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    We may think we're a culture that gets rid of our worn technology at the first sight of something shiny and new, but a new study shows that we keep using our old devices well after they go out of style.

That’s bad news for the environment — and our wallets — as these outdated devices consume much more energy than the newer ones that do the same things.

To figure out how much power these devices are using, Callie Babbitt and her colleagues at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York tracked the environmental costs for each product throughout its life — from when its minerals are mined to when we stop using the device.

This method provided a readout for how home energy use has evolved since the early 1990s.

Devices were grouped by generation — Desktop computers, basic mobile phones, and box-set TVs defined 1992.

Digital cameras arrived on the scene in 1997.

And MP3 players, smart phones, and LCD TVs entered homes in 2002, before tablets and e-readers showed up in 2007.

As we accumulated more devices, however, we didn't throw out our old ones.

"The living-room television is replaced and gets planted in the kids' room, and suddenly one day, you have a TV in every room of the house," said one researcher.

The average number of electronic devices rose from four per household in 1992 to 13 in 2007.

We're not just keeping these old devices — we continue to use them.

According to the analysis of Babbitt's team, old desktop monitors and box TVs with cathode ray tubes are the worst devices with their energy consumption and contribution to greenhouse gas emissions（排放）more than doubling during the 1992 to 2007 window.

So what's the solution（解决方案）? The team's data only went up to 2007, but the researchers also explored what would happen if consumers replaced old products with new electronics that serve more than one function, such as a tablet for word processing and TV viewing.

They found that more on-demand entertainment viewing on tablets instead of TVs and desktop computers could cut energy consumption by 44%.

1．What does the author think of new devices?

A．They are environment-friendly.

B．They are no better than the old.

C．They cost more to use at home.

D．They go out of style quickly.

2．Why did Babbitt's team conduct the research?

A．To reduce the cost of minerals.

B．To test the life cycle of a product.

C．To update consumers on new technology.

D．To find out electricity consumption of the devices.

3．Which of the following uses the least energy?

A．The box-set TV.

B．The tablet.

C．The LCD TV.

D．The desktop computer.

4．What does the text suggest people do about old electronic devices?

A．Stop using them.

B．Take them apart.

C．Upgrade them.

D．Recycle them.

    Terrafugia Inc.

said Monday that its new flying car has completed its first flight, bringing the company closer to its goal of selling the flying car within the next year.

The vehicle —named the Transition – has two seats, four wheels and wings that fold up so it can be driven like a car.

The Transition, which flew at 1,400 feet for eight minutes last month, can reach around 70 miles per hour on the road and 115 in the air.

It flies using a 23-gallon tank of gas and burns 5 gallons per hour in the air.

On the ground, it gets 35 miles per gallon.

Around 100 people have already put down a $10,000 deposit to get a Transition when they go on sale, and those numbers will likely rise after Terrafugia introduces the Transition to the public later this week at the New York Auto Show.

But don’t  expect it to show up in too many driveways.

It’s expected to cost $279,000.

And it won’t  help if you’re stuck in traffic.

The car needs a runway.

Inventors have been trying to make flying cars since the 1930s, according to Robert Mann, an airline industry expert.

But Mann thinks Terrafugia has come closer than anyone to making the flying car a reality.

The government has already permitted the company to use special materials to make it easier for the vehicle to fly.

The Transition  is now going through crash tests to make sure it meets federal safety standards.

Mann said Terrafugia was helped by the Federal Aviation Administration’s decision five years ago to create a separate set of standards for light sport aircraft, which are lower than those for pilots of larger planes.

Terrafugia says an owner would need to pass a test and complete 20 hours of flying time to be able to fly the Transition, a requirement pilots would find relatively easy to meet.

5．What is the first paragraph mainly about?

A．The basic data of the Transition.

B．The advantages of flying cars.

C．The potential market for flying cars.

D．The designers of the Transition.

6．Why is the Transition unlikely to show up in too many driveways?

A．It causers traffic jams.

B．It is difficult to operate.

C．It is very expensive.

D．It burns too much fuel.

7．What is the government’s attitude to the development of the flying car?

A．Cautious B．Favorable.

C．Ambiguous.

D．Disapproving.

8．What is the best title for the text?

A．Flying Car at Auto Show

B．The Transition’s First Flight

C．Pilots’ Dream Coming True

D．Flying Car Closer to Reality

    I read somewhere that we spend a full third of our lives waiting.

But where are we doing all of this waiting, and what does it mean to an impatient society like ours? To understand the issue, let’s take a look at three types of “waits”.

The very purest form of waiting is the Watched-Pot Wait.

It is without doubt the most annoying of all.

