In this century the traditional American family is constantly faced with the threat of breakdown. Some sociologists suggest that one little – noticed cause may be the introduction of the TV dinner.
Before the appearance of television seats, the American dinner was a big event for the family. In many homes dinner time may be the only time when everyone got together. A typical dinner was usually in three stages. In the preparation stage, the children and Father frequently helped with setting while Mother put the last touches on the roast. In the eating stage, family members shared the day’s experiences and more than food was consumed. In this stage families got to know one another and made joint decisions around the dinner table, and thus the family solidarity（团结） was strengthened. In the cleaning – up stage, children or Father again gave their hands, so that their significance to the home community was clear. Unfortunately, all of these have been erased by a product—the television set.
By the beginning of the 1980s, the typical American family dinner was just twenty minutes long. The speed – up of this once – leisurely experiences is clearly connected to the overall pace of modern life and maybe a model of the modern life is the TV dinners—meals designed to be consumed between the opening and closing credits of a half – hour program. The once family affair has now become nothing more than the use of a fork and knife.According to the passage, the American family is now threatened by .
| A．poverty | B．having few children | C．poor living conditions | D．separation |
In the past, Americans tended to .
| A．spend more time eating their food at dinner table |
| B．eat more food than they have today |
| C．spend more time talking about their day’s experience at dinner table |
| D．talk so much that they forgot to eat |
The shortening of the dinner time in America is related to .
| A．the TV programs | B．the pace of modern life |
| C．the wide use of household appliances | D．the popularity of fast food |
The best title for this passage might be .
| A．Talk At Dinner Table | B．TV Dinner |
| C．Pace Of Modern Life | D．Problems Caused By TV |
For the past five years， Paula Smith， a historian of science， has devoted herself to re﹣creating long﹣forgotten techniques. While doing research for her new book， she came across a 16th﹣century French manuscript （手稿） consisting of nearly 1，000 sets of instructions， covering subjects from tool making to finding the best sand.
The author's intention remains as mysterious （神秘） as his name； he may have been simply taking notes for his own records. But Smith was struck mainly by the fact that she didn't truly grasp any of the skills the author described. "You simply can't get an understanding of that handwork by reading about it，" she says.
Though Smith did get her hands on the best sand， doing things the old﹣fashioned way isn't just about playing around with French mud. Reconstructing the work of the craftsmen （工匠） who lived centuries ago can reveal how they viewed the world， what objects filled their homes， and what went on in the workshops that produced them. It can even help solve present﹣day problems： In 2015， scientists discovered that a 10th﹣century English medicine for eye problems could kill a drug﹣resistant virus.
The work has also brought insights for museums， Smith says. One must know how an object was made in order to preserve it. What's more， reconstructions might be the only way to know what treasures looked like before time wore them down. Scholars have seen this idea in practice with ancient Greek and Roman statues. These sculptures were painted a rainbow of striking colours. We can't appreciate these kinds of details without seeing works of art as they originally appeared﹣ something Smith believes you can do only when you have a road map.
Smith has put the manuscript's ideas into practice. Her final goal is to link the worlds of art and science back together. She believes that bringing the old recipes to life can help develop a kind of learning that highlights experimentation， teamwork， and problem solving.
Back when science﹣then called "the new philosophy"﹣took shape， academics looked to craftsmen for help in understanding the natural world. Microscopes and telescopes were invented by way of artistic tinkering （修补）， as craftsmen experimented with glass to better bend light.
If we can rediscover the values of hands﹣on experience and craftwork， Smith says， we can marry the best of our modern insights with the handiness of our ancestors.
（1）How did Smith feel after reading the French manuscript？
| A． |
Confused about the technical terms. |
| B． |
Impressed with its detailed instructions. |
| C． |
Discouraged by its complex structure. |
| D． |
Shocked for her own lack of hand skills. |
（2）According to Smith， the reconstruction work is done mainly to .
| A． |
restore old workshops |
| B． |
understand the craftsmen |
| C． |
improve visual effects |
| D． |
inspire the philosophers |
（3）Why does the author mention museums？
| A． |
To reveal the beauty of ancient objects. |
| B． |
To present the findings of old science. |
| C． |
To highlight the importance of antiques. |
| D． |
To emphasise the values of hand skills. |
（4）Which would be the best title for this passage？
| A． |
Craftsmen Set the Trends for Artists |
| B． |
Craftsmanship Leads to New Theories |
| C． |
Craftsmanship Makes Better Scientists |
| D． |
Craftsmen Reshape the Future of Science |
Baggy has become the first dog in the UK﹣and potentially the world﹣to join the fight against air pollution by recording pollutant levels near the ground.
