D
My mom has eyes in the back of her head. She also taught me from an early age to be suspicious of strange men, especially when they give you presents. One day, a “nice man” bearing flowers managed to steal 20 euros from her purse, while she was holding it in her hands. “He said he was collecting for a church charity so I pulled out a euro,” she explains, “He said ‘no, no, that’s too much’ and offered to look in my purse to find a smaller coin. He must have slid out that 20 euro note at the same time. I did not even notice until an hour later. I felt so stupid.”
According to neuroscientists, the key requirement for a successful pickpocket is not having nifty (熟练的) fingers, it’s having a working knowledge of the loopholes (漏洞) in our brain. The most important of these loopholes is the fact that our brains are not set up to multi-task. Most of the time that is a good thing — it allows us to filter (过滤) out all but the most important features of the world around us. But a good trickster can use it to against you. This kind of trick involves capturing all of somebody’s attention with other movements. Street pickpockets often use this effect to their advantage by manufacturing a situation that can not help but overload your attention system. Other strategies are more psychological. Pickpockets tend to hang out a “beware of pickpockets” signs, because the first thing people do when they read it is check they still have their valuables, helpfully giving away where they are. And in my mom’s case, the thief’s best trick was not coming across like a pickpocket. “He was a very nice guy and very confident. Not someone that would cause you to suspect,” she says. Apollo Robbins, a stage pickpocket, said smart move, like moving your hand in an arc (弧) motion rather than a straight line, is another popular strategy employed by tricksters.
At last, it should be pointed out that most thefts are opportunistic. The skill level of most thieves is far less than you think. But they are opportunistic enough to keep up with new technology.What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 2 refer to?
A.People’s brains are not designed to multi-task. |
B.People’s brains can filter out all but the most important features. |
C.Somebody’s attention can be distracted by a certain trick. |
D.Somebody’s overload attention system. |
According to the passage, all of the following are pickpocket strategies except _________.
A.having nifty fingers |
B.hanging out “beware of pickpockets” sign |
C.displaying confidence |
D.moving hand in an arc motion |
In the author’s opinion, _________.
A.people’s brains have many loopholes |
B.thieves are more skillful than opportunistic |
C.his mom’s losing money is nothing but a by-accident experience |
D.signs reminding people of pickpockets can play a negative role in protecting valuables |
What will the author probably talk about next?
A.Mom’s another suffering |
B.Pickpockets concerning new technology |
C.Pickpockets’ tricks |
D.Apollo Robbins’ stage pickpockets |
Without proper planning, tourism can cause problems. For example, too many tourists can crowd public places that are also enjoyed by the inhabitants of a country. If tourists create too much traffic, the inhabitants become annoyed and unhappy. They begin to dislike tourists and to treat them impolitely. They forget how much tourism can help the country’s economy. It is important to think about the people of a destination country and how tourism affects them. Tourism should help a country keep the customs and beauty that attract tourists. Tourism should also advance the well-being (health and happiness) of local inhabitants.
Too much tourism can be a problem. If tourism grows too quickly people must leave other jobs to work in the tourism industry. This means that other parts of the country’s economy can suffer.
On the other hand, if there is not enough tourism, people can lose jobs. Businesses can also lose money. It costs a great deal of money to build large hotels, airports, air terminals, first-class roads and other support facilities needed by tourist attractions. For example, a major international-class tourism hotel can cost as much as 50 thousand dollars per room to build. If this room is not used most of the time, the owners of the hotel will lose money.
Building a hotel is just a beginning. There must be many support facilities as well, including roads to get to the hotel, electricity, sewers to handle waste, and water. All of these support facilities cost money. If they are not used because there are not enough tourists, jobs and money are lost. Which of the following has most probably been discussed in the paragraph that goes before the passage?
A.It is extremely important to develop tourism. |
B.Building roads and hotels is essential. |
C.Support facilities are highly necessary. |
D.Planning is of great importance to tourism. |
Too much tourism can cause all these problems EXCEPT.
