I am a worrier. I worry from the moment I wake to the moment I sleep.
Around a year ago, I found my worries ______ me clown and down. I needed a way to reduce my ______ and make them disappear. Then a brilliant idea occurred to me. Instead of worrying about whatever ______ itself to my consciousness at any given moment, and unless I had a ______ and urgent worry to deal with. I’d ______ myself to worrying about imaginary things. This new system ______ me quite well for a while ______ the day last month when the captain of the plane I was travelling on failed in his landing ______ at Shannon Airport, because there was “a problem” with the landing gear (起落架). We ______ for a while. Then the captain announced the Issue still couldn’t be solved and that the crew would take us through the ______ for an emergency landing,.
Suddenly my mother’s voice was in my head: “In the ______ of an emergency, put your head between your legs and kiss your ass goodbye.” I laughed silently at my mother’s joke. and I wondered why I wasn’t ______. I suddenly realized I was experiencing a complete and total absence of worry, as there was absolutely nothing I could do to ______ the problem with the plane.
As the runway rose to meet our planes ______ underbelly (下腹部) and the firefighters ______ to meet us, I felt a strange and beautiful ______. And as the plane landed perfectly because, as it ______, the problem was with a sensor and not with the landing gear and people ______ and hugged one another, I realized I wasn’t a ______ at all. The absence of worry I had just experienced was ______ an absence of any possibility of control. So I’m a control freak, wanting to control everything. And now I’m terribly worried about that.
1.A. took B. dragged C. put D. calmed
2.A. joys B. hop C. sorrows D. fears
3.A. presented B. recommended C. contributed D. committed
4.A. secret B. constant C. abstract D. specific
5.A. expose B. reduce C. restrict D. attach
6.A. served B. treated C. inspired D. instructed
7.A. since B. after C. until D. before
8.A. test B. attempt C. rescue D. adventure
9.A. taxied B. dived C. swung D. circled
10.A. requirement B. procedure C. preparation D. arrangement
11.A. gesture B. event C. memory D. light
12.A. thrilled B. amazed C. terrified D. discouraged
13.A. identify B. change C. accept D. explore
14.A. sick B. serious C. soft D. flat
15.A. fled B. marched C. raced D. approached
16.A. excitement B. nervousness C. calmness D. astonishment
17.A. ruled out B. brought out C. made out D. turned out
18.A. cheered B. responded C. wept D. complained
19.A. fighter B. worrier C. loser D. commander
20.A. naturally B. strangely C. relatively D. actually
New research helps to explain why screaming is disturbing and useful.
Screams, like those we hear in horror movies, have a special quality that separates them from other noises we make and hear. These screams are recognized by people all over the world.
1."Every kid in every culture screams. Every adult in the context of a true fear responds with screams. So it's just a feature of the human mind and brain．”
David Poeppel is a neuroscientist at New York University. He wondered why screams were recognized the same way by people all around the world. So, he and his colleagues set up an experiment.
They recorded screams from movies and from volunteers who took part in the research.2.Instead, they measured how quickly the sounds in the scream changed in volume. It was in this area-the change in volume that screams stand apart from other sounds.
When the volume of a sound changes that quickly it has a quality called roughness. "3.David Poeppel and his team found that car alarms, sirens, and alarm clocks also have this quality, this roughness.”
The scientists then studied how this "roughness" changed brain activity. They asked the volunteers to listen to different types of screams and alarms in an MRI scanner, The researchers found that the greater "roughness" of a sound. the more it activates the amygdala.
4.“The amygdala acts like a gauge that says ‘wow, this sound has a lot of roughness in it; that’s particularly alarming and scary. ’"
Screams, it turns out, are a direct link to the part of our brain that tells us whether we should be afraid or not. 5.
Now, we know why a scream.. gets so much attention, So quickly.
