It seems that people are gradually losing their smartness as smartphones become increasingly important assistants in their lives. As we rely too much on technology instead of our brains, many people have lost three basic abilities.
The first skill many people have lost is remembering phone numbers. Because phone numbers are stored in smartphone contacts, there's now no need to dial a number or look at it again. This is fine until you need to call someone for help, only to find your phone is not around.
And some people may also have lost their sense of direction because navigation apps can guide people anywhere they want. People get so dependent on them that when they can't use their smartphones, they get lost and anxious.
But the worst lost skills may be social ones, meaning that some people are becoming socially inept(无能的)People often bury themselves in their smartphones. As we're too absent-minded by what's happening in the virtual(虚拟的)some of us have lost conversational skills and sometimes can't even distinguish whether a person is happy or not.
Last August, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, studied 51 students aged 11 and 12 who had over five hours' screen time every day. Their task was to tell the emotions of 48 pictures of faces that were happy, sad, angry or scared.
The children made an average of 14. 02 mistakes at the beginning. But after a five-day camp without electronic products, they made only 9.41 mistakes on average.
Luckily, people still have a chance to get these abilities back. You should try to keep your parents' numbers in mind for emergencies. You should also pay more attention to street signs and stores , which will help you to draw a mind map and stop you from getting lost. And the easiest solution to social skill loss is to take a break from electronic products.The underlined sentence in the second paragraph implies that .
| A．you are able to turn to others for help |
| B．others are able to call you anytime and anywhere |
| C．others are unable to get in touch with you by smartphone |
| D．you are unable to contact others without your smartphone |
The experiment by researchers indicated that without electronic products, one could .
| A．recognize more facial expressions correctly |
| B．lose the sense of direction frequently |
| C．tell different emotions immediately |
| D．more pictures of faces easily |
Overusing smartphones, people will probably according to the passage
| A．lose face-to-face communication skills |
| B．have no sense of numbers |
| C．weaken their senses of hearing and sight |
| D．fail to find their destination |
The passage mainly tells us that many people are .
| A．becoming no smarter than smartphones |
| B．benefiting from smartphones' intelligence |
| C．losing some basic abilities because of using samrtphones |
| D．trying hard to break away from smartphones’intelligence |
The writer’s attitude towards electronic products is .
| A．critical | B．sympathetic |
| C．supportive | D．optimistic |
After an absence of thirty years, I decided to visit my old school again．I had expected to find changes, but not a completely different building．As I walked up the school drive, I wondered for a moment if I had come to the right address．The dirty red brick houses had been swept away．In its place stood a bright, modern block．A huge expanse of glass extended (延展) across the face of the building, and in front, there was a well-kept lawn (草坪) where previously there had been “an untidy gravel (沙石) yard”.
I was pleased to find that it was bread time and that the children were all in the playground．This would enable me to meet some members of staff(职员)．On entering the building, I was surprised to hear loud laughter coming from what appeared to be the masters’ common room．I could not help remembering the teachers in my time, all dressed in black gowns (长袍) and high collars (领子)．And above all, I recalled Mr Garston whom we had nicknamed “Mr Ghastly”, the headmaster who had iron discipline(纪律) on staff and pupils alike．I knocked at the common room door and was welcomed by a smiling young man who introduced himself to me as the headmaster．He was dressed casually in a sports jacket, and his cheerful manner, quickly dispelled (驱散) the image of Mr Ghastly．After I had explained who I was, the headmaster presented me to the teachers all of whom were a little younger than himself, and said he would take me round the school.
Here the biggest surprise of all was in store for (在等待)me．Gone were the heavy desks of old with their deeply carved names; gone too, were the dark classrooms with their ink stained, dark brown walls, and their raised platforms for the teachers．The rooms now were painted in bright colors, and the children, far from sitting straight in their places, seemed almost free to do as they liked．I looked with envy(嫉妒) as I remembered how, as a child, I had looked at the blackboard hardly daring to whisper to my neighbor.“Mr Ghastly” must be ______.
| A．the writer’s teacher |
| B．a serious old man |
| C．the strict headmaster |
| D．a naughty boy |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．He had expected that the school had completely changed. |
| B．In the writer’s time, all the teachers were dressed in black gowns and high collars. |
| C．There was a well-kept lawn in their school when he visited it. |
| D．An untidy gravel yard had disappeared. |
From what is said in the passage, it seems clear that the writer ______.
| A．disapproved of all the changes that had taken place |
| B．felt sorry for the children in the school |
| C．was glad that the school was still the same |
| D．felt that conditions at the school had improved a lot |
Nearly 60 million visitors flooded to the 384 national parks across America every year. And you won’t have to wander far from home to enjoy one of these national treasures, with Michigan’s Isle Royale National Park nearby.
