2．Choosing the right college is one of the most important decisions-and many times the first importa——青夏教育精英家教网—

2．Choosing the right college is one of the most important decisions-and many times the first important life decision-students will face．Many high school students may feel confused，especially those who want to study abroad．
"In the US，choosing colleges that are a good fit academically，financially and socially hopefully means that the student spends the next four years of their life in the‘right'college environment，happy with the selection （选择） of majors offered，happy with the campus vibe （氛围），"said Connie Pollack，a college admissions consultant （顾问） from Squirrel Hill，Pennsylvania in the US．
So how can you choose the right college？Here are Pollack's suggestions：
Location：Do you have specific （特定的） states you really want to go to？
Size：Smaller campuses have fewer services and activities，but larger colleges have bigger class sizes and less individual attention．
Majors：Which schools offer the major or activities you are most interested in？
Cost：Private colleges can be among the most expensive，but they often have the most generous （丰厚的） scholarship opportunities．
Type：Do you want to attend a two-or four-year college？Community colleges （两年制社区大学） can also be a good cost-saving measure for students who are unsure of what they want to study．
It's important to take the time to research choices，and it is often helpful to come up with a three-part list of safety，target （目标） and dream schools，said Pollack．
Safety schools are those that the student feels confident about being admitted to easily； target schools are those where the student would be happy but is unsure of acceptance； dream schools represent the student's ideal （理想的） schools，but are unlikely to accept the student．
"If students have taken the time to think about their needs，and know what each school offers and what it will cost to attend before they enroll （入学），it can pave （铺） the road for a memorable （令人难忘的） college experience，"she said．

56．According to Ms Pollack's suggestions，D．
A．you should consider how far away the college you want to apply to is from your home
B．if your family is not rich enough，you should forget about private colleges
C．smaller campuses usually cannot compete with larger ones when it comes to the quality of services
D．community colleges could be good choices for those who are short on funding and unclear about their majors
57．From the part about the three-part list of schools，we can conclude thatA．
A．the target schools are those that are a little above the students'level
B．the dream schools are completely above the students'level and should not be thought about further
C．making this type of list could help students by encouraging them to work harder for their dream schools
D．students should focus only on their target and dream schools after they make this type of list
58．The underlined word"it"in the last paragraph meansB．
A．saving students money and time
B．doing good research into the right colleges
C．comparing what different schools have to offer
D．taking the time to think about students'needs．

1．Call it the learning paradox：the more you struggle and even fail while you're trying to learn new information，the better you're likely to recall and apply that information later．
The learning paradox is at the heart of"productive failure，"a phenomenon identified by researcher Manu Kapur points out that while the model adopted by many teachers when introducing students to new knowledge providing lots of structure and guidance early on，until the students show that they can do it on their own makes intuitive sense，it may not be the best way to promote learning．Rather，it's better to let the learners wrestle with the material on their own for a while，refraining from giving them any assistance at the start．In a paper published recently，Kapur applied the principle of productive failure to mathematical problem solving in three schools．
With one group of students，the teacher provided strong"scaffolding"--instructional support and feedback．With the teacher's help，these pupils were able to find the answers to their set of problems．Meanwhile，a second group was directed to solve the same problems by cooperating with one another，without any prompts from their instructor．These students weren't able to complete the problems correctly．But in the course of trying to do so，they generated a lot of ideas about the nature of the problems and about what potential solutions would look like．And when the two groups were tested on what they'd learned the second group"significantly outperformed"the first．
The apparent struggles of the floundering （挣扎的） group have what Kapur calls a"hidden efficacy"：they lead people to understand the deep structure of problems，not simply their correct solutions．When these students encounter a new problem of the same type on a test，they're able to transfer the knowledge they've gathered more effectively than those who were the passive recipients of someone else's expertise．
In the real world，problems rarely come neatly packaged，so being able to discern their deep structure is key．But，Kapur notes，none of us like to fail，no matter how often Silicon Valley entrepreneurs praise the beneficial effects of an idea that fails or a start-up company that crashes and burns．So we need to"design for productive failure"by building it into the learning process，Kapur has identified three conditions that promote this kind of beneficial struggle．First，choose problems to work on that"challenge but do not frustrate．"Second，provide learners with opportunities to explain and elaborate on what they're doing．Third，give learners the chance to compare and contrast good and bad solutions to the problems．And to those students who protest this tough-love teaching style：you'll thank me later．

