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As Internet users become more dependent on the Internet to store information, are people remember less? If you know your computer will save information, why store it in your own personal memory, your brain? Experts are wondering if the Internet is changing what we remember and how.
In a recent study, Professor Betsy Sparrow conducted some experiments. She and her research team wanted to know the Internet is changing memory. In the first experiment, they gave people 40 unimportant facts to type into a computer. The first group of people understood thatthe computer would save the information. The second group understood that the computer would not save it. Later, the second group remembered the information better. People in the first group knew they could find the information again, so they did not try to remember it.
In another experiment, the researchers gave people facts to remember, and told them where to find the information on the Internet. The information was in a specific computer folder (文件夹). Surprisingly, people later remember the folder location (位置) better than the facts. When people use the Internet, they do not remember the information. Rather, they remember how to find it. This is called "transactive memory (交互记忆)".
According to Sparrow, we are not becoming people with poor memories as a result of the Internet. Instead, computer users are developing stronger transactive memories; that is, people are learning how to organize huge quantities of information so that they are able to access it at a later date. This doesn't mean we are becoming either more or less intelligent, but there is no doubt that the way we use memory is changing.The passage begins with two questions to ______.
| A．introduce the main topic |
| B．show the author's altitude |
| C．describe how to use the Interne. |
| D．explain how to store information |
What can we learn about the first experiment?
| A．Sparrow's team typed the information into a computer. |
| B．The two groups remembered the information equally well. |
| C．The first group did not try to remember the formation. |
| D．The second group did not understand the information. |
In transactive memory, people ______.
| A．keep the information in mind |
| B．change the quantity of information |
| C．organize information like a computer |
| D．remember how to find the information |
What is the effect of the Internet according to Sparrow's research?
| A．Weare using memory differently. |
| B．We arebecoming more intelligent. |
| C．We have poorer memories than before. |
| D．We need a better way to access information. |
Being bored can encourage people's creativity-partly to escape the horrible, frustrated. And meaningless feeling of boredom-recent studies find. It could even be true at work.
Psychologists at the University of Central Lancashire had participants copy numbers out of the telephone book for 15 minutes,while others went straight into a standard creativity task.
Both groups were asked to come up with as many different uses as they could for a plastic cup. The group that felt more bored came up with more uses.
Dr. Sandi Mann, one of the study's authors said. " Boredom at work has always been seen as
something to he removed. hut perhaps we should be welcoming it in order to encourage our creativity. What we want LO do next is to see what the practical implications of this finding are. Do people who are bored at work become more creative in other areas of their work-or do they go homeand write novels?"
In a later study, Dr. Sandi Mann found that creativity was reduced when people were still bored but didn't have the chance to daydream.
While we tend to think of boredom as something; that certainly leads to trouble-drinking, gambling. and antisocial behavior, this research suggests differer possibilities.
More than anything, the feeling of boredom is a 8trong signal that we are stuck in some kind of rut and we need to seek out new goals. In the study above, this research led participants to new ideas.
Usually people will do anything to avoid being bored. as it's such an aversive experience. But creative people, like writers, sometimes talk ahout seeking out boredom.
Here is the comedy writer Graham Linehan talking about boredom Lo The Cuardian. "I have to use all these programs that cut off the Internet,force me to be bored, because being bored is an essential part of writing, and the Internet has made it very hard to be bored. The creative process requires a period of boredom ,of being stuck. That's actually a very uncomfortable period that a lot of people mistake for writer's block, but it's actually just part of a long process. "
So, when you start to feel bored , instead of g7ancing at your smartphone.,try being bored for a bit. Who knows what creative thought might come of it?From the study of Dr. Sandi Mann, we can learn that__.
| A．boring tasks make people creative |
| B．daydreaming may increase creativity |
| C．plastic cups can be used very creatively |
| D．copying numbers might be very interesting |
The underlined word "aversive" in Paragraph 8 probably means _
| A．common. | B．unpleasant |
| C．unusual | D．personal |
According to Craham Linehan..
| A．glancing at a smartphone is a solulion. |
| B．he is forced to feel bored by the Internet |
| C．the boredom period is a block for writers |
| D．being stuck for a period benefits him a lot |
What is the author's attitude towards boredom?
| A．Critical. | B．Cautious. |
| C．Positive | D．Unclear. |
In the last few years the popularity of eBooks has exploded. The advantages are clear: You can carry as many hooks with you as you want. You can simply download ever7 book you like and instantly start reading instead of having to wait for the book to arrive by mail.