Located 56 miles from Copper Harbor on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the park remains a desolate area that can only be reached by tour boat. With the exception of the Rock Harbor Lodge, which offers both rooms with private baths and accommodations in the form of small cottages, the 572,000 acres that make up the 45-mile-long park are rough, threaded with hiking paths that lead to tents-only campsites. You are likely to see a deer crossing mist-covered ponds in search of breakfast, gaze bald eagles flying overhead, or hear a beaver(河狸) clapping its tail on the water. If you are especially lucky, you might even glimpse a grey wolf, nearly dying out from hunting on the mainland.
Plenty of hiking paths open the area to exploration. The 4-mile Stroll Path winds through various trees and offers a tour of the island’s history, including prehistoric Indian mines. The Jungle Path leads to Scoville Point——a perfect picnic spot surrounded on three sides by the shining waters of Lake Superior.
You can also rent a boat at the park’s service center and row down the shore to the Rock Harbor Lighthouse. Here park’s service employees use nets to show how lake fishes used to be caught by the original local people. Their catch ends up on the dinner menu at the Rock Harbor Lodge.
The park is open from mid-April through October; Rock Harbor Lodge is open from Memorial Day weekend until just after Labor Day.The underlined phrase “a desolate area” in the 2nd paragraph probably means ________.
| A．an undeveloped area |
| B．an inaccessible area |
| C．an area deserted by tourists |
| D．an area protected by government |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Indians used to hunt grey wolves to make a living. |
| B．Tourists can only visit the park by walking or hiking. |
| C．The number of grey wolves is smaller than that of deer. |
| D．Food provided by Rock Harbor Lodge is shipped from outside. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Safety tips of the natural park. |
| B．Attractions of the natural park. |
| C．Tourist service of the natural park. |
| D．Environmental protection of the natural park. |
It is said that there’s no such thing as a free lunch, but even if you manage to bag a bargain meal, it will not taste as good as a more expensive choice, according to scientists.
A new study has found that restaurant goers who pay more for their meals think the food is tastier than offered for a smaller price. The experts think that people tend to associate cost with quality and this changes their perception(感知) of how food tastes.
Scientists at Cornell University studied the eating habits of 139 people enjoying an Italian buffet in a restaurant. The price of the food was set by the researchers at either $4 or $8 for the all-you-can-eat meal. Customers were asked to rate how good the food tasted, the quality of the restaurant and to leave their names.
The experiment showed that the people who paid $8 enjoyed their meal 11% more than those who ate the “cheaper” buffet. Interestingly those that paid for the $4 buffet said they felt guiltier about loading up their plates and felt that they overate. However, the scientists said that both groups ate around the same quantity of food in total.
Brian Wansink, a professor of consumer behavior at the university, said: “We were fascinated to find that pricing has little effect on how much one eats, but a huge effect on how you interpret the experience.” He thinks that people enjoyed their food more as they associated cost with quality and that small changes to a restaurant can change how tasty people find their meals.
In a previous study, researchers from the university showed that people who eat in bright lighting consume more than people who eat in less brightly lit areas. We can learn from the passage that ________.
| A．there were 139 subjects involved in the new study |
| B．a free lunch might be as delicious as you expected |
| C．the high pricing will change the exact taste of the food |
| D．in the experiment, the price of the food ranged from $4 to $8 |
According to the passage, which of the following factors has an effect on the quantity of food a person consumes?
| A．The taste of the food. |
| B．The price of the food. |
| C．The number of companions. |
| D．The lighting of the restaurant. |
Who will benefit most from the new study?
| A．The person who runs a restaurant. |
| B．The person who often eats outside. |
| C．The person who works on decoration. |
| D．The person who studies in university. |
The passage is intended to ________.
| A．promote marketing methods |
| B．inform readers of a new study |
| C．teach consumers how to eat better |
| D．find the association between cost and quality |
I was twenty-two, and in Bolivia. I’d been to every other country in South America, and now I was set on getting into Chile, the last on the list.
