Online clothes shoppers will be told exactly what size is best. for them using new software which combines with their web camera or smart phone to form a“3D tape measure”.
Scientists from Surrey University and design experts from the London College of Fashion are developing a program which can take precise (精确的) waist, hip, chest and other measurements from camera images.
Using the person’s height as a starting point,the software will be able to build up a 3D image and estimate their size at various different points on the body, based on their overall proportions.
The result will be a more accurate sizing guide than previous systems based on waist size or a “small/medium/large”scale, which rely on limited measurements and the buyer’s perception of their own body size.
Shoppers and retailers(零售商)who choose to sign up for the project could save millions of pounds a year in postage costs by removing the need to order multiple sizes of the same garment(服装) and send back ill-fitting clothes, researchers claimed.
The project, sponsored by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council(EPSRC), is expected to be brought to market within two years.
After choosing an item, the shopper will activate the software, enter their height, stand in front of their webcam or smart phone in their underwear and take a photograph.
The software will not store or transmit the image to the internet, but will use it to judge the person’s dimensions at various points on their body.
Philip Delamore of the London College of Fashion said:“The potential benefits for the fashion industry and for shoppers are huge. Currently, it’s common for online shoppers to order two or three different sizes of the same item of clothing at the same time, as they’re unsure which one will fit best.”
【小题1】What is the essential part of a 3D tape measure?

A.a software B.a webcam
C.a microphone D.a smart phone
【小题2】What can we learn about the 3D tape measure?
A.It will store or transmit the image to the internet.
B.It is based on the buyer’s perception of their size.
C.It will be a co-working production.
D.It uses a person’s weight as a starting point.
【小题3】Compared with the traditional sizing system, a 3D tape measure is_______.
A.quicker B.more precise
C.more beautiful D.more vivid
【小题4】How can the 3D tape measure benefit online shoppers?
A.Online shoppers will get their ordered garment in time.
B.Online shoppers will get their ordered garment more quickly.
C.Online shoppers will get an ordered garment of high quality.
D.Online shoppers will get an ordered garment to their measure.
【小题5】What is the right order for a shopper to form a 3D tape measure?
①to take a photo with a webcam
②to activate the software
③to enter his/her height
④to judge his size by analyzing his image
A.①②③④B.②①③④C.②③①④D.②③④①

Trying to make a big decision while you’re also preparing for a scary presentation? You might want to hold off on that. Feeling stressed changes how people weigh risk and reward. However, an article published in Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, suggests stressed people pay more attention to the positive sides of a possible outcome.

It’s a bit surprising that stress makes people focus on the way things could go right, says Mara Mather of the University of Southern California. She co-wrote the review paper with Nichole R.Lighthall. “This is sort of not what people would think, ” Mather says. “Stress is usually associated with negative experiences, so you’d think, maybe I’m going to be more focused on the negative outcomes.”

But researchers have found that when people are under stress, they start paying more attention to positive information and discounting negative information. “Stress seems to help people learn from positive feedback and impairs(削弱)their learning from negative feedback, ” Mather says.

When people under stress are making a difficult decision, they may pay more attention to the good sides of the alternatives they’re considering and less to the problems. So someone who’s deciding whether to take a new job and is feeling stressed by the decision might focus on the increase in salary more than the longer commute(上下班往返).

The increased focus on the positives also helps explain why stress plays a role in addictions. People under stress have a harder time controlling their urges. “The compulsion to get that reward comes stronger and they’re less able to resist it,” Mather says. A person who’s under stress might think only about the good feelings they’ll get from a drug, while the downsides shrink into the distance.

Stress also increases the differences in how men and women think about risk. When men are under stress, they become even more willing to take risks; when women are stressed, they get more conservative(保守的). Previous research backs this up — men usually react to difficulties while trying to fight them or escape them; women try to find friends and improve their relationships.

1.By saying “You might want to hold off on that” in the first paragraph, the writer suggests that      .

A.you might want to delay making your big decision

B.you should save the presentation for later

C.you should avoid taking risks

D.you might benefit from the stress

2.From the article, we can conclude that stress       .

A.often leads people to take more risks

B.often leads people to make balanced decisions

C.makes people think more of negative results

D.makes people ignore the negative side of problems

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the article?

A.Stress is helpful in getting rid of addictions.

B.People who are addicted to drugs are easily stressed.

C.When women are stressed, they do not tend to take risks.

D.When men are stressed, they are more likely to develop an addiction.

4.What is the central theme of the article?

A.Stress can affect decision-making.

B.Stress increases our desire to get rewards.

C.We should think more about the upside of problems.

D.There is a link between stress and negative experiences.

 

Two graduates from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom found themselves about to graduate, yet with loans to pay off. The pair decided to begin a strange, year-long project to battle their debt.

The men, Ross Harper and Ed Moyse, set up the site BuyMyFace.co.uk. last October as a way to get rid of the $80,000 they shared as student loans. The idea behind the project was to earn money by selling their faces as advertising space every day for a year. Each day, they advertise a different business on their site by painting the brand's logo or name on their faces and including a link to the company’s site. After they paint their faces and publish them on the site, Harper and Moyse go out to highly populated areas such as music festivals and theme parks to maximize their faces’ exposure.

