Real-life Room Escape Games

Real-life room escape games are a type of physical adventure game in which people are locked in a room with other participants and have to use the things in the room to settle a series of puzzles, find clues, and escape the room within a set time limit.

The games are based on Escape the Room video games, such as Crimson Room and QP-Shot, created by TAKAGISM Inc. by Toshimitsu Takagi in 2005, in which the player is locked inside a room and must explore his or her surroundings in order to escape. 1. Other inspirations include adventure board games and movies. Real-life room escape games are becoming popular in the United States, Japan, and China.2. For example, some games require you to escape prison cells while others require you to escape space stations.

3. Soon, they were exported to North America, Asia and Australia. Examples include the two pioneer companies Hint Hunt and Adventure Rooms.

The games were so successful that new locations began opening up across China, in cities big and small, according to Want China Times. In the southern city of Shenzhen, for example, the first escape game location opened last August. 4. “These real-life escape games can help those who stay at home on their computers and iPads all day to experience real social circles,” Tian Xiaochuan, who owns two room escape game stores in Jinan, told Want China Times. Earlier this year, The South China Morning Post said the real-life escape games are a hit among “highly stressed students and overworked young professionals”. 5. Some players get so involved that they tear down equipment or decorations inside their “prisons”, as Zhu Yumeng, chief operating officer of Beijing room escape game store Taoquan told China Daily.

A. Each game adds local themes to settings.

B. And seven new game locations quickly followed.

C. They should also be brave enough to face their fears.

D. Sometimes the excitement becomes a bit much, though.

E. Weekend or day event escape games have been held in some stores.

F. Permanent real life escape games in a fixed location were first opened in Europe.

G. Players must be observant and use their critical thinking skills to escape the room.

What Cocktail Parties Teach Us

You’re at a party. Music is playing. Glasses are clinking. Dozens of conversations are driving up the decibel (分贝) level. Yet among all those distractions, you can tune your attention to just one voice from many. This ability is what researchers call the “cocktail-party effect”.

Scientists at the University of California in San Francisco have found where that sound-editing process occurs in the brain — in the auditory cortex (听觉皮层) just behind the ear, not in areas of higher thought. The auditory cortex boosts some sounds and turns down others so that when the signal reaches the higher brain, “it’s as if only one person was speaking alone,” says investigator Edward Chang.

These findings, published in the journal Nature last week, explain why people aren’t very good at multitasking — our brains are wired for “selective attention” and can focus on only one thing at a time. That inborn ability has helped humans survive in a world buzzing with visual and auditory stimulation (刺激). But we keep trying to push the limits with multitasking, sometimes with tragic (悲剧的) consequences. Drivers talking on cellphones, for example, are four times as likely to get into traffic accidents as those who aren’t.

Many of those accidents are due to “inattentional blindness”, in which people can, in effect, turn a blind eye to things they aren’t focusing on. The more attention a task demands, the less attention we can pay to other things in our field of vision. Images land on our retinas (视网膜) and are either boosted or played down in the visual cortex before being passed to the brain, just as the auditory cortex filters sounds, as shown in the Nature study last week. “It’s a push-pull relationship — the more we focus on one thing, the less we can focus on others,” says Diane M. Beck, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Illinois.

Studies over the past decade at the University of Utah show that drivers talking on hands-free cellphones are just as influenced as those on hands-held phones because it is the conversation, not the device, that is distracting their attention. Those talking on any kind of cellphone react more slowly and miss more traffic signals than other motorists.

Some people can train themselves to pay extra attention to things that are important — like police officers learn to scan crowds for faces and conductors can listen for individual instruments within the orchestra as a whole. Many more think they can effectively multitask, but are actually shifting their attention rapidly between two things and not getting the full effect of either, experts say.

1.What have scientists in University of California found about “the cocktail-party effect”?

A. Usually there is only one person who is speaking alone.

B. All kinds of annoying sounds drive up the decibel level.

C. The higher brain processes sounds and images selectively.

D. Sounds are sorted out before reaching the higher brain.

2.What do we learn from the passage?