After several days, I reached the hills. It was cold, and even the distant mountains were clear. The days were lonely, but one evening I met Filomeno and his fellow teachers. They tried to persuade me not to go to Chile, saying it was a bad place, and that I would be killed. I didn’t believe them. I knew nothing of the current politics; I just wanted to go there.
So I walked into the mountains, feeling excited, and came to a sign with the word "Chile" on it. A frightening soldier appeared, stuck a gun in my back, and pushed me down a slope to the police station. The police chief then told me, "There’s nothing for you here." I explained that I had come to see this beautiful country. But he was annoyed.
In the evening they filled me with food. There was laughter, and I was less tense. Then the police chief took me to a tiny cell. I lay down on the mattress (垫子). Even though I had no light and none of my possessions, I felt euphoric. At least I had arrived! And what a story I’d have to tell! The next morning I was released, and I was told that Chile didn’t want me. Throwing my belongings into my backpack, I shouted and screamed at the soldiers. After all this effort I was being sent home! I stomped (以重踏步方式走) towards Bolivia expecting to feel a bullet. But I’d be back! I told myself.
The author went to Chile to ______.
| A．visit his friend Filomeno | B．settle there forever |
C．complete his trip plan | D．risk his life |
The underlined word "euphoric" in Paragraph 4 most probably means "______".
| A．terrible | B．shamed | C．bored | D．excited |
According to the last paragraph, the author lost his temper because ______.
| A．he was prevented from entering Chile |
B．he was badly treated by the soldiers in Chile |
C．it was his last chance to travel |
D．his friends had stopped him from going to Chile |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．An exciting fight with soldiers in Chile. |
B．How the author escaped from Chile. |
C．An adventure in Chile. |
D．Why the author went to Chile. |
Everybody hates it, but everybody does it. A recent report said that 40％of Americans hate tipping. In America alone, tipping is a $16 billion-a-year industry. Consumers acting politely ought not to pay more than they have to for a given service. Tips should not exist. So why do they? The common opinion in the past was that tips both rewarded the efforts of good service and reduced uncomfortable feelings of inequality. And also, tipping makes for closer relations. It went without saying that the better the service, the bigger the tip.
But according to a new research from Cornell University, tips no longer serve any useful function. The paper analyzes numbers they got from 2,547 groups dining at 20 different restaurants. The connection between larger tips and better service was very weak. Only a tiny part of the size of the tip had anything to do with the quality of service.
Tipping is better explained, by culture than by the money people spend. In America, the custom came into being a long time ago. It is regarded as part of the accepted cost of a service. In New York restaurants, failing to tip at least l5% could well mean dissatisfaction from the customers. Hairdressers can expect to get l5%-20%, and the man who delivers your fast food $2. In Europe, tipping is less common. In many restaurants the amount of tip is decided by a standard service charge. In many Asian countries, tipping has never really caught on at all. Only a few have really taken to tipping.
According to Michael Lynn, the Cornell papers' author, countries in which people are more social or outgoing tend to tip more. Tipping may reduce anxiety about being served by strangers. And Mr. Lynn says, “In America, where people are expressive and eager to mix up with others, tipping is about social approval. If you tip badly, people think less of you. Tipping well is a chance to show off." This passage is mainly about ________.
| A．different kinds of tipping in different countries |
| B．the relationship between tipping and custom |
| C．the origin and present meaning of tipping |
| D．most American people hate tipping |
Which of the following best explains the underlined phrase "caught on"?
| A．become popular. | B．been hated. |
| C．been stopped. | D．been permitted |
Among the following situations, in your opinion, who is likely to tip most?
| A．A Frenchman just quarreled with the barber who did his hair badly in New York. |
| B．An American just had a wonderful dinner in a well known restaurant in New York. |
| C．A Japanese businessman asked for a pizza delivery from a Pizza Hut in New York. |
| D．A Chinese student enjoyed his meal in a famous fast food restaurant in New York. |
We can infer from this passage that ________.
| A．tipping is no longer a good way to satisfy some customers themselves |
| B．tipping is especially popular in New York |
| C．tipping in America can make service better now |
| D．tipping has something to do with people's character |
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