Few of us make money by losing sleep．But three graduate students at Brown University in Providence built a company around sleep deprivation （睡眠不足）．
Jason Donahue, Ben Rubin and Eric Shashoua were working late nights in Brown’s business and engineering schools．They began thinking about ways to sleep better．They discovered they weren’t alone in burning the midnight oil．Around 20% of Americans get less than six hours of rest a night．
The friends imagined a smart alarm clock that could track how much time people spend in the most restorative （有回复作用的） stages of the sleep cycle: REM （rapid eye movement） and deep sleep．What would it cost to design such a thing? Five years of research, 20 employees, $14 million and a whole lot of doubting from investors and scientists．
Their company, Zeo, based in Newton, Mass, launched its product in June, 2009．The Zeo device uses a headband with tiny sensors （传感器） that scan your brain for signs of four sleep states- REM, light, deep and waking sleep．The smart alarm clock displays a graph of your sleep pattern and wakes you as you’re not in REM sleep （which is when you’re least groggy）．In the morning you can upload the data to the company’s Web site, and so track your sleep over time．Most of the feedback comes in the form of Zeo’s ZQ score showing how well you’ve slept．
"Zeo allows people to unlock this black box of sleep," says Dave Dickinson, a health-care CEO．
Whether any of this actually improves sleep is up to the consumer, who will also need to make lifestyle changes like cutting out alcohol before bedtime or caffeine after 3 pm．
For now the company is selling Zeo online only．Dickinson also plans to spread it to countries such as Australia, where sleep deprivation approaches US levels．Who will support Zeo?
| A．People full of imagination． | B．People suffering sleeping problems． |
| C．People having access to the Internet． | D．People having bad lifestyles． |
Why did the three graduate students imagine a smart alarm clock?
| A．To wake them up on time in the morning． |
| B．To earn enough money for their study． |
| C．To improve the quality of people’s sleep． |
| D．To enjoy their life while working at night． |
To design the Zeo device, the three graduate students ____．
| A．spent much time and money | B．were widely supported by scientists |
| C．worked by themselves all the time | D．attracted many investors |
What can we know from the passage?
| A．Zeo has a direct effect on users’ lifestyles． |
| B．It needs more personal efforts to make Zeo function better． |
| C．A large quantity of Zeo devices have been sold in Australia． |
| D．Consumers can go to the Zeo company to purchase Zeo in person． |
| Art Calendar Walking Tours of the Museum’s collections (fee with admission contribution) are offered daily and on weekends by Museum-trained volunteers. No tours on November 29-December 1 and December 17-31 Weekdays Tuesday through Friday subject to Gallery hours
Weekends |
Walking tours of the Museum’s collections are offered on __________.
| A．November 29. | B．December 20 |
| C．December 31 | D．December 10 |
What time is the latest Chinese Art Class?
| A．1:45 | B．2:45 |
| C．10:30 | D．10:45 |
When is the last Old Master Paintings?
| A．Friday 7:00 | B．Tuesday 9:00 |
| C．Friday 1:00 | D．Thursday 1:00 |
Which one starts the earliest?
| A．Highlights of the Museum |
| B．Egyptian Galleries |
| C．Chinese Art |
| D．Ancient Mexico and Peru. |
The Hunan Satellite TV(HNTV) show “Where are we going, Dad?” is a big hit. Many famous stars brought their children to a strange village alone, and they had to spend 72 hours with their children there. The program fully showed us a modern version of the “how to be a good father”. As the young parents today are too busy to take care of their children, this new form of “Lost on the way” played by nanny Daddy and cute kids triggered（触发）a lot of people’s emotional resonance（共鸣）. Both the kids and their parents will find that their hearts are being drawn closer. But this kind of feeling has just proved that there is a big spiritual barrier between the modern parents and children.
The TV shows like “Children are hard to support!”, “Where are we going, Dad?”, “hot mom” and “cute kids” are becoming more and more popular. All of these show the new parents’ confusion in children’s education and the appeal for the balance between career and family.
In real life, on the one hand the young parents feel helpless because they are too busy to accompany their children under the pressures of work and life; on the other hand they continue to do so. The data collected by HNTV shows that nearly two-thirds of their audience are female, among whom 36% are aged from 25 to 34.We can imagine such a scene that one evening a young mother is watching the show with her young children, while her husband is still at work or trapped in socializing, or maybe is just playing computer games in the bedroom. The story of a child without the company of father is still going on. In fact, it is sometimes the same to mothers. In a modern family, it is often the old who take the responsibility of raising a child. The participation of mother in the children’s education is also very low.