However, one thing hadn't changed. If you wanted to rent a book you were still forced to use hardcopy hooks. Until now that is. Amazon. com recently announced the start of a new program where you can rent eBooks.
Where to rent eBooks?
As mentioned before, Amazon. com is the first and currently the only retailer (零售商) that has a program in place for renting eBooks. Luckily, Amazon is the largest online retailer in the
world and their eBook assortment (分类) is massive. They are also the producer of the Kindle, the most popular eReader, which means you can be sure that the eBooks you rent will work.
You can currently only rent eTextbooks. But this is likely to change as soon as the word gets out
that you can save money by renting eBooks.
Why rent eBooks at Amazon?
~ Save money: Save up t0 80% of the normal price of the eBook.
~ Decide how long you rent: From 30 days t0 360 days, you decide how long you want it. You
can extend the time by as little as a day. Or simply buy the eBook if you want to keep it after all.
~ Use any device: If you rent an eBook from Amazon, you can read it on your PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android device, Windows Phone 7. Blackberry. or Kindle. .
~ Keep your notes: Do you like to keep annotations (注释) and highlights in your eBooks? Don't worry. You can always revisit your notes and highlights through Amazon. com.
How to rent eBooks?
Simply search for the eBook you want to rent on Amazon. com and select the "Rent eBooks" option. After that, a new page will open where you can select how long you’d like to rent the eBook. You can read eBooks for a period of 30 t0 360 days.
You decide how long you need the eBook. 1f you later find out you need it for longer. you can simply extend the time. Or buy it for the normal price whenever you want.
Once you've chosen the Lime you want to rent the eBook, you simply go to checkout. Or you can use the "Rent now" button.According to the passage, _
| A．eBooks will be changed into other types by Amazon. com |
| B．eBooks will replace hardcover hooks in the next few years |
| C．readers get a discount of at least 20% of the normal price |
| D．readers are able to rent eBooks only at Amazon. com now |
To rent an eBook online, which of the following goes last?
| A．open a new page |
| B．select the "Rent eBooks" option |
| C．choose a rental date |
| D．press "Rent now" button |
The main purpose of the passage is to _.
| A．inform and explain |
| B．discuss and assess |
| C．compare and evaluate |
| D．describe and argue |
I may not be the wisest person on this planet. but I will tell you a little secret to happiness: Help other,, and live life. It is that simple. Just help a friend study for a test, or volunteer at a nursing home . I learned this after a long, hard search.
I was feeling really down because my long4ime friend had died. Then I started a six-week volunteering at a nursing home all day every Saturday. My routine was to serve the meal and clean up. After that, I would wait for the head nurse to tell me what to do.
One day I was told to go to Room 117 to make sure the patient was all righL. In the room I found a boy of eight sitting in his bed watching a movie. I was shocked to see a child in this seemingly forgotten nursing home for the old. He was so small and weak that you had to look closely to find him. He motioned for me to sit down. I grabbed his medical chart from which later I found out he had a terminal illness.
We started to talk, and I found out that his family rarely visited, and all he did ever7 day was watch TV. I wanted to cry for him, and for my lost friend. As we talked, he had a smile on his face, and I asked him why.
"The entire two hours I've been here you've never lost that smile. With this horrible disease, how do you still manage to stay happy?"
He thought for a moment, and then said that too many people are dead even before they die.
They walk around feeling that God has cursed (诅咒) them and that they have nothing to live for.
The boy said that he would not be like that. He wakes every morning thankful to see another sunrise. He keeps his window open so that he can smell the flowers and feel the heat of the sun. He also said that he has hope.