61．Why does the author call the learning process a paradox？C
A．Pains do not necessarily lead to gains．
B．What is learned is rarely applicable in life．
C．Failure more often than not feeds success．
D．The more is taught，the less is learned．
62．What does Kapur disapprove of in teaching？C
A．Asking students to find and solve problems on their own．
B．Developing students'ability to apply what they learn．
C．Giving students detailed guidance and instruction．
D．Allowing students a free hand in problem solving．
63．What do people tend to think of providing strong scaffolding in teaching？B
A．It will make teaching easier．
B．It is a sensible way of teaching．
C．It can motivate（激发） average students．
D．It will build up students'confidence．
64．What kind of problem should be given to students to solve according to Kapur？D
A．It should be able to encourage cooperative learning．
B．It should be easy enough so as not to frustrate students．
C．It should be solvable by average students with ease．
D．It should be difficult enough but still within their reach．
65．What can be expected of this tough-love teaching style？A
A．Students will be grateful in the long term．
B．Teachers will meet with a lot of resistance．
C．Parents will think it too harsh on their kids．
D．It may not be able to yield the desired results．

20．One evening in February 2007，a student named Paula Ceely brought her car to a stop on a remote road in Wales．She got out to open a metal gate that blocked her path．That's when she heard the whistle sounded by the driver of a train．Her Renault Clio was parked across a railway line．Seconds later，she watched the train drag her car almost a kilometre down the railway tracks．
Ceely's near miss  made the news because she blamed it on the GPS （导航仪）．She had never driven the route before．It was dark and raining heavily．Ceely was relying on her GPS，but it made no mention of the crossing．"I put my complete trust in the device and it led me right into the path of a speeding train，"she told the BBC．
Who is to blame here？Rick Stevenson，who tells Ceely's story in his book When Machines Fail Us，points the finger at the limitations of technology．We put our faith in digital devices，he says，but our digital helpers are too often not up to the job．They are filled with small problems．And it's not just GPS devices：Stevenson takes us on a tour of digital disasters involving everything from mobile phones to wireless keyboards．
The problem with his argument in the book is that it's not clear why he only focuses on digital technology，while there may be a number of other possible causes．A map-maker might have left the crossing off a paper map．Maybe we should blame Ceely for not paying attention．Perhaps the railway authorities are at fault for poor singalling system．Or maybe someone has studied the relative dangers and worked out that there really is something specific wrong with the GPS equipment．But Stevenson doesn't say．
It's a problem that runs through the book．In a section on cars，Stevenson gives an account of the advanced techniques that criminals use to defeat computer-based locking systems for cars．He offers two independent sets of figures on car theft； both show a small rise in some parts of the country．He says that once again not all new locks have proved reliable．Perhaps，but maybe it's also due to the shortage of policemen on the streets．Or changing social circumstances．Or some combination of these factors．
The game between humans and their smart devices is amusing and complex．It is shaped by economics and psychology and the cultures we live in．Somewhere in the mix of those forces there may be a way for a wiser use of technology．
If there is such a way，it should involve more than just an awareness of the shortcomings of our machines．After all，we have lived with them for thousands of years．They have probably been fooling us for just as long．

60．What did Paula Ceely think was the cause of her accident？D
A．She was not familiar with the road．
B．It was dark and raining heavily then．
C．The railway workers failed to give the signal．
D．Her GPS device didn't tell her about the crossing．
61．The phrase"near miss"（Paragraph 2）can best be replaced byC．
A．close hit            B．heavy loss
C．narrow escape       D．big mistake
62．Which of the following would Rick Stevenson most probably agree with？B
A．Modern technology is what we can't live without．
B．Digital technology often falls short of our expectation．
C．Digital devices are more reliable than they used to be．
D．GPS error is not the only cause for Ceely's accident．