Take filling up the kitchen sink(洗碗池) as an example.

There is absolutely nothing you can do while this is going on but keep both eyes fixed on the sink until it’s full.

During these waits, the brain slips away from the body and wanders about until the water runs over the edge of the counter and onto your socks.

This kind of wait makes the waiter helpless and mindless.

A cousin to the Watched-Pot Wait is the Forced Wait.

This one requires a bit of discipline.

Properly preparing packaged noodle soup required a Forced Wait.

Directions are very specific.

“Bring three cups of water to boil, add mix, simmer three minutes, remove from heat, let stand five minutes.

”I have my doubts that anyone has actually followed the procedures strictly.

After all, Forced Waiting requires patience.

Perhaps the most powerful type of waiting is the Lucky-Break Wait.

This type of wait is unusual in that it is for the most part voluntary.

Unlike the Forced Wait, which is also voluntary, waiting for your lucky break does not necessarily mean that it will happen.

Turning one’s life into a waiting game requires faith and hope, and is strictly for the optimists among us.

On the surface it seems as ridiculous as following the directions on soup mixes, but the Lucky-Break Wait well serves those who are willing to do it.

As long as one doesn’t come to rely on it, wishing for a few good things to happen never hurts anybody.

We certainly do spend a good deal of our time waiting.

The next time you’re standing at the sink waiting for it to fill while cooking noodle soup that you’ll have to eat until a large bag of cash falls out of the sky, don’t be desperate.

You’re probably just as busy as the next guy.

9．While doing a Watched-Pot Wait, we tend to ___________.

A．keep ourselves busy

B．get absent-minded

C．grow anxious

D．stay focused

10．What is the difference between the Forced Wait and the Watched-Pot Wait?\

A．The Forced Wait requires some self-control.

B．The Forced Wait makes people passive.

C．The Watched-Pot Wait needs directions.

D．The Watched-Pot Wait engages body and brain.

11．What can we learn about the Lucky-Break Wait?

A．It is less voluntary than the Forced Wait.

B．It doesn’t always bring the desired result.

C．It is more fruitful than the Forced Wait.

D．It doesn’t give people faith and hope.

12．What does the author advise us to do the next time we are waiting?

A．Take it seriously.

B．Don’t rely on others.

C．Do something else.

D．Don’t lose heart.

13．The author supports his view by _________.

A．exploring various causes of “waits”.

B．describing detailed processes of “waits”.

C．analyzing different categories of “waits”

D．revealing frustrating consequences of “waits”

    According to a recent study in the Journal of Consumer Research, both the size and consumption habits of our eating companions can influence our food intake.

And contrary to existing research that says you should avoid eating with heavier people who order large portions(份), it's the beanpoles with big appetites you really need to avoid.

To test the effect of social influence on eating habits, the researchers conducted two experiments.

In the first, 95 undergraduate women were individually invited into a lab to ostensibly(表面上)participate in a study about movie viewership.

Before the film began, each woman was asked to help herself to a snack.

An actor hired by the researchers grabbed her food first.

In her natural state, the actor weighed 105 pounds.

But in half the cases she wore a specially designed fat suit which increased her weight to 180 pounds.

Both the fat and thin versions of the actor took a large amount of food.

The participants followed suit, taking more food than they normally would have.

However, they took significantly more when the actor was thin.

For the second test, in one case the thin actor took two pieces of candy from the snack bowls.

In the other case, she took 30 pieces.

The results were similar to the first test: the participants followed suit but took significantly more candy when the thin actor took 30 pieces.

The tests show that the social environment is extremely influential when we're making decisions.

If this fellow participant is going to eat more, so will I.

Call it the “I’ll have what she's having” effect.

However, we'll adjust the influence.

If an overweight person is having a large portion, I'll hold back a bit because I see the results of his eating habits.

But if a thin person eats a lot, I'll follow suit.

If he can eat much and keep slim, why can't I?

14．What is the recent study mainly about?

A．Food safety.

B．Movie viewership.

C．Consumer demand.

D．Eating behavior.

15．What does the underlined word “beanpoles” in paragraph 1 refer to?

A．Big eaters.

B．Overweight persons.

C．Picky eaters.

D．Tall thin persons.

16．Why did the researchers hire the actor?

A．To see how she would affect the participants.

B．To test if the participants could recognize her.

C．To find out what she would do in the two tests.

D．To study why she could keep her weight down.

17．On what basis do we “adjust the influence” according to the last paragraph?

A．How hungry we are.

B．How slim we want to be.

C．How we perceive others.

D．How we feel about the food.

