My oldest child, Emma, just returned to campus after a long holiday break to finish up her last period of college. These days, friends and family have begun flooding me with one question: What is she going to do after graduation?
The job market is, after all, awfully tough. Just this month the Federal Reserve Bank published a study showing that “recent graduates are increasingly working in low-paid jobs or working part-time.” The bright spot, according to the study, is for students who majored(主修) in STEM— science, technology, engineering and mathematics — areas in which recent graduates “have tended to do relatively well”.
But Emma is a student of the humanities(人文) at a small college. She’s an American Studies major with a focus on the politics and culture of food. For quite a while, I think her field of study is so fashionable right now that I’m not the least bit worried she will find a good job. Yet the more I’ve thought about it, the more I’ve decided to be honest. “I’m not sure what Emma is going to do,” I now say. “But she’s gotten a great education and has really found her interest. — and I know those things will serve her well over the course of her life.”
Nowadays, more and more universities and colleges are being measured by the salaries of their recent graduates. In this climate, encouraging your kid to study the humanities, seems, at best, unwise or, at worst, unconcerned with earning a living. But a college is not a vocational(职业) school. And promoting STEM subjects should not be society’s only answer to helping the next generation grow in a competitive world.
From the beginning, we never urged Emma to pick a college or a major with an eye on its expected return on money, as more and more families are doing. To Emma, what really matters will be something that we may not be able to measure for quite a long time: Emma’s contribution to the world and how happy she is in it.The author’s friends and family_________.
| A．are worried about Emma’s safety |
| B．have been worrying about the flood |
| C．are concerned about Emma’s future |
| D．are worried about the job market |
What can we learn from Paragraph 2?
| A．The number of the graduates is increasing. |
| B．STEM graduates can be better employees. |
| C．STEM graduates are in relatively greater demand. |
| D．More and more graduates like to do a part-time job. |
Why did Emma choose a major in the humanities?
| A．Because she is interested in it. |
| B．Because her mother told her to. |
| C．Because it is increasingly popular. |
| D．Because she wants further education. |
According to the author, what matters most in choosing a major is that_________.
| A．it should be among the STEM |
| B．it should be fashionable and interesting |
| C．it should allow a good job and a high salary |
| D．it should bring achievements and happiness |
Communications technologies are far from equal when it comes to conveying the truth. A recent research shows people tend to tell more lies in phone conversations than they are in emails. The fact that emails are automatically recorded and can come back to haunt you appears to be the key to the finding.
Jeff Hancock of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, asked 30 students to keep a communications diary for a week. In it they noted the number of conversations or email exchanges they had lasting more than 10 minutes, and confessed to how many lies they told. Hancock then worked out the number of lies per conversation for each medium. He found that lies made up 14 percent of emails, 21 percent of instant messages, 27 percent of face-to-face interactions and an astonishing 37 of phone calls.
His results to be presented at the conference on human-computer interaction in Vienna, Austria, in April, have surprised psychologists. Some expected emailers to be the biggest liars, reasoning that because deception makes people uncomfortable, the detachment（非直接接触）of emailing would make it easier to lie. Others expected people to be more in face-to-face exchanges because we are most practiced at that form of communication.
But Hancock says it is also crucial whether a conversation is being recorded and could be reread, and whether it occurs in real time. “People appear to be afraid to lie when they know the communication could later be used to hold them to account,” he says. This is why fewer lies appear in email than on the phone.
“People are also more likely to lie in real time in an instant message or phone call than if they have time to think of a response,” say Hancock. He found many lies are spontaneous responses to an unexpected demand, such as, “Do you like my dress?”