19．When you make a mistake，big or small，cherish it like it's the most precious thing in the world．Because in some ways，it is．
Most of us feel bad when we make mistakes，beat ourselves up about it，feel like failures，get mad at ourselves．
And that's only natural：most of us have been taught from a young age that mistakes are bad，that we should try to avoid mistakes．We've been scolded when we make mistakes-at home，school and work．Maybe not always，but probably enough times to make feeling bad about mistakes an unconscious reaction．
Yet without mistakes，we could not learn or grow．If you think about it that way，mistakes should be cherished and celebrated for being one of the most amazing things in the world：they make learning possible； they make growth and improvement possible．
By trial and error-trying things，making mistakes，and learning from those mistakes-we have figured out how to make electric light，to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel，to fly．
Mistakes make walking possible for the smallest toddler，make speech possible，make works of genius possible．
Think about how we learn：we don't just consume information about something and instantly know it or know how to do it．You don't just read about painting，or writing，or computer programming，or baking，or playing the piano，and know how to do them right away．Instead，you get information about something，from reading or from another person or from observing，then you make mistakes and repeat，making mistakes，learning from those mistakes，until you've pretty much learned how to do something．That's how we learn as babies and toddlers，and how we learn as adults．Mistakes are how we learn to do something new-because if you succeed at something，it's probably something you already knew how to do．You haven't really grown much from that success-at most it's the last step on your journey，not the whole journey．Most of the journey was made up of mistakes，if it's a good journey．
So if you value learning，if you value growing and improving，then you should value mistakes．They are amazing things that make a world of brilliance possible．

56．Why do most of us feel bad about making mistakes？A
A．Because we've been taught so from a young age．
B．Because mistakes make us suffer a lot．
C．Because it's a natural part in our life．
D．Because mistakes have ruined many people's careers．
57．According to the passage，what is the right attitude to mistakes？C
A．We should try to avoid making mistakes．
B．We should owe great inventions mainly to mistakes．
C．We should treat mistakes as good chances to learn．
D．We should make feeling bad about mistakes an unconscious reaction．
58．The underlined word"toddler"in Paragraph 6probably meansD．
A．a school teenager learning to write
B．a kindergarten child learning to draw
C．a primary pupil learning to read
D．a small child learning to walk
59．We can learn from the passage thatB．
A．most of us can really grow from success
B．growing and improving are based on mistakes
C．we learn to make mistakes by trial and error
D．we read about something and know how to do it right away．

18．Which animal has the fastest snapping jaw （突然合住的颚）？If you're guessing a shark or perhaps a larger animal，you'll have to think smaller．The trap-jaw ant，which lives in Central and South America，moves its mouth parts at 35to 63meters per second．Another way to think about this is that the ant's jaws close at 125to 233kilometers per hour．That's 2，300times faster than the blink of an eye．
Scientists were able to measure the amazing jaw speed using high-speed video techniques．Sheila Patek，a biologist，says the key is that the jaws have a springy （有弹性的） system，which is critical in getting explosive （爆发性的） speeds．
Consider a bow and arrow．If you try to throw an arrow with your arm，it won't go very far．If you use a bow，elastic energy stored in the bow is freed almost immediately when you let go of the arrow with your finger．That's exactly what really fast organisms are doing．
Maybe even more amazing than how fast these ants grab food or even enemies is how they use this same energy to move．As the ant closes its jaws，it uses them to push off the ground-all faster than the eye can see without slow motion video．A snap of the jaw can send an ant up to 8.3centimeters into the air．That's like someone who is 1.7meters jumping 13meters high!Not only can they quickly escape from enemies，but often a group of ants will start jumping all at once．It would be hard for their enemies to grab just one．

