We have an amazing 99 friends at the age of 21--more than at any other time in our life, according to a new study. The typical 21-year-old’s social circle nearly hits 100, with 13 “best” friends, 17 “close” friends and 70 acquaintances.
The research undertaken by skin care brand Nivea found our social circle peaks at 21 as we meet people at work while keeping in touch with friends from school and university. But as our working lives take over，we lose contact with some old friends causing the number to drop to around 68 by the time we are 29 years old. Although this decline continues into old age，it slows down slightly for people in their 30s when many of them become first-time parents. It is believed that this is because people form new friendships while on the maternity ward(产科病房)，at post-natal(产后) groups and when taking their toddlers(学步时期的小孩) to nursery.
The Nivea Closeness Report found the balance between our numbers of “best friends”，“close friends” and “acquaintances”，remains fairly constant throughout our lifetime. The average Briton has 18 close friends and a friendship circle，when all Facebook and other social networking “friends” are included，of 208 people. The report found that men have more than twice the number of close friends，with around 27 compared to women who have just 12. Londoners are also the most sociable，with 39 “close friends”，while the Welsh have just 11.
The age of 21 is such a critical junction in life and that’s why we have so many friends then. As we get older we become more selective and have fewer close friends with whom we talk about the things that are really important to us. Perhaps when we are younger，instead of having one trusted confidante(知己) we share different things with a variety of different people.
According to the Nivea Closeness Report，who have the largest number of close friends?
| A．Canadians. | B．The Welsh. |
| C．Londoners. | D．Americans. |
Older people have fewer friends than the 21-year-olds because .
| A．they think friends are no longer important |
| B．they are more selective and cautious |
| C．they are less interested in making friends |
| D．they have little time to make friends |
The research suggests that the number of friends in one’s late twenties reduces by or so, compared to that in one’s early twenties.
| A．70 | B．20 | C．30 | D．200 |
Why does the number of one’s friends decrease slowly when he is about 30 years old?
| A．Because they achieve success in business and get acquainted with more colleagues. |
| B．Because many parents make friends with people who have similar experiences in bringing up children . |
| C．Because they make more friends through Facebook or the Internet. |
| D．Because as they grow older, they have more confidantes instead of acquaintances. |
Who Owns the Moon?
Within the next ten years, the US, China, Israel, and a crowd of private companies plan to set up camp on the moon. So if and when they plant a flag, does that give them property rights?
A NASA working group hosted a discussion this week to ask: Who owns the moon? The answer, of course, is no use. The Outer Space Treaty, the international law signed by more than 100 countries, states that the moon and other celestial bodies(天体) are the province of all mankind. No doubt that would annoy all of the people throughout the ages, like monks from the Middle Ages, who have tried to claim the moon was theirs.
But ownership is different from property rights. People who rent apartments, for example, don’t own where they live, but they still hold rights. So with all of the upcoming missions(派遣团) to visit the moon and beyond, space industry thought leaders are seriously asking themselves how to deal with a potential land rush.
“This is a very relevant discussion right now. We’ve got this wave of new lunar missions from around the world,” said William Marshall, a scientist in the small-spacecraft office at NASA, but who spoke this week at an event hosted by NASA’s Co Lab, a collaborative(协力的) public-private working group. He was peaking from his personal interest and not on behalf of the agency.
To be sure, the United States aims to send astronauts back to the moon by as early as 2015, in a mission that would include a long-term settlement. China and Israel, among others, are also working on lunar projects. And for the first time, several private groups are building spacecraft to land on the moon in an attempt to win millions of dollars in the Google Lunar X Prize. Some participants say that they plan to gain some property rights in the mission.
