Nowadays people are troubled by the violence that spreads throughout the media. Movies, television and video games are full of gunplay and bloodshed, and one might reasonably ask what’s wrong with a society that presents videos of violence as entertainment.
Viewing large amounts of violent television and video games may well contribute to violent behavior in certain individuals. The trouble comes when researchers downplay uncertainties in their studies or overstate the case for causality（因果关系）. Skeptics were dismayed several years ago when a group of societies including the American Medical Association tried to end the debate by issuing a joint statement: “At this time, well over 1,000 studies… point to a causal connection between media violence and aggressive behavior in some children.”
Freedom-of-speech advocates accused the societies of catering to politicians, and even disputed the number of studies (most were review articles and essays, they said). When Jonathan Freedman, a social psychologist at the University of Toronto, reviewed the literature, he found only 200 or so studies of television-watching and aggression. And when he weeded out “the most doubtful measures of aggression”, only 28% supported a connection.
The critical point here is causality. The alarmists say they have proved that violent media cause aggression. But the assumptions behind their observations need to be examined. When labeling games as violent or non-violent, should a hero eating a ghost really be counted as a violent event? And when experimenters record the time it takes game players to read “aggressive” or “non-aggressive” words from a list, can we be sure what they are actually measuring? The intention of the new Harvard Center on Media and Child Health to collect and standardize studies of media violence in order to compare their methodologies, assumptions and conclusions is an important step in the right direction.
Another appropriate step would be to tone down the criticism until we know more. Several researchers write, speak and testify quite a lot on the threat posed by violence in the media. That is, of course, their privilege. But when doing so, they often come out with statements that the matter has now been settled, drawing criticism from colleagues. In response, the alarmists accuse critics and news reporters of being deceived by the entertainment industry. Such clashes help neither science nor society.Why is there so much violence shown in movies, TV and video games?
| A．Showing violence is thought to be entertaining. |
| B．Something has gone wrong with today’s society |
| C．Many people are fond of gunplay and bloodshed. |
| D．There is a lot of violence in the real world today. |
What is the skeptics’ view of media violence?
| A．Violence on television is fairly accurate reflection of real-world life. |
| B．Most studies exaggerate (夸大) the effect of media violence on the viewers. |
| C．A causal relationship exists between media and real-world violence. |
| D．The influence of media violence on children has been underestimated. |
The author uses the term “alarmists” to refer to those who _________.
| A．use standardized measurements in the studies of media violence |
| B．initiated the debate over the influence of violent media on reality |
| C．insist on a direct link between violent media and aggressive behavior |
| D．use appropriate methodology in examining aggressive behavior |
The underlined phrase “weeded out” in Paragraph 3 most probably means _________.
| A．got rid of things that are not good | B．removed unwanted parts from something |
| C．picked out things that are useful | D．took away unnecessary details of a report |
What does the writer think of the debate concerning the relationship between the media and violence?
| A．He more than agrees with the views held by the alarmists. |
| B．It should come to an end since the matter has now been settled. |
| C．The past studies in this field have proved to be misleading. |
| D．More studies should be conducted before conclusions are drawn. |
Perhaps the most famous theory, the study of body movement, was suggested by Professor Ray Birdwhistell. He believes that physical appearance is often culturally programmed. In other words, we learn our looks—we are not born with them. A baby has generally informed face features. A baby, according to Birdwhistell, learns where to set the eyebrows by looking at those around-family and friends. This helps explain why the people of some areas of the United States look so much alike, new Englanders or Southerners have certain common face features that cannot be explained by genetics(遗传学). The exact shape of the mouth is not set at birth, it is learned after. In fact, the final mouth shape is not formed until well after new teeth are set. For many, this can be well into grown-ups. A husband and wife together for a long time often come to look alike. We learn our looks from those around us. This is perhaps why in a single country area where people smile more than those in other areas. In the United States, for example, the South is the part of the country where the people smile most frequently. In New England they smile less, and in the western part of New York State still less. Many southerners find cities such as New York cold and unfriendly, partly because people on Madison Avenue smile less than people on Peachtree Street in Atlanta. Georgia. People in Atlanta, Georgia. People in largely populated areas also smile and greet each other in public less than people in small towns do. Ray Birdwhistell believes that physical appearance ____.
| A．has little to do with culture | B．has much to do with culture |
| C．is ever changing | D．is different from place to place |
According to the passage, the final mouth shape is formed ___.
| A．before birth | B．as soon as one’s teeth are newly set |
| C．sometime after new teeth are set | D．around 15 years old |
Ray Birdwhistell can tell what area of the United States a person is from by ___.
| A．how much he or she laughs | B．how he or she raises his or her eyebrows |
| C．what he or she likes best | D．the way he or she talks |
This passage might have been taken out of a book dealing with ___.
| A．physics | B．chemistry | C．biology | D．none of the above |
Even facts “forgotten” by people during a busy day may be retrieved if this is followed by a good night’s sleep.
