A terrible competition is going on in England, with billions of dollars and hundreds of lives at risk. OK, that’s not true. But competitors from around the world gathered on Thursday for the annual competition to compete for the world’s biggest person who tells lies.

Each participant is given up to five minutes to make up the best fib in the contest, which was founded in honor of 19th-century Bridge Inn landlord Will Ritson, who was reportedly famous for his lies. Competitors gather at the Bridge Inn every year for the competition, a small pub in northwestern England. Anyone but lawyers and politicians can take part in the competition.

A study found that nearly all lies are detectable (可检测的) through visible facial muscle reactions in the person telling a lie. “Thus, while interpersonal cheat often is highly successful, signs of hidden emotional states are communicated clearly to the informed observer,” the study concluded.

A churchman of Carlisle reportedly holds what may be the greatest lie of all time in the competition, simply stating, “I have never told a lie in my life.”

In 2003, Abrie Krueger from South Africa became the first one to win the competition. In 2006, comedian Sue Perkins became the first female to win the competition, telling a tale about people riding camels to work as a result of climate change.

1.Why does the author tell a lie at the beginning of the passage?

A. He likes telling lies.

B. He intends to talk about a contest.

C. Lies can be detected by someone.

D. Nearly everyone has told lies.

2.What does the underlined word “fib” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A. Experience. B. Story. C. Lie. D. Plot.

3.Who can’t take part in the competition?

A. Lawyers & politicians. B. Reporters & editors.

C. Doctors & teachers. D. Students & managers.

4.What’s the author’s main purpose of this passage?

A. To explain how to deal with lies.

B. To invite people to take part in the competition.

C. To discuss how to avoid telling lies.

D. To introduce a strange competition.

Have you ever had the strange feeling that you were being watched? You turned around and, sure enough, someone was looking right at you!

Parapsychologists (灵学家) say that humans have a natural ability to sense when someone is looking at them. To research whether such a “sixth sense” really exists, Robert Baker, a psychologist (心理学家) at the University of Kentucky, did two experiments.

In the first one, Baker sat behind unknowing people in public places and stared(盯着)at the backs of their heads for 5 to 15 minutes. The subjects(受试者)were eating, drinking, reading, studying, watching TV, or working at a computer. Baker made sure that the people could not tell that he was sitting behind them during those periods. Later, when he questioned the subjects, almost all of them said they had no sense that someone was staring at them.

For the second experiment, Baker told the subjects that they would be stared at from time to time from behind in a laboratory setting. The people had to write down when they felt they were being stared at and when they weren’t. Baker found that the subjects were no better at telling when they were stared at and when they weren’t.

Baker concludes that people do not have the ability to sense when they’re being stared at. If people doubt the outcome of his two experiments, said Baker, “I suggest they repeat the experiments and see for themselves.”

1.The aim of the two experiments is to ________.

A.explain when people can have a sixth sense

B.study how people act while being watched in the lab

C.study whether humans can sense when they are stared at

D.prove why humans have a sixth sense

2.The underlined word “outcome” in the last paragraph most probably means ________.

A.value B.result

C.performance D.connection

3.In the second experiment, the subjects _________.

A.could tell when they were stared at

B.could tell where they weren’t stared at

C.couldn’t tell who they were stared at or who they stared at

D.couldn’t tell when they were stared at or when they weren’t

4.What can be learned from the passage?

A.People are born with a sixth sense.

B.The experiments support parapsychologists’ idea.

C.The subjects do not have a sixth sense in the experiments.

D.People have a sixth sense in all places.

Humans have been keeping animals as pets for tens of thousands of years, but Dr. Jean-Loup Rault, an animal scientist at the University of Melbourne in Australia, believes new companions are coming: robot pets.

“Technology is moving very fast,” Rault told ABC News, “The Tamagotchi in the early 1990s was really the first robotic pet, and now Sony and other big companies have improved them a lot.”

This may not sit well with pet lovers. After all, who would choose a plastic toy over a lovely puppy? But Rault argues that the robotic kind has a lot going for it: “You don’t have to feed it, you don’t have to walk it, it won’t make a mess in your house, and you can go on a holiday without feeling guilty.” The technology also benefits those who are allergic to pets, short on space, or fearful of real animals.