    Making beers on the moon might seem like a pipe dream to many, but for a group of students from the University of California at San Diego, there is a chance to take their research beyond Earth’s surface.

The Lab2Moon competition, held by TeamIndus, is offering students the chance to secure a spot on the TeamIndus rocket this year.

Taking craft beer to the next level, the students want to test whether it’s possible for yeast(酵母) to work and create beer on the moon.

However, they believe the experiment is not just a creative concept for astronauts, it’s also important for the development of drugs and yeast-containing food, like bread.

“The idea started out with a few laughs among a group of friends,” said Neeki Ashari, a fifth-year bioengineering students at UC San Diego.

“We all appreciate the craft beer.

When we heard that there was an opportunity to design an experiment that would go up on India’s moonlander, w e thought we could combine our hobby with the competition by focusing on the practicality of yeast in outer space.

”

The preparation work for the beer — up to the stage of adding yeast — will all be done on Earth, and rather than separating the fermentation ( 发酵) and carbonation stage of making beer, the team plans to combine them.

This removes the need to release CO2 accumulated in the process, which may result in cleanliness and safety issues out in space.

If selected, Team Original Gravity will be the first to make beer in outer space, and the fermentation will take place in a container no bigger than a soda can.

All teams competing for the place will showcase their ideas in Bangalore, India, in March.

Sadly, you won’t be enjoying moon beer in your local craft beer bar anytime soon, as no samples will be brought back.

However, this small experiment could provide important data on just how practical it is for us to make and create our own resources on other planets and moons by learning how consumables (消耗品) behave in different environments.

18．How did the students feel when they got the chance to design the experiment ?

A．Excited.

B．Nervous.

C．Confident.

D．Casual.

19．What does the underlined word “This” in Paragraph 6 refer to?

A．The mixing of two stages.

B．Adding yeast on Earth.

C．The preparation work on Earth.

D．Fermentation and carbonation.

20．What can we learn about the experiment from the passage?

A．It has been designed based on similar experiments.

B．It’s quite competitive compared with other designs.

C．It’s design has already been approved by TeamIndus.

D．Its process was adapted to make it safer and greener.

21．What does the author think of the students ’ idea?

A．It seems like a pipe dream.

B．It’s extremely complicated.

C．It’s meaningful and hopeful.

D．It’s creative but impractical.

    Did you know that the color of uniforms can influence the performance of an athlete? It may sound strange, but a study suggests this might be true.

Two British scientists studied the results of four sports in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games where the athletes had been given either a red or a blue uniform.

They discovered that when there was a big difference in the score, color had no influence on the result.

But if it was a close match, the athlete in a red uniform was more likely to win.

Then they looked at the uniforms of the soccer teams at the Euro 2004 tournament.

Again, teams wearing red won more games.

The two scientists got their idea from earlier studies of wild animals.

It had been discovered that when a male show red on its body, it sends a signal of its power and strength.

For example, in many kinds of monkey, the more the male shows off its red scare, the more females it can attract

Based on this fact, the British scientists thought that the idea might work for humans, too.

According to them, when an athlete sees a competitor in a red uniform, he gets a feeling that his competitor could be stronger than him.

And that kind of feeling may have a bad influence on the player’s performance in the actual game.

Although the idea is Interesting, most people don’t accept that color signals in the animals world can really be useful to humans in sports.

They think that it is unreasonable to develop an Idea based on such a small number of examples.

Much more research has to be done to prove the influence of uniform colors on the performance of athletes.

22．What did the scientists find out about the 2004 Athens Olympic Games?

A．Athletes played equally well in four sports.

B．Game results had a big influence on the athletes.

C．Athletes dressed in red scored more in a close match.

D．There was a big difference in read and blue team’s scores.

23．What may the red scars of a male animal suggest?

A．It is quite strong.

B．It is a failure.

C．It has power over other males.

D．It has attracted a lot of females.

24．The underlined part “that kind of feeling” in the text refers to a feeling of      .

A．weakness B．pride

C．danger D．shame

25．what is most people’s opinion to the scientists’ idea?

A．Interested B．Satisfied.

C．Doubtful.

D．Thankful

    A new study has shown how computers and robots powered by artificial intelligence can read human eye movements to “read” human personalities.

The eyes, they say, are the windows to the soul.

And if that is true, computers and robots powered by sophisticated(复杂的) artificial intelligence algorithms(算法) may soon have the ability to peer into your soul.

That is the result of a new study on the connection between eye movements and personality, conducted by neuroscience researchers based at the University of South Australia and Published in the scientific Journal Frontiers in Neuroscience.