A. People who hear these rough sounds are also more likely to react to them very quickly.
B. People of all cultures and languages hear the same thing in a scream: fear.
C. A scream is to say ‘I’m in trouble and I need help.’
D. The amygdala is an area deep in the brain that answers to fear.
E. The more roughness a sound has, the more worrying it is
F. Screams played a very important evolutionary role in our survival
G. The scientists, however, did not measure the screams for loudness or pitch
In his 1930 essay "Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren". John Keynes. a famous economist, wrote that human needs fall into two classes: absolute needs, which are independent of what others have, and relative needs. which make us feel superior to our fellows．He thought that although relative needs may indeed be insatiable（无法满足的), this is not true of absolute needs。
Keynes was surely correct that only a small Part of total spending is decided by the desire for superiority. He was greatly mistaken, however, in seeing this desire as the only source of insatiable demands.
Decisions to spend are also driven by ideas of quality which can influence the demands for almost all goods, including even basic goods like food. When a couple goes out for an anniversary dinner, for example, the thought of feeling superior to others probably never comes to them. Their goal is to share a special meal that stands out from other meals.
There are no obvious limits to the escalation of demand for quality. For example, Porsche, a famous car producer, has a model which was considered perhaps the best sport car on the market. Priced at over ＄ 120,000. it handles perfectly well and has great speed acceleration. But in 2001. the producer introduced some changes which made the model slightly better in handling and acceleration. People who really care about cars find these small improvements exciting. To get them, however. they must pay almost four times the price.
By placing the desire to be superior to others at the heart of his description of insatiable demands, Keynes actually reduced such demands. However, the desire for higher quality has no natural limits.
1.According to the passage, John Keynes believed that______.
A. desire is the root of both absolute and relative needs
B. absolute needs come from or sense of superiority
C. relative needs alone lead to insatiable demands
D. absolute needs are stronger than relative needs
2.What do we know about the couple in Paragraph 3?
A. They want to show their superiority.
B. They find specialty important to meals
C. Their demands for food are not easily satisfied
D. Their choice of dinner is related to ideas of quality.
3.what does the underlined word" escalation" in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A. Understanding. B. Increase
C. Difference. D. Study
4.The author of the passage argues that______.
A. absolute needs have no limits
B. demands for quality are not insatiable
C. human desires influence ideas of quality
D. relative needs decide most of our spending
Next week California will try to take cell phones from the hands of drivers, telling everyone from millionaires to workers that conversations behind the wheel must be on an earphone.
Californians interviewed by Reuters mostly supported the law requiring hands-free phones in cars and banning cell phones entirely for drivers under 18, which will take effect on Tuesday, though they were puzzled by a loophole(漏洞) that allows seemingly more dangerous text messaging. Some were doubtful about lawmakers, who they blamed for failing to build more freeways or public transportation in the face of increasingly crowded roads in the nations most populous state and said hands-free conversations were not safer.
KFI-AM radio talk-show host John Kobylt told Reuters. “It's stupid because we’ve one over about seven different studies and each one of them says it s the conversation that distracts you, not holding the phone.”
State Senator Joe Simitian, who introduced the bill, said keeping both hands on the wheel was always safer. He expected his law to save hundreds of lives. The Democratic lawmaker was considering introducing a new law to ban text messaging in the car. which he said wasn’t an issue when he began working on the first one in 2001.
Connecticut, New Jersey and New York have already banned drivers from talking on hand-held cell phones. In New Jersey, police have issued 35.000 tickets for using a hand-held phone or texting while driving since the law went into effect on March 1.
But Californians interviewed by Reuters expressed ambivalence."On the one hand I don’t want to see people crash into each other, but I'm not going to get an ear thing.” 38-year-old bank employee Jason Fischer said in Los Angeles.
1.We can infer from Paragraph 2 that______.
A. most Californians hate to use an earphone while making a call in the car
B. public transportation in California isn’t developed enough
C. in New Jersey few people use a hand-held phone
D. most of Californians are probably against the new law
2.According to John Kobylt，_________.
A. all the lawmakers are stupid
B. holding the phone is safer than using an earphone
C. it isn’t dangerous to make a phone call while drivin
D. it is the phone conversation while driving that is really dangerous
3.What will State Senator Joe Simitian probably do in the future
A. He will sup suggest a law to forbid text messaging while riving
B. He will conduct a new survey among Californians
C. He will suggest building more roads in California
D. He will suggest a law to completely ban cell phones while driving.
4.The underlined word "ambivalence" in the last paragraph probably refers to______.