Hancock hopes his research will help companies work out the best ways for their employees to communicate. For instance, the phone might be the best medium for sales where employees are encouraged to stretch the truth. But, given his result, work assessment where honesty is a priority, might be best done using email.Hancock’s study focuses on ______.
| A．the consequences of lying in various communications media |
| B．the success of communications technologies in conveying ideas |
| C．people are less likely to lie in instant messages |
| D．people’s honesty levels across a range of communications media |
Hancock’s research finding surprised those who believed that ______.
| A．people are less likely to lie in instant messages |
| B．people are unlikely to lie in face-to-face interactions |
| C．people are most likely to lie in email communication |
| D．people are twice as likely to lie in phone conversations |
According to the passage, why are people more likely to tell the truth through certain media of communication?
| A．They are afraid of leaving behind traces of their lies. |
| B．They believe that honesty is the best policy. |
| C．They tend to be relaxed when using those media. |
| D．They are most practiced at those forms of communication. |
It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
| A．honesty should be encouraged in interpersonal communications |
| B．more employers will use emails to communicate with their employees |
| C．suitable media should be chosen for different communication purposes |
| D．email is now the dominant medium of communication within a company |
Just put your special clothes on in the morning and you could jump 3 meters into the air and even carry more than 60 kilograms without getting tired. The walk to school would be very , very easy. Such supercharged clothing is one of the products that could be created using “wearable robotics” technology.
Designed to improve a person’s senses and skills, the device could be as simple as a hearing aid. Or it could be a full-body suit that senses what you’re going to do, then helps you do it better.
“A superman suit would be the final result in wearable robotics,” said Francois Pin, head of robotics and energy systems at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory（橡树林国家实验室）, US. While these suits are at least ten years away, in some areas the technology is already in use.
Researchers are developing artificial arms and legs that allow old, disabled or injured people to move freely. Thus US Army is interested in using wearable robot legs to help soldiers run faster, carry more equipment and be stronger in battle. Jobs that involve lifting heavy loads or saving lives from the rubble of an earthquake could also become much easier.
A robot is a device that responds to a command. You’re probably with simple robots, such as toy cars or airplanes that respond to buttons you push on a remote control.
Wearable robotics goes further. Instead of just receiving information through a wire or remote control, the robotic device can send information back to its controller.
Suppose you wore a sleeve that has sensors where your joints are. Every time you move your arm, the sleeve senses your movements and sends the information to a robot, which then moves its arm just as you did. When the robot hits or touches something, it sends a signal back to the sleeve and you sense the action.
In this way, scientists are working to wrap the robot around the person. Their goal is to make the sleeve, shoe or suit help you do what you want to do.Which of the following can replace the underlined word “ supercharged” in Paragraph one?
| A．expensive | B．overcharged | C．advanced | D．full of electricity |
Products resulting from this wearable robotics technology do not include ___________.
| A．remote controls | B．hearing aids |
| C．wearable robot legs | D．superman suits |
From the passage, we can infer that_______________.
| A．it will be ten years before robotic devices are in use |
| B．the wearable robotics technology has been employed in some areas |
| C．the robots in the robotic devices will do whatever you want to do |
| D．people must become lazier and less healthier in the future |
Name: Off the Beaten Path
Cover price: $30.00
Our price: $l9.80
The best-selling Reader’s Digest travel book has 40% new content including over 200 new sites, over 200 new full-color photographs, and all-new, up-to-date maps. It spotlights over l, 000 of the United States’ most overlooked must-see destinations.
Name: Container Gardens by Number
Cover price: $l5.95
Our price: $9.49
A unique book contains 50 easy-to-follow container designs. Each design provides a simple numbered planting plan that shows exactly how to create each display, with an instruction of the finished planter and in-depth plant information. The plans are easy to follow and for any type of living space or garden.
Name: Best Weekend Projects
Cover price: $l7.95
Our price: $l3.96
Choose from 80 unique ideas to create an extraordinary living space. The projects are practical, as well as attractive, and will improve your home and yard and can be made in a weekend. These 80 well-designed projects are presented in a clear, easy-to-follow style that addresses readers in an accessible, user-friendly tone.
Name: l80l Home Remedies
Cover price: $40.00
Our price: $29.96
Plenty of health complaints can be handled at home. Each and every remedy will be tested by a doctor to make sure it is safe and sound.