“Eye movements during an everyday task predict aspects of our personality,” wrote the researchers, led by University of South Australia neuroscientist Tobias Loetscher, whose team follows 42 study subjects around the university campus recording their eye movements, then determines their personality traits(特点) with “well-established questionnaires” for determining personality type, according to a summary of the study published by the site Science Daily.

The researchers fed the data into their AI algorithms and found that computers running the algorithms were able to record human eye movements and immediately determine a person’s major personality traits, such as “neuroticism, extraversion(外向), agreeableness, conscientiousness, as well as perceptual(感知的) curiosity”, the scientists wrote.

“The new findings could improve the way human beings interact with their computers and other high-tech devices, even robots, allowing for more natural and realistic social interactions with machines,” Loetscher said.

“People are always looking for improved, personalized services.

Today’s robots and computers are not socially aware so they cannot adapt to non-verbal information,” Loetscher said in a statement quoted by Indian Express.

“This research provides opportunities to develop robots and computers so that they can become more natural, and better at interpreting human social signals.

”

The study revealed previously undiscovered relations between specific personality characteristics and specific eye movement tendencies, according to a summary in Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper.

26．What do the underlined words “peer into” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．understand B．stare at

C．search for D．concern about

27．How did the researchers conduct the research?

A．It was carried out in a lab.

B．42 subjects’ eye movements were recorded.

C．The students’ daily movements were tracked.

D．Its subjects’ personalities were determined by computer.

28．According to Tobias Loetscher, what can we know?

A．Robots and computers are socially conscious.

B．People care less about improved, personalized services.

C．Today’s robots and computers can accustom to non-verbal information.

D．The discovery will improve the interaction between human beings and machines.

29．What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Human Personality Traits

B．What Human Eye Movements Are

C．Tell Personalities by Eye Movements

D．How Humans and Machines Interact

    A robot created by Washington State University (WSU) scientists could help elderly people with dementia (痴呆) and other limitations live independently in their own homes.

The Robot Activity Support System, or RAS, uses sensors installed in a WSU smart home to determine where its residents are, what they are doing and when they need assistance with daily activities.

It navigates (定位) through rooms and around obstacles to find people on its own, provides video instructions on how to do simple tasks and can even lead its owner to objects like their medication or a snack in the kitchen.

“RAS combines the convenience of a mobile robot with the activity detection technology of a WSU smart home to provide assistance in the moment, as the need for help is detected,” said Bryan Minor, a postdoctoral researcher in the WSU School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Currently, an estimated 50 percent of adults over the age of 85 need assistance with every day activities such as preparing meals and taking medication and the annual cost for this assistance in the US is nearly $2 trillion.

With the number of adults over 85 expected to triple by 2050, researchers hope that technologies like RAS and the WSU smart home will relieve some of the financial strain on the healthcare system by making it easier for older adults to live alone.

RAS is the first robot researchers have tried to incorporate into their smart home environment.

They recently published a study in the journal Cognitive Systems Research that demonstrates how RAS could make life easier for older adults struggling to live independently.

“While we are still in an early stage of development, our initial results with RAS have been promising,” Minor said.

“The next step in the research will be to test RAS’ performance with a group of older adults to get a better idea of what prompts, video reminders and other preferences they have regarding the robot.

”

30．How does RAS serve elderly people?

A．Through sensors.

B．Through objects.

C．Through a mobile robot.

D．Through their daily activities.

31．What can we know about RAS?

A．It is the first robot used in daily life.

B．Its function remains to be tested.

C．It can locate people and do any task.

D．It can cook for owners on its own.

32．What’s Minor’s attitude toward the future of RAS?

A．Doubtful.

B．Negative.

C．Optimistic.

D．Uncertain.

33．What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Elderly people leave the nursing home.

B．Smart Home Tests first elder-Care robot.

C．RAS, the first robot to make home smart.

D．Older adults have benefited from RAS.

    The arm bones of women who lived 7,000 years ago show a surprising level of strength--even higher than today's professional athletes.

That's according to a first-ever study comparing prehistoric(史前的) bones to those of living people.

The finding suggests a revision of history- the everyday lives of prehistoric women were filled with hard labor, rather than just sitting at home doing lighter tasks while the men struggled and fought for life.

“Before the study, there are no clear records describing how our ancient ancestors lived.

It can be easy to forget that bone is a living tissue, one that responds to the difficulties we put our bodies through,” said lead author Alison Macintosh.

“Physical force and muscle activity both put pressure on the bone.

The bone reacts by changing in shape, thickness and other aspects over time.

”

Previous studies only compared female bones to contemporary male bones, the researchers said-and that's a problem, because the response of male bones to stress and change is much bigger than that of women.

