How to Tell If Someone Is Happy or Sad on the Phone
Scientists have come up with some researches on what makes different types of people“tick”.
The scientists at the University of Cambridge have developed new mobile phone technology called Emotion Sense that can tell if a caller is happy, angry or sad.
Scientists hope to fit the speech recognition system to standard mobile phones and use it to determine emotions—it will also use a GPS tracking system to log where the call is made.
And they’ve already made some pretty major breakthroughs into really getting under the skin of us humans.
The results from the pilot scheme make interesting scientific reading. Among the key revelations (﹦facts) are that callers feel happier at home and sadder at work.
To break it down, scientifically, it shows 45 percent of all emotions produced at home are “happy”and 54 percent of emotions at work are “sad”.
Meanwhile, people show more “intense”(﹦nervous) emotions in the evening than they do in the morning.
Of course, this could just be because most people feel too tired in the morning to get overly “intense”. Eating breakfast and getting to work on time is usually enough of an achievement.
Anyway, the Emotion Sense technology has been developed by psychologists(心理学家) and computer scientists who say it uses speech recognition software and phone sensors(传感器) attached to standard smart phones to judge how callers’ emotions are changed by everyday factors.
The sensors analyze voice samples and these are then divided into five categories: happiness, sadness, fearfulness, anger or neutral-—boredom or passivity(消极) would fit into this last category.How many emotions can the sensors tell?
| A．Two | B．Three | C．Four | D．Five |
What does the underlined sentence mean?
| A．Scientists have put something testing people’s emotions under humans’ skin. |
| B．There were some breakthroughs in this technology in getting something from people’s skin. |
| C．In this technology, people’s skin was broken through. |
| D．There were improvements in testing people’s emotions. |
Why do most people feel less intense in the morning than in the evening?
| A．Because morning is the start of a new day. |
| B．because they feel too tired in the morning. |
| C．Because of humans’ physiological structure. |
| D．Because of the fresh air and bright sunlight. |
Which of the following hasn’t been put into the standard mobile phones?
| A．Speech recognition software. | B．Phone sensors. |
| C．GPS sensors. | D．Translation system. |
"What’s in a name?”According to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet，there is not too much.“That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. "But Shakespeare may have been wrong. In most cultures，names matter a great deal.
Americans choose names for their children with care. Parents usually think about the impression a name gives，not its meaning. Most Americans would consider a “Jennifer” more attractive than a“Bertha"，for example. The last name，or，surname，must also be considered when choosing a first and middle name. A name like Lester Chester Hester would sound poetic，but odd. Parents would avoid names that remind them of people they don’t like. On the other hand，people might name their children after a respected elderly relative or even a famous person. The popularity of certain names can change with each new generation. Names that were once common，like Fanny or Elmer，sound old-fashioned today. But other names—like John and David，Mary and Sarah—have stood the test of time and continue to be favorites.
People in Ameica don’t always call their friends and relatives by their given names. Instead，they often use nicknames. Sometimes nicknames are short forms of a longer name. For instance，a girl named Elizabeth may be called Lisa，Beth or Betsy. As children grow up，they may decide for themselves which nickname they wish to be called.
Some people just go by the initials of their first and middle names，like B. J, or R. C. And of course，people may call their children or their sweethearts other special nicknames. Often they have a “sweet” flavor，like Honey or Sugar. What’s in a name? A world of significance. So if you’re choosing an English name for yourself，take care to choose a good one. A made—up name could sound strange to native English speakers. And a translation of your Chinese name may not make an appropriate name，either. But a good name can leave a positive and lasting impression. As an American politician once said，“In real life，unlike in Shakespeare，the sweetness of the rose depends upon the name it bears.”What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 mean?
| A．People change names in order to be popular with the new generanon. |
| B．Names will change by themselves in order to be popular. |
| C．Some names may no longer be popular among the new generation. |
| D．No names can stand the test of time. |
When choosing names，you should stick to the following principles EXCEPT that
| A．the impression a name gives is more important than its meaning |
| B．you can name after a well-known person |
| C．surname should be paid attention to |
| D．you can create a name that is special |
The author will name a newly born baby girl________.
| A．Bertha | B．Fanny | C．Yunyun | D．Elizabeth |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Names have great significance to Americans. |
| B．Names change when time goes by. |
| C．Chinese people should be careful when choosing their English names. |
| D．Roses smell sweet by any other name. |
Remember how great exercise was when you were a little kid? Back then, racing around the playground or skipping rope for hours, you weren’t thinking fitness, you were thinking entertainment. But in this age of high-tech home equipment and underused gym memberships, the simple joy of jumping rope has been forgotten. Rediscovering it will give you a total-body exercise you can find.