It is just this kind of confusion where the parents have gone in the modern family education, and where the parents will guide their children to go that “Where are we going, Dad?” shows us. If a child wants to grow up healthily and safely into a modern citizen with independent personality and free spirit, it is very important for him or her to follow the parents who serve as their first teacher. Maybe this is the real reason why such kind of TV programs could get hot. The truth is that children will go where their parents go; and society will go where the children go.In raising a child in modern society, parents should ________.
| A．play computer games with their children |
| B．keep their children at home to avoid socializing |
| C．balance well between family and career |
| D．break down the barrier between children and teachers |
Which of the following can be inferred in the passage?
| A．Parents shouldn’t entirely leave the education of children to the old. |
| B．36% of the audience of the program are female aged from 25-34. |
| C．The program shows us the confusion where the parents and children will go to play. |
| D．In a modern family it is often mothers who are responsible for raising a child. |
Which one is the best title of the passage?
| A．Confusion Behind “Where are we going, dad?” |
| B．Modern Education is Important |
| C．Nanny Daddy and Cute Kids |
| D．New problems in Modern Children’s Education |
What attitude towards modern family education does the author express in the second paragraph?
| A．Proud. | B．Worried. |
| C．Optimistic. | D．Indifferent. |
What does the underlined word “participation” probably mean?
| A．taking responsibility |
| B．taking apart |
| C．taking part |
| D．keeping company |
While applying to college may seem easy, getting in can be tough! When you apply for college, you will have to be honest with yourself and do a bit of research to find the right fit. Here are three steps to take when applying to colleges for the best chances at getting into the best college for you.
Step l: Making a List of Colleges to Apply to
With over 6,000 colleges in the United States, the first step in applying to college is to do some research and make a college list. This process will be different for everyone. The number of colleges you apply to can vary, from applying to 1 school (not recommended) to 30 schools (not recommended), each applicant can choose how many colleges they apply to. Many limit the number because applications are accompanied by a fee.
Step2: Splitting the List into Target, Reach and Safety Schools
In general, students will want to apply to three types of schools: Target, Reach and Safety schools. It is up to you how many applications you send, but a good mix would be more target than reach, and at least one safety. You will need to take your list, and now decide which are your top picks, which are attainable for you academically, which are affordable for you only with aid, and refine (精炼) your broad list into a group of schools that gives you the best chance for success. Talk to an admissions counselor at your high school if you have questions about this.
Step 3: Completing and Sending Applications to Colleges
Once your list is complete you are ready to apply to college by completing and sending in applications! College applications take time to complete - you have to write essays, ask for recommendations and get test scores sent to schools - so stay organized! All colleges will require these types of application materials, so start thinking about these items well before October or December. Once you complete and send them, then you have successfully applied to college.It can be learned from the first paragraph that_______.
| A．you don't have to think twice before applying to college |
| B．you should be cautious to pick up the right college |
| C．once you apply to a college, you'll be admitted to it easily |
| D．each applicant should choose the best college for their ideal |
To make a list of colleges, you ________.
| A．needn't consider about your ability |
| B．are supposed to choose merely one most fit |
| C．had better take your academy into account |
| D．are required to pick out more than 30 colleges |
Which of the following statements is WRONG?
| A．One doesn't have to send his test scores to the intended college. |
| B．Refer to an admissions counselor at high school if necessary. |
| C．One should clarify the list according to one's abilities. |
| D．Teachers' recommendations are included in application materials. |
We can conclude from the text that ________.
| A．each applicant has the right to apply to any colleges for free |
| B．the more college one chooses, the more successful he will be |
| C．safety schools are those that don't have so many requirements |
| D．applicants should send required materials before the deadline |
The text is mainly about _________.
| A．how to succeed in life |
| B．how to apply to college |
| C．how to ask for information |
| D．how to do a research in college |
A baby mermaid was just born in Finland; Justin Bibber is getting married; iphone 6 is going to be released this year…We read rumors every day on the Internet. With the help of social media, rumors — no matter whether they are true or false — spread like wildfire, and sometimes we can’t be sure what to believe.
Now, an international group of researchers might be able to make it easier for us. They are working on a lie detector that could separate online truth from lies, Discovery news reported.
Named after the Greek goddess Pheme, famed for spreading bad rumors, the system is far from a traditional lie detector, which works by attaching a machine to a potential liar. Instead, Pheme analyzes the rumor directly.
When a rumor comes out, on a micro blog, for example, Pheme can trace the source of information to see if it was released by reliable sources like experts or news agencies. If it wasn’t, Pheme then examines the history and background of the account to identify whether it was created just to spread rumors — whether it’s what’s called an “Internet bot.”
After finding the source of the rumor, the system can keep a close eye on how other users react to the rumor — either confirming or denying it — to help analyze and further determine the reliability of the information.
