My newly-rented small apartment was far away from the centre of London and it was becoming essential for me to find a job, so finally I spent a whole morning getting to town and putting my name down to be considered by London Transport for a job on the underground. They were looking for guards, not drivers. This suited me. I couldn’t drive a car but thought that I could probably guard a train, and perhaps continue to write my poems between stations. The writers Keats and Chekhov had been doctors. T.S. Eliot had worked in a bank and Wallace Stevens for an insurance company.
I’d be a subway guard. I could see myself being cheerful, useful, a good man in a crisis. Obviously I’d be overqualified but I was willing to forget about that in return for a steady income and travel privileges — those being particularly welcome to someone living a long way from the city centre.
The next day I sat down, with almost a hundred other candidates, for the intelligence test. I must have done all right because after about half an hour’s wait I was sent into another room for a psychological test. This time there were only about f
ifty candidates. The interviewer sat at a desk. Candidates were signaled forward to occupy the seat opposite him when the previous occupant had been dismissed, after a greater or shorter time. Obviously the long interviews were the more successful ones. Some of the interviews were as short as five minutes. Mine was the only one that lasted a minute and a half.
I can remember the questions now: “Why did you leave your last job?” “Why did you leave your job before that?” “And the one before that?” I can’t recall my answers, except that they were short at first and grew progressively shorter. His closing statement, I thought, revealed (揭示) a lack of sensitivity which helped to explain why as a psychologist, he had risen no higher than the underground railway. “You’ve failed the psychological test and we are unable to offer you a position.”
Failing to get that job was my low point. Or so I thought, believing that the work was easy. Actually, such jobs — being a postman is another one I still desire — demand exactly the sort of elementary yet responsible awareness that the habitual dreamer is least qualified to give. But I was still far short of full self-understanding. I was also short of cash.The writer applied for the job chiefly because _________.
| A．he wanted to work in the centre of London |
| B．he could no longer afford to live without one |
| C．he was not interested in any other available job |
| D．he had received some suitable training |
The writer thought he was overqualified for the job because _________.
| A．he often traveled underground | B．he had written many poems |
| C．he could deal with difficult situations | D．he had worked in a company |
The length of his interview meant that _________.
| A．he was not going to be offered the job |
| B．he had not done well in the intelligence test |
| C．he did not like the interviewer at all |
| D．he had little work experience to talk about |
What does the writer realize now that he did not realize then?
| A．How unpleasant ordinary jobs can be. | B．How difficult it is to be a poet. |
| C．How unsuitable he was for the job. | D．How badly he did in the interview. |
What’s the writer’s opinion of the psychologist?
| A．He was very aggressive. | B．He was unhappy with his job. |
| C．He was quite inefficient. | D．He was rather unsympathetic. |
If you come across the news of the death of Mr. Bean (actor Rowan Atkinson) on your Facebook account and you are curious to know more by opening a link, then think twice. Because the news is fake, a message about his suicide.
The fake news created tense moments for the fans of Atkinson who were curious to know why the actor took the step. Apparently, rumours said that the 58-year-old actor took his life after a producer dropped him from Johnny English 3. Later, it was found that both the news were fake. Such rumours have their origins in social platforms, where it is not easy to track who made them.
Trishneet Arora, ethical hacker from the city, said: "Culprits are aware that Facebook does not store data on its servers, so the chances of getting tracked are less with such platforms. Many rumours have been spread using such platforms. Since one cannot stop the culprits, users should always cross-check the news with news websites, and only then believe these. On platforms like Facebook, one should resist clicking on any links, because it can pass on your login and password details to the hackers. Besides, one should forward news links only after checking out from reputed news websites."
So, if you click on his so-called "suicide video", you could unwittingly install malware(恶意软件)in your system through which the hacker can access your personal details like logins and passwords.
Ankit Aggarwal, a resident of Tagore Nagar, said: "I have also been a great fan of actor Rowan Atkinson, so the news of his death was quite shocking for me. The moment I read it, I shared the same on my wall. Later, through a friend, who had done her research well on the news, I got to know the news was false. So, I immediately removed the post from my wall and also asked my friends on Facebook not to forward the same news."