"Too many people haven't seen much of that around here," he said," Life is full of hope and we need to live life before it is gone. "
I don’t know what happened to him. I assume he passed away, but his lesson lives on. I now wake up and live each day to the fullest. The key to life is not money or fame, but the lessons we learn from it.The nursing home in the passage is mainly for _
| A．the elderly | B．the homeless |
| C．the disabled | D．the abandoned |
The boy stayed happy mainly due to.
| A．wonderful TV programs |
| B．his positive attitude |
| C．good medical condition |
| D．others' encouragement |
The writer participated in the volunteering job in order to .
| A．find out the secret |
| B．search for help |
| C．enrich experiences |
| D．get out of sadness |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A Lesson in Hope |
| B．The Life of a Sick Boy |
| C．A Voluntary Job |
| D．The Meaning of Life |
People who speak or perform before the public sometimes may suffer from “Stage Fright. ” Stage fright makes a person nervous. In the worst case(情况) it can make one's mind go back and forget what one ought to say, or to act. Actors, musicians, dancers, lawyers, even radio show hosts(节目主持人) have suffered from stage fright at one time or another.
Diana Nichols is an expert in helping people free from stage fright at a medical centre in New York City. She helps actors learn to control themselves. Miss Nichols says some people have always been afraid to perform before the audience. Others, she says, develop stage fright after a fearful experience.
She offers them ways to control the fear. One way is to smile before going onto the stage. Taking two deep breaths also helps. Deep breathing helps you get control of your body.
Miss Nichols persuades her patients to tell themselves that their speech or performance does not have to the perfect. It's all right to make a mistake. She tells them they should not be too cautious while they are performing. It is important that they should continue to perform while she is helping them. After each performance, they discuss what happened and find out what advice helped and what did not. As they perform more and more, they will fear less and less as much as 50%. Miss Nichols says the aim is only to reduce stage fright, not to eliminate it completely. This is because a little stage fright makes a person more cautious, and improves the performance.One who is suffering stage fright may _______.
| A．forget one's part before the audience |
| B．smile all the time on the stage |
| C．make a speech faster than ever |
| D．be cautious to improve his performance |
The underlined word “eliminate” in the last paragraph means _______.
| A．keep | B．reduce |
| C．change | D．get rid of |
The wrong way to overcome stage fright is ______.
| A．to smile before going to the stage. |
| B．to take two deep breaths to calm oneself |
| C．to pay less attention to one's mistakes in performance |
| D．to perform less and to watch more |
It was one of those terribly hot days in Baltimore. Needless to say, it was too hot to do anything outside. But it was also scorching in our apartment. This was 1962, and I would not live in a place with an air conditioner for another ten years. So my brother and I decided to leave the apartment to find someplace indoors. He suggested we could see a movie. It was a brilliant plan.
Movie theaters were one of the few places you could sit all day and—most important —sit in air conditioning. In those days, you could buy one ticket and sit through two movies. Then, the theater would show the same two movies again. If you wanted to, you could sit through them twice. Most people did not do that, but the manager at our theater. Mr. Bellow did not mind if you did.
That particular day, my brother and I sat through both movies twice, trying to escape the heat. We bought three bags of popcorn and three sodas each. Then, we sat and watched The Music Man followed by The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. We’d already seen the second movie once before. It had been at the theater since January, because Mr. Bellow loved anything with John Wayne in it.
We left the theater around 8, just before the evening shows began. But we returned the next day and saw the same two movies again, twice more. And we did it the next day too. Finally, on the fourth day, the heat wave broke.
Still, to this day I can sing half the songs in The Music Man and recite half of John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart’s dialogue from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance! Those memories are some of the few I have of the heat wave of 1962. They’re really memories of the screen, not memories of my life.In which year did the author first live in a place with an air conditioner?
| A．1952 | B．1962 |
| C．1972 | D．1982 |
What does the underlined word “It” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
| A．The heat |
| B．The theater. |
| C．The Music Man |
| D．The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance |
What do we know about Mr. Bellow?
| A．He loved children very much. |
| B．He was a fan of John Wayne. |
| C．He sold air conditioners. |
| D．He was a movie star. |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．The author turned out to be a great singer. |
| B．The author enjoyed the heat wave of 1962. |
| C．The author’s life has been changed by the two movies. |
| D．The author considers the experience at the theater unforgettable. |