In the passage the writer seems to be worrying that .
| A．the US will live on the moon forever |
| B．the moon will not be able to hold all mankind |
| C．the potential land rush will become more and more frequent |
| D．no one can answer the question “Who owns the moon?” |
The “Google Lunar X Prize” aims to .
| A．encourage private groups to land on the moon |
| B．help NASA host a discussion about land rush on the moon |
| C．help some developing countries complete their lunar projects |
| D．reward some countries or private groups which haven’t stepped on the moon |
The underlined word “that” in the first paragraph refers to .
| A．the Outer Space Treaty | B．if and when they plant a flag |
| C．the NASA working group | D．monks from the Middle Ages |
What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
| A．The US astronauts will live on the moon for a longer time. |
| B．Many countries and private groups plan to go to the moon. |
| C．Why some private groups wish to land on the moon. |
| D．It is easy to gain some property rights on the moon. |
Michelle Obama, Kate Moss and Samantha Cameron are three of the most stylish﹙时髦的﹚ women on the planet because they have their daughters rather than their style. A new research has shown that women with daughters tend to be more stylish than mothers of sons; a fact partly because of the style advice their daughters offer as they get older.
78 percent of women over the age of 50 say they would be more than happy to let their daughters choose a complete outfit﹙全套衣装﹚ for them. However, just five percent of women say they would turn to their sons for style advice, while 28 percent believe that mothers of boys are less fashionable than women with girls.
“Women who don’t have daughters become less interested in style as they grow older but having a daughter may keep alive her interest in looking great,” comments psychologist Honey Langcaster-James. “And, because of their close relationship, they also have a source of support and encouragement when it comes to their style decisions.”
More than a quarter of women believe that Mums who have sons are less fashion-conscious than Mums with daughters. The most common reasons for this are that daughters are more critical, offer good advice and inspiration, and add an element of competition to look the best while sons don’t seem to care and aren’t as strict as daughters.
Interestingly, although mothers tend to rely on their daughters’ style tips, their confidence isn’t reciprocated﹙互换﹚, with 40 percent of women between the age of 19 and 34 saying they wouldn’t allow their mothers to shop for them as what their mothers would choose for them would not be as good as they expected.
And although they might not appreciate the fashion advice, the research, which was conducted by online retailer Gray & Osbourn, showed that daughters do still need their mothers with 71 percent saying they chat to their female parent every day.
“In short, the research shows just how important relationships are between mothers and daughters,” added Langcaster-James, “and just how much women appreciate an honest and trustworthy opinion.”The opening paragraph is mainly to show .
| A．girls influence their mothers’ style decision |
| B．women with children are often less stylish |
| C．mothers like to follow their children’s advice |
| D．boys are actually better advisors than girls |
Which of the following may Langcaster-James agree with?
| A．Daughters usually love their mothers more than sons do. |
| B．It’s hard for boys to get along well with their mothers. |
| C．Mothers without daughters show less interest in style. |
| D．Girls are more independent than boys in some ways. |
It can be inferred from the passage that girls .
| A．show more interest in science than boys. |
| B．care more about what their mothers wear |
| C．can help a lot to solve family problems |
| D．are good at encouraging other people |
By saying “their confidence isn’t reciprocated” in Paragraph 5, the author means that .
| A．some women don’t like to choose clothes for their mothers |
| B．some women aren’t sure what to wear when attending a party |
| C．some women often show no confidence in themselves |
| D．some women would not like to follow their mothers’ style advice |
What does the author mainly tell us in the passage?
