When Jeff Sparkman draws his cartoon superheroes with colored pencils, he often has to ask other people to tell him what color his masked men turned out to be because he's color-blind. Now, a new smart phone application (app) can help him figure out what colors he's using and how the picture looks to most everyone else.
The DanKam app, available for iPhone and Android for $2.99, is an application that turns the vague colors that one percent of the population with color-blindness sees into the "true" colors as everyone else sees them. In America, an estimated 32 million color-blind Americans—95% are males—can soon have their life improved.
“DanKam takes the stream of data coming in through the phone's camera and changes the colors slightly so they fall within the range that people who are color-blind see,”developer Dan Kaminsky told CNET. He came up with the idea after watching the 2009 film Star Trek with a color-blind friend.
It was then that he got to know more about colorblindness like its varying types and degrees. A vast majority, for instance, have trouble seeing red or green due to a genetic defect(遗传缺陷). Blue-yellow colorblindness, however, is rarer and develops later in life because of aging, illness or head injuries, etc. He started experimenting with one of the most common representations of points in the RGB color model. What the DanKam app attempts to do is to clean up the color space of the image or video signal so that colors can be visible to those suffering from viewing problems. “You can adjust the app to fit your needs. There is a range and not everyone who is color-blind sees things the same.” Says Kaminsky.
Sparkman, a copy editor at CNET, tried out the app and was pleased with the results. "It would be useful for dressing for a job interview," he said. But using it for his art is “the most practical application." It worked well on LED and other lights on electronic gadgets, which means Sparkman can now identify the power light on his computer display as green.According to the first two paragraphs, we can know that DanKam ___________.
| A．is designed to help people with colorblindness |
| B．can turn vague colors into real ones |
| C．is a phone used to help drawing pictures |
| D．appeared in the movie Star Trek |
How does DanKam’s app work?
| A．It puts LED and other lights on electronic gadgets. |
| B．It shows common representations of points in the RGB color model |
| C．It checks color-blind people’s types of degrees of colorblindness. |
| D．It changes the colors so that color-blind people can see them. |
It can be inferred from the passage that colorblindness __________.
| A．cannot be cured by any methods |
| B．is not necessarily inborn disease |
| C．is more commonly seen in women |
| D．makes people unable to tell any colors |
The underlined word visible in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to _________.
| A．recognizable | B．enjoyable |
| C．adjustable | D．Portable |
Which of the following is NOT included in the things that DanKam helps Sparkman with?
| A．Choosing clothes. |
| B．Playing computer games |
| C．Drawing his pictures. |
| D．Handling electronic gadgets. |
You may not pay much attention to your daily elevator ride．Many of us use a lift several times during the day without really thinking about it．But Lee Gray，PhD，of the University of North Carolina，US，has made it his business to examine this overlooked form of public transport．He is known as the “Elevator Guy”.
“The lift becomes this interesting social space where etiquette (礼仪) is sort of odd (奇怪的)，” Gray told the BBC．“The elevators are socially very interesting but often very awkward places.”
We walk in and usually turn around to face the door．If someone else comes in，we may have to move．And here，according to Gray，liftusers unthinkingly go through a set pattern of movements．He told the BBC what he had observed.
He explained that when you are the only one inside a lift，you can do whatever you want – it’s your own little box.
If there are two of you，you go into different corners，standing diagonally (对角线地) across from each other to create distance.
When a third person enters，you will unconsciously form a triangle．And when there is a fourth person it becomes a square，with someone in every corner．A fifth person is probably going to have to stand in the middle.
New entrants to the lift will need to size up the situation when the doors slide open and then act decisively．Once in，for most people the rule is simple – look down，or look at your phone.
Why are we so awkward in lifts?
“You don’t have enough space，” Professor Babette Renneberg，a clinical psychologist at the Free University of Berlin，told the BBC．“Usually when we meet other people we have about an arm’s length of distance between us．And that’s not possible in most elevators.”
In such a small，enclosed space it becomes very important to act in a way that cannot be understood as threatening or odd．“The easiest way to do this is to avoid eye contact，” she said.According to Gray，when people enter an elevator，they usually _____.
| A．turn around and greet one another |
| B．look around or examine their phone |
| C．make eye contact with those in the elevator |
| D．try to keep a distance from other people |
Which of the following describes how people usually stand when there are at least two people in an elevator?
A． |
B． |
C． |
D． |
According to the article，people feel awkward in lifts because of _____.
| A．someone’s odd behaviors |
| B．a lack of space |
| C．their unfamiliarity with one another |
| D．their eye contact with one another |
What’s the passage mainly about _____.
| A．Bad manners in the elevator |
| B．Some unwritten rules of elevator etiquette |
| C．An interesting but awkward elevator ride |
| D．The strange behaviors in the elevator |
Eight Things a Burglar Won’t Tell You
Should you spend your money on a home security system? A look inside a burglar’s mind might help you decide.
