| 1. 难度：中等 | |
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阅读理解。 If your parents were to surprise you with a present on your birthday, which one would you prefer, a trip to the amusement park or a new pair of shoes? According to Science Daily, about onethird of the people are likely to prefer shoes to a fun trip. These people are called “materialists”， namely, those who value material goods more than experiences. But which of the two choices makes people happier? Back in 2009, Ryan Howell, a professor at San Francisco State University, found that in the long run, experiences make people happier than possessions. This is because the joy of receiving a new object fades over time as you get used to seeing it every day. Experiences, on the other hand, can continue to bring you joy in the future through happy memories. But materialists should at least be happy when they first buy something, shouldn't they? To figure it out, Howell did another study. He classified a group of adults according to their personality types, ranging from less materialistic to more materialistic. Each person was asked different questions to see how they felt about spending money on material goods versus spending money on experiences. As expected, the more materialistic participants got less happiness from purchases than the less materialistic, because such purchases didn't fit with their personalities and values. But to Howell's surprise, he found that materialists weren't any happier even if they spent money on material items. This is because materialists worry that others may criticize or look down on their choices. “There are certain value systems that are rejected by society，” said Howell. “When we find out someone is materialistic, we think less of them, and that drives their happiness down.” Another reason is that materialistic people always focus on what they don't have instead of what they have now. This makes them feel less satisfied and grateful. If you happen to be a materialistic person, there's something you can try. “If materialists make more accurate purchases, rather than trying to impress others, they will be happier，” Howell said. You should also remember what an ancient Greek philosopher once said, “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” 1.What did Ryan Howell find in his studies? A．Material goods bring people less happiness than experiences. B．About onethird of the people prefer material goods to experiences. C．Materialists have more fun spending money on goods than on experiences. D．Receiving a new object brings lasting joy while the joy of an experience fades soon. 2.What did Ryan Howell want to find out by doing another study? A．How to judge whether a person is a materialist. B．Why materialists are not happy with their purchases. C．How materialists feel when they spend money on goods. D．Whether materialists are happy when they first make purchases. 3.Why does the author use the ancient Greek philosopher's words in the last paragraph? A．To advise materialistic people not to try to impress others. B．To persuade people to be satisfied with what they have. C．To prove it's unwise to be materialistic and desire too much. D．To tell readers what they desire now might one day become theirs. 4.What can be the best title for the passage? A．Are You a Materialist? B．How To Acquire Happiness? C．The Best Present for the Birthday D．Which Can Make People Happier?
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| 2. 难度：中等 | |
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阅读理解。 College is not just about studying, writing essays and burning the midnight oil in the library. Making friends and enjoying yourself is also necessary for the courses. Parties are social events for students to gather and chat with each other. Drinking and music College parties in the US are always lacking in creativity and full of wine and music. The basic form rarely changes — drink until you cannot anymore and play loud music at an earthshaking volume. There is plenty of beer involved, and some mixed cocktails. Creativity in dress The creativity comes in how parties are dressed up. Parties often have a specific theme, like a 90s party or a sports party. At a 90s party, guests might show up dressed like oncefamous celebrities. At a sports party, guests might wear their favorite team's uniforms. Held in apartments The party is usually held in the apartment of a particular outgoing friend. Everyone will be invited, which means strangers will wander in and out of the apartment where you can get to know and make some new friends. Ugly sweater party On holidays, parties frequently take on a proper theme. A popular theme around Christmas is the ugly sweater party. The goal is to wear the ugliest sweater you can find, creating an atmosphere of fun. Whatever the occasion is, there will be no shortage of booze. If you are smart enough, you won't have so much as to lose your consciousness. Parties are always better when you can remember them the next day. 1.This passage introduces ________. A．what to wear at the US college parties B．how much to drink at the US college parties C．how to make friends at the US colleges D．parties of the US colleges 2.The passage is probably written for ________ in colleges. A．the freshmen B．the party lovers C．the graduates D．the excellent students 3.The author attaches importance to ________ at the parties in colleges. A．creativity arising from inspiration B．drinking to your heart's content C．communication combined with fun D．dressing in a fancy style 4.What does the underlined word “booze” in the last paragraph mean? A．Juice. B．Alcohol. C．Food. D．Music.
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| 3. 难度：中等 | |
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阅读理解。
“A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smart phone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website” is the definition of “selfie” in the Oxford English Dictionary. In fact, it wasn't even in the dictionary until August of 2013. It earned its place there because people are now so obsessed with (对……痴迷) selfies — we take them when we try on a new hat, play with our pets or when we meet a friend whom we haven't seen in a while. But is there any scientific explanation for this obsession? Well, you should probably ask James Kilner, a neuroscientist (神经系统科学家) at University College London. Through our lifetime we become experts at recognizing and interpreting other people's faces and facial expressions. In contrast, according to Kilner, we have a very poor understanding of our own faces since we have little experience of looking at them — we just feel them most of the time. This has been proved in previous studies, according to the BBC. Kilner found that most people chose the more attractive picture. This suggests that we tend to think of ourselves as betterlooking than we actually are. To further test how we actually perceive our own faces, Kilner carried out another study. He showed people different versions of their own portrait — the original, one that had been edited to look less attractive and one that was made more attractive — and asked them to pick the version which they thought looked most like them. They chose the more attractive version. But what does it say about selfies? Well, isn't that obvious? Selfies give us the power to create a photograph — by taking it from various angles, with different poses, using filters (滤色镜) and so on — that better matches our expectations with our actual faces. “You suddenly have control in a way that you don't have in nonvirtual (非虚拟的) interactions，” Kilner told the Canadabased CTV News. Selfies allow you “to keep taking pictures until you manage to take one you're happy with”， he explained. 1.What is the passage mainly about? A．The definition and fun of taking selfies. B．A study of why people love taking selfies. C．How taking selfies influences people's daily lives. D．How to interpret people's facial expressions in their selfies. 2.The underlined word “perceive” in Paragraph 5 can be replaced by “________”． A．interpret B．beautify C．choose D．explain 3.According to Kilner, people like taking selfies probably because they think ________. A．it is a good chance to learn more about their actual faces B．it is a way to respond to others' facial expressions correctly C．it enables them to interact with their friends in social media D．it allows them to satisfy their expectations with their appearances
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