyone familiar with the entertainment scene is aware of the reasons for her attitude. Recent tabloid (小报) news headlines featuring the troubles of former child stars, among them Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and the late Gary Coleman, may answer the question. Although Ms Hunt managed to become a successful grown-up star, she apparently believes she’s an exception.
What Ms Hunt may be suggesting is that many very young stars go through unnatural childhoods on movie and TV sets. While they’re earning big incomes, they’re so pampered (纵容) by directors and praised by fans; they may get false impressions that their lives will always be that way. Then, within a few years, when faced with reality, they’re hurt and confused. After all the overwhelming affection, they find they can’t deal with the problems. That’s often when drugs and alcohol take over their lives.
Helen Hunt has some other reasons why she doesn’t want her daughter to be in the entertainment business. Many child stars can never make a successful transition to meaningful adulthood. However, as with many Hollywood movies, I believe there are both good and bad scenes about how it can be played out in real life.According to the passage, Ms Hunt _________.
| A．started acting and modeling when she was a little girl |
| B．has been acting for about 30 years |
| C．is the daughter of a famous actor |
| D．started singing when she was eight |
The underlined word “accolades” in Paragraph 2 probably means “_________”.
| A．difficulties | B．awards |
| C．salaries | D．opinions |
The author thinks Helen Hunt’s success is mainly due to _________.
| A．her hard work |
| B．the help of a technicaldirector |
| C．her experiences as a child star |
| D．her talent and good luck |
Helen Hunt wouldn’t allow her daughter to become a child star because she thinks _________.
| A．child stars often take drugs and alcohol |
| B．being a child star may ruin her future |
| C．child stars aren’t able to solve their problems |
| D．it is difficult to succeed as a child actor |
From the passage we can conclude that _________.
| A．few child stars will succeed in the future |
| B．there is no way to save the entertainment business |
| C．the author has a different opinion about child stars |
| D．meaningful adulthood only belongs to non-child stars |
Are you a dog person or a cat person?
With so many photos and videos of cats and dogs doing cute things online, it’s easier than ever to answer which of these furry friends you like more. There are many reasons why people prefer one type of pet over the other. So, have you ever wondered what your preference for cats or dogs says about you?
In fact, a 2010 study done by Sam Gosling, a psychologist at the University of Texas, US, and his graduate student Carson Sandy found that dog people are more extroverted (外向的), agreeable and con- scientious (认真的) than cat people.
“Cats will occasionally engage in social activities, but usually after only a few minutes they will abandon the game. Dogs, on the other hand, will often engage in play, like fetching a thrown ball, for hours at a time,” said Modern Dog magazine.
Just on the basis of dogs’ nature being more sociable than cats’, you may expect that the personalities of dog people also reflect higher sociability. And Gosling’s study found that dog people are generally about 15 percent more extroverted and 13 percent more agreeable, both of which are linked with social orientation (态度).
In addition, dog people are 11 percent more conscientious than cat people. “Conscientiousness” is a tendency (趋势) to show self-discipline (自律), to complete tasks and aim for achievement. This trait (特点) also shows a preference for planned rather than spontaneous (一时冲动的) behavior.
In comparison, cat people are about 12 percent more anxious, but they are also 11 percent more “open” than dog people, due to a general appreciation for art, emotion, imagination, curiosity, adventure, unusual ideas and variety of experience. And people high on openness are more likely to hold unconventional (非传统的) beliefs.
Despite vast differences, there are some things that cat people and dog people have in common. “Both types of people consider themselves close to nature, dislike animal-print clothing and are generally optimists,” noted Mother Nature Network.
| A．Differences between dogs and cats in their personality traits. |
| B．Factors that influence people’s preference for dogs or cats. |
| C．How raising a pet helps shape your personality. |
| D．What your preference for dogs or cats tells about you. |
| A．get involved in | B．benefit from |
| C．take little interest in | D．perform well in |
| A．be more imaginative and creative |
| B．live a more organized life |
| C．love to get close to nature more |
| D．be more easygoing and adventurous |
| A．are generally self-disciplined |
| B．are usually positive and care about nature |
| C．are likely to hold unconventional beliefs |
| D．like to wear animal-print clothing |
Last week the American Medical Association voted, for the first time, to declare obesity(肥胖) a disease. How should the rest of us respond? When we meet obese people, should we cast them a knowing glance of concern and ask how they are doing? Should we send flowers and “get well soon” cards to obese family members and friends?
Should the U.S. declare war on obesity, as we once did on cancer?
If obesity truly is a disease, then over 78 million adults and 12 million children in America just got classified as sick. Yet many sensible people know that declaring obesity a disease is a mistake. Simply put, obesity is not a disease. To be sure, it is a risk factor for some diseases.
Yet everyone who is obese does not get sick, and many normal-weight people do not stay healthy. I have known slim people who took good care of themselves throughout their lives yet fell ill and died young. Others who exhibited no particular interest in their health and did not watch their weight lived to an old age. In most cases, we simply cannot tell from a person’s weight what lies ahead for them in life. Consider Winston Churchill. Though average in height, Churchill weighed up to 250 pounds. He smoked cigars and drank relatively heavily. He did not work out. Yet he became perhaps the most important statesmen of the 20th century and one of the greatest politicians in history. He lived to age 90.
Is obesity bad for people? For some, especially patients who are extremely overweight, the answer is almost certainly yes. Would many overweight people benefit from exercising more and eating less? Again, the answer is likely yes. But this does not make obesity a disease. Many people are not harmed by carrying extra pounds, some may actually benefit from it. For these reasons, we should be careful before labeling obese people diseased.
| A．Over 90 million Americans are more or less overweight. |
| B．People with good sense would agree with the declaration. |
| C．More Americans suffer from obesity than any other diseases. |
| D．Obesity is the leading cause of most deadly diseases. |
| A．tell us slim people are more likely to die young |
| B．show how successful an overweight person can be |
| C．prove overweight people are not necessarily unhealthy |
| D．encourage people not to care much about their way of living |
| A．Favorable | B．Uncaring |
| C．Disapproving | D．Friendly |
| A．A government report |
| B．A popular science magazine |
| C．A website about losing weight |
| D．A book about famous people |
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