1．Of course I look familiar．I was here just last week cleaning your carpets，painting your shutters，or delivering your new refrigerator．
2．Hey，thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week．While I was in your home，I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.
3．To you，leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air．To me，it’s an invitation which I am more than happy to accept.
4．If it snows while you’re out of town，get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house，or it will be a dead giveaway．By the way，loud dogs and nosy neighbors are the two things I hate most．
5．It’s raining．You’re fumbling with your umbrella，and you forget to lock your door---understandable．But understand this: I don’t take a day off because of bad weather．
6．Do you really think I won’t look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers，the bedside table，and the medicine cabinet．Here’s a helpful hint: I almost never go into kids’ rooms．
7．You’re right: I won’t have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables．But if it’s not fastened，I’ll take it with me．
8．Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook.com page．It’s easier than you think to look up your address.Money and valuables might be the safest if kept in your______.
| A．kids’ room |
| B．sock drawer |
| C．medicine cabinet |
| D．safe |
The underlined words “a dead giveaway” here may probably be something that______.
| A．throws away useless things at home |
| B．warns a burglar that someone is dead |
| C．tells a burglar the truth |
| D．frightens a burglar away |
We can draw a conclusion from the text that______.
| A．burglars seldom steal in bad weather |
| B．if you do housework yourself，you’ll stay away from burglars |
| C．you yourself are sometimes to blame for a theft |
| D．you can always count on your neighbors when you are out |
The main purpose of the article is to _____.
| A．summarize when burglars steal most frequently |
| B．encourage people to spend money on home security systems |
| C．explain why burglars take up stealing |
| D．teach people how to protect their homes |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Once Dr．Mellinkoff invited me to join him at the hospital to discuss interesting cases with his students．The case at hand was a Guatemalan man，aged 34，who had a fever and many other medical problems．His condition was not improving，and there was not much hope he would live.
Dr．Mellinkoff asked to see the patient．He introduced himself in Spanish and，in a very gentle voice，asked how he felt．The patient smiled and said everything was all right．Then the doctor asked if he was able to eat．The patient said that he had no desire to eat.
“Are you getting food you like?”
The patient said nothing.
“Do you get the kind of food you have at home?”
The answer was no.
The doctor put his hand on the man’s shoulder and his voice was very soft.
“If，you had food that you liked，would you eat it?”
“Yes，yes.” the patient said.
The change in the patient’s appearance couldn’t have been more obvious．Nothing was said，but it was easy to tell that a message had been sent and had also been received.
Later，the doctor asked why the Guatemalan man wasn’t getting food he could eat．One of the students said，“We all know how difficult it is to get the kitchen to make special meals.”
“Suppose，” the doctor replied，“you felt a certain medicine was absolutely necessary but that our hospital didn’t carry it，would you accept defeat or would you insist the hospital meet your request?”
“I would probably insist，” the student said.
“Very well，” the doctor said．“You might want to try the same method in the kitchen．It won’t be easy，but I can help you．Meanwhile，let’s get some food inside this man as fast as possible，and stay with it．Or he’ll be killed by hunger．By the way，there must be someone among you who can speak Spanish．If we want to make real progress，we need to be able to talk with him．”
Three weeks later，Dr．Mellinkoff told me that the Guatemalan man had left the hospital under his own power．It takes more than medicine to help sick people; you also have to talk to them and make them comfortable.The patient had no desire to eat because __________.
| A．he was not hungry |
| B．he was seriously ill |
| C．he was given special meals |
| D．he was not satisfied with the food |
According to the passage，we can conclude that __________.
| A．the patient was from another country. |
| B．the patient’s illness was caused by hunger |
| C．Dr．Mellinkoff performed an operation on the patient |
| D．the hospital failed to provide the right medicine for the patient |
Which of the following words can be used to describe Dr．Mellinkoff ?
| A．Cold. |
| B．Considerate. |
| C．Curious. |
| D．Confident. |
What do you think Dr．Mellinkoff wanted to tell his students in this case?
| A．Doctors should know their patients’ real problems. |
| B．Doctors should be able to speak foreign languages. |
| C．Doctors should try to improve their medical skills. |
| D．Doctors should give more medicine to patients. |
The Best of Alaska
Nothing evokes(唤起)Alaska like a whale exploding out of the water or an eagle pulling a silver fish from the river．Combine these images with high mountains，brilliant icebergs and wonderful meals and you really do have the Best of Alaska! Join us for an unforgettable 7-day excursion(远足)to the last frontier!