| A．It confuses many parents how to talk with their kids. |
| B．Daughters prefer to talk with their mums instead of dads. |
| C．It is important for parents to respect their children’s choice. |
| D．Mothers of girls are more fashionable than those of boys |
Children in the United States eat too much pizza that some researchers now argue the food should join the ranks of sugary drinks and fast food for the harm they do to health．
In a new study, the researchers found that pizza is a large source of calories, saturated fat(饱和脂肪)and salt in children’s diets．Children should not eat more than two slices of pizza for a meal．and should pair that with salad, rather than with another high-calorie food，the researchers concluded．
“Parents should aim to control pizza consumption(消费), particularly as a snack where it was shown to have a very adverse impact on children, and they should put their pizza dollars toward healthier brands．” said Lisa Powel, director of the Illinois Prevention Research Center．
Pizza has become a matter of focus in recent years for researchers who look at the meals children eat, rather than the nutrients within them．Studies have found pizza is among the greatest sources of calories for children．
“Since pizza remains a common part of children’s diet, we need to make ‘healthy’ pizza．”Powel said．To make pizza healthier, food producers should reduce its saturated fat and salt, and increase its whole grain content，she said．
Whether or not pizza is harmful enough to be picked out as an unhealthy food, the study attracts attention to a larger issue with the modern American lifestyle, said Alexis Tindall, who was not involved in the flow research．Many foods arc eaten too frequently and in large sizes．said Tindall．To solve the problem, people don’t have to give up eating pizza, but instead, they can eat smaller and healthier pizza，she said．
“Make it at home, instead of ordering it out where you don’t have any control over how it’s made．”Tindall said. “When we make it at home, we can choose healthier ingredients，increase the vegetables．reduce fat, and put in less cheese．Pizza doesn’t have to be just pepperoni(意大利辣香肠)and cheese．”According to the research．children shouldn’t eat ．
| A．more than two slices of pizza in a day |
| B．two slices of pizza for a meal |
| C．more pizza with French fries |
| D．pizza along with salad |
Powel suggests healthier pizza should be made ．
| A．with less salt | B．with more ingredients |
| C．in smaller sizes | D．at home |
The last sentence of the passage implies that pepperoni and cheese ．
| A．are not necessary ingredients of pizza |
| B．should be reduced by adding healthier ingredients． |
| C．should all be replaced with healthier ingredient． |
| D．are not the only healthy ingredients of pizza |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Pizza—a real junk food! |
| B．How to prepare better meals for your kids? |
| C．Bring in healthier pizza for Americans |
| D．Discover the harm of eating pizza |
As Internet users become more dependent on the Internet to store information, are people remembering 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 how 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 that the 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.What can we learn about the first experiment?
| A．Sparrow's team typed the information into a computer. |
| B．The first group didn’t know where the information is. |
| C．The two groups remembered the information equally well. |
| D．The second group had a better memory of the information. |
In transactive memory, people ______.
| A．know how to access huge amounts of information later. |
| B．learn how to organize small amounts of information. |
| C．organize huge quantities of information like a computer. |
| D．bear huge quantities of information in mind. |
What is the effect of the Internet according to Sparrow's research?
| A．We are becoming more intelligent. |
| B．We are using memory differently. |
| C．We have poorer memories than before. |
| D．We need a better way to access information. |
The China Daily newspaper group is looking for English-language senior business editors, senior copy editors, copy editors and graphic designers to strengthen its international team. We offer a competitive salary package, free accommodation with utilities paid for, 90 per cent medical reimbursement, a seven-day paid leave, eleven-day public holidays and a return ticket to the country of residence.
Senior Business Editor
You must：
assist the business editor in setting goals and working on achieving them；
be an excellent team person who can generate ideas and think creatively and be able to rewrite totally if needed and mentor junior staff；
ideally have been working or have worked in a position of responsibility and understand what leadership entails；
have had at least five years’ editing experience working on editing the Business Desk and be familiar with industry software.
Senior Copy Editor
You must：
work on shifts in the Business Desk and usually have the last word before the page is sent to print；
edit or rewrite copy and give snappy headlines and captions；
have had at least two years’ editing experience working on editing desks and be familiar with industry software.
Copy Editor
You must：
be good at editing or rewriting copy and writing snappy headlines and captions；
be able to work on shifts for different pages, and usually have the last word before the page is sent to print；
have two years of editing experience working on copy desks, and be familiar with industry software.
Graphic Designer
You must：
have excellent skills in information graphics；
be good at illustrations and freehand drawings；
be experienced in newspaper or magazine layouts；
have a good sense of typography；
have good news judgment；
be well-versed with Macintosh software, including InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop；
be fluent in English.
For enquiries or to apply, write to job @ chinadaily.com.cn.What is the purpose of this passage?
| A．To describe the positions of the China Daily newspaper group. |
| B．To describe the working conditions of the China Daily newspaper group. |
| C．To tell you how to become part of this group. |
| D．To advertise for recruiting some good employees. |
What is NOT required about Graphic Designer?
| A．Be well-versed with Photoshop. |
| B．Writing snappy headlines and captions. |
| C．Having a good sense of typography. |
| D．Have excellent skills in information graphics. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Free accommodations are available to the workers. |
| B．The workers there can enjoy a seven-day leave without pay. |
| C．The employees have the right to enjoy eleven-day public holidays. |
| D．The senior business editor’s only job is to help the business editor to set goals. |