It’s not clear whether robot pets can replace real ones. But studies do suggest that we can bond with these smart machines. People give their cars names and kids give their toy animals life stories. It’s the same with robots. When Sony stopped its repair service for its robot dog Aibo in March 2014, owners in Japan held funerals.

As an animal welfare researcher, Rault is concerned about how robotic pets could affect our attitudes towards live animals. “If we become used to a robotic companion that doesn’t need food, water or exercises, perhaps it will change how humans care about other living beings,” he said.

So are dogs and cats a thing of the past, as Rault predicts? For those who grew up with living and breathing pets, the mechanical kind might not do. But for our next generation who are in constant touch with smart technology, a future in which lovely pets needn’t have a heartbeat might not be a far-fetched dream.

1.What does the underlined phrase “sit well with” means?

A. be refused by B. be beneficial to

C. make a difference to D. receive support from

2.What are the advantages of robot pets?

a. They are plastic and feel smooth.

b. Owners needn’t worry about them when going out.

c. They can help cure allergies.

d. They save space and costs.

A. ab B. bc C. bd D.cd

3.We can learn from the passage that___________.

A. Sony is the first company to produce robot pets Aibo.

B. People can develop strong bond with their robot pets.

C. Rault thinks robot pets still have a long way to go.

D. Robot toys may help people care more about living beings.

4.The passage mainly tells us___________.

A. the advantages of robot toys

B. the popularity of robot pets

C. living pets are dying out.

D. robot pets are coming.

As a senior, my future is always on my mind. To be exact, thoughts of the future have kept me up countless nights and made me worry enough to do poorly on more than one test. Because of this, words of wisdom are a source of comfort. Steve Jobs once gave a speech to Stanford’s graduating class in 2005 and his words resound repeatedly in my mind whenever I think about my future.

When I hear Jobs discuss his life as a student, some of my fears were eased. He, too, felt the need to attend college to make something of himself. He faced what many are extremely afraid of: uncertainty. His lack of understanding caused him to stop attending college and focus on what he felt was important. His story had a happy ending, of course, since he certainly turned out well. This doesn’t mean that students shouldn’t attend college, but rather that they shouldn’t worry so much.

Jobs talked about the hardships in his work. His love of his work helped him carry on and he got where he was meant to be, which restates the point: don’ t panic.

One particular part of his speech stayed with me. Steve Jobs quoted(引用)the saying “Stay hungry, stay foolish” and it has become my motto. Staying foolish is realizing that you are still a fool, no matter how much you’ve learned or experienced. There is always more to explore. Staying hungry is wanting to find those things about which you are still uneducated.

Steve Jobs’s level of success is attainable, and I aim to prove that. With the will power to go into the world living every day like it’s my last and allowing the future to take care of itself, I will do great things. In the last moments of my life, I’ll be proud of what I have done and hope to have all the wisdom a person could wish for.

1.The author felt worried when _________.

A. he had to take tests at school

B. he thought about his future

C. he had lots of sleepless nights

D. he searched for words of wisdom

2.It is suggested in first two paragraphs that _________.

A. Steve Jobs didn’t attend college at all

B. Steve Jobs failed because of his decision

C. the author once discussed life with Jobs

D. Jobs’ speech influenced the author greatly

3.What did the author gain from Jobs’s speech?

A. Courage to drop out of school.

B. Confidence in defeating Jobs.

C. Bravery to face uncertainties.

D. Interest in computer industry.

4.What did NOT Steve Jobs encourage students to do in his speech?

A. Have the desire to learn more.

B. Be content with what they know.

C. Stay calm in the face of hardships.

D. Be modest so as to learn more.

5.The passage is mainly about _________.

A. the wisdom drawn from a speech

B. the most impressive quotation in life

C. a memorable meeting with Jobs

D. an experience of a speech

“I honestly have no idea how that cat got up there.It’s a hundred—foot—metal pole.There’s no way he climbed that thing,”Jim said to the worried woman.It wasn’t even her cat,but she was passing by and saw it.immediately calling the fire—station to come to save it.Jim saw a lot of strange things as a fireman,often sad or upsetting things,but this was new.