Highlights(集锦)：
JUNEAU: Juneau，the state capital，is rich in culture and scenic beauty．It is here that we start and end our trip．
HAINES: Haines is a small community located along the fjords（峡湾）．The natural beauty and expansive wilderness found here have made Haines a premier center for adventure in Alaska．
ALASKA INDIAN ARTS: Alaska Indian Arts is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to the preservation and continuation of traditional native craft and culture of the Northwest Native Tribes．We spend a few hours learning carving，native beading(玻璃珠)and culture from these master artists．
SKAGWAY: Skagway is a lively town，which still reflects its gold rush roots and contains colorful shops．In Skagway，we stop by the Klondike Gold Rush National Park Visitor's Center and ride the White Pass Yukon Route Railway．
GUSTAVUS: Gustavus is the gateway to Glacier Bay National Park．We'll stay at a comfortable lodge here for two nights．This will be the base for both the whale-watching excursion and a full day cruise(巡游) in Glacier Bay．
DATES/PRICES:
2014: May 16，June 20，July 18，August 15.
7 days—$3,500，including lodging，all meals，excursions，guides，park fees，sales taxes，and transportation between Juneau，Skagway，Haines，and Gustavus．Not included: Alcohol，personal items，airfare to and from Juneau．
Contact:
Email: info@alaskamountainguides．com
Call: 18007663396
Write: Alaska Mountain Guides & Climbing School
P．O．Box 1081，Haines AK 99827You can watch a whale exploding out of the water at ________．
| A．Glacier Bay National Park |
| B．the Klondike Gold Rush National Park |
| C．the White Pass Yukon |
| D．the fjords |
According to the advertisement，the participants of the excursion ________．
| A．will spend one day experiencing the local culture at Alaska Indian Arts |
| B．can contact Alaska Mountain Guides & Climbing School by email or fax |
| C．are able to experience some adventurous activities in Haines |
| D．can get lots of traditional native artwork free of charge |
Which of the following requires a participant to pay additional fees?
| A．Going from Gustavus to Juneau by train． |
| B．A full day cruise in Glacier Bay． |
| C．Having the last supper at Juneau． |
| D．Flying from Juneau to his hometown． |
It is known from the advertisement that________．
| A．the native culture of the Northwest Native Tribes is dying out |
| B．Juneau，as the state capital，is much more beautiful than Haines |
| C．Skagway was the richest town of Alaska in the past |
| D．Alaska is famous for its culture，history and natural beauty |
Do American children still learn handwriting in school? In the age of the keyboard，some people seem to think handwriting lessons are on the way out．90% of teachers say they are required to teach handwriting．But studies have yet to answer the question of how well they are teaching it．One study published this year found that about three out of every four teachers say they are not prepared to teach handwriting．Some teachers are teaching handwriting by providing instruction for 10 to 15 minutes a day，and then other teachers who basically teach it for 60 to 70 minutes a day — which really for handwriting is pretty much．
Many adults remember learning that way — by copying letters over and over again．Today's thinking is that short periods of practice are better．Many experts also think handwriting should not be taught by itself．Instead，they say it should be used as a way to get students to express ideas．After all，that is why we write．
Handwriting involves two skills．One is legibility，which means forming the letters so they can be read． The other is fluency — writing without having to think about it．Fluency continues to develop up until high school．
But not everyone masters these skills．Teachers commonly report that about one fourth of their kids have poor handwriting．Some people might think handwriting is not important any more because of computers and voice recognition programs．
But Steve Graham at Vanderbilt says word processing is rarely done in elementary school，especially in the early years．American children traditionally first learn to print，and then to write in cursive，which connects the letters．But guess what we learned from a spokeswoman for the College Board，which administers the SAT college admission test．More than 75 percent of students choose to print their essay on the test rather than write in cursive．From Paragraph 1 we can learn ________．
| A．teaching handwriting is a basic requirement in teaching job |
| B．most teachers prefer to teach handwriting |
| C．teachers spend little time in teaching handwriting |
| D．a keyboard has taken the place of the handwriting entirely |
The underlined word “legibility” in Paragraph 3 means ________．
| A．being easy to read |
| B．being complex |
| C．being unexpected |
| D．being unreadable |
The best title for the passage is ________．
| A．How to improve handwriting in school |
| B．Right or wrong: the death of handwriting |
| C．Handwriting involves two skills |
| D．Handwriting lessons are on the way out |
The author’s attitude towards whether still to learn handwriting in school is________．
| A．negative |
| B．objective |
| C．critical |
| D．optimistic |
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