Although considered an excellent form of exercise, jumping rope has never gained widespread acceptance because of two fundamental reasons. First, most people recognize jumping rope as an excellent form of cardiovascular (心血管的) exercise, but they also believe that it is simply too difficult. In other words, they don’t think they’ll be able to continue jumping for the near 20 minutes that it takes to achieve a beneficial physical outcome. Second, many view it as somewhat boring and overly repetitive—not as something fun or enjoyable.
As a matter of fact, jumping rope can be great fun if you find a proper way to practice it. Instead of doing the usual two-foot bounce over and over again, people good at rope-jumping often change their pattern every 10 or 20 jumps. A single bounce, a double–bounce, a skip, a knee-up, side swings, as well as a variety of other easy-to-learn free-style rope-jumping.
Now researchers are learning that jumping rope also prepares the brain for learning. It is an exercise allowing both brain hemispheres to perform in parallel to each other. In short , jumping rope can be a life-long activity requiring little equipment, time and space, yet leading to a much healthier life. From the first paragraph we learn that .
| A．jumping rope has faded from people’s memories |
| B．people now have more advanced equipment |
| C．racing around the playground was preferred |
| D．people now like to have exercise in a gym |
Rope jumping has not spread widely because.
| A．it benefits the cardiovascular system | B．it is neither easy nor enjoyable |
| C．it is considered boring and repetitive | D．it requires little equipment, time and space |
The first sentence in the 3rd paragraph implies .
| A．there is only one proper way to follow | B．the usual way should not be used |
| C．the easiest way is always the best | D．there are many ways to follow |
What is the author’s attitude towards rope jumping?
| A．He is arguing against it. | B．He is in favor of it. |
| C．He is sitting on the fence of it. | D．He is not clear about it. |
A primary school teacher who left a class of 25 pupils in tears after she told them Santa Claus did not exist has been fired. When excited youngsters became rowdy as they talked about Santa, the supply teacher said out suddenly, "It's your parents who leave out presents on Christmas Day."
The class of seven-year-olds at Blackshaw Lane Primary School, Royton, Greater Manchester burst into tears and told their parents when they arrived home. Mothers and fathers then complained about the incident and were sent a letter by the school saying the teacher, who only worked at the school for one day last week, has been punished.
The school has now said it will not hire her again.
One father said, "My son came home and said that his teacher had told the class that Santa doesn't exist and it’s their mum and dad that put out presents for them. Obviously, they were all talking about Christmas and being a bit rowdy. She just came straight out with it. "
"My son was in tears and so was everyone else in the class — especially as it was so close to Christmas. I thought it was wrong. He was crazy about it. He’s only seven-year-old and it's part of the magic of Christmas to him. "
"We told him that she did not believe in Father Christmas because of her religion and he's fine now."
"The father described the incident as ' shocking' and believed it was done with malicious intent (恶意地). A lot of parents were angry and complained to the school. The teacher, who was supplied by Rochdale and Oldham Supply Agency, is still listed and will work with other schools," the agency said.
However, the head teacher in Angela McCormick refused to comment on the incident. Who felt the angriest about the incident?
| A．The teacher who was fired. | B．The parents whose children cried. |
| C．The pupils who were in tears. | D．Santa Claus the teacher talked about. |
We can infer from the passage that .
| A．the teacher was fired and couldn't continue her career in teaching |
| B．the parents complained about the discipline of the school |
| C．the little pupils felt disappointed after hearing the words said by the teacher |
| D．in reality, Santa Claus exists and gives out presents once a year |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word "rowdy"?
| A．surprised. | B．noisy. | C．discouraged. | D．annoyed. |
There seems never to have been a civilization without toys, but when and how they developed is unknown. They probably came about just to give children something to do .
In the ancient world , as is today ,most boys played with some kinds of toys and most girls with another .In societies where social roles are rigidly determined, boys pattern their play after the activities of their fathers and girls are being prepared, even in play , to step into the roles and responsibilities of the adult world .