“I suppose we could get the blanket and see if we can convince the poor cat to jump down· But he doesn’t really look too scared…”Jim said to the woman.

“Dave,get over here!” Jim called over his shoulder to the fire truck driver.Dave walked over and looked where Jim was pointing.

“How’d he get up there?”

Jim shrugged,similarly puzzled.“Do you suppose we could get the blanket and convince him to jump?”

Dave shrugged in response.“I don’t see why not.”

Jim looked up at the black mass on the top of the flagpole,the American nag waving proudly beneath him.It was definitely a cat,and he regarded the people gathered below as if they were his subjects(臣民)and he their king,his yellow eyes scanning his surroundings with apparent disinterest.

When the blanket was spread out below the cat,Jim and Dave began striking the flagpole.The cat looked down,and then gazed into the sky as if it were looking for something.Jim and Dave followed his gaze.Suddenly,out of the clear sky,appeared a dark figure.The figure swooped(俯冲)low toward the flagpole.It was an eagle! As it got closer,the cat leaped down the pole swiftly onto the ground,and then got lost in the bushes.

Jim,Dave,and the old woman were left with their mouths open.They all agreed it was the best way to get it down.

1.Why did the woman call the fire station ?

A.Because the pole was on fire.

B.Because her cat was missing.

C.Because she felt it was strange.

D.Because she wanted to save the cat.

2.What does the underlined word “him” refer to?

A.The cat. B.Jim. C.The king. D.Dave.

3.What did the firemen plan to do at first?

A.To strike the pole. B.To spread the blanket.

C.To shout at the cat. D.To shrug helplessly.

4.Who saved the cat?

A.An eagle. B.The firemen.

C.The cat itself. D.The people around.

完形填空

阅读下面短文,从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。

In families with two working parents, fathers may have more impact ______ a child’s language development than mothers, a new study. ______ Researchers______ 92 families from 11 child care centers before their children were a year old, interviewing each to establish income, ______ of education and child care arrangements. ______ , it was a group of well-educated middle-class families, ______ married parents both living in the home.

When the children were 2, researchers videotaped them at home in free-play sessions with both parents, recording all of their ______. The study will appear in the November ______ of The Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology.

The scientists ______ the total number of utterances of the parents, the number of different words they used, the ______ of their sentences and other aspects of their speech. ______ average, fathers spoke less than mothers did, but they did not ______in the length of utterances or proportion(比例)of questions asked.

Finally, the researchers ______ the children’s speech at age 3, using a standardized language test. The only predictors of high ______ on the test were the mother’s level of education, the ______ of child care and the number of different words the father used.

The researchers are ______ why the father’s speech, and not the mother’s, had an effect. “It’s well ______ that the mother’s language does have an impact,” said Nadya Pancsofar, the lead author of the study. “It ______ be that the high-functioning mothers in the study had already had a strong in?uence ______ their children’s speech development, or it may be that mothers are ______ in a way we didn’t measure in the study.”

1.A. inB. atC. onD. with

2.A. reportsB. informsC. assumesD. suggests

3.A. appointedB. recruitedC. enrolledD. admitted

4.A. levelB. standardC. yearsD. degree

5.A. MoreoverB. OverallC. In allD. Luckily

6.A. andB. orC. withD. without

7.A. speechB. actionC. expressionD. response

8.A. publicationB. versionC. editionD. issue

9.A. recordedB. measuredC. includedD. estimated

10.A. simplicityB. complexityC. easinessD. difficulty

11.A. OnB. InC. ForD. At

12.A. changeB. speakC. differD. specialize

13.A. videotapedB. predictedC. comparedD. analyzed

14.A. valuesB. scoresC. standardsD. qualities

15.A. effectB. intensityC. qualityD. strength

16.A. awareB. unawareC. sureD. unsure

17.A. understoodB. Constituted C. established D. informed

18.A. shouldB. couldC. had toD. used to

19.A. withB. inC. atD. on

20.A. contributingB. cultivatingC. instructingD. enlightening

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