题型：阅读理解 题类：其他 难易度：较难
年份：2016
D
It seems that great artists and scientists often suffer from mental problems. Both Einstein and Dickens had mental illness. Now scientists have started to look at whether mental illness and genius are linked(联系).
Dr. Adele Juda studied 5,000 creative people in Germany. She found there were more people with mental illness in this group than in the general population. Poets had the highest rate(比例) of mental illness, followed by musicians, with lower numbers for painters and architects.
Other scientists did research which also showed a strong link between mental problems and creativity. But, it did nothing to explain it.
Dr. Ruth Richards of Harvard University made a breakthrough. Instead of studying creative people, she took a group of psychiatric(精神病的) patients and tested them for creativity. The patients got much higher scores than a normal group.
Also, the patients’ close relatives were much more creative than the patients and a normal group. This suggests that the key to the link between creativity and mental illness is in our genes.But this is a problem. According to Darwinism, harmful genes should be removed. Some scientists believe that evolution(进化) has created a balance, where the madness of a few people leads to the development of the whole human race.
Geniuses may be mad, bad or just difficult to understand, but their discoveries have improved the world we live in. It seems that a little creative madness is good for us all.
| A. Painters. | B. Musicians. |
| C. Poets. | D. Bus drivers. |
| A. Among the 5,000 creative people in Germany, more people suffer from mental diseases than the general population. |
| B. There is a strong link between mental problems and creativity. |
| C. Psychiatric patients make greater contributions than common people. |
| D. The key to the link between creativity and mental illness is in our genes. |
| A. Madness is harmful to the whole society. |
| B. A little creative madness is good for us all. |
| C. All the talented people are mad. |
| D. Only the people with mental illness have more creativity. |
题型：阅读理解 题类：其他 难易度：较难
年份：2016
Fireworks are used to celebrate the New Year around the world.
In China, fireworks are used to drive away evil. Right after midnight on New Year’s Eve, fireworks are set off. It is believed that the person who launches the first firework of the New Year will have good luck.
Dubai is hosting a fireworks display from Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. The event will also be live-broadcast on My Dubai New Year.com, offering visitors the choice between three camera angles. Fireworks by Grucci will feature a spectacular display at Atlantis, the Palm Hotel and Resort in Dubai. The company plans to spell “Atlantis” in the sky with fireworks. It will use the reflections of the fireworks in the water to enhance (增强) the display. One of their ideas is to create a shining red carpet, which will light up the sky as well as reflect in the water below.
Berlin is celebrating the New Year with a festive open-air party at the Brandenburg Gate. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend. There will be an international program of live music, light and laser shows, and plenty of food and drink. The spectacular fireworks display starts at midnight on the dot.
Finally, more than a million revelers (狂欢者) are expected at Times Square in New York on New Year’s Eve. They will take part in the 109-year-old tradition of watching the iconic ball drop from atop One Times Square. The famous ball is about 4 meters in diameter, or 12-feet wide, and weighs close to 5 ,443 kilograms, or 12 ,000 pounds. It shines because it is covered in 2 , 688 Waterford crystals (水晶) . At midnight, revelers will watch the sky above New York City ablaze (发光) with fireworks.
Some cities will not be celebrating the New Year with fireworks. Belgium cancelled its traditional fireworks display in central Brussels due to fears of the continuing terror threats.
| A. will be held with an open-air party
|
| B. will go together with laser shows
|
| C. will be broadcast live on the Internet
|
| D. will be broadcast on a small building |
| A. In Dubai. | B. In China. |
| C. In New York. | D. In Berlin. |
| A. Central Brussels. |
| B. The Palm Hotel.
|
| C. Times Square. |
| D. Brandenburg Gate. |
| A. Fireworks should be banned due to terror threats.
|
| B. The best New Year’s fireworks in the World.
|
| C. Customs of New Year’s celebrations in the World.
|
| D. Different opinions about fireworks displays. |
题型：阅读理解 题类：其他 难易度：较难
年份：2016
Kenya is losing an average of 100 of its 2,000 lions each year because of growing human settlements，increasing farming，climate change and diseases，according to the Kenya Wildlife Service(KWS)．
“Lions have a special place in Kenyans' life，”said Paul Udoto，a spokesman for the organization．“Other than being the symbol of national strength，they are among the Big Five，a main attraction for visitors to Kenya．”
There were 2,749 lions in Kenya in 2002 and their population dropped to 2,280 by 2004 and to about 2,000 today, according to KWS figures.
"The fall of the lion population is worrying and every effort needs to be made to make sure that Kenya either protects its population of 2,000 lions at present or increases the numbers to an ecologically acceptable level," said Mr. Udoto.
