Do you have memories of being kidnapped (绑架)by aliens (外星人) and taken away rapidly in a spaceship? You wouldn’t be alone. Several thousand people worldwide reported to have had such experiences, researchers say. But in a new study, a psychology expert at London’s Goldsmiths College says these experiences are proof of the weakness of the human memory, rather than evidence of life in outer space.

“Maybe what we’re dealing with here is false memories, and not that people are actually being kidnapped and taken aboard spaceships,” says Professor Chris French, who surveyed 19 so-called victims.

Several of the victims reported being taken away from their beds or cars by alien creatures around four feet high, with long and lean arms and legs and oversized heads, French said. Some men said they were forced to take painful medical examinations by the aliens.

Many of the alien experiences could be explained by sleep paralysis, a condition in which a person is awake and aware of the surroundings but is unable to move. Sleep paralysis often leads to hallucinations —the experience of seeing or feeling something that is not really there and 40 percent of people experience the state at least once in their lives, French said. A rich imagination was also at play. Several of the alien victims were more likely to fantasize and reported to have seen ghosts (幽灵) and have unnatural abilities.

“People have very rich fantasy lives,” said French, who is due to present his findings at a public seminar at London’s Science Museum on Wednesday. “So much that they often mix up what’s happening in their heads with what is going on in the real world.”

1.According to Chris French, if someone told you an alien experience again, you might _____.

A. believe the story B. just laugh it away

C. wonder why D. report it to the police

2.The underlined word “fantasize” in Paragraph 4 probably means _____.

A. use vivid imagination B. tell the truth

C. have good memories D. make up excuses

3.What is the author’s attitude towards alien experiences?

A. Puzzling. B. Supportive.

C. Respectful. D. Objective.

4.Where can this passage probably be found?

A. A science magazine. B. A textbook.

C. A science fiction. D. A storybook.

Whether you’re eating at a fancy restaurant or dining in someone’s home,proper table manners are likely to help you make a good impression.According to a US expert,Emily Post,“All rules of table manners are made to avoid ugliness.”

While Henry Hitchings of the Los Angeles Times admits that good manners can reduce social conflict,he points out that mostly their purpose is protective – they turn our natural warrior like selves into more elegant ones.

So where did table manners come from?

In medieval England,a writer named Petrus Alfonsi took the lead to urge people not to speak with their mouths full.And King David I of Scotland also proposed that any of his people who learned to eat more neatly be given a tax deduction (减除).

Disappointingly,that idea never caught on.It was during the Renaissance,when there were real technical developments,opinions of correct behavior changed for good. “None of these was more significant than the introduction of the table fork,” wrote Hitchings.“Gradually,as forks became popular,they brought the new way of eating,making it possible,for instance,to consume berries without making one’s fingers dirty.”

Forks were introduced to Britain in 1608 and 25 years later,the first table fork reached America. Yet while most of the essentials (基本要素) are the same on both sides of the Atlantic,there are a few clear differences between what’s normal in the US and what holds true in the UK.For example,in the US,when food needs cutting with a knife,people generally cut a bite,then lay aside the knife and switch the fork to their right hand. Then they pick up one bite at a time.By contrast,Britons keep the fork in the left hand and don’t lay the knife down.

Though globalization has developed a new,simpler international standard of table manners,some people still stick with the American cut and switch method. The Los Angeles Times noted,“They are hanging on to a form of behavior that favors manners above efficiency.”

1.What does the story mainly talk about?

A. The importance of proper table manners.

B. The development of table manners in Western countries.

C. Some unwritten rules of table manners in the US and UK.

D. Differences between American and British table manners.

2.The underlined phrase “caught on” in the passage probably means ______.

A. worked in practice

B. became popular

C. drew attention

D. had a positive effect

3.Which of the following events influenced people’s table manners most according to the article?

A. The introduction of forks.

B. The tax deduction policy.

C. The rise of the Renaissance.

D. Petrus Alfonsi’s efforts in promoting table manners.

4.What can we conclude from the article?

A. British and American table manners are completely different from each other.

B. American people pay more attention to their table manners than British people do.

C. With globalization,the American cut and switch method has been abandoned in the US.

D. British people’s way of using a knife and fork may be more efficient than American people’s.

Like many new graduates, I left university full of hope for the future but with no real idea of what I wanted to do. My degree, with honors, in English literature had not really prepared me for anything practical. I knew I wanted to make a difference in the world somehow, but I had no idea how to do that. That’s when I learned about the Lighthouse Project.

I started my journey as a Lighthouse Project volunteer by reading as much as I could about the experiences of previous volunteers. I knew it would be a lot of hard work, and that I would be away from my family and friends for a very long time. In short, I did not take my decision to apply for the Lighthouse Project lightly. Neither did my family.

Eventually, however, I won the support of my family, and I sent in all the paperwork needed for the application. After countless interviews and presentations, I managed to stand out among the candidates and survive the test alone. Several months later, I finally received a call asking me to report for the duty. I would be going to a small village near Abuja, Nigeria. Where? What? Nigeria? I had no idea. But I was about to find out.

After completing my training, I was sent to the village that was small and desperately in need of proper accommodation. Though the local villagers were poor, they offered their homes, hearts, and food as if I were their own family. I was asked to lead a small team of local people in building a new schoolhouse. For the next year or so, I taught in that same schoolhouse. But I sometimes think I learned more from my students than they did from me.

Sometime during that period, I realized that all those things that had seemed so strange or unusual to me no longer did, though I did not get anywhere with the local language, and I returned to the United States a different man. The Lighthouse Project had changed my life forever.

1.According to the Paragraph 2, it is most likely that the author

A. discussed his decision with his family.

B. asked previous volunteers about voluntary work

C. attended special training to perform difficult tasks

D. felt sad about having to leave his family and friends

2.In his application for the volunteer job, the author

A. participated in many discussions

B. went through challenging survival tests

C. wrote quite a few papers on voluntary work

D. faced strong competition from other candidates

3.On arrival at the village, the author was

A. asked to lead a farming team

B. sent to teach in a schoolhouse

C. received warmly by local villagers

D. arranged to live in a separate house.

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