A.a bad impact on other industries |
B.a change of tourists’ customs |
C.over crowded of places of interest |
D.pressure on traffic |
Not enough tourism can lead to.
A.an increase of unemployment |
B.a decrease in tourist attractions |
C.the higher cost of support facilities |
D.a rise in price and a fall in pay |
The word “handle” in the last paragraph most probably means.
A.carry away | B.pick up | C.get in | D.take down |
About twenty of us had been fortunate enough to receive invitations to a film-studio(影棚)to take part in a crowd-scene. Although our "act" would last only for a short time, we could see quite a number of interesting things.
We all stood at the far end of the studio as workmen prepared the scene, setting up trees at the edge of a winding path. Very soon, bright lights were turned on and the big movie-camera was wheeled into position. The director shouted something to the camera operator and then went to speak to the two famous actors nearby. Since it was hot in the studio, it came as a surprise to us to see one of the actors put on a heavy overcoat and start walking along the path. A big fan began blowing tiny white feathers down on him, and soon the trees were covered in "snow". Two more fans were turned on, and a "strong wind" blew through the trees. The picture looked so real that it made us feel cold.
The next scene was a complete contrast (对比).The way it was filmed was quite unusual. Pictures taken on an island in the Pacific were shown on a glass screen. An actor and actress stood in front of the scene so that they looked as if they were at the water's edge on an island. By a simple trick like this, palm trees, sandy beaches, and blue, clear skies had been brought into the studio!
Since it was our turn next, we were left wondering what scene would be prepared for us. For a full three minutes in our lives we would be experiencing the excitement of being film “Stars”!Who is the author?
A.A cameraman. | B.A film director. |
C.A workman for scene setting | D.A crowd-scene actor |
What made the author feel cold?
A.The heavy snowfall. | B.The film being shown. |
C.The low temperature. | D.The man-made scene. |
What would happen in the "three minutes" mentioned, in the last paragraph?
A.A new scene would be filmed. |
B.More stars would act in the film. |
C.The author would leave the studio. |
D.The next scene would be prepared. |
One thing the tour books don’t tell you about London is that 2,000 of its residents are foxes. As native as the royal family, they fled the city about centuries ago after developers and pollution moved in. But now that the environment is cleaner, the foxes have come home, one of the many wild animals that have moved into urban areas around the world.
Several changes have brought wild animals to the cities. Foremost is that air and water quality in many cities has improved as a result of the 1970s pollution-control efforts. Meanwhile, rural areas have been built up, leaving many animals on the edges of suburbs. In addition, urban wildlife refuges (避难处) have been created. The Greater London Council last year spent $750, 000 to buy land and build 10 permanent wildlife refuges in the city. Over 1,000 volunteers have donated money and cleared rubble from abandoned spots. One evening last year a fox was seen on Westminster Bridge looking up at Big Ben.
For peregrine falcons (游隼), cities are actually safer than rural cliff dwellings (悬崖栖息地). By 1970 the birds had died out east of the Mississippi because the DDT had made their eggs too thin to support life. That year, scientist Tom Cade of Cornell University began raising the birds for release in cities, for cities afforded abundant food.
Cities can attract wild animals without turning them harmful. The trick is to create habitats where they can be self-sufficient but still be seen and appreciated. Such habitats can even be functional. In San Francisco, the local government is testing different kinds of rainwater control basins to see not only which ones retain (保持) the cleanest water but which will attract the most birds. The first paragraph suggests that ________.
A.environment is the key to wildlife |
B.tour books are not always a reliable source of information |
C.London is a city of fox |
D.foxes are highly adaptable to environment |
Which of the following is NOT a reason that wildlife is returning to the cities?
A.Food is plentiful in the cities. |
B.Wildlife is appreciated in the cities. |
C.Wildlife refuges have been built in the cities. |
D.Air and water quality has improved in the cities. |
It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A.Londoners are putting more and more wild animals into their zoos |
B.Londoners are happy to see wild animals return to their city |
C.Londoners are trying to move wild animals back to the countryside |
D.Londoners have welcomed the wild birds, but found foxes a problem |
What is the passage mainly about?