For instance, as humans moved from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle constantly on the move to a more settled agrarian(农耕的) one, changes can be observed in the structure of the shinbone(胫骨)- and these changes were much more evident in men.

However, a comparison of the bones of prehistoric women to the bones of living female athletes can help us work out a more accurate picture of what those prehistoric women were doing.

"By analyzing the bones of living people and comparing them to the ancient bones, we can start to explain the kinds of labor our ancestors were reforming, Macintosh said.

What they found was that women's leg strength hasn't changed a great deal, but their arms used to be very powerful.

Prehistoric women, the researchers found, had arm strength 11-16 percent stronger than those of modern rowers(桨手), and 30 percent stronger than those of non-athletes.

34．What does the study tell about prehistoric women?

A．They were stronger than men.

B．They had lighter bones than men.

C．They did tough tasks as the men.

D．They spent most time staying at home.

35．What problem did previous studies on prehistoric bones have?

A．They lacked enough comparison.

B．They only studied men' s bones.

C．They focused little on bones.

D．They ignored the lifestyles.

36．What does the underlined word "that" in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Bones’ structure.

B．Bones' thickness.

C．Bones’ response to stress.

D．Bones’ stress from hard labor.

37．What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．It's still hard to explain our ancestors' lifestyle.

B．Prehistoric women went through much suffering.

C．Women's arms have become much stronger over time.

D．Prehistoric women are stronger than contemporary females.

    In the story of “The crow and the Pitcher” from Aesop’s Fables, a thisty crow (乌鸦)drops stones into a narrow jar to raise the low level of water inside so he can take a drink.

Now scientists have evidence to back up that story.

Crows actually do understand how to make water displacement (移位) work to their advantage, experiments show.

The results suggest that the birds are, at least in some aspects, as smart as first-graders.

Researchers, led by Sarah Jelbert at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, presented six crows with tubes filled with water.

Inside the tubes, a worm or piece of meat on a piece of wood was floating, just out of reach of the crow.

In front of the tubes, the researchers arranged several rubber erasers that would sink, and some plastic objects that would float.

The crows found out that they could drop the erasers into the tubes in order to raise the water level and get their snack.

However, the birds handled awkwardly in experiments in which they could choose to drop objects in either a wide tube or a narrow one to get a snack, the researchers said.

Dropping objects into narrow tube would lift the water level by a greater amount and put the treat within reach after just two drops; while it took around seven drops to raise the snack to the same level in the wide tube.

The crows obviously didn’t realize this, and most of them went for the wide tube first.

Previous studies showed that chimps and human children can solve similar tasks.

In a 2011 study, chimps and kids found out that they could put water into a tube to reach a peanut that was floating in a small amount of water at the bottom.

38．How did the crows get the snack in Sarah’s experiment?

A．By breaking the tube.

B．By dropping in erasers.

C．By standing on the wood.

D．By removing the wood.

39．What does the author mean by “the birds handled awkwardly” in paragraph 4?

A．They were unable to tell different shapes.

B．They dropped objects only into narrow tubes.

C．They were not aware of the snack at first sight.

D．They mostly avoided the easier way to get the snack.

40．What does the text mainly focus on?

A．Stories of Aesop’s Fables.

B．The development of crows.

C．Crows’ intelligence.

D．Human-animal communication.

41．What can we learn from the passage?

A．Crows are almost as clever as first-graders in some respects.

B．Crows understand water displacement completely.

C．Chimps and children are much smarter than crows.

D．The story of “The crow and the Pitcher” lacks evidence.

Running on Empty

For almost a century, scientists have assumed, tiredness—or exhaustion—in athletes originates(起源于) in the muscles.

Precise explanations have varied, but all have been based on the “Limitations Theory”.

In other words, muscles tire because they hit a physical limit: they either run out of fuel or oxygen or they drown in harmful by-products(副产品).

In the past few years, however, Timothy Noakes from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, has examined this standard theory.

Tiredness, he argues, is caused not by signals springing from overtaxed muscles, but is an emotional response which begins in the brain.

The fundamental nature of his new theory is that the brain paces the muscles to keep them well back from the edge of exhaustion.

When the brain decides it’s time to quit, it creates unbearable muscle tiredness.

This “Central Governor” theory remains controversial, but it does explain many puzzling aspects of athletic performance.

A recent discovery that Noakes calls the “lactic acid paradox” made him start researching this area seriously.

Lactic acid is a by-product of exercise, and the increase of it is often mentioned as a cause of tiredness.

But when research subjects exercise in certain conditions created artificially, they become tired even though lactic acid levels remain low.

