Some years ago, a Miami woman walking through an office building noticed two men standing together. Several minutes after her leaving, the men murdered a person working in the building. The police determined that the woman was the only witness and could possibly describe them. However, her memory of the men proved disappointingly unclear. Several days later, psychologist Ronald Fisher was brought in to obtain a more complete account from the woman. His interview produced a breakthrough—the woman reported a clear picture of one of the suspects. The important information enabled the police to arrest the suspect and close the case.
The police asked Fisher for help because of his rich knowledge in cognitive interview, a kind of memory-rebuilding process. Memory researchers have found that people trying to remember a past event often only recall(回忆) part of the relevant information. Human memory is selective and it is often distorted by stress. But a person’s accurate recall of an event or understanding of a question can be improved using specific interviewing techniques. The “cognitive interview” was developed in the late 1990s. It encourages the witness to take an active role in recalling information rather than giving answers only to some
one else’s questions. The witness first describes what happened in his or her own words, with no interviewer interruptions.
The interviewer then goes further with specific techniques, such as having the witness tell the details of what happened from different perspectives (角度).
The cognitive interview focuses on guiding witnesses through four general recalling techniques: thinking about physical surroundings and personal feelings that existed at the time of past events; reporting everything that comes to mind about those events, no matter how broken it is; retelling events in a variety of time orders, such as from beginning to end, end to beginning, forward or backward; and adopting different perspectives while recalling events.
Experiments with police detectives trained in this demanding interview method find that they obtain nearly 50% more information from witnesses than before training, while error rates remain about the same. It is proved that cognitive interviews are quite important tools in improving the accuracy and completeness of witness testimony (证词). The purpose of the passage is to ______.
A.give an account of a murder case |
B.introduce an idea of cognitive interview |
C.prove Fisher was an expert in cognitive interview |
D.help a witness to recall information in a cognitive interview |
What is required to recall in a cognitive interview for a witness?
A.The exact time at which a murder took place. |
B.The information about the event in the time order. |
C.The important things that come to his or her mind. |
D.The surroundings and feelings at the time of the event. |
The key point in a cognitive interview is that ______.
A.the witness is encouraged to take part in recalling information |
B.the interviewer should interrupt the witness from time to time |
C.the interview should take place outside the police station |
D.the witness should recall details at the scene of the event |
Most of the time, we choose colors for decorating based on our personal taste and our sense of aesthetics (审美学). But, a number of color experts believe that colors have an effect on our emotions and that it would be wise of us to be conscious of that before settling on a definite choice.
Some of the effects of colors are well known and accepted by most people. In fact, those effects have been the subject of serious research and experiments and have been scientifically proven. But not all scientists agree on the validity (正确性) of the results.
When we become interested in the psychological effects of colors, it is important to know that not all societies share our opinion of those effects on our emotions. What we hold as an "objective" observation on a color is often nothing more than a reflection of our cultural belongingness, which has attributed properties to that color for generations.
Why is it not possible for us to hold a really objective discourse(论述)on the subject? In part, because it is very difficult to separate the psychological from the symbolic, the symbolic aspects are definitely cultural. Often, and this without our realizing it, they influence our understanding of colors and the following emotions - both psychological aspects. Black and white are good examples. In western countries, black is considered serious, dramatic and sometimes sad. People are warned against its potentially depressing effects on decoration. Black is the traditional color of mourning. White, on the other hand, is associated with purity, peace and optimism. For those reasons, white is the traditional color of bridal dresses. No one would think of attending a funeral in white. Any more than it would occur to a bride to wear black. We simply remain convinced that it is not in the "nature" of those colors. Yet, in certain oriental countries, it is white, not black that is the color of mourning.
That having been said, there is some “overlapping” in the properties different cultures attribute to certain colors. For example, Feng Shui, the traditional Chinese philosophy that distinguishes between good and evil influences explains colors much in the same way as the majority of western color specialists. Is that to say that colors have real natural properties which all humans perceive(感知) in the same way or is the phenomenon an example of the cross-influences that affect the thinking of cultures brought closer to one another by a certain Venetian(威尼斯人) called Marco Polo? It is difficult to say.
But, be that as it may, colors do affect us. And if you feel emotions for a certain color, note them and remember them. You may even wish to consider them next time you are planning to decorate. The decision is yours! Most of the time, we ignore ______ when choosing colors for decoration.
A.personal taste | B.our aesthetics |
C.cultural effects | D.psychological effects |
Why is it not possible for us to hold a really objective discourse on the subject?