Some people might find the Pheme system unnecessary based on the idea that false rumors never survive for long and people always get to the truth over time. While that’s a fair point, there is a certain class of rumors, such as “a tiger is at large” or “an asteroid (小行星) is about to hit the Earth”, that can cause panic among people and thus lead to serious consequences.
These are cases when we need to be able to check for accuracy quickly. “Our system aims to help with that, by tracking and verifying information in real time,” lead researcher Kalina Bontcheva, at the University of Sheffield, UK, told the BBC.
According to Bontcheva, Pheme is still under development and won’t be ready for another 18 months.
Until then, there’s an old fashioned technique that you can use to protect yourself from false information — ask questions, check sources and don’t believe any claim until you’ve seen the evidence for it.What is the article about?
| A．Tips on how to deal with rumors online. |
| B．Factors that make rumors so easy to spread. |
| C．A new device that can check whether online rumors are true or not. |
| D．An introduction to some types of lie detectors. |
By writing the first paragraph, the writer intends to ________.
| A．share with readers some exciting news |
| B．warn readers not to trust anything on the Internet |
| C．tell readers rumors are out of control |
| D．introduce the topic of the passage |
What makes Pheme different from a traditional lie detector?
| A．It works by attaching a machine to a potential liar. |
| B．It examines a statement’s truthfulness directly. |
| C．It can identify a rumor and prevent it from spreading. |
| D．It is controlled by what is called an “Internet bot” |
How does the Pheme system determine the reliability of a piece of information?
| A．Based on the reliability of its sources and the history of its authors. |
| B．Based on how the majority of people react to it. |
| C．By collecting and examining relevant information to further confirm it. |
| D．By making use of an “Internet bot” to track and verify the information. |
Which of the following statements might the author agree with?
| A．The Pheme system is not very helpful because all rumors eventually die down. |
| B．The Pheme system will be ready to help social networks become more accurate by the end of 2014. |
| C．The Pheme system can identify almost all kinds of rumors on social networking sites. |
| D．The Pheme system aims to respond to rumors quickly so as to reduce the impact of false ones. |
Plan on traveling around the USA this summer．If you need help in arranging the trip，or want ideas about where to go and what to do, there are a number of outstanding websites that can make your American dream come true．
http：//byways．org
The National Scenic Byways Program covers 150 memorable roads．Some are natural routes，such as Route l along the California coast．Others focus on history(such as Route 6) or man-made attractions (the Las Vegas Strip)．For each, you are provided with a map，told the route’s length and how long is allowed，and given detailed suggestions on sights and stop-offs．
www．oyster．com
This is the best website for reviews of hotels in US cities and resorts．The reviews are impressively thorough--covering locations，rooms，cleanliness，food and so on．Importantly，these are not promotional photos by the hotels，but more honest and revealing ones taken by inspectors．Search facilities are excellent．From the 243 hotels reviewed in the New York，you can narrow down what you are looking for by locations，facilities and styles，or just pick out a selection of the best．
www．101usaholidays．co．uk
This is the latest offering that features 101 holiday ideas to the USA．It’s an impressively diverse selection，ranging from touring in the footsteps of Martin Luther King to a golfing break in Arizona and a cycling and wine—tasting trip in California’s Napa Valley．Narrow down what you are looking for--whether by price，region，theme and who will be traveling--and then just the photos of the relevant holidays remain on view．It’s a really clever design．
www．mousesavers．com
Walt Disney World in California can make dreams come true，but the price is not affordable for the majority of people．
So turn to long established Mousesavers．com，dedicated to giving big discounts on tickets，hotels and dining at Walt Disney World．The website also offers general money—saving tips，suggestions for cheap and free stuff and brief coverage of other Florida and California theme parks．If you are going to the USA for the man-made attractions，you can drive along________
| A．Route l | B．Route 6 |
| C．the Las Vegas Trip | D．the California coast |
Why are the photos of the hotels in US cities and resorts real in WWW．oyster．com?
| A．Because they were taken by customers who once lived there． |
| B．Because there are comments of customers on each photo. |
| C．Because there are qualifications of the authority． |
| D．Because they are taken by inspectors of the website． |
Travel ideas for a big family’ with kids and the old are available at．
| A．http：／／byways．org |
| B．www．oyster．com |
| C．www．101 us holidays．co．uk |
| D．www．mouse savers．com |
What can be inferred from the passage?
A．WWW.mouse savers.com is a newly established website．
B．Discounted tickets of Walt Disney World are not available for everyone．
C．California’s Napa Valley is famous for its wine.
D．The National Scenic Byways Proclaim covers all the roads in the USA．Where does the text probably come from?
| A．A news report． | B．A tourist brochure． |
| C．A culture journal． | D．A health column． |