Many stars in the past, including Jackie Chan, Will Smith, Angelina Jolie, and Miley Cyrus, have become victims to such death hoaxes(恶作剧). No police official was available for any comment.The news that Mr. Bean committed suicide .
| A．was to play a joke on Rowan Atkinson |
| B．disclosed the dark side of movies |
| C．made the fans of Atkinson worried |
| D．intended to destroy computer system |
According to the rumours we can know .
| A．Mr. Bean wasn’t satisfied with Johnny English 3 |
| B．the producer decided not to use Mr. Bean in a film |
| C．Mr. Bean failed to act well on the social platforms |
| D．the audiences liked making fun of the famous comedian |
When you open a link of fake news .
| A．you will feel disappointed at the news |
| B．you will be deeply hurt by the hackers |
| C．your computer system will be changed in no time |
| D．your personal information will be given away |
Ankit Aggarwal immediately removed the post .
| A．because he thought the news aimed to trick readers |
| B．as soon as he read the news on his Facebook account |
| C．after he had done a lot of research about the news |
| D．when he was told that the news was false |
Do you ever pull your phone out of your pocket, thinking it is vibrating （振动） , only to find that it isn't?
This phenomenon, which scientists call " phantom （幻觉的） phone vibration" , is very common.Around 80% of people surveyed say they have imagined their phones vibrating when they were actually still.
So, what leads to this universal behavior? According to the BBC, the explanation lies in your brain's ability to discover signals from the outside world.
When your phone is in your pocket, there are two possible states: it is either vibrating or not.Meanwhile, you also have two possible states of mind: the judgment that the phone is vibrating, or that it isn't.
Ideally, you match the four states correctly.However, sometimes your brain decides that the consequences of missing a call are more serious than a "false alarm".Therefore, you become more sensitive to vibrations so that you don't miss anything.
This is just like the fire alarm in your home --- it can be annoying when it goes off in response to just a tiny bit of smoke.But that's a small price to pay compared to a fire really breaking out because the alarm fails to alert you.
Now, you might still ask: why can't our brains just make every judgment correctly without being too sensitive to false signals?
The answer is that your brain bears a heavy burden every day.“You get a large amount of sensory information that's coming from your eyes, ears and skin, and you can't deal with all that information all the time," Michael Rothberg, a researcher at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, US, told Live Science.
For example, the rustling （ 沙沙声） of clothing or the growling （咕咕声） of your stomach may both lead your brain to believe that they come from the vibration of your phone -it is like trying to hear your name being called in a noisy room.
So, perhaps you should just check your phone whenever you think it's vibrating.It's not too much trouble to do that, is it?According to this passage, phantom phone vibration _____.
| A．is common among people with mental problems |
| B．can measure people's ability to collect information |
| C．happens when our brains react sensitively to false signals |
| D．helps our brains to make quick and accurate decisions |
According to Michael Rothberg, which is mainly responsible for phantom phone vibration?
| A．A noisy background. |
| B．A lack of much attention. |
| C．A heavy burden every day. |
| D．An overflow of sensory information. |
Why is the fire alarm used as an example in this passage?
| A．To help us understand the cause of phantom phone vibration better. |
| B．To show us the fire alarm is as sensitive as the phone vibration. |
| C．To tell us the phone vibration usually happens when a fire breaks out. |
| D．To convince us it's important to check our phones like checking a fire alarm. |
What does the author suggest we do about phantom phone vibration?
| A．We should always fully believe our own sense of listening. |
| B．We should just check our phones whenever we think they're vibrating. |
| C．We should ignore the vibration bothering when our phones are actually still. |
| D．We should think of the vibration carefully before we make correct judgments. |
Be careful what you say around your dog. It might understand more than you think.
A border collie named Rico recognizes the names of about 200 objects, say researchers in Germany. The dog also appears to be able to learn new words as easily as a 3-year-old child. Its word-learning skills are as good as those of a parrot or chimpanzee(黑猩猩).
In one experiment, the researchers took all 200 items that Rico is supposed to know and divided them into 20 groups of 10 objects. Then the owner told the dog to go and fetch one of the items and bring it back. In four tests, Rico got 37 out of 40 commands right. As the dog couldn't see anyone to get clues, the scientists believe Rico must understand the meanings of certain words.
In another experiment, the scientists took one toy that Rico had never seen before and put it in a room with seven toys whose names the dog already knew. The owner then told Rico to fetch the object, using a word the dog had never heard before.
The correct object was chosen in seven out of l0 tests, suggesting that the dog had worked out the answer by process of elimination(排除法). A month later, Rico remembered half of the new names, which is even more impressive.
Rico is thought to be smarter than the average dog. For one thing, Rico is a border collie, a breed (品种)known for its mental abilities. In addition, the 9-year-old dog has been trained to fetch toys by their names since the age of nine months.