Researchers from the University of Chicago asked volunteers to remember simple words．Many found their memories letting them down towards the end of the day, but the following morning, those who had slept well could recall much more.
Researchers, writing in the journal Nature, said the brain could “rescue” lost memories during the night.
When the brain is first asked to remember something that memory is laid down in an “unstable” state, meaning that it is possible that it could be lost．At some point, the brain consolidates those it deems important into a “stable”, more permanent state．However, the Chicago researchers suggested that it was possible for a “stable” memory to be made “unstable” again．This would mean that memories could be modified then filed away again in the face of new experiences.
The 12 volunteers tested in the experiment were played words created through a speech synthesizer which were purposely difficult to understand．Initially, the written version of the word from the audio version only．Tests revealed that the ability to recall the right word tended to tail off as the day ended.
However, when the volunteers were retested after a good night’s sleep, they were able to recall some words that they had “ forgotten” the previous evening.
Dr Daniel, one of the study authors, said: “Sleep consolidates memories, protecting them against subsequent interference or decay．Sleep also appears to “recover” or restore memories.” He said: “If performance is reduced by decay, sleep might actively recover what has been lost.”
Dr Karim Nader, from the Department of Psychology in McGill University in Montreal, said: “Memory research is undergoing a transformation---no longer is memory thought to be a hard-writing of the brain, instead it seems to be a process of storage and restorage.”
Sleep helps some memories “mature” and also prunes out unimportant memories.What does the first paragraph implies?
| A．A busy day makes people forget things easily. |
| B．People need a good night’s sleep after a busy day. |
| C．A good night’s sleep helps memories. |
| D．A good night’s sleep helps people forget a busy day. |
The words the 12 volunteers played in the experiment were not ____
| A．created through a speech synthesizer |
| B．hard to understand |
| C．available at the beginning |
| D．designed to test people’s ability of understanding |
According to the passage, memory_____
| A．is a hard-writing of the brain |
| B．is not a process of storage |
| C．is not a process of restorage |
| D．will be mature with the help of sleep |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．When people first remember something, the memory is in an “unstable state”. |
| B．The brain will change those important unstable memories into stable. |
| C．Once the memory become stable, it will never become unstable again. |
| D．Sleep can protect memories from being harmed. |
Animals are more like us than we ever imagined．They feel pain, they experience stress, they show affection, excitement and love．All these findings have been made by scientists in recent years---and such results are beginning to change how we view animals.
Strangely enough, some of this research was sponsored by fast food companies like McDonald’s and KFC．Pressured by animal rights groups , these companies felt they had to fund scientists researching the emotional and mental states of animals.
McDonald’s, for instance, funded studies on pig behavior at Purdue University, Indiana．This research found that pigs seek affection and easily become depressed if left alone or prevented from playing with each other．If they become depressed, they soon become physically ill．Because of this, and other similar studies, the European Union has banned the use of isolating pig stalls from 2010．In Germany, the government is encouraging pig farmers to give each pig 20 seconds of human contact a day, and to provide them with toys to prevent them from fighting
Other scientists have shown that animals think and behave like humans．Koko, the 300-pound gorilla at the Gorilla Foundation in Northern California, for instance, has been taught sign language．Koko can now understand several thousand English words, more than many humans who speak English as a second language．On human IQ tests, she scores between 70 and 95.
Before such experiments, humans thought language skills were absent from the animal kingdom．Other myths are also being overturned, like the belief that animals lack self-awareness．Studies have also shown that animals mourn their dead, and that they play for pleasure.
These striking similarities between animal and human behavior have led some to ask a question: “If you believe in evolution, how can’t you believe that animals have feelings that human beings have?”
Until recently, scientists believed that animals behaved by instinct and that what appeared to be learned behavior was merely genetically-programmed activity．But as Koko the Gorilla shows, this is not the case．In fact, learning is passed from parent to offspring far more often than not in the animal kingdom.