A. We are biologically incapable of multitasking.

B. We survive distractions in life by multitasking.

C. We cannot multitask without extra attention.

D. We benefit from pushing the limit with multitasking.

3.Which of the following is an example of “inattentional blindness”?

A. A careless driver lost his eyesight after a car accident.

B. Police scanned the crowds and located the criminal.

C. A manager talked on a hands-free phone with his client.

D. A pedestrian had a car accident because of phubbing (低头).

4.The main purpose of the passage is to ______.

A. compare and contrast

B. inform and explain

C. argue and discuss

D. examine and evaluate

If you want to convince the boss you deserve a pay rise or promotion, the solution could be simple — eat the same food as they do. Psychologists have discovered managers are much more likely to instantly trust us if we choose the same dishes as them.

During experiments, discussions over wages and work conditions were much more successful if both sides chose to snack on the same treats. And shoppers were much more likely to buy a product advertised on TV by someone eating a similar food to them at the time.

The reason is thought to be so-called similarity attraction theory — where people tend to like others who have similar tastes or habits to themselves. But this is believed to be one of the first studies highlighting the role of food in this relationship. Researchers at Chicago University in the US conducted a series of experiments to examine food’s role in earning trust.

In a test, participants were told to watch TV — where someone pretending to be a member of the public praised a certain product. The volunteers were given Kit Kat bars to nibble (咬), while the TV people ate either a Kit Kat or grapes as they talked.

The results showed viewers were much more likely to express an interest in buying the product if the TV showed the other person eating a Kit Kat too.

The researchers added, “Although similarity in food consumption is not a sign of whether two people will get along, we find consumers treat this as such. They feel more trusting of those who consume as they do. It means people can immediately begin to feel friendship and develop a bond, leading to smoother transactions (交易) from the start.”

Harley Street psychologist Dr. Lucy Atcheson said it was already known that wearing similar clothes could instantly create trust. But this was the first report that food had the same effect. She said, “This is really interesting. It makes sense as people feel they have common ground and can trust the other person. That means negotiations are more likely to be successful.”

1.According to the passage, customers are likely to buy a product from a dealer who ______.

A. has the same taste as them

B. advertises his products on TV

C. reduces the price of his products

D. pays attention to the quality of his products

2.The experiments conducted by researchers at Chicago University show that ______.

A. food plays an important role in earning people’s trust

B. bosses like employees that have the same taste as them

C. people who have similar tastes to their boss’s earn more

D. people have less interest in buying products advertised on TV

3.What can be inferred from the passage?

A. People who eat similar food are more likely to trust each other.

B. People will get along with each other if they like to eat similar things.

C. The effect of wearing similar clothes hasn’t been proved by researchers.

D. People are more likely to make friends with those wearing the same clothes as them.

4.Which of the following sayings can be an example of the similarity attraction theory?

A. Honesty is the best policy.

B. All good things come to an end.

C. Birds of a feather flock together.

D. Where there is a will, there is a way.

The annual World Economic Forum took place in Davos, Switzerland, in Jan. 23-26, 2018. What did Chinese entrepreneurs speak in the forum? Are there some quotable quotes for you?

★Jack Ma, founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group

“I think globalization cannot be stopped — no one can stop globalization, no one can stop trade. If trade stops, the world stops. Trade is the way to dissolve (结束) the war not cause the war,” said Ma in Davos, “Google, Facebook, Amazon and Alibaba — we are the luckiest companies of this century. But we have the responsibility to have a good heart, and do something good.”

★Richard Liu, founder and chief executive officer of JD

“Business is not only a way to make money but also a way to contribute yourself, to help people,” Liu said in a speech in Davos. “How can we face the fractured (分化的) world? That’s the topics of the Davos this year. I think a very important thing in business is cooperation. If we can unite, work together, if we work very closely, I think we can bring more hope to the people and we can build more trust between the people, countries and companies and partners,” he said.

★Jane Sun, CEO of Ctrip

“Tourism is a sunrise industry. Since I entered Ctrip, every year there are new comers, which, first of all, shows that tourism is booming.” Sun told Sina.com in Davos. “We invested heavily in ABC. A refers to AI, B is big data, and C is cloud computing. As we continue to expand overseas, these three will be very good weapons for us. So we think those mean opportunity,” she said.