It's hard to know if all dogs understand at least some of the words we say. Even if they do, they can't talk back. Still, it wouldn't hurt to sweet-talk your dog every now and then. You might just get a big, wet kiss in return!From paragraph 2 we know that __.
| A．animals are as clever as human beings |
| B．dogs are smarter than parrots and chimpanzees |
| C．chimpanzees have very good word-learning skills |
| D．dogs have similar 'learning abilities as 3-year-old children |
Both experiments show that.
| A．Rico is smart enough to get all commands right |
| B．Rico can recognize different things including toys |
| C．Rico has developed the ability of learning mathematics |
| D．Rico won't forget the names of objects once recognizing them |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．The purpose of the experiments is to show the border collie's mental abilities. |
| B．Rico has a better memory partly because of its proper early training. |
| C．The border collie is world-famous for recognizing objects. |
| D．Rico is born to understand its owner's commands. |
What does the writer want to tell us?
| A．To train your dog. |
| B．To talk to your dog. |
| C．To be friendly to your dog. |
| D．To be careful with your dog. |
Even at school there had been an unhealthy competition between George and Richard.
“I’ll be the first millionaire in Coleford!” Richard used to boast.
“And you’ll be sorry that you knew me,” George would reply “because I’ll surely be the best lawyer in our town!”
After graduation, George never became a lawyer and Richard was anybody but a millionaire …. Instead, it happened that both men opened bookshops on opposite sides of Coleford High Street, while it was hard to make much money from books then, which made the competition between them worse. Eventually, Richard closed down his, dreaming of making a fortune elsewhere.
Now, with only one bookshop in the town, business was better for George. But sometimes he sat in his narrow old kitchen and gazed out of the dirty window, thinking about his former rival (竞争对手)。Perhaps he missed him?
George was very interested in old dictionaries, and he had recently found a collector in Australia who was selling a rare first edition. When the parcel arrived, the book was in perfect condition and George was quite delighted. But while he was having lunch, George glanced at the photo in the newspaper that the book had been wrapped in. He was astonished — the smiling face was older than he remembered but unmistakable! Trembling, George started reading: “Bookends Company has bought ten bookstores from its competitors. The company, owned by multi-millionaire Richard Pike, is now the largest bookseller in this country.”George and Richard were at school.
| A．roommates | B．good friends |
| C．competitors | D．booksellers |
How did George feel about Richard after his disappearance?
| A．He envied Richard’s good fortune very much. |
| B．He thought about Richard from time to time. |
| C．He felt unlucky with no more rival in the town. |
| D．He was unhappy of Richard’s disappearance. |
George got information about Richard from .
| A．a dictionary collector in Australia |
| B．one of Richard’s competitors |
| C．some rare edition of a dictionary |
| D．the wrapping paper of a book |
What happened to George and Richard in the end?
| A．Both George and Richard became millionaires by selling books. |
| B．Both of them realized their original ambitions, which were the same. |
| C．George established a successful business while Richard was missing. |
| D．Richard became a millionaire while George had no great success. |
When Frida Kahlo's paintings were on show in London, a poet described her paintings as “ a ribbon （丝带）around a bomb”. Such comments seem to suggest Kahlo had a big influence on the art world of her time. Sadly, she is actually a much bigger name today than she was during her time.
Born in 1907 in a village near Mexico City , Kahlo suffered from polio（小儿麻痹症）at the age of seven. Her spine （脊柱）became bent as she grew older. Then, in 1925, her back was broken in several places in a school-bus accident. Throughout the rest of her life, the artist had many operations, but noting was able to cure the terrible pain in her back. However, the accident had an unexpected side effect. While lying in her bed recovering, Kahlo taught herself to paint.
In 1929, she got married to Diego Rivera, another famous Mexican artist. Rivera’s strong influences on Kahlo’s style can be seen in her early works, but her later works from the 1940s, known today as her best works, show less influence from her husband.
Unfortunately, her works did not attract much attention in the 1930s and1940s, even in her home country. Her first one-woman show in Mexico was not held until 1953. For more than a decade after her death in 1954, Kahlo’s works remained largely unnoticed by the world, but in the 1970s her works began to gain international fame at last.What does the phrase “a much bigger name” in paragraph 1 most nearly mean?
| A．a far better artist | B．a much more famous person |
| C．a much stronger person | D．a far more gifted artist |
The terrible pain Kahlo suffered was caused by.
| A．back injuries | B．her bent spine |
| C．polio | D．the operations she had |
Kahlo’s style had become increasingly independent since the.
| A．1930s | B．1970s | C．1950s | D．1940s |
What is author’s attitude toward Kahlo?
| A．Devotion | B．Encouragement |
| C．Worry | D．Sympathy |