People from East Asia tend to have more difficulty than those from Europe in distinguishing facial expressions — and a new report published online in Current Biology explains why.
Rachael Jack, University of Glasgow researcher, said that rather than scanning evenly(均匀的) across a face as Westerners do, Easterners fix their attention on the eyes.
"We show that Easterners and Westerners look at different face features to read facial expressions," Jack said. "Westerners look at the eyes and the mouth in equal measure, whereas Easterners favor the eyes and neglect (忽略) the mouth."
According to Jack and her colleagues, the discovery shows that human communication of emotion is more complex than previously believed. As a result, facial expressions that had been considered universally recognizable cannot be used to reliably convey emotion in cross-cultural situations.
The researchers studied cultural differences in the recognition of facial expressions by recording the eye movements of 13 Western Caucasian and 13 East Asian people while they observed pictures of. expressive faces and put them into categories: happy, sad, surprised, fearful, disgusted, angry, or neutral. They compared how accurately participants read those facial expressions using their particular eye movement strategies.
It turned out that Easterners focused much greater attention on the eyes and made significantly more errors than did Westerners. "The cultural difference in eye movements that they show is probably a reflection of cultural difference in facial expressions," Jack said. "Our data suggest that whereas Westerners use the whole face to convey emotion, Easterners use the eyes more and mouth less."
In short, the data show that facial expressions are not universal signals of human emotion. From here on, examining how cultural factors have diversified these basic social skills will help our understanding of human emotion. Otherwise, when it comes to communicating emotions across cultures, Easterners and Westerners will find themselves lost in translation.
1.The discovery shows that Westerners .
A. pay equal attention to the eyes and the mouth
B. consider facial expressions universally reliable
C. observe the eyes and the mouth in different ways
D. have more difficulty in recognizing facial expressions
2. What were the people asked to do in the study?
A. To make a face at each other. B. To get their faces impressive.
C. To classify some face pictures. D. To observe the researchers' faces.
3. What does the underlined word "they" in Paragraph 6 refer to?
A. The participants in the study.
B. The researchers of the study.
C. The errors made during the study.
D. The data collected from the study.
4. In comparison with Westerners, Easterners are likely to .
A. do translation more successfully
B. study the mouth more frequently
C. examine the eyes more attentively
D. read facial expressions more correctly
5.What can be the best title for the passage?
A. The Eye as the Window to the Soul
B. Cultural Differences in Reading Emotions
C. Effective Methods to Develop Social Skills
D. How to Increase Cross-cultural Understanding
In the past ten years, America’s National Basketball Association (NBA) has grown increasingly dependent on the rest of the world to supply players.
When Michael Jordan and Larry Bird won gold in Barcelona in 1992, the Americans were praised for teaching the world how to play basketball. This season, however, 20 percent of NBA rosters（花名册） will be filled by non-Americans. NBA commissioner David Stem happily embraces the trend. On a visit to Paris in October, Stern outlined his vision for the future, which is likely to see Europe hosting NBA games by 2010.
The NBA is now planning to take China by storm.
“Our experience in China has been that it is going to be explosive in its growth,” said Stern. The strategy（战略，策略） in China is television. “We’ve made 14 deals in China with local and national networks on cable and satellite.” The success of Chinese centre Yao Ming has paved the way for the NBA marketing blitz in China. The NBA, which is broadcasted in more than 200 countries in 42 languages, will put that to the test in October 2004 when the Houston Rockets play two pre-season games against the Sacramento Kings in Beijing and Shanghai. The NBA knows that it needs a global market to compensate for tough times on home soil.
“It doesn’t matter where the players come from, all the NBA teams now know that they have to scout（寻找，觅得） internationally,” said Terry Lyons, the NBA’s vice-president of international public relations. “It has increased the level of competition here.” As Frenchman Tony Parker and Argentine Emanuel Ginobili showed in winning championship rings with the San Antonio Spurs last season, many people can earn the respect of their American peers. Others, such as the Houston Rockets’ Chinese centre Yao Ming — number one draft pick in 2002 — and the Detroit Pistons’ 18-year-old Serb Darko Milicic — number two overall in this year’s draft — are icons（偶像）in-waiting. It is the ultimate（最后的，根本的） revolution — the rest of the world teaching the US how to play basketball.
1.According to the report, .
A. Michael Jordan is still playing a very important role in NBA
B. the part played by the foreign players in NBA will be great
C. Yao Ming is to play two pre-season games in NBA
D. European countries will host the 2004 NBA games
2.The underlined phrase “take China by storm” has the meaning of _______ ___.
A. NBA intends to make China its “marketing center”
B. NBA is planning to set up some training centers in China
C. there’ll be a big storm when NBA comes to China to play against the Sacramento Kings
D. the NBA’s live basket games will be broadcasted on all the TVs in China
3.What seems to be the biggest change that is happening to NBA?