Nor has the oxygen content of their blood fallen too low for them to keep going.

Obviously, something else was making them tire before they hit either of these physiological limits.

Noakes conducted an experiment with seven cyclists.

It has long been known that during exercise, the body never uses 100% of the available muscle fibres(纤维).

The amount used varies, but in some tasks such as this cycling test the body calls on about 30%.

His team found that as tiredness set in, the electrical activity in cyclist’s legs declined—even when they were making a great effort to cycle as fast as they could.

To Noakes, this was strong evidence that the old theory was wrong.

“The cyclists may have felt completely exhausted,” he says, “but their bodies actually had considerable reserves that they could theoretically tap by using a greater amount of the resting fibres.

” This, he believes, is the proof that the brain is regulating the pace of the workout to hold the cyclists well back from the point of extreme tiredness.

42．Which of the following is supported by “the Limitations Theory”?

A．Tiredness is caused by signals from brain.

B．Athletes feel tired when they use up all their energy.

C．The body uses 100% of the muscle fibres in exercise.

D．Athletes become tired though lactic acid levels remain low.

43．Noakes has found out that ___________.

A．muscle fibres control athletes’ movements

B．Lactic acid levels remain high in cycling test

C．mental processes control the symptoms of tiredness

D．different exercises use different amount of muscle fibres

44．It is likely that both theories accept that ___________.

A．lactic acid is produced in muscles during exercise

B．the oxygen content in blood may rise after sports

C．tiredness is a harmful by-product of exercise

D．the energy in human bodies can be balanced

45．What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．The description of a new test.

B．The explanation of the theory.

C．The puzzling evidence of a study.

D．The whole process of the research.

    There is some unwelcome news for students preparing for exams and officers putting in long hours—you don’t need that “refreshment（提神） break” as much as you may think.

Scientists believed it was not easy for people to continue their work if they felt the need to have a snack or a rest to make them feel better.

They argued that the only way to regain willpower is by supplying more energy to our bodies with rest, food or entertainment.

But psychologists have challenged this theory, saying weak willpower is in your head.

They found that a person’s mindset(理念) and belief about willpower determine how long and how well they’ll be able to work on a tough mental exercise.

“If you think of willpower as something that’s limited, you’re more likely to be tired when you perform a difficult task,” said Professor Veronika Job.

“But if you think of willpower as something that is not easily depleted, you can go on and on.

”

The researchers led by Mr.

Job designed an experiment to test the students’ beliefs about willpower.

After a tiring task those who believed or were led to believe that willpower was a limited resource performed worse on standard concentration tests than those who thought of willpower as something they had more control over.

Mr.

Job said, “Students who may already have trouble studying are being told that their powers of concentration are limited, and they need to take frequent breaks.

But a belief in willpower as a non-limited resource makes people stronger in their ability to work through challenges.

”

The findings could help people who are battling with temptation(诱惑): people following strict diets and doing exercise regularly to lose weight, people trying to overcome addictions, employees facing a tight deadline.

Willpower isn’t driven by a biologically based process as much as we used to think.

46．What opinion did scientists have in the past?

A．Willpower was a limited resource.

B．It was hard to regain willpower.

C．Hardworking people seldom took breaks.

D．People could easily feel tired when working.

47．Which of the following can replace the underlined word “depleted” in paragraph 3?

A．Given up.

B．Recovered.

C．Used up.

D．Changed.

48．What can we learn from the findings of the experiment?

A．Students benefit most from the research.

B．Frequent breaks are not good for learning.

C．Will power can be regained after people have a good rest.

D．The belief in willpower can change a man’s behaviour.

49．Why does the author write the text?

A．To explain the power of willpower.

B．To show us how to build willpower.

C．To tell us the ways of gaining willpower.

D．To introduce a new theory on willpower.

    From the first use of the rocket to carry satellites into space to the setting up of space stations， human beings have been putting great effort into space research． And so far， we have achieved many successes． But there are still numerous tasks in front of us and we should not stop trying to progress．

The international space station （ISS） is an important step we should take in space exploration． It is not only helpful but also essential． It provides a proper space environment for many experiments that we have wanted to do for a long time． It is also a base for the observations of the earth and the universe． It could also be an important base for later travel to the moon and Mars． In a word， if we want to explore space more， the first thing we should do is to set up a space station．

As the space station costs a lot of money， it is hard for one country alone to establish one． The USA seem to be the only country that has the ability to build a space station alone， and it has tried to do so， but not very successful． So it aggregated many other countries to work on it together． Though it is still extremely expensive， it is much cheaper than doing it alone． It is really a job that needs everyone's effort and will benefit everyone．

