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Sensing phantom phone vibrations(手机虚幻震动) is a strangely common experience. Around 80% of us have imagined a phone vibrating in our pockets when it’s actually completely still. Almost 30% of us have also heard non-existent ringing. Are these signs of madness caused by digital culture? Not at all. In fact, phantom vibrations and ringing indicate a fundamental principle in psychology.
Psychologists use a concept called Signal Detection Theory to guide their thinking about the problem of perceptual(感知的) judgments. Working through the example of phone vibrations, we can see how this theory explains why they are a common and unavoidable part of healthy mental function.
When your phone is in your pocket, the world is in one of two possible states: the phone is either ringing or not. You also have two possible states of mind: the judgment that the phone is ringing, or the judgment that it isn’t. Obviously you’d like to match these states in the correct way. True vibrations should go with "it’s ringing", and no vibrations should go with "it’s not ringing".Signal detection theory calls these faithful matches a "hit " and a "correct rejection".
But there are two other possible combinations: you could mismatch true vibrations with "it’s not ringing"( a"miss"); or mismatch the absence of vibrations with "it’s ringing"( a"false alarm"). This second kind of mismatch is what’s going on when you imagine a phantom phone vibration.
What does that mean in terms of your phone? We can assume that people like to notice when their phone is ringing, and that most people hate missing a call. This means their perceptual systems have adjusted their bias(偏向) to a level that makes misses unlikely. The unavoidable cost is a raised likelihood(可能性) of false alarms-of phantom phone vibrations.
The trade-off between false alarms and misses also explains why we all have to put up with fire alarms going off when there isn’t a fire. It isn’t that the alarms are badly designed, but rather that they are very sensible to smoke and heat and biased to avoid missing a real fire at all costs. The outcome is a rise in the number of false alarms. These are inconvenient, but nowhere near as inconvenient as burning to death in your bed or office. The alarms are designed to err on the side of caution.
The writer tries to explain phantom phone vibrations .

A．by analyzing some facts

B．by giving some examples

C．from the angle of biology

D．from the angle of psychology

According to the writer, the sense of phantom phone vibration is .

A．natural and normal	B．harmful but avoidable
C．unusual and unavoidable	D．common but unhealthy

When we judge correctly that "it’s not ringing", this is called a " ".

A．hit	B．miss
C．false alarm	D．correct rejection

What does the underlined part in the last paragraph mean?

A．Better late than never.

B．Better safe than sorry.

C．Fight over the smallest things.

D．He who makes no mistakes makes nothing.

Parkour is all about throwing yourself quickly and effective past whatever barriers are in your path while maintaining as much force as possible to move forward. It’s a challenge for humans, so how would robots get along? In an effort to push the boundaries of robotic agility(灵活), researchers at the University of Pennsylvania decided to find out by teaching their Rhex robot some Parkour moves.
The Rhex is designed to be a walking robot that can deal with barriers, such as stairs and small stones to accomplish rescue tasks or carry out surveys in difficult areas. While the Rhex has been around for over a decade, a new version called XRL(X-Rhex-Light) is now being taught some new tricks by Professor Daniel Koditschek of the University of Pennsylvania.
The XRL differs from its earlier relatives by using lighter materials and simpler fabrication(装配) methods. A complete shell of carbon fiber board surrounds the XRL framework, and it has only a single battery room. The XRL is 51 cm long, 40.5 cm wide, and the body alone is 10 cm in thickness. Its weight including battery pack is 6.7 kg.
The XRL legs are equipped with force and power sensors(传感器), which allow the work of moving to be analyzed in detail. Among other benefits, the research team found that the response of the legs can be used to give an indication of what sort of surface the XRL is walking on. For example, the XRL responds very differently to stone surfaces and grass ones. Besides, the XRL is equipped with a laser scanner(激光扫描仪) to allow the XRL to move around simply.
"What we want is a robot that can go anywhere," said graduate student Aaron Johnson. "These latest jumps greatly expand the range of what this machine is capable of, as it can now jump onto or across barriers that are bigger than it is."

Why does the passage mention Parkour in Paragraph 1?

A．To compare Parkour with the XRL.

B．To recommeng Parkour to readers.

C．To explain why people like Parkour.