A. NBA is expecting more foreign players to join the league.
B. China’s rapid development in sports affects NBA.
C. Yao Ming has taken the place of Michael Jordan.
D. The NBA will stop teaching the world how to play basketball.
4.When the writer talked of “home soil”, he was referring to _ _.
A. farms in the States
B. native Americans
C. the NBA training center
D. the USA
5.Which of the following can be used as the best title for the passage?
A. The Non-American Basketball Players
B. NBA Is Coming to China
C. The Foreign Ties That Bind the NBA
D. NBA Is Making Big Progress
Men have always believed that they are smarter than women. Now, a study has found that while this is certainly true, men also have to deal with the fact that they are also more stupid than the fairer sex.
In the study, scientists measured the IQ of 2500 brothers and sisters and they found an uneven number of men not only in the top two percent, but also in the bottom two percent.
The study's participants were tested on science, maths, English and mechanical abilities.
Though there were twice as many men as women in the smartest group, there were also twice as many men among the dolts.
The aggregate scores of men and women were similar.
One of the study's authors, psychology professor Timothy Bates, said that the phenomenon may be because men have always been expected to be high achievers and women have been restricted to spend more time taking care of their home.
"The female developmental program may be tilted more towards ensuring survival and the safety of the middle ground.," the Daily Mail quoted Professor Bates, of Edinburgh University, as saying.
The research tallies with past results that men were more likely than women to receive first class University degrees or thirds and women secured the seconds.
It has been said that men are more ready to take risk when it comes to academics. Women have always found to be steadier in their learning.
A past study has shown that women are securing more firsts and seconds, while men are continuing to receive more thirds.
The argument for the change is that the increase of coursework at the cost of exams favors women's steady approach.
1.The purpose of the passage is to tell us that ________.
A. man are smarter then women
B. man are more stupid the women
C. a new fact about the IQ of men and women has been found
D. men are more likely to receive first class university degrees
2.According to Timothy Bates, less women are in the smartest group because _________.
A. they are born stupid
B. they have to spend more time to tale care of their home than men
C. they don’t like to take risk
D. they are not expected to be high achievers
3.The underlined word tallies with in the eighth paragraph means________.
A. agree with B. deal with C. go against D. go with
4. It can be inferred from the passage that______.
A. Women are steadier in their learning.
B. men are more ready to take risk in everything
C. women are securing more firsts and seconds
D. women are doing much better in academy
5. Which of the following questions has NOT been discussed in the passage?
A. Why are men smarter than women?
B. Why are men more stupid than women?
C. How does the result go along with the past research?
D. How can we help the men in the bottom?
Feel tired lately?Has a doctor said he can’t find anything wrong with you?Perhaps he sends you to a hospital,but all the advanced equipment there shows there is nothing wrong with you.
Then,consider this:you might be in a state of sub-health(亚健康).
Sub-health,also called the third state or gray state,is explained as borderline state between health and disease.
According to the investigation by the National Organization,over 45 percent of sub-health people are middle-aged or elderly.The percentage is even higher among people who work in management positions as well as students around exam-week.
Symptoms(征兆)include a lack of energy,depression,slow reactions,insomnia(失眠),agitation, and poor memory.Other symptoms include shortness of breath,sweating and aching in the waist and legs.
The key to preventing and recovering from sub-health,according to some medical experts,is to form good living habits, alternate work and rest, exercise regularly,and take part in open air activities.
As for meals,people are advised to eat less salt and sugar.They should also eat more fresh vegetables,fruits,fish because they are rich in nutritional elements—vitamins and trace elements(微量元素)—that are important to the body.
Nutrition experts point out that it is not good to eat too much at one meal because it may cause unhealthy changes in the digestive tract(消化道).They also say that a balanced diet is very helpful in avoiding sub-health.
1.When you are in a state of sub-health,you should ________.
A.stay home and keep silent
B.go to a doctor and buy some medicine
C.not consider it very serious
D.find out the reasons and relax yourself
2.Middle-aged people may be easy to get sub-health because ________.
A.they have used up their energy
B.they have lost their living hopes
C.they have more pressure in life and work
D.they have changed their way of life
3.The key to preventing you from falling into a state of sub-health is to ________.
A. keep on working regularly B. go to sleep a bit earlier
C. form good living habits D. take medicine if necessary
4.The underlined word “alternate” in this passage is closest in meaning to ________.