"There is no doubt that the numbers are in free fall. I'd be surprised if they even last as long as 20 years," said Laurence Frank, project director of Living With Lions, a Kenya-based animal protection organization. "When I first came here 30 years ago, I would always hear lions roaring across the land at night and see their tracks in the morning. Now that is very rare. "
"The reason is simple. As the numbers of people grow and the numbers of cows increase, they take up much of the lion's space. Alongside that there are other ways, including poisoning, to kill lions. "
Animal lovers are making a new strategy to save the animals. Part of the measures will include tracking lions fitted with radio collars in the Amboseli area in southern Kenya, close to the border with Tanzania.
Wildlife officials in Tanzania face similar challenges in protecting their lions, but there is far less human encroachment(侵入) on the animals' homeland there than in Kenya.
| A. Lions are the symbol of the national strength. |
| B. Lions are among the most endangered animals. |
| C. Lions are a subject of great concern to Kenyans. |
| D. Lions are the major appeal for foreign tourists. |
| A. It is alarming that the number of lions is declining at a high speed. |
| B. It is amazing that he has tolerated the decline for such a long time. |
| C. It is fascinating that many evidences have proven the decline trend. |
| D. It is surprising that a lion should live as long as twenty years in Kenya. |
| A. Climate changes. | B. Natural disasters. |
| C. Increasingly farming. | D. Outbreaks of epidemics(流行病). |
题型：阅读理解 题类：其他 难易度：较难
年份：2016
C
The word“OK”is the most frequently spoken all-purpose expression on the planet-and it celebrated its 176th anniversary on March 23，2015．The term was born during a 19th-century I abbreviation(缩写)craze and went on to international fame with its own hand gesture．
Last year，Henry Nass，a 64-year-old retired English teacher，a New Yorker had spent the last few weeks handing out cards championin9“Global OK Day” in advance of the coming anniversary．
“No matter where people are from，they use the word ‘OK’，but they don't know where it comes from，”said Nass．“The problem is because it's just，you know，OK．”
The word is OK，perhaps，but its history is definitely better than average．Late professor Allen Walker Read traced the two-letter word to 1839，when editors at the Boston Morning Post signed off on articles as “all correct” with a simple word “OK”．
The word made it into print on March 23 of that year，during an article against a rival(对手) editor in Providence who had stated wrongly that a band of Bostonians headed to New York would pass through the Rhode Island capital．
“We said not a word about our team passing ‘through the city’ of Providence．”the Morning Post reposed．“O．K．—all correct．”
The humor of the Providence-Boston joke has been lost to history—but the word OK took off from there，soon connoting(隐含)agreement，acceptance，averageness，quality or likability．
By 1840，it served as a slogan for President Martin Van Buren's unsuccessful reelection campaign．“old Kinderhook is 0K，”posters stated，a reference to the eighth president's birthplace and his supporters’ belief in his satisfactory performance．
| A. To let people understand the history of the Word “OK”. |
| B. To call on people to use the word “OK” properly. |
| C. To appeal to people to celebrate OK Day. |
| D. To attract people's attention. |
| A. The history of the word “OK” is known to average people. |
| B. The history of the word “OK” is unfamiliar to people. |
| C. People frequently used the word “OK” in history |
| D. People are fond of the word “OK” in history. |
| A. Got off | B. Set up. |
| C. Moved off | D. Became popular |
| A. the name | B. the birthplace |
| C. the policy | D. the belief |
题型：阅读理解 题类：其他 难易度：较难
年份：2016
D
It seems that people are gradually losing their smartness as smart-phones become increasingly important assistants（助手）in their lives. As we rely（依赖）too much on technology instead of our brains, many people have lost three basic abilities.
The first skill many people have lost is remembering phone numbers. Because phone numbers are stored（储存）in smart-phone contacts, there’s now no need to dial（拨打）a number or look at it again. This is fine until you need to call someone for help, only to find your phone is not around. And some people may also have lost their sense of direction because some apps can guide people anywhere they want. People get so dependent on them that when they can’t use their smart-phones, they get lost and anxious.
But the worst lost skills may be social ones, meaning that some people are becoming socially inept (无能的). People often bury themselves in their smart-phones. As we’re too absent-minded by what’s happening in the virtual (虚拟的), some of us have lost conversational(交谈的) skills and sometimes can’t even tell whether a person is happy or not.
Last August, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, studied 51 students aged 11 and 12 who had over five hours’ screen time every day. Their task was to tell the emotions of 48 pictures of faces that were happy, sad, angry or scared.
The children made an average of 14.02 mistakes at the beginning. But after a five-day camp without electronic (电子的) products, they made only 9.41 mistakes on average.