D．To show the Rhex uses Parkour moves.

The Rhex is mainly used to .

A．do some difficult work

B．attend sports competition

C．conduct university surveys

D．research the XRL further

Compared with the Rhex, the Rhex, the XRL .

A．has two battery rooms

B．uses heavier materials

C．moves around more easily

D．takes along fewer instruments

You are sending a text, watching the TV or listening to the radio ? You may want to stop and give this your full attention after you finish reading this article.
Multi-tasking shrinks the brain, research suggests.
A study found that men and women who frequently used several types of technology at the same time had less grey matter in a key part of the brain.
University of Sussex researchers said: “Simultaneously using mobile phones, laptops and other media devices could be changing the structure of our brains .”
Worryingly, the part of the brain that shrinks is involved in processing emotion. The finding follows research which has linked multi-tasking with a shortened attention span, depression, anxiety and lower grades at school.
The researchers began by asking 75 healthy men and women how often they divided their attention between different types of technology. This could mean sending a text message while listening to music and checking email, or speaking on the phone while watching TV and surfing the web.
The volunteers were then given brain scans which showed they had less grey matter in a region called the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC).
The findings held even when differences in personality were taken into account. The study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, is the first to make a link between multi-tasking and the structure of the brain. Researcher Kep Kee Loh said: ‘Media multi-tasking is becoming more popular in our lives today and there is increasing concern about its impacts on our social-emotional well-being.’ He added that more research is needed to prove that multi-tasking shrinks the brain. This is because it is also possible that people with less grey matter in the ACC are more drawn to using lots of gadgets simultaneously.
Scientists have previously demonstrated brain structure can be altered on prolonged exposure to novel environments and experience.
Other studies have shown that training – such as learning to juggle or taxi drivers learning the map of London – can increase grey-matter densities in certain parts of the brain .Experts have also warned of the harmful effect technology can have on our memory and attention span.
The University of California team conducted a survey of more than 18,000 people aged between 18 and 99 and found 20 percent had problems with memory. Researchers were taken aback by the 14 per cent of 18 to 39-year-olds who also worried about their memories.
Multi-tasking with gadgets may shorten attention span, making it harder to focus and form memories, the researchers said, adding that youngsters may be particularly affected by stress.
In writing the passage, the author intends to _____.

A．tell people multi—tasking is becoming more and more popular in our life today

B．inform people of the findings that stress and other emotional problems are caused by using media devices

C．warn people of the possible damage to our brain by performing several tasks at the same time

D．prove the links between multi-tasking with the increase of grey matter in the brain

What does the underlined word “held” in the eighth paragraph mean?

A．contained

B．carried

C．owned

D．remained

It can be inferred from the passage that __________

A．Multi-tasking has a bad effect on men rather than on women

B．Multi-tasking could change the structure of the brains and shrink the brain

C．the part of the brain that shrinks is involved in language learning

D．the writer doubts that using mobile phones and other media devices at the same time could shrink the brain

The reason why Kep Kee Loh thought more research would be needed to prove that multi-tasking shrinks the brain was that ____

A．he doubted the findings of the research

B．it was also possible that people with less grey matter in the ACC are more drawn to using lots of gadgets simultaneously.

C．the study published in the journal PLOS ONE drew a different conclusion

D．he wanted to prove training can increase grey – matter densities

The passage suggests that _____

A．when watching TV or listening to the radio, people’s brain will shrink

B．no measures can be taken to increase grey – matter densities in people’s brains

C．people gradually realize the negative impact media multi—tasking could have on people’ s social-emotional well –being.