★Hu Xiaoming, president of Aliyun

“In 2018, people will see the development in various countries more closely connected with cloud computing. More manufacturing enterprises and financial institutions will start to use ‘cloud’, and cloud computing will increase the efficiency of technology and finance,” Hu told Xinhua in Davos.

1.What do Chinese entrepreneurs like Jack Ma and Richard Liu focus more on?

A. More huge jumps in profits.    B. The joined efforts of mankind.

C. Reducing production costs.    D. The role of science in business.

2.What is the main business of Ctrip?

A. Tourism.    B. The creation of AI.

C. Computer.    D. Financial service online.

3.What does Hu think will promote global economic development?

A. Economy recovery.    B. The World Economic Forum.

C. Cloud computing.    D. Financial efficiency.

假如你是李华，是你校英文报纸“Teens’ Life”的编辑。请你用英文为报纸写一篇介绍中国传统节日“端午节”的文章。

要点如下： 1.节日的日期；       

2.节日的由来；       

3.庆祝的方式。

注意：1.词数100左右；       

2.短文开头已给出，不计入总词数；

3.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

参考词汇: 战国时期the Warring States Period; 自杀 commit suicide; 粽子Zongzi。

The Dragon Boat Festival ___________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

假设英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文, 请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文 中共有10处错误，每句中最多有两处错误。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧）, 并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

After school, as usual, I went back home. On the bus, I find a woman with a cute baby standing besides me and having difficulty holding on to the grab pole. In spite my own exhaustion, I rose from my seat and gave them away without hesitation to her and the baby. She thanked me several times sincerely, that made me feel extremely proud. I was realized my little favor could real make a difference to a person who was badly in need of it. Arrived home, I almost forgot my tiredness. I was lost in happinesses because I did a little for a stranger and I gained a lot.

阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Dragon Head Raising Day,1. falls each year on the second day of the second lunar month, is one of the Chinese traditional festivals. As the proverb goes: “The dragon is awaked,2. (raise) his head”. On this day, dragons, a prominent totem (图腾) in Chinese culture raise 3. (they) heads with the sound of thunder. Around this time, the earth 4. (burst) with life. Grass and trees are beginning to shoot up. In ancient China, people 5. (pray) the dragon god beside a river or a lake for the precious spring rains to breed their crops.

6. (tradition), food eaten on this day was renamed after parts of the dragon. For instance, wontons were called “dragon’s eyes.” The special 7. (food) usually eaten on this day include dragon’s scales, popcorn and pig’s head.

In Shanxi, people get their hair 8. (cut) in a symbolic move to remove the old and embrace the new. In 9. countryside in Hebei Province, people would fetch water from a well at dawn. It was believed 10. on this day the well was full of dragon eggs which would bring the collector good harvest.

I learned this lesson a couple of years ago. That day, I took a ______ to Grand Central Station. We were driving in the ______ lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right ______ us. My taxi driver slammed (猛踩) on his brakes and almost ______ the car’s back end by just ten ______!

The driver of the other car, who almost caused a big accident,______ his car and started yelling bad ______ at us. The taxi driver just smiled and ______ at the guy. And I mean he was ______. So, I said, “Why did you just do that? This guy almost ______ your car and sent us to ______!” And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call “the law of the garbage truck.”

Many people are like garbage trucks. They ______ around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of ______, and full of disappointment. As their garbage ______ up, they need a place to dump it, and if you agree, they’ll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump their ______ on you, don’t take it ______. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and ______. You’ll be happy at what you do.

I started thinking, how often do I let garbage trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and ______ it to other people? That day I said, “I’m not going to do that anymore.”

What about you? What will happen in your life if you let more garbage ______ pass you by? Life is too short to wake up in the morning with ______.