Luckily, people still have a chance to get these abilities back. You should try to keep your parents’ numbers in mind for emergencies. You should also pay more attention to street signs and stores, which will help you to draw a mind map and stop you from getting lost. And the easiest solution to social skill loss is to take a break from electronic products.
| A. you are able to turn to others for help |
| B. others are able to call you anytime and anywhere |
| C. others are unable to get in touch with you by smart-phone |
| D. you are unable to contact others without your smart-phone |
| A. recognize more facial expressions correctly |
| B. lose the sense of direction frequently |
| C. tell different emotions immediately |
| D. tell more pictures of faces easily |
| A. have no sense of numbers |
| B. fail to find their destination |
| C. lose face-to-face communication skills |
| D. weaken their senses of hearing and sight |
| A. Objective.（客观的） | B. Critical.（批评的） |
| C. Supportive. | D. Optimistic.（乐观的） |
题型：阅读理解 题类：其他 难易度：较难
年份：2016
Conflict is on the menu tonight at the café La Chope. This evening, as on every Thursday night, psychologist Maud Lehanne is leading two of France’s favorite pastimes, coffee drinking and the “talking cure”. Here they are learning to get in touch with their true feelings. It isn’t always easy. They customers — some thirty Parisians who pay just under $2 (plus drinks) per session — care quick to intellectualize (高谈阔论), slow to open up and connect. “You are forbidden to say ‘one feels,’ or ‘people think’,” Lehanne told them. “Say ‘I think,’ ‘Think me’.”
A café society where no intellectualizing is allowed? It couldn’t seem more un-French. But Lehanne’s psychology café is about more than knowing oneself: It’s trying to help the city’s troubled neighborhood cafes. Over the years, Parisian cafes have fallen victim to changes in the French lifestyle — longer working hours, a fast food boom and a younger generation’s desire to spend more time at home. Dozens of new theme cafes appear to change the situation. Cafes focused around psychology, history, and engineering are catching on, filling tables well into the evening.
The city’s psychology cafes, which offer great comfort, are among the most popular places. Middle-aged homemakers, retirees, and the unemployed come to such cafes to talk about lover, anger, and dreams with a psychologist. And they come to Lehanne’s group just to learn to say what they feel. There’s a strong need in Paris for communication, says Maurice Frisch, a cafe La Chope regular who works as religious instructor in a nearby church. “People have few real friends. And they need to open up” Lehanne says she’d like to see psychology cafes all over France. “If people had normal lives, these cafes wouldn’t exist”, she says, “If life weren’t a battle, people wouldn’t need a special place just to speak.” But them, it wouldn’t be France.
| A. Learn a new subject |
| B. Keep in touch with friends. |
| C. Show off their knowledge. |
| D. Express their true feelings. |
| A. They are less frequently visited. |
| B. They stay open for longer hours. |
| C. They have bigger night crowds. |
| D. They start to serve fast food. |
| A. Create more jobs. | B. Supply better drinks. |
| C. Save the cafe business. | D. Serve the neighborhood. |
| A. They bring people true friendship. |
| B. They give people spiritual support. |
| C. They help people realize their dreams. |
| D. They offer a platform for business links. |
题型：阅读理解 题类：其他 难易度：较难
年份：2016
Last year my summer holiday was spoiled by my bringing along a modern convenience that was too convenient for my own good: the iPad. Instead of looking at nature, I checked my e-mail. Instead of paddling a small boat, I followed my Twitter feed（推特简讯）. Instead of reading great novels, I stuck to reading four newspapers each morning. I was behaving as if I were
still in the office. My body was on vacation, but my head wasn’t.
So this year I made up my mind to try
something different: withdrawal from the Internet. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, since I’m bad at self-control. But I was determined. I started by giving the iPad to my wife.
This experience has had a happy ending. With determination and the strong support of my wife, I won in my vacation struggle against the Internet, realizing finally that it was I, not the iPad, that was the problem. I knew I had won when we passed a Starbucks and my wife asked if I wanted to stop to use the Wi-Fi. “I don’t need it,” I said.
However, as we return to post-vacation life, a harder test begins: Can I continue when I’m back at work?
There are times when the need to know what’s being said right now is great. I have no intention of giving up my convenience completely. But I hope to resist the temptation to check my e-mail every five minutes, which leads to checking my Twitter feed and a website or two.I think a vacation is supposed to help you rest your brain to become more productive. Here I hope this one worked.