Led by the U．S． and Russia， the ISS is a joint project between six space agencies involving 16countries． Called the greatest achievement in human cooperation， the ISS has come to the end of a ten﹣year's hard work in construction． China has applied for participation in （taking part in） the project many times． Unfortunately all the applications were rejected， which drove China onto the path of independent development． As the Long March Ⅱ﹣F/T1 carrier rocket blasted off （leave the ground） and successfully carried the Tiangong﹣1into space on September 29， 2011， China takes a big step toward its Space Station Era．

Some West media suggested that the successful launch of Tiangong﹣1 would disturb the balance of global space power， raising concerns about "China threat"． China's space project is not designed for military purpose but for developing space technology to explore space resources and make use of them for mankind's well﹣being．

50．From Paragraph 2we learn that    ．

A．the necessity of building the international space station is not realized now

B．many experiments have been done in the international space station

C．the international space station is necessary for people to explore space more

D．people have traveled to Mars from the international space station

51．Which of the following is NOT a reason for countries' cooperation in building the international space station？

A．That it requires a lot of money．

B．That it needs everyone's effort．

C．That it will benefit every participating country．

D．That it is too far away from the earth．

52．The underlined word "aggregated" in Paragraph 3 can be replaced by "    "．

A．united

B．scolded

C．allowed

D．forbade

53．China wants to build its space station in order to    ．

A．break the balance of global space power

B．show that China can build space station alone

C．raise international concerns about "China threat"

D．make use of space peacefully for mankind's well﹣being

    Pollution’s great effects on the environment have become more obvious in recent years, leading to a movement to promote energy efficiency（效率）, and a reduction in air and water pollution.

Most scientists agree that such changes are necessary to protect our environment from further harm.

Green buildings use less energy, water, create less waste, and are healthier to live, work, and go to school in than standard buildings.

Builders of green buildings use techniques that use resources more efficiently during the entire building cycle — construction, restoration, operation, maintenance（维护）and removal — than those who construct more regular buildings.

The environmental benefits of green buildings include the protection of ecosystems and biodiversity, better air and water quality, less waste flowing into streams, and the protection of natural resources.

Green buildings can also result in lower operating costs because they typically use less energy and fewer materials and improve indoor air quality, improving the health of people who live in such buildings.

The process of building green includes technical and artistic planning with nature protection in mind.

Building designs often reflect the surrounding environment and natural resources and use renewable building materials such as bamboo and straw.

In addition, recycled resources found locally are used for green buildings, reducing the cost and air pollution associated with transporting materials over long distances.

Careful site selection is important to reduce the human effect on the surrounding environment.

For example, placing a structure in an area that allows it to take advantage of cool wind and sunlight can reduce energy use and expenses.

More energy and expenses are needed for larger buildings as well, so it is important to build small ones.

The green roof is another feature of green buildings that reduce energy use and costs.

These roofs are partly or completely covered with plants, which help to keep heating and cooling costs low, prevent water running off and deal with pollutants.

Other features of green buildings often include energy and water conservation, recycling, and waste reduction.

In addition, renewable energy resources such as solar power, hydropower and wind power are used for heat and electricity, which greatly reduces costs and decreases the effect on the environment.

54．What is the text mainly about?

A．The necessity of promoting energy efficiency.

B．The process of building green buildings.

C．The benefits and features of green buildings.

D．Green buildings’ effects on the environment.

55．According to the text, green buildings refer to the buildings that _________.

A．produce no waste B．only use clean energy

C．are made of recycled materials D．use energy and resources more efficiently

56．What can we know about green buildings?

A．They only rely on solar power for heat and electricity.

B．Small ones are less efficient in energy use than larger ones.

C．When we are building them the ecosystem has to be considered.

D．They are difficult to maintain and thus need more operating costs.

57．What is the purpose of using green roofs?

A．To fit the surrounding environment well.

B．To keep warm.

C．To collect nature water.

D．To lower costs.

    Spending money on time-saving services reduces stress and boosts(增进）happiness，according to a new research, but shockingly, few of us do it.

Whillans, a professor at HBS said, “ Buying time helps to protect us from the stress in our lives caused by time pressure, and the feeling that we don’ t have enough minutes in the day to complete our tasks.

’’

The effect was clearest in the Canadian experiment, in which 60 working adults were given $40 to spend in two different ways.

One weekend, they were told to spend the money on a material purchase—a gift for themselves.

The next weekend, they were instructed to spend the $40 on anything that saved them time，from paying the neighbor ’ s kid to run errands (跑腿）to taking an Uber instead of a bus.