33．The fast speed of the trap-jaw ants'jaws lies inB．
A．their light bodies
B．their springy systems
C．their living environment
D．the length of their jaws
34．What does the passage use"a bow and arrow"as an example to show？C
A．How an arrow gets so much energy to fly．
B．Why the trap-jaw ants have a springy system．
C．Why the trap-jaw ants'jaws move so fast．
D．How a bow and arrow works．
35．According to the passage，the trap-jaw ants'jaws keep them safe becauseD．
A．they can catch their enemies easily with their jaws
B．their jaws make them difficult to recognize
C．their jaws help them to find food easily
D．their jaws help them to escape from their enemies．

17．Baby girls make their way directly for dolls as soon as they can crawl，while boys will head for the toy cars，a study has shown．The findings，the first to show differences in very young babies，suggest there is a biological（生物学的） basis（基础） to their preferences（偏爱）．
Psychologists（心理学家） Dr．Brenda Todd from City University London carried out an experiment involving 90infants（婴儿） aged nine months to 36months．The babies were allowed to choose from seven toys．Some were stereotypically boys'toys-a car，a digger，a ball and a blue teddy．The rest were girls'toys：a pink teddy，a doll and a cooking set．They were placed a meter away from the toys，and could pick whichever toy they liked．Their choice and the amount of time they spent playing with each toy were recorded．
Of the youngest children （nine to 14months），girls spent significantly（明显的） longer playing with the doll than boys，and boys spent much more time with the car and ball than the girls did．Among the two-and three-year-olds，girls spent 50percent of the time playing with the doll while only two boys briefly（简单地） touched it．The boys spent almost 90percent of their time playing with cars，which the girls barely（几乎不） touched．There was no link between the parents'view on which toys were more appropriate for boys or girls，and the children's choice．
Dr Brenda Todd said："Children of this age are already exposed （暴露）to much socialization（社会化）．Boys may be given‘toys that go'while girls get toys they can care for，which may help shape their preference．But these findings agree with the former idea that children show natural interests in particular kinds of toys．There could be a biological basis for their choices．Males through evolution have been adapted to prefer moving objects，probably through hunting instincts（本能），while girls prefer warmer colours such as pink，the colour of a newborn baby．"

31．Baby boys and girls have different toy preferences probably becauseD．
A．baby boys are much more active
B．baby girls like bright colours more
C．their parents treat them differently
D．there is a natural difference between them
32．Both baby boys and baby girls like to play withB  according to the study．
A．a ball          B．a teddy
C．a car           D．a doll
33．What can we infer from Paragraph 3？C
A．Nine-month-old baby boys don't play with dolls at all．
B．Two-year-old baby girls sometimes play with cars and balls．
C．The older the babies are，the more obvious their preference is．
D．Parents should teach their babies to share each other's toys．
34．What conclusion did Dr．Brenda Todd draw from the results of the study？B
A．Adults purposely（故意地） influence their babies preference．
B．Babies'preference isn't affected by social surroundings．
C．Baby boys preferring to moving toys will be good at hunting．
D．Baby girls preferring warmer colors will be warm-hearted．
35．We may read this article in aA section of a newspaper．
A．science         B．health
C．education        D．entertainment．

