People tend to become more personal and hide less of themselves when using email. Researchers from Open University in Britain have found in a recent study that there are good reasons for this.

The team of researchers asked 83 pairs of students, all strangers to each other, to solve a problem. They had to discuss this question: If only five people in the world could be saved from a world disaster, who should they be? The pairs of students had to talk over the problem either face to face or by computers. Dr. Johnson said, “They told their partners four times as much about themselves when they talked over the Internet as when they talked face to face. When the computers were fitted with cameras so that students could see each other, this limited the personal side of the conversation.”

Generally the information was not extremely personal. It was mainly about things such as where they went to school, or where they used to live. But some students discussed their love stories, and personal childhood experiences.

Dr Johnson believes that emailing encourages people to focus on themselves. And when they do this, they become more open, especially if there are no cameras. “If you cannot see the other person, it becomes easier to talk about yourself. This is because you are not thinking what the other person is thinking of you. So emailing has become the modern way of talking,” said Dr. Johnson. However, this style of talking is not entirely new. “In the 19th century people started to use the ‘telegraph’ to communicate. Now the same kind of thing has happened and people ended up speaking more freely.”

Dr. Johnson thinks that emailers need to know about these effects of emailing, especially when they start work in a company. “ If you don’t know about them, you could find yourself saying more about yourself than you wanted to.”

1.The subject discussed in this passage is _______.

A. how people do research studies

B. how people open up when emailing

C. how to communicate at work

D. how to discuss and solve a problem

2.The reason that some couples talked freely about themselves is that _______.

A. they didn’t talk about very personal things

B. they couldn’t see each other

C. the cameras on the computers were turned on

D. they had to discuss a question

3.In the writer’s opinion, one should ______.

A. focus on oneself when emailing

B. talk more freely in emails than usual

C. consider how one uses email at work

D. discuss any subject that one wants to

London Underground

The world's first subway was built in London in 1863. At the time, the government was looking for a way to reduce traffic problems in the city of London. The poor areas of the city were so crowded with people that it was almost impossible for horse carriages to get through. The city officials were interested in trying to make it possible for workers to live outside of London and travel easily to work each day. If people had a cheap and convenient way that they could depend on to go to and from work, they would relocate their homes outside of the city. This would help ease(减轻) the pressure of too many people living in the poor parts of London. From these problems, the idea of the London Underground, the first subway system, was born.

The plans for building the Underground met with several problems and delays, but the fast track was finally opened in January 1863. A steam train pulled the cars along the fast underground track which was 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) long. About 30,000 people got on the subway the first day. Riders were treated to comfortable seats (standing up while the train was moving was not allowed), and pleasant decorations inside each of the cars. However, the smoke from the engine soon filled the air in the tunnels with ash and soot(煤灰), as well as chemical gases. Fans had to be put in the tunnels later to keep the air clean enough for people to breathe. Even with its problems, riding in the Underground did catch on. It carried 9 million riders in its first year.

1.What led the British government to build the London Underground?

A. Traffic jams and pollution.

B. Population and pollution.

C. Overcrowding and traffic jams.

D. The poverty and subway problems.

2.How did the London Underground solve the smoke problem?

A. It made the tunnels larger.

B. It put fans in the tunnels.

C. It cleaned the chemical gases in the tunnels.

D. It reduced the number of passengers riding in the train.

3.The underlined phrase “catch on” most probably means “  ”.

A. be troublesome

B. become popular and fashionable

C. keep up with

D. seize

4.Which of the following is TRUE?

A. To relocate the workers' homes outside London, the government built the subway.

B. There were so many problems and delays that in 18th century the first subway opened.

C. The subway greatly eased the pressure of traffic.

D. There were not enough seats for the passengers the first day the subway opened.

根据短文内容, 从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

How to unlock your talent

Search

To find your hidden talent (才能), you’ll have to search for it! We all know people who are great at drawing or good at sports, don’t we? They’re the lucky ones who have a natural talent for what they love doing. 1. It’s just that we might have to look a little bit harder, that’s all!

Try

2. Developing a new talent takes time and lots of effort, so don’t worry if you haven’t discovered yours by the end of the day, the week or even the month. You will get your light-bulb (灵感) moment finally!

Ask

Ask for help to get you started. Do you have an aunt who can help you start a blog or a sporty mom who’ll get active with you? 3. Sometimes we don’t need to look further than our own families to see what skills can be passed down to us!

4.

Find out what excites you! The more enthusiastic (热情的) you are about a hobby, the more you’ll want to keep doing it. And, you’ve guessed it, the more you keep doing it, the better you’ll get!

New ideas

Be open to new ideas. There’s no point saying that you can’t write a book or take amazing photos if you’ve never really tried. 5.

A. Get excited

B. Don’t give up

C. It won’t happen overnight.

D. Is your grandma great at making cakes?

E. Make today your day to try something new.

F. Have you ever doubted what you’re doing now?

G. But that doesn’t mean we can’t all find something we’re good at.

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网