On the day they made the time-saving purchase, they felt happier, in a better mood, and lower feelings of time stress than on the day they bought a material purchase，’’ said Whillans.

The biggest surprise to the researchers was how few people would spend money on time-saving services.

When they asked 98 working adults how they would spend a “windfall” of $40，only two percent named a purchase that would save them time.

“ One reason，’’ said Whillans，is that we' re very bad at remembering how much we hate doing certain tasks once the suffering has passed.

That makes us less likely to take active steps to avoid that overburdened feeling in the future.

” But another possible cause is good old-fashioned guilt.

“If you feel guilty about getting someone to clean your house for you, then you might get less happiness from outsourcing (外包）that task，” said Whillans，u or you might just be less likely to spend your money in that way.

’’

58．In the Canadian experiment, the participants    .

A．were divided into two groups

B．were given $ 40 every two weeks

C．were asked to give money to a neighborJ s kid

D．were asked to spend the money in different ways

59．According to the author, what can make people less time-stressed?

A．Paying much for a concert ticket.

B．Taking a regular bus to get to work.

C．Employing someone to clean the garden.

D．Buying themselves an expensive present.

60．When it comes to spending money on ‘‘buying time”，    .

A．no people would like to do it

B．a small percentage of people choose to do it

C．more people will do it if extra money is given

D．most people like the idea but don ’ t practice it in life

61．What do the underlined words “that overburdened feeling”in Paragraph 6 refer to?

A．The good old-fashioned guilt.

B．The feeling of spending’money on goods.

C．The stress of having someone clean your house.

D．The discomfort when completing tasks we hate doing.

    Nowadays, social media like Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter are becoming more and more popular.

People have completely made social media part of their daily lives.

As a result, many people have developed an Internet personality.

The Internet personality I am talking about is the one we shape on our social media sites.

We are always posting information about ourselves for other people to know even when it can be completely untrue.

Some people even go so far as to spend money in buying flowers or “likes” or buying a very expensive camera for their friends to take photos of them.

I find it unbelievable.

The time and energy spent on these silly things can only make us want to be accepted by more people.

Social media are also a modern cause of depression: People see the perfect lives of others and consider their own imperfect lives as bad.

Even kids deal with this.

They don’t realize that the reason why they struggle to love themselves is that they spend all day receiving untrue information.

I find that many people spend more time and energy in making sure that their online personality is worth accepting rather than caring for their real presence.

So many times I have seen confident and beautiful girls on social media.

But in the real world, they are extremely shy.

They hardly talk to anyone and spend all their time using the phone.

Social media have gone so far as to even negatively affect marriages.

This is because of the fact that there are now “Instagram husbands”—people whose use is to take perfect photos of their partners throughout the day.

They spend a lot of time doing that whether they like it or not.

Needless to say, social media likely influence relationships in a negative way.

I think everyone should stop using social media at least for a few months to experience the difference it makes to them.

They may find life is very different and much better.

62．What does “the Internet personality” in the passage refer to?

A．The hope to develop a better personality.

B．The personality developed through social media.

C．The true personality shown by us on social media.

D．The information we get about others on social media.

63．Why are social media a modern cause of depression?

A．We may read some upsetting news.

B．We have to try very hard to be accepted.

C．We can’t really find much useful information.

D．We feel sad about ourselves through comparing.

64．What does the example given in Paragraph 4 show?

A．Shy people can also become confident.

B．Social media make people become more energetic.

C．Social media make people ignore their true presence.

D．People today don’t consider their presence important.

65．What’s most probably the author’s attitude towards people’s using social media?

A．Uninterested.

B．Negative.

C．Uncertain.

D．Supportive.

    More than loo genes are related with increased risk of developing schizophrenia (精神分裂症), bipolar disorder (躁郁症) and alcoholism (酗酒), confirms a large study published in the recent issue of the British scientific journal Nature.

The world’s largest study into the genetic basis of mental illnesses was led by researchers from British universities, including University College London (UCL), Cardiff University and King's College London (KCL).

Researchers believe that they are now much closer than before to understanding the complex biological causes, which make some people being at high risk of developing mental illnesses.

They also believe that these findings could lead to new treatments.

The researchers analyzed the DNA of about 37,000 patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or alcoholism, and compared the smallest genetic changes to those found in about 113,000 healthy people.

They then identified about 128 independent genetic variants (变体) at 108 locations on the human chromosomes (染色体) that contribute significantly to developing schizophrenia — 83 of these sites have never before been linked to the illness, according to scientists.

For example, people with the variant of the GRM3 gene, thought to be important in brain signaling, are around 2 to 3 times more likely to develop schizophrenia or alcohol dependence.