So what implications does this knowledge have for humans? Because of this, should we ban hunting and animal testing? Should we close zoos? Such questions are being raised by many academics and politicians．Harvard and 25 other American law schools have introduced courses on animal rights．Germany meanwhile, recently guaranteed animal rights in its constitution---the first country to do so.McDonald’s and KFC give money to support scientist to do research on animals, because_____
| A．they are international big companies. |
| B．they love animals. |
| C．they are pressured by animal right groups. |
| D．they earn a large amount of money and want to do some good deeds. |
The research on pigs at Purdue University shows that______
| A．pigs love being alone. |
| B．pigs easily become physically ill. |
| C．pigs need affection. |
| D．pigs don’t like to play with each other. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．Animals behave by instinct. |
| B．Animals have self-awareness. |
| C．Animals have feelings and love. |
| D．Animals do not have language skills. |
Should we ban hunting and animal testing?
| A．Yes. |
| B．No |
| C．Not certain |
| D．Not mentioned |
TUESDAY, July11
SHANGHAI---The 12th International Processing, Packaging & End-Line Printing Exhibition opens at Shanghai New International Expo Centre ( to July 13)
Tel: 021 6209 5209
HONGKONG---The Hong Kong International Textile and Garment Machinery and Technology Fair 2006 opens at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre ( to July 14).
Tel: +852 2584 4333
THURSDAY, July 13
SHANGHAI---The China(Shanghai) International Wedding Photographic Equipment Exhibition (Autumn) opens at Shanghai Mart ( to July16 ).
Tel: 021 6272 2828
HARBIN, Heilongjiang Province---The Ninth Harbin International Automobile Industry Exhibition and Sports Centre ( to July 17 ).
Tel : 0451 5363 5464
FRIDAY, July 14
HONG KONG---The Hong Kong Wedding, Banquet & Wedding Accessories Expo 2006 opens at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre ( to July 16 ).
Tel: +852 2367 8385
WEDNESDAY, July 19
SHANGHAI---The 14th Shanghai International Advertising Technology & Equipment Exhibition / Shanghai International Media Technology & Equipment opens at Shanghai New International Expo Centre ( to July 22 ).
Tel: 021 6328 8899
SHANGHAI---The Shanghai International Outdoor AD Illuminating Technology & Equipment Exhibition, Outdoor Media Promotion Exhibition opens at Shanghai New International Expo Centre ( to July 22 ).
Tel: 021 6321 7522
SHANGHAI---PAPERTECH Shanghai 2006 opens at Shanghai New International Expo Centre ( to July 22 ).
Tel: 021 6328 8899More exhibitions are held in _______
| A．Shanghai New International Expo Centre |
| B．Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre |
| C．Shanghai Mart |
| D．Harbin International conference, Exhibition and Sports Centre |
How many exhibitions can you attend on July 15______
| A．one | B．two | C．three | D．four |
The text is likely to be a (an)________
| A．business diary |
| B．product advertisement |
| C．private timetable |
| D．magazine |
Americans are proud of their variety and individuality, yet they love and respect few things more than a uniform, whether it is the uniform of an elevator operator or the uniform of a five-star general．Why are uniforms so popular in the United States?
Among the arguments for uniforms, one of the first is that in the eyes of most people they look more professional than civilian（百姓的）clothes．People have become conditioned to expect superior quality from a man who wears a uniform．The television repairman who wears uniform tends to inspire more trust than one who appears in civilian clothes．Faith in the skill of a garage mechanic is increased by a uniform．What easier way is there for a nurse, a policeman, a barber, or a waiter to lose professional identity（身份）than to step out of uniform?
Uniforms also have many practical benefits．They save on other clothes．They save on laundry bills．They are tax-deductible（可减税的）．They are often more comfortable and more durable than civilian clothes.
Primary among the arguments against uniforms is their lack of variety and the consequent loss of individuality experienced by people who must wear them．Though there are many types of uniforms, the wearer of any particular type is generally stuck with it, without change, until retirement．When people look alike, they tend to think, speak, and act similarly, on the job at least.
Uniforms also give rise to some practical problems．Though they are long-lasting, often their initial expense is greater than the cost of civilian clothes．Some uniforms are also expensive to maintain, requiring professional dry cleaning rather than the home laundering possible with many types of civilian clothes.It is surprising that Americans who worship variety and individuality _______.
| A．still judge a man by his clothes |
B．hold the uniform in such high regard |
C．enjoy having a professional identity |
D．will respect an elevator operator as much as a general in uniform |
People are accustomed to think that a man in uniform _______.
| A．suggests quality work |
B．discards his social identity |
C．appears to be more practical |
D．looks superior to a person in civilian clothes |
The chief function of a uniform is to _______.
| A．provide practical benefits to the wearer |
B．make the wearer catch the public eye |
| C．inspire the wearer’s confidence in himself |
D．provide the wearer with a professional identity |
The best title for this passage would be _______.
| A．Uniforms and Society |
B．The Importance of Wearing a Uniform |
C．Practical Benefits of Wearing a Uniform |
D．Advantages and Disadvantages of Uniforms |