Baggy wears a pollution monitor on her collar so she can take data measurements close to the ground. Her monitor has shown that air pollution levels are higher closer to ground level， which has helped highlight concerns that babies and young kids may be at higher risk of developing lung problems.
Conventional air pollution monitors are normally fixed on lampposts at about nine feet in the air. However， since Baggy stands at about the same height as a child in a pushchair （婴儿车）， she frequently records pollution levels which are much higher than the data gathered by the Environment Agency.
The doggy data research was the idea of Baggy's 13﹣year﹣old owner Tom Hunt and his dad Matt. The English youngster noticed that pollution levels are around two﹣thirds higher close to the ground than they are in the air at the height where they are recorded by the agency. Tom has since reported the shocking findings to the government in an attempt to emphasise that babies are at higher risk of developing asthma （哮喘）.
Matt Hunt said he was "very proud" of his son because "when the boy gets an idea， he keeps his head down and gets on with it， and he really does want to do some good and stop young kids from getting asthma."
"Tom built up a passion for environmental protection at a very early age，" Matt added. "He became very interested in gadgets （小装置）. About one year ago， he got this new piece of tech which is like a test tube. One Sunday afternoon， we went out to do some monitoring， and he said， 'why don't we put it on Baggy's collar and let her monitor the pollution？' So we did it." Tom said， "Most of the time， Baggy is just like any other dog. But for the rest of the time she is a super dog， and we are all really proud of her."
（1）With a monitor on her collar， Baggy can .
| A． |
take pollutant readings |
| B． |
record pollutant levels |
| C． |
process collected data |
| D． |
reduce air pollution |
（2）What can we learn from the Baggy data？
| A． |
High places are free of air pollution. |
| B． |
Higher pushchairs are more risky for kids. |
| C． |
Conventional monitors are more reliable. |
| D． |
Air is more polluted closer to the ground. |
（3）What is Tom's purpose of doing the research？
| A． |
To warn of a health risk. |
| B． |
To find out pollution sources. |
| C． |
To test his new monitor. |
| D． |
To prove Baggy's abilities. |
（4）According to the passage， which word can best describe Tom Hunt？
| A． |
Modest. |
| B． |
Generous. |
| C． |
Creative. |
| D． |
Outgoing. |
Lancom is a worldwide language learning app and a leader in the online language learning industry with millions of active subscribers. We house a broad range of experts united by the common goal of creating the best language learning tools possible. With advice from AI specialists， art designers and culture researchers， our multi﹣language experts endow （赋予） Lancom with an enormous potential for innovation within the world of language learning. Our courses， totalling 20，000 hours of content in 20 different languages， guarantee you language skills you can use right away.
At the core of Lancom is a world﹣class effective method that enhances language learning with advanced technology. Examples and dialogues are recorded with real native speakers instead of automatic computers. Lancom trains your brain to learn efficiently， so you absorb more information while in the app and continue learning outside of it. The app makes our practical language lessons available wherever and whenever. We work directly for our learners， not for any third party. And it's all supported by an efficient customer service team， available through telephone， email and online chat.
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（1）Who can provide Lancom with a huge potential for innovation in learning？
| A． |
Culture researchers. |
| B． |
AI specialists. |
| C． |
Language experts. |
| D． |
Art designers. |
（2）What lies at the core of the Lancom app？
| A． |
A flexible system. |
| B． |
An effective method. |
| C． |
The brain﹣training technique. |
| D． |
The informative content. |
（3）Lancom claims that it is unique in its .
