In the animal kingdom, weakness can bring about aggression（侵略）in other animals. This sometimes happens with humans as well. But I have found that my weakness brings out the kindness in people. I see it every day when people hold doors for me, pour cream into my coffee, or help me to put on my coat. And I have discovered that it makes them happy.
From my wheelchair experience, I see the best in people, bur sometimes I feel sad because those who appear independent miss the kindness I see daily. They don’t get to see this soft side of others often and we try every way possible to avoid showing our weakness, which includes a lot of pretending. But only when we stop pretending we’re brave or strong do we allow people to show the kindness that’s in them.
Last month, when I was driving home on a busy highway, I began to feel unwell and drove more slowly than usual. People behind me began to get impatient and angry, with some speeding up alongside me, horning (按喇叭) or even shouting at me. At the moment I decided to do something I had never done in twenty years of driving. I put on the car flashlights and drove on at a really low speed.
No more angry shouts and no more horns!
When I put on my flashlights, I was saying to other drivers, “I have a problem here. I am weak and doing the best I can.” And everyone understood. Several times, I saw drivers who wanted to pass. They couldn’t get around me because of the stream of passing traffic. But instead of getting impatient and angry, they waited, knowing the driver in front of them was in some way weak.
Sometimes situations call for us to act strong and brave even when we don’t feel that way. But more often, it would be better if we don’t pretend we feel strong when we feel weak or pretend that we are brave when we are scared.The author has discovered that people will feel happy when ______.
| A．they offer their help |
| B．they receive others’ help |
| C．they feel others’ kindness |
| D．they show their weakness |
The author feels sad sometimes because ______.
| A．he has a soft heart |
| B．he relies much on others |
| C．some people pretend to be kind |
| D．some people fail to see the kindness in others |
In this passage, the author advises us to ______.
| A．handle problems by ourselves |
| B．accept help from others |
| C．admit our weakness |
| D．show our bravery |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．A Wheel Chair Experience. |
| B．Weakness and Kindness. |
| C．Weakness and Strength |
| D．A Driving Experience |
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.
Millions of learners have their own stories and their own reasons for learning a new language. Lancom cares about you and addresses your individual learning type. Lancom is the only product to offer courses tailored to your native language， building on grammar and words you already know. Our content is about real﹣life topics that are relevant because we know what matters to you is what sticks best. You will find it very rewarding to learn with Lancom.
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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． |
For Western designers， China and its rich culture have long been an inspiration for Western creative．
"It's no secret that China has always been a source（来源）of inspiration for designers，" says Amanda Hill， chief creative officer at A+E Networks， a global media company and home to some of the biggest fashion（时尚）shows．
Earlier this year， the China Through A Looking Glass exhibition in New York exhibited 140 pieces of China﹣inspired fashionable clothing alongside Chinese works of art， with the aim of exploring the influence of Chinese aesthetics（美学）on Western fashion and how China has fueled the fashionable imagination for centuries． The exhibition had record attendance， showing that there is huge interest in Chinese influences．
"China is impossible to overlook，" says Hill． "Chinese models are the faces of beauty and fashion campaigns that sell dreams to women all over the world， which means Chinese women are not just consumers of fashion ﹣ they are central to its movement． "Of course， not only are today's top Western designers being influenced by China﹣some of the best designers of contemporary fashion are themselves Chinese．" Vera Wang， Alexander Wang， Jason Wu are taking onGalliano， Albaz， Marc Jacobs﹣and beating them hands down in design and sales，" adds Hill．
For Hill， it is impossible not to talk about China as the leading player when discussing fashion． "The most famous designers are Chinese， so are the models， and so are the consumers，" she says． "China is no longer just another market； in many senses it has become the market． If you talk about fashion today， you are talking about China﹣its influences， its direction， its breathtaking clothes， and how young designers and models are finally acknowledging that in many ways．"
（1）What can we learn about the exhibition in New York？
| A． |
It promoted the sales of artworks． |
| B． |
It attracted a large number of visitors． |
| C． |
It showed ancient Chinese clothes． |
| D． |
It aimed to introduce Chinese models． |
（2）What does Hill say about Chinese women？
| A． |
They are setting the fashion． |
| B． |
They start many fashion campaigns． |
| C． |
They admire super models． |
| D． |
They do business all over the world． |
（3）What do the underlined words"taking on" in paragraph 4 mean？
| A． |
learning from |
| B． |
looking down on |
| C． |
working with |
| D． |
competing against |
（4）What can be a suitable title for the text？
| A． |
Young Models Selling Dreams to the World |
| B． |
A Chinese Art Exhibition Held in New York |
| C． |
Differences Between Eastern and Western Aesthetics |
| D． |
Chinese Culture Fueling International Fashion Trends |
OPENINGS AND PREVIEWS
Animals Out of Paper
Yolo！Productions and the Great Griffon present the play by Rajiv Joseph，in which an origami（折纸术）artist invites a teenage talent and his teacher into her studio． Merri Milwe directs． In previews． Opens Feb.12．（West Park Presbyterian Church，165 W.86th St.212﹣868﹣4444．）
The Audience
Helen Mirren stars in the play by Peter Morgan，about Queen Elizabeth II of the UK and her private meetings with twelve Prime Ministers in the course of sixty years． Stephen Daldry directs． Also starring Dylan Baker and Judith Ivey． Previews begin Feb.14．（Schoenfeld，236 W.45th St.212﹣239﹣6200．）
Hamilton
Lin﹣Manuel Miranda wrote this musical about Alexander Hamilton，in which the birth of America is presented as an immigrant story． Thomas Kail directs． In previews． Opens Feb.17．（Public，425 Lafayette St.212﹣967﹣7555．）
On the Twentieth Century
Kristin Chenoweth and Peter Gallagher star in the musical comedy by Betty Comden and Adolph Green，about a Broadway producer who tries to win a movie star's love during a cross﹣country train journey． Scott Ellis directs，for Roundabout Theatre Company． Previews begin Feb.12．（American Airlines Theatre，227 W.42nd St.212﹣719﹣1300．）
（1）What is the play by Rajiv Joseph probably about？
| A． |
A type of art． |
| B． |
A teenager's studio． |
| C． |
A great teacher． |
| D． |
A group of animals． |
（2）Who is the director of The Audience？
| A． |
Helen Mirren． |
| B． |
Peter Morgan． |
| C． |
Dylan Baker． |
| D． |
Stephen Daldry． |
（3）Which play will you go to if you are interested in American history？
| A． |
Animals Out of Paper． |
| B． |
The Audience． |
| C． |
Hamilton． |
| D． |
On the Twentieth Century． |