D．multi—tasking can’t affect the grey matter in our brain

Chinese airline travellers might be permitted to use mobile phones with in-flight Wi-Fi in 2016, as long as they are in flight mode, although progress still falls behind the rest of the world, the Beijing Times reported.
Zhou Hong, an aviation communication expert, said the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has been exploring the possibility of air travelers using electronic devices at a height of more than 3,000 meters.
It's estimated that the result will come out in 2016, and it will likely be approved, he said.
China's major airlines and telecommunication companies have been preparing an alliance to conduct research into making phone calls during flights, said He Guili, head of China Telecom Technology Labs under the Ministry of Information and Industry Technology.
He said the main obstacle lies in the compatibility(兼容性)between mobile signals and aircraft electronic navigation systems, but that two solutions offered are already technically mature.
During a test on July 23, about 80 passengers were invited to use China's first onboard Wi-Fi service on a China Eastern Airlines flight between Shanghai and Beijing. They were only allowed to use iPads and laptops, however.
Compared to the boom of Wi-Fi service abroad, the service in China is still in the start-up stage, and has not yet been put into mass commercial use.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has just announced that airlines can now permit passengers to use electronic devices such as mobile phones during flights.It said electronic devices do not cause a safety risk, and that airlines can allow passengers to use mobile phones once they have conducted their own safety reviews
The underlined word “boom” in Paragraph 7 is closest in meaning to_________.

A．discovery	B．prosperity
C．invention	D．advantage

According to the passage, the following statements are wrong EXCEPT____

A．According to the passage, Zhou Hong is head of China Telecom Technology Labs

B．About80 passengers were involved in a test conducted on a China Eastern Airlines flight between Beijing and Guangzhou.

C．The CAAC has been exploring the possibility of air travellers using electronic devices at a height of more than 3,000 meters nowadays

D．Chinese airline travellers have already been permitted to use mobile phones with in-flight Wi-Fi

What’s the attitude of the EASA towards the use of phones during the flight ?
A.SupportiveB．Negative.
C Sceptical.D．Disapproval
What is the passage mainly about?

A．China may permit air travellers to use phones freely during flight by 2015

B．Air travellers may be allowed to use phones with in-flight Wi-Fi in flight mode by 2016

C．China is catching up with developed countries in technology

D．Wi-Fi service has already been used commercially in China

The passage is most likely a part of ____

A．a science fiction	B．a guide book
C．a commercial ad	D．a news report

All across California, honeybees are flying away from their hives and dying. Empty hives are causing a lot of worry about some important food crops.
Bees give us a lot more than delicious honey. They are pollinators （授粉者）—they enable plants to produce the fruits and nuts we enjoy by carrying pollen from one plant or flower to the next. The wind pollinates oats, corn, and wheat, but many other plants (like apple and cherry trees and melon vines) depend on insects, bats, and birds. In the U.S., millions and millions of bees kept by human beekeepers fly around doing a lot of this important work for food crops. “Bees are worth protecting because their work adds so much to our diet,” says Dr. Jeff Pettis of the Bee Research Laboratory.
California’s almond crop alone depends on about half the bees in the country. But now the almond crop and many others could be in trouble with so many bees dying.
Researchers at government and university labs all over the country are trying to figure out why so many bees are dying. However, bees are hard to study. Most die away from the hive, so researchers don’t have dead bodies to examine. And when researchers return to a hive after two weeks, about half the bees they studied on their first visit will be dead, replaced by new ones in the natural life cycle of bees. “It isn’t like studying a large animal like a cow that doesn’t move around much and is easy to find out in the cow field,” says Pettis.
Researchers have some ideas about what could be affecting bee health. They could be sick from poisons widely used to kill insects, or they might not be getting enough good food to stay strong. Also, tiny insects called mites feed on bees. “A virus or bacteria could also be doing the killing.” explains Pettis.
What is the main idea of Paragraph 2?

A．The ways of crops pollinating

B．The importance of bees to food crops.

C．The variety of food crops

D．The protection of honeybees

The reason why bees are hard to study is that ____________.

A．all the bees studied by researchers are often replaced by new bees by beekeepers

B．they never return to hives

C．they are too small to be seen

D．they fly around too much

The almond crop and many others in California could be in trouble because ____

A．many bees are dying

B．researchers have difficulty studying bees

C．there is no rain and the crops can’t be irrigated

D．all the pollinators such insects , birds and bats disappear

According to the passage ,which of the following can’t affect bee health ?

A．Poisons to kill birds.

B．Lack of good food

C．Large birds feeding on insects

D．Some virus.

What can we learn from the article?

A．A large number of bees have died in the hive.

B．Without bees, some foods would disappear from our diet.

C．Only researchers in California want to know what kills bees.

D．Large animals are easier to study than tiny insects.

A．of surprise	B．frustrating
C．of great fame	D．within easy reach