A. arrange by turns B. cause to take place
C. make up for D. keep away from
Alex London Research Laboratory (ALRL) is part of Alex Co., Ltd., a major Australian medicine-making company. Opened in 1992, ALRL specializes in the development of new medicines for the treatment of heart diseases．
A position is now open for a Research Operations Manager(ROM) to support our growing research team at the new laboratories in Hatfield，due to open in the autumn of 2010．
Reporting to the Director，you will help set up and run the technical and scientific support services of our new laboratories now under construction．You will be expected to provide expert knowledge about and be in charge of all areas of ALRL’S Health and Safety，and to communicate (沟通)with support employees at ALRL’S laboratories based at University College London．Working closely with scientists and other operations and technical employees，you will manage a small number of research support employees providing services to help with the research activities to be carried out at the new laboratories．
Candidates(申请人) will have experience of both management and research support／technical services．Knowledge of research operations and excellent communication skills are necessary. Education to degree level is also desirable．
If you are interested in this position，please send your CV(简历)to Alex London Research
Laboratory，University College London，Hatfield，London，W1E 6B7 or by email to ALRL@alex.co.uk．
For more Information．please visit www.alex.co.uk．
1. What can be learnt about the new laboratories from the text?
A. They have not yet been set up．
B. They are in Hatfield，Australia．
C. They belong to University College London．
D. They are new workplaces for Australian researchers only．
2. What are the duties of a ROM，according to the text? 
A. a，b，c． B. a，b，d．
C. b，c，d． D. a，c，d．
3. What does the fourth paragraph mainly talk about?
A. The technical skills of a would—be ROM．
B. The practical experience of a would—be ROM．
C. The personal information of a would—be ROM．
D. The necessary requirements for a would—be ROM．
4. What is the purpose of the text?
A. To describe the job of a ROM．
B. To provide information about ALRL．
C. To announce an open position at ALRL．
D. To make known the opening of the new laboratories．
His ignorance was as remarkable as his knowledge. Of contemporary literature, philosophy and politics he appeared to know next to nothing. Upon my quoting Thomas Carlyle, he inquired in the naivest way who he might be and what he had done. My surprise reached a climax, however, when I found incidentally that he was ignorant of the Copernican Theory and of the composition of the Solar system.
“You appear to be astonished, ” Holmes said, smiling at my expression. “Now that I do know it I shall do my best to forget it. You see, I consider that a man’s brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose: A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has difficulty in laying his hand upon it. It is a mistake to think that the little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent. Depend upon it, there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you know before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones.”
“But the Solar System! ” I protested.
“What the deuce is it to me?” he interrupted impatiently.
One morning, I picked up a magazine from the table and attempted to while away the time with it, while my companion munched silently at his toast. One of the articles had a pencil mark at the heading, and I naturally began to run my eye through it.
Its somewhat ambitious title was “The Book of Life, ” and it attempted to show how much an observant man might learn by an accurate and systematic examination of all that came in his way. It struck me as being a remarkable mixture of shrewdness and of absurdity. The reasoning was close and intense, but the deduction appeared to me to be far-fetched and exaggerated. The writer claimed by a momentary expression, a twitch of a muscle or a glance of an eye, to fathom a man’s inmost thought. Deceit, according to him, was impossibility in the case of one trained to observation and analysis. His conclusions were as infallible as so many propositions of Euclid. So startling would his results appear to the uninitiated that until they learned the processes by which he had arrived at them they might well consider him as a necromancer.
“From a drop of water, ”said the writer, “a logician could infer the possibility of an Atlantic. So all life is a great chain, the nature of which is known whenever we are shown a single link of it. Like all other arts, the science of Deduction and Analysis is one which can be acquired by long and patient study, nor is life long enough to allow any mortal to attain the highest possible perfection in it. ”
This smartly written piece of theory I could not accept until a succession of evidences justified it.
1. What is the author’s attitude toward Holmes?
[A]Praising.
[B]Critical.
[C]Ironical.
[D]Distaste.
2. What way did the author take to stick out Holmes’ uniqueness?
[A]By deduction.
[B]By explanation.
[C]By contrast.
[D]By analysis.
3. What was the Holmes’ idea about knowledge-learning?
[A]Learning what every body learned.
[B]Learning what was useful to you.
[C]Learning whatever you came across.
[D]Learning what was different to you.
4. What did the article mentioned in the passage talk about?
[A]One may master the way of reasoning through observation.
[B]One may become rather critical through observation and analysis.
[C]One may become rather sharp through observation and analysis.
[D]One may become practical through observation and analysis.
Vocabulary
1.Thomas Carlyle 托马斯•卡莱尔 1795-1881美国作家、历史家、哲学家
2.jumble (up) 搞乱，使混乱
3.lay hand on (upon) sth. 抓住，找到
4.at best 最好的情况下
5.elbow out (off) 用胳膊肘挤出，推出
6.deuce = devil what the deuce is it to me?
这里表示福尔摩斯的厌恶心理。
义：这倒霉的词儿与我有什么关系？
7.while away the time 消磨/打发时间
8.shrewdness 机敏，敏锐，犀利
9.far-fetched 牵强附会，不自然
10.fathom 看穿/透，推测，探索
11.infallible 一贯正确
12.uninitiated 对某事无知的
13.Euclid 欧几里德（古希腊数学家）
14.necromancer 巫师