16．Electric cars are dirty．In fact，not only are they dirty，but they might even be more dirty than their gasoline-powered cousins．
People in California love to talk about"zero-emissions （排放） vehicles"，but people in California seem tobe clueless about  where electricity comes from．Power plants（工厂） mostly use fire to make it．Apart from the few people who have their roofs covered with solar cells，we get our electricity from generators （发电机）．Generators are fueled by something-usually coal，oil，but also by heat generated in nuclear power plants．There are a few wind farms and geothermal （地热） plants as well，but by far we get electricity mainly by burning something．
In other words，those"zero-emissions"cars are likely coal-burning cars．Because the coal is burned somewhere else，it looks clean．It is not true．It's as if the California Greens are covering their eyes-"If I can't see it，it's not happening．"Gasoline is an incredibly （极其） efficient way to power a vehicle； a gallon of gas has a lot of energy in it．But when you take that gas （or another fuel） and first use it to make electricity，you waste a nice part of that energy，mostly in the form of wasted heat--at the generator，through the transmission lines，etc．
A gallon of gas may drive your car 25miles．But the electricity you get from that gallon of gaswon't get you nearly as far-so electric cars burn more fuel than gasoline-powered ones．If our electricity came mostly from wind or geothermal，or solar，then an electric car truly would be clean．But for political，technical，and economic reasons，we don't use much of those energy sources．
In addition，electric cars'batteries which are poisonous for a long time will eventually end up in a landfill （垃圾填埋场）．And finally，when cars are the polluters，the pollution is spread across all the roads．When it's a power plant，though，all the junk is in one place．Nature is very good at cleaning up when things are not too concentrated，but it takes a lot longer when all the garbage is in one spot．
32．Which of the following words can replace"be clueless about"in Paragraph 2？C
A．be familiar with
B．be curious about
C．fail to understand
D．show their interest in
33．The electricity we get from a gallon of gas may make our car runC．
A．at least 25miles
B．more than 25miles
C．less than 25miles
D．as far as 25miles
34．In the author's opinion，compared with cars using gas，electric cars are moreB．
A expensive．
B．harmful
C．efficient
D．environmentally-friendly
35．It can be inferred from the passage thatD．
A．electric cars'batteries are no longer poisonous in the landfill
B．now electric cars are used more than their gasoline-powered cousins
C．zero-emissions vehicles should be chosen to protect our environment
D．electric cars are not clean since we get electricity mainly by burning something．

15．The mystery of why humans are the only animals to have chins may have been solved by scientists who suggest that it is connected to the invention of cooking．
A paper from the University of Florida tries to explain exactly why humans-unlike all other primates-have chins．
A team led by Dr．James Pampush collected information from more than 100kinds of primate and compared it with historical information．Computer modelling found how the chin developed．
Random genetic change was ruled out because the chin developed 77times faster than the average genetic change．And the study finds no evidence that it served a useful purpose．The research，published in the Journal of Human Evolution，suggests the chin is a by-product of another event．In this case，the event could well be the invention of cooking．
"The chin began to appear as a result of major changes six million years earlier．The arrival of cooking and softer food meant humans no longer needed big teeth and powerful jaws，and over the next two million years to 200，000years both got smaller and the chin was born，"said Dr．Pampush．"My guess is that it most likely happened around two million years ago when there was a jump in brain size．The changes which finally lead to the chin are directly related to cooking，and indirectly related to larger brains and bodies．"
Dr．Pampush's new theory goes against previous suggestions that the chin was an example of sexual selection，with attractive chins marking out men who are likely to make good mates．The fact that both men and women have chins means the theory is unlikely．
Another theory put forward in the past said that the chin was a way to balance out the stress of chewing，but Dr．Pampush also threw doubt on that idea．
32．The reason why we have chinsB．
A．is connected to humans'action of chewing
B．has something to do with cooking
C．is random genetic change
D．is related to eating time．
33．How did the researchers get their result？D
A．By carrying out experiments．
B．By studying scientific theories．
C．By examining the human brain．
D．By comparing recorded information．
34．Before developing chins，humansA．
A．had bigger teeth
B．cooked softer food
C．had smaller jaws
D．had larger bodies
35．According to Dr．Pampush，the chin most probably appeared aroundC．
A.6million years ago．
B.4million years ago
C.2million years ago
D.0.2million years ago．