| A. He hated himself for acting as if he were working on vacation. |
| B. His iPad ruined his plan of finishing a great novel. |
| C. He was determined to enjoy the beautiful view. |
| D. He felt satisfied that he had stuck to his usual timetable. |
| A. He cut off his cellphone signal. |
| B. He listened to the radio most of the time. |
| C. He refused to cheat in his house. |
| D. He handed his iPad to his wife. |
| A. stay away from the Internet for ever |
| B. continue to road more and more books |
| C. Keep control of when and how to use the Internet |
| D. stop checking what is being said right now completely |
A. A vacation is having nothing to do but re ad all day. |
| B. A vacation means a change of pace to make one more creative. |
| C. A vacation proves that a life of pleasure is overvalued. |
| D. A vacation is a period of time to do whatever one wishes to. |
题型：阅读理解 题类：其他 难易度：较难
年份：2016
In the animal kingdom，weakness can bring about aggression in other animals．This sometimes happens with humans also．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，but 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；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，homing(按喇叭)or even shouting at me．At the moment I decided to do something I had never done in twenty four 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 those are and far between．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．
| A. they receive others’ help |
| B. they offer their help |
| C. they feel others’ kindness |
| D. they show their weakness |
| 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 |
| A. handle problems by ourselves |
| B. accept help from others |
| C. admit our weakness |
| D. show our bravery |
| A. Wheelchair Experience. |
| B. Weakness and Kindness. |
| C. Weakness and Strength |
| D. A Driving Experience |
题型：阅读理解 题类：其他 难易度：较难
年份：2016
There are many fun, free activities that you can do as a family. All that is required is a bit of imagination and some time set aside for fun. And the best part is that these are the kind of memories a child will remember for a lifetime.
Family game night
Find out any of the games that are already around the house. Kids often get computer games for Christmas or birthdays, and would love to have a chance to play with their family. Or, make up some games of your own. “Charades” is a fun game to play that will challenge a child to use his/her imagination. Divide the family into teams and let each team come up with words that the other has to act out.
________________
Pick some time for the family to sit down and come up with their own masterpiece. It doesnˈt need to be just a drawing --- take some old magazines sitting around the house, let the kids cut out pictures and paste them into their own montage. Or, use items from nature. Let them use leaves, pine cones, twigs and whatever else they can find to create something from their imaginations.
Family Picnic
Taking the family for a picnic is a great way for some fun that doesnˈt cost any money. If the weather is nice, take them to a park or playground and let the kids have a day of playing. Or, if it is the middle of winter and a foot of snow is on the ground, set up a picnic in the living room.
Family Field Trip
A family field trip doesnˈt have to cost a dime. Ask a nearby farm if it would be alright to bring your kids out for a tour and to see some of the animals. Or take them to a park and make a scavenger hunt where they need to find certain items from nature. Ask a local business if you could bring the family for a tour to see how things work -- you might be surprised at the number of people who would be thrilled to share what they do with others, and it could be an interesting lesson for the kids.
| A. is a computer game |
| B. is too difficult for children |
| C. involves acting out words |
| D. should be played by more than four people |
| A. Family music time |
| B. Family art time |
| C. Family gardening time |
| D. Family cleaning time |
| A. It costs a lot to visit a park for a family |
| B. You may share your own experience with workers. |
| C. all the people will be excited to share what they have with you. |
| D. You should ask for permission from the farm owner. |
| A. Parents | B. Teachers |
| C. Kids | D. People in general |
题型：阅读理解 题类：其他 难易度：较难
年份：2016
Driving safety is said to be influenced by the songs or music drivers are listening to on the roads．Top ten safest songs to drive to are Come Away With Me by Norah Jones，I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith and Tiny Dancer by Elton John．Each of the songs has an optimum tempo(最佳节奏)for safe driving，imitating the human heartbeat at around 60 to 80 beats per minute．The Scientist by Coldplay and Justin Timberlake’s Cry Me a River also appeared in the top 10．
The study，conducted at London Metropolitan University，also revealed(表明)the type of songs that cause motorists to drive dangerously．Unsurprisingly，music that is noisy increases a driver’s heart rate，which can be deadly．Fast beats cause excitement that can lead people to concentrate more on the music than on the road and to speed up to match the beat of the song． Styles of music were also measured during the experiment and revealed differences between Male and female drivers．Hip－hop made a female driver drive far more aggressively，speeding up faster than male driver．The heavy metal music caused the fastest driving among males in the group while the dance music had the same effect among women．The male and female drivers who listened to the classical music drove the most irregularly．
The experiment involved eight people driving 500 miles each using the confused．Com MotorMate app，which monitored driving behaviors through GPS technology．
| A. Music that drivers prefer to listen to on their way． |
| B. Songs the drivers should choose to listen to while driving． |
| C. Driving safety and traffic rules． |
| D. Female drivers and male drives’ different responses to the same music． |
| A. Metal music． | B. Classical music． |
| C. Hip－hop music． | D. Light music． |
| A. Driving irregularly． | B. Driving fastest． |
| C. Driving far more aggressively． | D. Speeding up faster． |
| A. Some music with optimum tempo for drivers to enjoy． |
| B. How was the study carried out． |
| C. Why fast beat music is harmful to drivers． |
| D. Female and male drivers’ different popular tastes of music． |
