题目内容
We were talking and laughing, when our teacher came in and asked us what all the ______ was about.
- A.excite
- B.exciting
- C.excited
- D.excitement
We hear with our ears, right? Yes, but scientists have known for years that we also hear with our eyes. In a study published in 1976, researchers found that people combined both auditory cues(听力提示) and visual ones，like mouth and face movements, when they heard speech.
A new study that looks at a different set of sensory cues adds to a growing body of evidence that suggests such combination is natural. In a paper, Bryan Gick and Donald Derrick report that people can hear with their skin.
The researchers had volunteers listen to spoken syllables. Meanwhile, they connected the volunteers to a device that would blow a tiny puff (气流) of air onto the skin of their hands or necks. The syllables included “ba” and “pa”, which produce brief puffs from the mouth when spoken, and “da” and “ta,” which do not produce puffs. They found that when listeners heard “da” or “ta” while a puff of air was blown onto their skin, they considered the sounds as “ba” or “pa”.
Dr. Gick said the findings were similar to those from the 1976 study, in which visual cues defeated auditory ones — volunteers listened to one syllable but thought it another because they were watching a video of mouth movements corresponding to the second syllable. In his study，he said，cues from sens
ory receivers on the skin defeate
d the ears as well. “Our skin is doing the hearing for us,” he said.
Dr. Gick noted that it would normally be rare that someone actually sensed a puff of air produced by another, although people might occasionally sense their own puffs. “What’s so persuasive about this particular effect,” he added. “is that people are picking up on this information that they don’t know they are using.” That supports the idea that combining different sensory cues is natural.
Dr. Gick said the finding also suggested that other sensory cues might be at work in speech perception(知觉) — that, as he put it, “we are these fantastic perception machines that take in all the information available to us and combine it faultlessly.”
【小题1】“Da” or “ta” were considered as “ba” or “pa” when __________.
| A．they were spoken quickly |
| B．puffs of air were blown onto the listener’s skin |
| C．they were pronounced using a special device |
| D．they were made with face movements |
| A．Humans combine different sensory cues through experience. |
| B．Dr. Gick’s new study is more important than the one in 1976. |
| C．People sometimes can sense their own puffs when speaking |
| D．Only auditory and visual cues are at work in speech perception. |
| A．We Can Hear with Our Skin |
| B．Our Visual Cues Is Doing the Hearing for Us |
| C．Facial Expressions Are Important |
| D．We Are Fantastic Machines |
How could I turn down an opportunity for a weeklong cruise on a luxury motorsailer in the Andaman Sea? Without a second thought, I packed my bags and jumped on a plane to Singapore, and the following day I found myself looking out the airplane window at the beautiful waters surrounding the island of Langkawi off the coast of Malaysia.
The last time I was in Langkawi was in 2001, when it was relatively quiet. Langkawi has come a long way since then; there are 4, 5, and even 6-star hotels, as well as spas, golfing, horseback riding and even a cable car taking visitors to the highest point on the island.
At the Langkawi International Airport I met my shipmates and we were driven to Pantai Tengah with a quick pit stop for sunblock and duty-free goodies. Many other shopping opportunities abound since Langkawi was designated as a duty-free zone in 1987 to entice tourists to the island.
A luxurious yacht tender picked us up. Phillipe, the first mate, maneuvered the tender between sailboats and as we went around a small island there she was, S/V Blue Gold. This majestic 10-passenger sailboat—all 165 feet of her—had been built in Italy and recently underwent a full retrofit. Once aboard, the crew welcomed us with refreshments and big smiles. Before we got too comfortable and settled into the plush comforts of the boat, Alain, the captain, took us on a tour of Blue Gold’s impressive accommodations. The master suite had a king-size bed, with a lounge area and “his & hers” wardrobes. The VIP cabin had a queen-size bed, also with a lounge area. Both had ensuite bathrooms.
The first evening aboard was the perfect start to our voyage—a small cocktail party followed by a light meal of seared tuna salad. It was exactly what our jet-lagged bodies craved, and we all slept very well aboard what would become our new home for the next 7 days.
In the morning after breakfast, we sailed to Pulau Ta Ngah (also spelled “Pulau Tengah”; pulau means island in Malay). In the 1970s the site had been a Vietnamese refugee transit camp. Not long after the end of the war, the camp was shut down and the island was gazetted as a marine park by the Malaysian government. Officially “uninhabited,” it does boast a golf course, but we were unable to determine if it was still in operation. The most intriguing event on the island occurs in July when the giant leatherback turtles lay their eggs on a beach on Ta Ngah.
【小题1】Where is Langkawi?
| A．In Pulau Ta Ngah | B．In Malaysia | C．In the Atlantic Ocean | D．In The Arctic |
| A．has become prosperous in the past decade |
| B．was a noisy industrial city twenty years ago |
| C．has no three-star hotels nowadays |
| D．is best known for its horse riding races |
| A．a small island with most beautiful sceneries we have ever seen |
| B．a luxurious 6-star hotel with best food and service |
| C．a VIP cabin with 9 queen-size beds and ensuite bathrooms |
| D．a splendid boat with comfortable accommodations |
| A．many people go golfing on Pulau Ta Ngah every year |
| B．the Vietnamese War broke out in 1970 |
| C．the author liked the party and meal provided in the voyage |
| D．people living on Pulau Ta Ngah must have earned a lot of money |
| A．a news report | B．a travel story | C．an advertisement | D．an operating manual |