14．As with any house guests，indoor plants require a certain amount of basic，regular attention if they are going to feel at home．The first consideration when purchasing plants is to make reasonably sure that they are suitable for the condition in which they are going to be housed．
A general rule for most plants being brought indoors for the first time is to ensure that they have reasonable temperature of not less than 60degrees Fahrenheit，a position out of cold air，safe from pets and not exposed to strong sunlight．
Plants love company．When plants are growing together，they create an atmosphere of damp around themselves which is far more beneficial than hot dry conditions．A group of plants will also present a more pleasing picture and provide an opportunity for a creative arrangement．There is no secret to this．Just rely on your natural feeling for harmony．
Watering and feeding plants are probably the two areas of care that are the least well understood，but，again，if you follow a few simple rules，your plants should do well．Cold water direct from the tap can have a frightening effect on the roots of delicate plants．Slightly warm water is therefore the answer．It is usually better to pour water on to the soil on the surface of the pot rather than put the water into the pot holder at the bottom．Avoid giving small amount of water at regular intervals（间隔）----it is much better to wet the soil right through the pot in one go and then to allow it to dry noticeably before giving it a further watering．
The majority of indoor plants will be in active growth from March until October，and during this time，the established ones will benefit from regular feeding．This may mean feeding with a weak liquid fertilizer（肥料） at each watering or at intervals of a week or ten days with fertilizer at a standard strength．It is important，however，to ensure that plants are not fed when growth is inactive，when the soil in the pot is dry，or too soon after the plants has been potted up．
28．In Paragraph 2，the author mainly tells us toD．
A．buy plants that help clean indoor air
B．create a new environment with plants
C．put plants on the sunny side of the room
D．make sure of suitable conditions for plants
29．What's the benefit of plants growing together？B
A．It provides owners good company．
B．It helps the air around them slightly wet．
C．It makes it convenient to look after them．
D．It allows owners to draw a pleasant picture．
30．While watering the plants，what should we remember to do？A
A．Use water that is a little warm．
B．Pour the water into the pot holder．
C．Give small amount of water at one time．
D．Consider further watering in dry weather．
31．What is the best time to feed the plants？B
A．When the soil is dry．
B．When their growth is active．
C．When the temperature is high．
D．When they have just been planted．

13．The sounds you make while chewing have a significant effect on the amount of food you eat，a new study has found．The results suggest that people are likely to consume less if they can hear themselves eating．
Researchers at Brigham Young University and Colorado State University have found that your TV，radio，and computer are making you fat．Not by bombarding（炮轰） you with food ads （though they totally are） but by blocking the sounds of your chewing．In a recent study，they found that the noise your food makes while you're eating can have a significant effect on how much food you eat．"Sound is typically labeled as the forgotten food sense，"adds Ryan Elder，assistant professor of marketing at BYU's Marriott School of Management．"But if people are more focused on the sound the food makes，it could reduce consumption．""For the most part，consumers and researchers have overlooked food sound as an important sensory cue（暗示） in the eating experience．"said study coauthor Gina Mohr，an assistant professor of marketing at CSU．
The team carried out three separate experiments to quantify the effects of"food sound salience"on quantity of food consumed during a meal．In one experiment，participants were given snacks to eat while they wore headphones playing either loud or quiet noises．The ones loud enough to mask the sound of chewing made subjects eat more-4pretzels（椒盐卷饼） compared to 2.75pretzels for the"quiet"group．In another of their experiments they found that just having people hear chewing sounds through an advertisement can decrease the amount they eat．
Elder and Morh call this the"Crunch Effect．"The main takeaway of their work should be the idea of mindfulness，they said．Being more mindful of not just the taste and physical appearance of food，but also of the sound it makes can help consumers to eat less．"When you mask the sound of consumption，like when you watch TV while eating，you take away one of those senses and it may cause you to eat more than you would normally，"Elder said．
"The effects may not seem huge-one less pretzel-but over the course of a week，month，or year，it could really add up．"So next time you sit down for a meal，take your headphones off and mute the TV or find a movie where there's a lot of very audible chewing．
32．When people hear themselves eating，they canA．
A．be likely to eat lessB．be happy to take in food
C．enjoy the sound of itD．consume more food
33．We can conclude from Paragraph 2thatD．
A．your TV，radio，and computer are making you fat by giving you food ads．
B．what you eat can have a slight effect on how much food you eat．
C．if people are less focused on the sound the food makes，it could reduce consumption．
D．researchers should treat food sound as an important sensory cue in the eating experience
34．What can we know from the experiments？D
A．Participants were given snacks to eat while they wore headphones playing the same noises．
B．An advertisement can decrease the amount they eat without having people hear chewing sounds．
C．The team carried out two separate experiments to quantify the effects of"food sound salience"．
D．Over many days，the effects of losing weight can add up although it may not seem huge now．
35．Where can we most probably find this passage？B
A．An advertisement．B．A science magazine．
C．A notice board．D．A medical journal．

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