A.Wildlife returning to large cities. |
B.Foxes returning to London. |
C.Wild animals living in zoos. |
D.A survey of wildlife in New York. |
A blog can be a very effective way of spreading the words about yourself, and your other writing. It can unshroud your knowledge, and create an ongoing relationship with your readers. A good blog is more than just a marketing tool; it’s also an expression of your personality.
An obvious starting point is to post samples of your work that not only show off your skills and writing ability but also leave people wanting more. Post selections from the most exciting parts of your stories but end them just as the action reaches its peak. If you write nonfiction (写实文学), show people what they could achieve, and give them a few steps to get them started.
Give tips, information and advice about the subjects you cover. For example, something about struggling with difficulty and many other issues like this. Your writing tips can also be included, as well as interesting, strange or funny things you discovered during your research. Whenever you contact an expert, ask if he or she has any interesting stories you could use. You may also give background information about your stories and the locations.
Give details of coming posts on your blog, so people can watch out for you, or come and meet you. Personal news will help people feel better connected to you. Include photos of objects and locations in your writing, famous people you meet, the views from your window, and your favorite things—with a note about where they came from and what they mean to you. Look out for things that will help your readers get to know you better, know the subject better, or anything else you think they might find useful, inspiring or entertaining.
If you only occasionally post things on your blog, people have a tendency to forget you. As a writer you shouldn’t ever run out of interesting materials to fill your blog with—and your readers will love you for it.Which is the best title for the text?
A.What to Blog about | B.How to Start a Blog |
C.Why to Launch a Blog | D.How to Make Website Attractive |
The underlined word “unshroud” in the first paragraph means ________.
A.hold out | B.turn up |
C.show off | D.put down |
You’d better blog about ________.
A.the difficulties of your position to readers |
B.the entertaining stories you have |
C.advice about your readers’ subjects |
D.masterpieces from famous writers |
What does the author suggest for keeping a blog?
A.Posting things on your blog once in a while. |
B.Adding new stories to it every day. |
C.Filling it with attractive things frequently. |
D.Loving it as your life. |
When it comes to success in business and success in life, there are few qualities as important as confidence.
People naturally have different levels of confidence. Some have a higher level of confidence than others do, but even those whose confidence is lacking can learn to build their level of confidence and reach their most important goals. Increasing self confidence is one of the most common reasons people give for seeking the help of psychologists and other professionals.
One of the many places where a greater level of confidence is useful is in the workplace. We all know how difficult it can be, for instance, to ask the boss for a raise. This process can be extremely difficult for those who lack confidence in their own abilities. After all, if you are unsure about your own abilities, how will you ever convince your boss that you deserve more money for the work you do?
Even if you are not asking for that big raise, having plenty of confidence in your abilities is important to success. If you are certain of your abilities, chances are that those around you, whether they are your coworkers, your colleagues or your superiors, will see that confidence, and that will help to assure them that you are the best at what you do.
Being thought of as the person to go to, and being seen as an expert in your chosen field, is naturally very important to success on the job. If you can make yourself the person people go to for guidance and advice, you will help to protect yourself from the ever present danger of downsizing. After all, if you are a recognized expert at the office, you will be regarded as an indispensable member of the team.
Having a high level of confidence, after all, does not mean overlooking the places where you could improve. Knowing what you do well and where you need help will help you enjoy increased success and confidence. What is the passage mainly about?
A.The influence of confidence on one’s life. |
B.The importance of confidence to success. |
C.The difference of people’s confidence. |
D.The judgment on one’s confidence. |
Psychologists and other professionals can offer help to those _____.
A.who think their goals are hard to reach |
B.who expect to give guidance to others |
C.who want to ask the boss for a raise |
D.who dream to be recognized experts |
What does the underlined word “indispensable” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?
A.important | B.attractive | C.outspoken | D.energetic |
What message does the author want to express in the last paragraph?
A.To overlook one’s disadvantages. |
B.To make full use of one’s advantages. |
C.To have great confidence in one’s abilities. |
D.To make objective evaluations of one’s abilities. |