A.Because it is often nothing more than a reflection of our cultural belongingness. |
B.Because the colors have the properties for generations. |
C.Because it is difficult to separate the psychological from the cultural. |
D.Because the symbolic aspects influence our perception of colors. |
The italicized word “overlapping” is paragraph 6 is closest in meaning to______
A.difference | B.conflict | C.sameness | D.agreement |
In western countries, white is ______.
A.preferred by bridals | B.used in a funerals sometimes |
C.depressing in decoration | D.pure in its nature |
According to the author, which of the following statements is certain?
A.Different cultures can have the same properties of colors. |
B.If you feel emotions for a color, note them and remember them. |
C.All humans perceive colors’ natural properties in the same way. |
D.Marco Polo disclosed the psychological effects of colors. |
Ladies and Gentlemen, some strange, wild and wonderful stories colored the news in 2010, you may like them.
● A Copenhagen bus company has put "love seats" on 103 of its buses for people looking for a partner. "Even love at first sight is possible on the bus," said a spokesman for the company to explain the two seats on each bus that are covered in red cloth and a "love seat" sign.
● Shoppers at an international luxury fair in Italy, found a cell-phone-equipped golden coffin(棺材)among the items on display. The phones will help "the dead" contact relatives if they have been buried alive by mistake.
● A man in New York came up with a disarming(手无寸铁的)way to perform his latest bank heist , approaching the clerk’s window with a large bunch of flowers and handing over a note saying “give me the money!”
● An Englishman who lost all his legs and arms in an electrical accident successfully swam across the Channel, a challenge he had been preparing for two years. The whole cost is 400 dollars.
● A set of artificial teeth(假牙) made for Britain's war-time prime minister Winston Churchill known as "the teeth that saved the world" sold for nearly 18,000 pounds (21,500 euros, 24,000 dollars) at auction(拍卖).
● A British woman caused an Internet hate campaign after she was caught on camera dumping(抛弃)a cat in a rubbish bin. She was fined 250 pounds (400 dollars, 280 euros) after pleading guilty.
● The BBC apologized completely and without any doubts after a radio presenter jokingly announced that Queen Elizabeth II had died.
● Two Australian men needed surgery(手术)after shooting each other in the bottoms during a drinking session to see if it would hurt and they were charged 400 dollars separately.
● A Kuwaiti MP(议员) suggested state-aid for male citizens to take second wives, in an effort to reduce the large number of unmarried women in the oil-rich state.What is special about the coffin in the second news?
A.It is golden. | B.It has a cell phone. |
C.It is new. | D.It has many items. |
What is the probable meaning of the underlined word “heist” in the third news?
A.robbery | B.love | C.discussion | D.repair |
Who has to spend 400 dollars to do the surgery?
A.A British woman who dumped a cat in a rubbish bin. |
B.One who bought Winston Churchill’s artificial teeth. |
C.An Australian man who was shot in bottom to test the hurt. |
D.An Englishman crossing the Channel without legs and arms. |
A new generation addiction is quickly spreading all over the world. Weboholism, a twentieth century disease, affects people from different ages. They surf the net, use e-mail and speak in chat rooms. They spend many hours on the computer, and it becomes a compulsive habit. They cannot stop, and it affects their lives.
Ten years ago, no one thought that using computers could become compulsive behavior that could affect the social and physical life of computer users. This obsessional behavior has affected teenagers and college students. They are likely to log on computers and spend long hours at different websites.
They become addicted to computers and gradually their social and school life is affected by this situation. They spend all free time surfing and don’t concentrate on homework, so this addiction influences their grades and success at school. Because they can find everything on the websites, they hang out there. Moreover, this addiction to websites influences their social life.
They spend more time in front of computers than with their friends. The relation with their friends changes. The virtual life becomes more important than their real life. They have a new language that they speak in the chat rooms and it causes cultural changes in society.
Because of the change in their behavior, they begin to isolate themselves from the society and live with their virtual friends. They share their emotions and feelings with friends who they have never met in their life. Although they feel confident on the computer, they are not confident with real live friends they have known all their life. It is a problem for the future. This addictive behavior is beginning to affect all the world. The main idea of the passage is about________.
A.the cause of weboholism |
B.the advantage of weboholism |
C.the popularity of weboholism |
D.the influence of weboholism |
The underlined word “obsessional” in the second paragraph most probably means “________”.
A.addictive | B.professional |
C.attractive | D.hidden |
We can infer from the passage that ________.