At this time, Harper and Moyse have advertised their faces for over four months without skipping a day and they're more than halfway to their goal. Though they first started charging a minimum of about USD $1.60 per company, the prices have risen as their popularity increased. For advertising space during the remainder of April, they range between USD $250 and $750. 

Terri L. Rittenburg, associate professor of marketing at the University of Wyoming, said she had heard of people tattooing (纹身) logos on themselves before, but this idea is much better. According to her, at first the idea would be new and novel and attract attention, but she is unsure how long it would last.

At least for now, companies that have bought Harper and Moyse’s faces have written positive comments on the pair’s website. “We had a three percent increase in website traffic on the very day and for two days more afterwards,” said an alcoholic beverage company.

1.Which of the following was most possibly taken from the website BuyMyFace.co.uk.?

A.               B.                 C.                  D.

2. Harper and Moyse go to highly populated areas to _____.

    A. have fun B. make friends C. show their faces  D. find new customers

3.We can infer from the article that the two men _____.

    A. must have earned more than $40,000  

B. aren’t getting on well with their project

    C. may close their site next month     

D. always work hard except on holidays

 

Hidden in our subconsciousness (意识) is a perfect mental picture. We see ourselves on a long trip that goes across the continent. We are traveling by train. Out of the windows, we think in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle feeding on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, or row upon row of corn and wheat, of flat lands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hills, of city skylines and village halls.

But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour, we will pull into the station. Bands will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there, so many wonderful dreams will come true and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw (拚图玩具) puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles(通道) ,condemning the minutes for loitering-waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.

‘‘When we reach the station, that will be it!” we cry, “When I'm 38.” “When I buy a new 450SL Mercdes Benz!” “When I put the last kid through co llege.” “When I have paid off!” “When I get a promotion.” “When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live happily ever after! " Sooner or later, we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.

“Relish (appreciate) the moment" is a good motto, actually it isn't the burdens of today that drive man mad. It is the regret over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.

So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more and cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. Then the station will come soon enough.

1..

 Why does the author describe the mental picture?

A. To lead us into a perfect world.          B. To let people enjoy the scenery.

C. To introduce an actual trip of his.  D. To compare it to our life's journey.

2..

 How do people feel when they’re on their trip?

A. Puzzled.           B. Happy.         C. Relaxed.           D. Impatient.

3..

What does the author mean by "Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today" in Paragraph 4?

A. Regret and fear are responsible for the loss of today.

B. We must be careful of the two thieves: regret and fear.

C. Regret and fear stop us from enjoying our present life.

D. We’re frequently challenged by the two : regret and fear.

4..

 Why does the author write the passage?

A. To teach us a good lesson.       B. To tell us the right attitude to life.

C. To advise us to forget our worries.      D. To stop us wandering along the aisles.

 

American middle school students don’t seem to care that they’re worse at maths than their counterparts (同龄人) in China’s Hong Kong and Finland. “I don’t need it,” my student says, “I’m going to be a basketball star.” Or a car mechanic, or a singer.

Middle school students’ maths skills were tested by the International Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. The United States ranked 28th out of 41 countries tested. After all, when was the last time you used algebra (代数)?

But maths isn’t just about training Americans to become scientists. It has its own value. It helps you see patterns and develops your logic skills, and it teaches you to concentrate and to separate truth from falsehood. Maths helps you make wise financial decisions, so you can avoid false claims from advertisers, politicians and others. It helps you determine risk. For example, after an airplane crash, studies show that people are more likely to drive than to take a plane in spite of the fact that they are much more likely to be killed or injured while driving. Planes are not like criminals who repeat the same crime over and over. One plane is not more likely to crash just because another plane recently did. In fact, the most dangerous time to drive is probably right after a plane crash because so many people are on the road.

It is not possible to really understand science and the scientific method without understanding maths. A rainbow is even more beautiful and amazing when we understand it.

The precision (精确性) of maths helps us think in a very special way. How do we bring the learning of maths back to life? I don’t have the big answer. I try my best to help pupils find answers to some maths problems. When I can get one to say, “Wow, that’s great,” I feel the joy of a small victory.

1.Some American students don’t care about their poor maths results because __________.

   A. maths is useless to most people

   B. they have no interest in maths

   C. they think maths has nothing to do with their future

   D. they don’t do well in maths

2.The example in Paragraph 3 is used to show __________.

   A. every coin has its two sides

   B. we should not be cheated by fault facts

   C. maths is close to our daily life

   D. a simple fact shows complicated rules

3.The writer would agree that __________.

   A. it’s normal that America kids are weak in maths

   B. without maths we’ll miss much in our life

   C. maths is the most important subject at school

   D. American kids don’t work hard at school

4.This text is most probably written by __________.

   A. a student career guide             B. a researcher on students’ problems

   C. a specialist in students’ studies      D. a maths teacher

 

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