What is remarkable about the history of toys is not so much how they changed over the centuries but how much they have remained the same . The changes have been mostly in terms of craftsmanship ,mechanics, and technology . It is the universality of toys with regard to their development in all parts of the world and their persistence to the present that is amazing .In Egypt ,America ,China ,Japan and among the Arctic (北极的)people, generally the same kinds of toys appeared. Variations depended on local customs and way of life because toys imitate their surrounding. Nearly every civilization had dolls, little weapons, toy soldiers, tiny animals and vehicles.
Because toys can be generally regarded as a kind of art form, they have not been subject to technological leaps that characterize inventions for adult use .The progress from the wheel to the cart to the automobile is a direct line of ways up. The progress from a rattle (拔浪鼓) used by a baby in 3000BCto one used by an infant today , however , is not characterized by inventiveness. Each rattle is the product of the artistic tastes of the times and subject to the limitations of available materials.The reason why the toys most boys play with are different from those that girls play with is that .
| A．their social roles are rigidly determined |
| B．they like challenging activities |
| C．most boys would like to follow their fathers’ professions |
| D．boys like to play with their fathers while girls with their mothers. |
One aspect of “the universality of toys ”lies in the fact that .
| A．the basic characteristics of toys are the same all over the world |
| B．technological advances have greatly improved the durability of toys |
| C．the exploration of the universe has led to the creation of new kinds of toys |
| D．the improvement of craftsmanship in making toys depends on the efforts of universities |
Which of the following is the author’s view on the historical development of toys?
| A．Toys are playing an increasingly important role in shaping a child’s character. |
| B．The toy industry has witnessed great leaps in technology in recent years. |
| C．The craftsmanship in toy-making has remained essentially unchanged. |
| D．Toys have remained basically the same all through the centuries. |
Regarded as a kind of art form, toys.
| A．reflect the pace of social progress |
| B．are not characterized by technological progress |
| C．follow a direct line of ascent |
| D．also appeal greatly to adults |
A friend of mine, in response to a conversation we were having about the injustices of life ,asked me the question,“Who said life was going to be fair, or that it was even meant to be fair?” Her question was a good one. It reminded me of something I was taught as a youngster :life isn’t fair. It’s a disappointment, but it’s absolutely true .One of the mistakes many of us make is that we feel sorry for ourselves, or for others ,thinking that life should be fair, or that someday it will be .It’s not and it won’t be .
One of the nice things about surrendering (屈从)to the fact that life isn’t fair is that it keeps us from feeling sorry for ourselves by encouraging us to do the very best we can with what we have . We know it’s not “life’s job ”to make everything perfect :it’s our own challenge .Surrendering to this fact also keeps us from feeling sorry for others because we are reminded that everyone is dealt a different hand ; everyone has unique strengths and problems in the process of growing up, facing the reality and making decisions; and everyone has those times that they feel unfairly treated.
The fact that life isn’t fair doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do everything in our power to improve our own lives or the world as a whole. To the contrary , it suggests that we should .When we don’t recognize or admit that life isn’t fair ,we tend to feel pity for others and for ourselves .Pity ,of course ,is a self –defeating emotion that does nothing for anyone ,except to make everyone feel worse than they already do .When we do recognize that life isn’t fair, however ,we feel compassion (热情)for others and for ourselves. And compassion is a heartfelt emotion that delivers loving-kindness to everyone it touches .The next time you find yourself thinking about the injustices of the world, try reminding yourself of this very basic fact .You may be surprised that it can make you out of self-pity and into helpful action.The writer thought of his friend’s question as a good one because .
| A．he also wanted to know who held such an opinion |
| B．it made him recall something during his childhood |
| C．like his friend , he also thought life was unfair |
| D．he learned something from the question as a youngster |
The second paragraph of the passage mainly tells us that .
| A．it’s nice to accept the injustice of life | B．it’s nice to surrender to life |
| C．we should not feel sorry for everything | D．we should not surrender to life |
From the passage, we can learn that the author’s attitude to life is.
| A．negative | B．positive | C．self-pity | D．indifferent |
Which of the following could be the best title of the text ?
| A．A Helpful Action: Try to Feel Compassion | B．A Good Question: Why Life Isn’t Fair |
| C．Do Our Best to Improve Ourselves | D．Surrender to the Fact That Life Isn’t Fair |