A.weboholism has the greatest effect on teenagers |
B.virtual life is more vivid and attractive anyway |
C.people are addicted to games on the Internet |
D.students can hardly balance real and virtual life |
Where was I? The room was dark and quiet. My head hurt really badly. I shouted, “Help! Help! Can anybody help me?”
After a while somebody came in. The room was so dark that I couldn’t see his face clearly. The man turned on the light and said with a sharp voice, “Ah! Sweetie, do you still remember who I am?” I was shocked. Oh, my God! I cried, “You are Michael Zey, the man I charged with murder! Why are you here? You should be in prison!”
“You never thought about the result of charging a gang(犯罪团伙) leader, did you? Because of you, I was in prison for 15 years. You ruined my life!” His voice was very cold. My face was pale with fear. He was here to take revenge(报复)!
“Please, let me go! Don't hurt me! Please!” I asked him. “Dr. Calment, you are smart enough to know it is impossible. Now, I give you two choices. One is shooting your head. It is the quickest way. The other is cremation(火葬). Your husband and you will be together forever. It’s quite romantic. Don't you think?” He spoke angrily. “What? My husband? He is innocent!” I shouted at him.
Suddenly, he took hold of my head and said, “You will pay for what you have done to me.” He took out a gun from his bag.
“Help! Help! Can anybody help me?”What might have happened to the writer before the man came in?
A.She had taken his place and become a gang leader. |
B.She had come to this place to see her husband. |
C.She wanted to pay for what she had done to Michael Zey. |
D.She had been beaten terribly. |
Which of the following words can best describe how the writer felt when the story happened?
A.Surprised. | B.Terrified. | C.Amazed. | D.Puzzled. |
What does the underlined word “it” in the fourth paragraph refer to?
A.To let her go. | B.To hurt her. |
C.To take revenge. | D.To stay in prison. |
Michael Zey mentioned the writer’s husband because ______.
A.he thought her husband was guilty |
B.he thought it was romantic |
C.he thought her husband was innocent |
D.he wanted to frighten the writer |
The 115-year-old prestigious (有名望的)Oxford Dictionary will now include popular new Chinese terms like“shanzhai” “youtiao” and “fangnu”, as part of the modern Chinese language.
As China plays a more and more important role in the world economy, the Chinese language is forever developing, attracting more attention from people who want to understand this ancient yet lively language.
For instance, the word “shanzhai” is used to describe the countless knockoffs(名牌仿制品)of iPhones or designer bags imprinted with Louis Vuitton logos.
Another new term in the new edition is the word “fangnu”, or a “mortgage slave” —a term used to describe the phenomenon in large cities where well-educated youth complain of a miserable existence due to the heavy burden of a home mortgage.
All these new or often fashionable terms can be found in the new Oxford English –Chinese, Chinese-English dictionary that was unveiled(公布于众的)in the recently concluded Beijing International Book Fair last week.
The dictionary now is available for retail sales since the beginning of this month.This dictionary is the largest single volume English-Chinese, Chinese-English dictionary and contains 670,000 words and phrases after five years of preparation.Sixty editors from the Oxford University Press and its partner in China—the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press—worked together on the project.According to Julie Kleeman, the dictionary’s chief editor, most of the firm’s editors were Chinese, while about one fourth were native-English speakers.
“We don’t want to make it florid(绚丽的), we want it to be modern and conversational...many of the words in the present dictionary are no longer in use,” said Kleeman.“The need for studying Chinese by foreigners today is totally different from decades ago...Precise, native and practical—that is our main advantage,” she said.
Kleeman said newer publications updates will be available only for the online version as language often changes too quickly for book versions to keep pace.The online version will also offer a Chinese phonetic pronunciation guide.The online version, allowing access via different platforms from the PC to the iPad, will be ready “as soon as possible”, Kleeman said. According to the above passage, we learn that ________.
A.knockoffs can be found in China but not very often. |
B.the Oxford University Press made the dictionary without outside aid. |
C.most Chinese editors are also native speakers of English. |
D.well-educated youth in China’s big cities have difficulty buying houses. |
The possible reason why newer publications updates are not available for book versions is that ________.
A.book versions can’t keep up with the changes of language. |
B.the computer network is available everywhere. |
C.book versions can’t offer a Chinese phonetic pronunciation guide. |
D.computer technology like the PC and the iPad keeps pace with language. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
A.New Chinese terms like “shanzhai” and “fangnu” have got into Oxford Dictionary. |
B.The latest Oxford English-Chinese, Chinese-English Dictionary is on the market. |
C.Oxford Dictionary has become more fashionable due to the Chinese language. |
D.Beijing International Book Fair was where the new Oxford Dictionary was published |