Dozens of conditions are covered, from headaches, sunburn, bad breath, and blisters(水泡) to allergies(过敏), and hiccups(打嗝). You can most probably read the passage in a ___________.
| A．newspaper | B．travel guide | C．reference book | D．textbook |
How much money could you save if you want to buy a travel book?
| A．$6.46 | B．$l0. 20 | C．$l3.96 | D．$l9.8 |
Which of the following could help you to deal with common diseases without a doctor?
| A．Off the Beaten Path. | B．Container Gardens by Number. |
| C．l80l Home Remedies. | D．Best Weekend Projects. |
What’s the purpose of the passage?
| A．To share his opinion about the books with readers. |
| B．To advise readers to read more in spare time. |
| C．To share the pleasure of reading with readers. |
| D．To advise readers to buy their books. |
Friendship can deeply affect the physical and mental health of both men and women. Studies show that people who have no friends or who are lonely, are more likely to die earlier, get sick more often and suffer greater physical wear and tear（折磨）than those who have a support system of friends.
Sometimes, family members may be more likely to give you advice or tell you what you don’t want to hear. It may not be as good as a friend who will listen to you and guide you, but support your decisions anyway. The most important elements about friendship are those who suffer support and do not judge your decisions based on society.
One reason for the link between social support and good health practice seems to be that people who feel cared for by others are less stress-out and are protected against the symptoms（症状）of depression and loneliness.
Generally, women benefit most because of how they deal with stress. Women are more social in how they deal with stress than men, while men are more likely to have a “fight or flight” reaction. Women also tend to have larger, denser social network, in which more people know each other and help each other, while men typically have smaller groups of friends and will rely on their wives or other important people for more support. While all these affect people psychologically（心理上）, friendship brings comfort that reduces the ill effects of stress, and the sex difference also contributes to the difference in the length of one’s life time.In the author’s opinion, a real friend should _________.
| A．tell you what to do even if you refuse to hear it. |
| B．try to persuade you to change your mind quickly. |
| C．judge your decision according to his/her experience. |
| D．give you advice but respect your own decision. |
Women benefit more from friendship than men because _________.
| A．women are always cared for by more people than men. |
| B．women are usually less stress-out when staying with others. |
| C．women are more likely to solve problems with friends’ help |
| D．women can always keep more long-life friendship than men |
According to the passage we can infer that _______.
| A．it’s good for women to tell men what they should do or not |
| B．friends are always more important than family members |
| C．men don’t want to share their problems with many people |
| D．the trend that women can live longer makes them more relaxed |
This passage mainly talks about _________.
| A．why people should develop friendship |
| B．when friendship affects people’s health |
| C．people’s different attitudes towards friendship |
| D．the friendship which can make people live longer |
I was in a strange city and I didn't know the city at all, and what is more, I could not speak a word of the language. After having spent my first day in the town-centre, I decided to lose my way on my second day, since I believed that this was the simplest way of getting to know the strange city.
I got on the first bus that passed, rode on it for several stops, then got off it and walked on. The first two hours passed pleasantly enough. Then I decided to turn back to my hotel for lunch. After walking about for some time, I decided I had better ask the way. The trouble was that the only word I knew of the language was the name of the street in which I lived and even then I pronounced it badly.
I stopped to ask a friendly-looking newspaper-seller. He smiled and handed me a paper. I shook my head and repeated the name of the street and he put the paper into my hands. I had to give him some money and went on my way. The next person I asked was a policeman. The policeman listened to me carefully, smiled and gently took me by the arm. There was a strange look in his eyes as he pointed left and right and left again. I thanked him politely and began walking in the direction he pointed.
About an hour passed and I noticed that the houses were getting fewer and fewer and green fields were appearing on either side of me. I had come all the way into the countryside.
The only thing left for me to do was to find the nearest railway station.The writer believed that if you wanted to get to know a strange city, ______.
| A．you should go everywhere on foot | B．you should have a map |
| C．you should ask people the way | D．you should get lost |
The newspaper-seller ______.
| A．could understand what he said | B．didn't know what he said |
| C．laughed at him | D．didn't want to take the money |
The writer's real trouble was that _______.
| A．he couldn't speak the language | |
| B．he followed the policeman's direction | |
| C．he took the wrong bus | D．he left the town-centre |
The policeman ______.
| A．didn't help him | B．pointed at him |
| C．didn't understand what he really meant | D．didn't know the way |