A. a positive attitude B. a negative attitude
C. a confused feeling D. an excited feeling
I grew up in a middle-class family. Dad worked hard to support our family and Mom tried to save money while making sure we had enough food to eat and clothes to wear. One of their greatest desires was to raise decent, loving children who had an opportunity to finish college
My brother, Gene. never hesitated to learn new things. He had an artistic hand, so he went into fine arts for a while. He also did a lot of screens about computers. He became so good at it that the school hired him to teach there after he completed his studies. My younger brother also pursued computers, following in his footsteps.
Gene did not have a history of any health problems from his very young age to adulthood. One day. he came home from teaching, ate his dinner and went to bed. That evening，my“healthy”brother died suddenly of a cardiac arrest（心跳骤停）．My parents were extremely sad.
At the viewing in the funeral house, amidst the sadness, my parents felt so much pride. So many people came and each was relating a story of how they were touched by Gene
A cleaner came to say that practically every day Gene brought him a sandwich. Finally, Mom found out why Gene had taken so many sandwiches to school! Then there was a man who came in bringing money, saying that Gene had lent him some when he was down and out. Gene had never asked him for the money back.
From the school president to the guard. people came. And because of his good heart and deeds, my younger brother was awarded a full scholarship in the school as a tribute to my dead brother.
In the end, my parents realized that even at the young age of 26, my brother had lived a full life and was very instrumental in helping others live theirs a little better.
1.What was the biggest wish of the authors parents?
A. To have a better life
B. To save enough money for the future
C. To give their children a college education
D. To raise their children to be respectable people
2.The authors parents felt proud in the funeral house because______.
A. many people from all walks of life came
B. Gene was praised by the school president
C. Genes brother was awarded a full scholarship
D. they heard about many good deeds done by Gene
3.What can we learn about Gene from the passage?
A. He took many sandwiches to school to share with others
B. He lent a man some money and then asked for it back
C. He was not in very good health from an early age.
D. He taught fine arts in his school
4.What is the message conveyed in the passage?
A. Good deeds deserve praise.
B. A friend in need is a friend indeed.
C. Kindness in students should be encouraged
D. The meaning of life consists in its dedication, not its length.
Podcasts (播客)
The B S. Report
Designed for the sports fan with a sense of humor, the B.S. Report is hosted by the sportswriter Bill Simmons. Simmons show is in very loose and free form and it’s not uncommon for him to go almost a whole show without even mentioning sports.
Wait, Wait…… Don’ t Tell Me
One of the most popular Programs on National Public Radio, Wait. Wait... Don’t Tell Me is now available as a podcast. The show is a news program in the form of a game show. Each week a group of humorists and writers join host Peter Sagal in Chicago, where they are quizzed on the weeks most important and funny news stories. Listeners also get to call in to play different news-related games for a prize
The Moth
The Moth is a weekly podcast run by a nonprofit art organization. The show is made up of recordings of “true stories told before a live audience without notes”. Each week. the group releases short 10-20 minute tales told by people from all walks of life. Past Presenters have included writers, comedians, scientists, and even New York City police officers.
Film spotting
Film spotting is a weekly podcast and is a must-listen for any movie fan. The show is focused on movie reviews, but hosts Adam Kempenaar and Matty Robinson do more than just tell their listeners which new movie is worth seeing. They also discuss and examine the film as an art form. The how doesn’t just focus on current movies, either, as the hosts frequently discuss old films as part of theme marathons.
1.If you are a police officer. you can take part in ________.
A. The B.S.Report B. Wait, Wait...Don’t Tell Me
C. The Moth D. Film spotting
2.What do The Moth and Film spotting have in common?
A. They are weekly programs B. They are open to everyone
C. Their hosts tell stories to the listeners. D. They are nonprofit arts organizations
3.Which of the following is TRUE?
A. You can play games in The B. S. Report.
B. People can tell stories in The Moth
C. Adam Kempenaar just tells their listeners old movies.
D. The Moth is available only in New York