1.A. taxi    B. bus    C. subway    D. bike

2.A. flat    B. wide    C. right    D. clear

3.A. in back of    B. in front of    C. beside    D. beneath

4.A. opened    B. removed    C. observed    D. kissed

5.A. inches    B. meters    C. miles    D. yards

6.A. squeezed    B. broke away from    C. got out of    D. kicked

7.A. means    B. words    C. languages    D. solutions

8.A. waved    B. pointed    C. aimed    D. glared

9.A. grateful    B. aggressive    C. merciful    D. friendly

10.A. handled    B. undertook    C. ruined    D. abused

11.A. prison    B. hospital    C. school    D. police

12.A. show    B. turn    C. run    D. gather

13.A. anger    B. imagination    C. confidence    D. pride

14.A. puts    B. makes    C. takes    D. pile

15.A. happiness    B. problems    C. expectation    D. will

16.A. differently    B. attentively    C. seriously    D. deliberately

17.A. fight    B. weep    C. flee away    D. move on

18.A. bring    B. spread    C. convey    D. offer

19.A. collectors    B. cans    C. bags    D. trucks

20.A. regrets    B. catastrophes    C. hopes    D. ambitions

As a senior year student, you may have so many pressures coming from so many directions that you can’t figure out what to do first.

1.

When you have many things to do and a lot of demands on your time, you can lose sight of what’s important. One of the best ways to see the big picture - what you want out of life - is to lay out your goals.

Pressure Points and How to Deal With Them

Confused or overwhelmed - talk to someone you trust.2.. They may help you find solutions to your problems and worries.

Being too hard on yourself - ease up, take a break and do something you enjoy. Daydream, read a book, go out with friends — anything that helps you relax.

Problems, problems, problems — recognize your limits. It’s too stressful to try to deal with all your problems at once.3..

Goal-Setting Tips

It’s important to remember that goals belong to you — not to your parents, your teachers, or your friends. After you’ve set your goals, identify the skills you have to achieve those goals.4.. Try the library, your guidance adviser and teachers, and other people who could help you.

Goals exist to serve you. If your goal is something you no longer want, change it. Identify the barriers to getting your goals.5.. Don’t get depressed by a big, long-term goal — see what steps you can take to achieve it and set those steps down as short-term, “do-able” goals.

A. Too much to do

B. Balancing goals in life

C. Consider ways to overcome them

D. Discuss your concerns with a friend, parent or teacher

E. Choose what’s most urgent and set aside the rest until later

F. As long as you know what skill is important and what isn’t

G. If you’re not sure what skills you’ll need, do some research

US scientists say they have poured cold water on the theory that washing hands with hot water kills more germs (细菌) than unheated water. The small study of 20 people found using water at 15C (59F) left hands as clean as water heated to 38C (100F).

National Health Service (NHS) recommends that people wash their hands in either cold or warm water. In this study, scientists at Rutgers University-New Brunswick wanted to find out if popular assumptions about the benefits of warm or hot water and official guidance on hot water —given to the food industry in the US - held true. They asked 20 people to wash their hands 20 times each with water that was 15C (59F), 26C (79F) or 38 degrees (100F). Volunteers were also asked to experiment with varying amounts of soap. Before they started the tests, their hands were covered in harmless bugs. Researchers say there was no difference in the amount of bugs removed as the temperature of the water or the amount of soap changed.

Prof Donald Schaffner said: “People need to feel comfortable when they are washing their hands but as far as effectiveness goes, this study shows us that the temperature of the water used did not matter.”

However, the researchers accept their study is small and say more extensive work is needed to determine the best ways to remove harmful bacteria.

In the UK, NHS experts say people can use cold or hot water to wash their hands. They say hands should be washed for at least 20 seconds and stress the importance of using enough soap to cover the whole surface of the hands. Their guidance focuses on rubbing hands together in various .ways to make sure each surface of each hand is clean.

1.What does the underlined phrase “poured cold water” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A. Proved.    B. Created.

C. Contradicted.    D. Accepted.

2.After they washed their hands with either hot or cold water,       .

A. volunteers nearly had the same amount of germ removed

B. volunteers all talked about American food industry

C. volunteers still had much germ on their hands

D. volunteers all didn’t feel very comfortable

3.How do researchers feel about their study?

A. It is popular.    B. It is incomplete.

C. It is convincing.    D. It is abstract.

4.Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A. Using Cold Water Instead of Hot Water

B. How to Use Cold Water to Wash Hands

C. It Is Better to Wash Hands in Cold Water

D. Washing Hands in Cold Water as Good as in Hot Water