| A． |
personalised courses |
| B． |
multiple languages |
| C． |
pricing policy |
| D． |
service team |
Monkeys seem to have a way with numbers．
A team of researchers trained three Rhesus monkeys to associate 26 clearly different symbols consisting of numbers and selective letters with 0﹣25 drops of water or juice as a reward． The researchers then tested how the monkeys combined﹣or added﹣the symbols to get the reward．
Here's how Harvard Medical School scientist Margaret Livingstone， who led the team， described the experiment： In their cages the monkeys were provided with touch screens． On one part of the screen， a symbol would appear， and on the other side two symbols inside a circle were shown． For example， the number 7 would flash on one side of the screen and the other end would have 9 and 8． If the monkeys touched the left side of the screen they would be rewarded with seven drops of water or juice； if they went for the circle， they would be rewarded with the sum of the numbers﹣17 in this example．
After running hundreds of tests， the researchers noted that the monkeys would go for the higher values more than half the time， indicating that they were performing a calculation， not just memorizing the value of each combination．
When the team examined the results of the experiment more closely， they noticed that the monkeys tended to underestimate（低估）a sum compared with a single symbol when the two were close in value﹣sometimes choosing， for example， a 13 over the sum of 8 and 6． The underestimation was systematic： When adding two numbers， the monkeys always paid attention to the larger of the two， and then added only a fraction（小部分）of the smaller number to it．
"This indicates that there is a certain way quantity is represented in their brains， "Dr． Livingstone says． "But in this experiment what they're doing is paying more attention to the big number than the little one．"
（1）What did the researchers do to the monkeys before testing them？
| A． |
They fed them． |
| B． |
They named them． |
| C． |
They trained them． |
| D． |
They measured them． |
（2）How did the monkeys get their reward in the experiment？
| A． |
By drawing a circle． |
| B． |
By touching a screen． |
| C． |
By watching videos． |
| D． |
By mixing two drinks． |
（3）What did Livingstone's team find about the monkeys？
| A． |
They could perform basic addition． |
| B． |
They could understand simple words． |
| C． |
They could memorize numbers easily． |
| D． |
They could hold their attention for long． |
（4）In which section of a newspaper may this text appear？
| A． |
Entertainment． |
| B． |
Health． |
| C． |
Education． |
| D． |
Science． |
Before the 1830s，most newspapers were sold through annual subscriptions in America， usually ﹩8 to ﹩10 a year． Today ﹩8 or ﹩10 seems a small amount of money， but at that time these amounts were forbidding to most citizens． Accordingly， newspapers were read almost only by rich people in politics or the trades． In addition， most newspapers had little in them that would appeal to a mass audience． They were dull and visually forbidding． But the revolution that was taking place in the 1830s would change all that．
The trend， then， was toward the "penny paper"﹣a term referring to papers made widely available to the public． It meant any inexpensive newspaper； perhaps more importantly it meant newspapers that could be bought in single copies on the street．
This development did not take place overnight． It had been possible（but not easy）to buy single copies of newspapers before 1830，but this usually meant the reader had to go down to the printer's office to purchase a copy． Street sales were almost unknown． However， within a few years， street sales of newspapers would be commonplace in eastern cities． At first the price of single copies was seldom a penny﹣usually two or three cents was charged﹣and some of the older well﹣known papers charged five or six cents． But the phrase "penny paper " caught the public's fancy， and soon there would be papers that did indeed sell for only a penny．
This new trend of newspapers for "the man on the street" did not begin well． Some of the early ventures（企业）were immediate failures． Publishers already in business， people who were owners of successful papers， had little desire to change the tradition． It took a few youthful and daring businessmen to get the ball rolling．
（1）Which of the following best describes newspapers in America before the 1830s？
| A． |
Academic． |
| B． |
Unattractive． |
| C． |
Inexpensive． |
| D． |
Confidential． |
（2）What did street sales mean to newspapers？
| A． |
They would be priced higher． |
| B． |
They would disappear from cities． |
| C． |
They could have more readers． |
| D． |
They could regain public trust． |
（3）Who were the newspapers of the new trend targeted at？
| A． |
Local politicians． |
| B． |
Common people． |
| C． |
Young publishers． |
| D． |
Rich businessmen． |
（4）What can we say about the birth of the penny paper？
| A． |
It was a difficult process． |
| B． |
It was a temporary success． |
| C． |
It was a robbery of the poor． |
| D． |
It was a disaster for printers． |