“A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smart phone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website” is the definition of “selfie” in the Oxford English Dictionary. In fact, it wasn't even in the dictionary until August of last year. It earned its place there because people are now so obsessed with (对……痴迷) selfies ─ we take them when we try on a new hat, play with our pets or when we meet a friend whom we haven't seen in a while.

But is there any scientific explanation for this obsession? Well, you should probably ask James Kilner, a neuroscientist(神经系统科学家) at University College London.

Through our lifetime we become experts at recognizing and interpreting other people's faces and facial expressions. In contrast, according to Kilner, we have a very poor understanding of our own faces since we have little experience of looking at them ─ we just feel them most of the time.

This has been proved in previous studies, according to the BBC.

Kilner found that most people chose the more attractive picture. This suggests that we tend to think of ourselves as better-looking than we actually are. To further test how we actually perceive our own faces, Kilner carried out another study. He showed people different versions of their own portrait ─ the original, one that had been edited to look less attractive and one that was made more attractive ─ and asked them to pick the version which they thought looked most like them. They chose the more attractive version.

But what does it say about selfies? Well, isn't that obvious? Selfies give us the power to create a photograph ─ by taking it from various angles, with different poses, using filters (滤色镜) and so on ─ that better matches our expectations with our actual faces.

“You suddenly have control in a way that you don't have in non-virtual(非虚拟的) interactions," Kilner told the Canada-based CTV News. Selfies allow you “to keep taking pictures until you manage to take one you're happy with”, he explained.

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A. The definition and fun of taking selfies.

B. A study of why people love taking selfies.

C. How taking selfies influences people’s daily lives.

D. How to interpret people’s facial expressions in their selfies.

2.The underlined word “perceive” in Paragraph 5 can be replaced by “______”.

A. interpret B. beautify C. choose D. explain

3.What did Kilner discover from his researches?

A. People tend to believe they look more attractive than they actually are.

B. People tend to spend more time looking at their faces than at others’.

C. People interpret others’ facial expressions worse than their own.

D. People who like taking selfies know more about their facial expressions.

4.According to Kilner, people like taking selfies probably because they think ______.

A. it is a good chance to learn more about their actual faces

B. it allows them to satisfy their expectations with their appearances

C. it enables them to interact with their friends in social media

D. it is a way to respond to others’ facial expressions correctly

We’re always looking for well-written reviews of books, music, movies, television shows, websites, video games and other products. When writing a review, concentrate on exactly what you liked or didn’t like. Give examples of strengths and weaknesses, be descriptive and provide background information on an author, director, actor or musician, if possible. Find professional reviews in magazines or newspapers and see how reviewers deal with their topic, but be sure to express your own voice in your review.

Grammar Hint for Reviews: When describing a book, movie, album or anything else, use the present tense.

Book Reviews

Discuss an author’s technique, strengths and weaknesses instead of focusing on the plot. Does the story flow? Is there a strong sense of character and place? Did you stay up until dawn to finish it? Is it good reading for teenagers? What influence did it have on you and why? If you’ve read other books by the same author, discuss how this book compares.

Movie Reviews

Think of the major Oscar categories and consider the performances, music, lighting and setting, etc. Do these work together? Did some hold up while others didn’t? If the movie is based on a book, discuss whether one is better than the other and why. If the movie is a remake, compare the film to its original.

Remember that a well-written movie review should discuss strengths and weaknesses. Some readers may not have seen a movie yet, so don’t give away an exciting scene or the ending!

College Reviews

Begin by providing an overview of the college, including location, size and a description of the campus and/or dorm life. Think about all aspects of your college visit. What academic, athletic and after-class programs are available? What are the students like? What makes the college different from others? Every school has strengths and weaknesses. Be objective. Consider what the school has to offer and who might enjoy or benefit the most from attending there.

1.When writing a review, you ________.

A. cannot refer to any previous review

B. must express your own views and opinions

C. must provide some information about the author

D. needn’t give any examples to support your views

2.Which aspects should be included in all three reviews?

A. Strengths and weaknesses.

B. Plot and character.

C. Programs and scenes.

D. Location and description.

3.Where can you probably find the passage?

A. In a personal diary.

B. In an official report.

C. In a tourist guidebook.

D. In a popular magazine.

完形填空,请认真阅读下面短文,从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题纸上将该项涂黑。

Human growth is a process of experimentation, trial, and error eventually leading to wisdom. Each time you choose to trust yourself and take action, you can never quite be certain how the situation will ________.

Sometimes you are victorious, and sometimes you become disappointed. The ________experiments, however, are no less valuable than the experiments that finally prove successful; in fact, you

________learn more from your "failures" than you do from your________. If you have made what you think to be a mistake or failed to live up to your own ________ you will most likely put up a barrier between your essence and the part of you that is the alleged (F 7/?fikJ) wrong-doer.

However, viewing past actions as________implies guilt and blame, and it is not possible to learn anything meaning while you are engaged in blaming. ________forgiveness is required when you are severely judging yourself. Forgiveness is the act of erasing an ________debt. There are four kinds of forgiveness.

The first is beginner forgiveness for yourself.

The second of forgiveness is beginner forgiveness for another.

The third kind of forgiveness is ________ forgiveness of yourself. This is for serious misbehaviors, the ones you carry with deep ________. When you do something that violates your own values and principles, you create a gap between your standards and your actual _______.

In such a case, you need to work very hard at________ yourself for these deeds so that you can close this gap. This does not ________ that you should rush to forgive yourself or shouldn't feel regret, ________taking pleasure in these feelings for a prolonged period of time is not healthy.

The ________and perhaps most difficult one is the advanced forgiveness of another.

At some time of our life, you may have been severely wronged or hurt by another person to such a degree that forgiveness seems________.However, harboring anger and revenge fantasies only keeps you ________ in victimhood. Under such a circumstance, you should force yourself to see the bigger picture. By so doing, you will be able to ________ the focus away from the anger and resentment.

It is only through forgiveness that you can erase wrongdoing and ________the memory. When you can ________ release the situation, you may come to see it as a necessary part of your growth.

1.A. turn out B. turn up C. break up D. break out

2.A. important B. engaged C. failed D. successful

3.A. obviously B. necessarily C. continuously D. usually

4.A. success B. failure C. fault D. benefit

5.A. ability B. expectations C. belief D. experiences

6.A. mistakes B. victories C. experiments D. fantasies

7.A. Still B. Therefore C. Instead D. However

8.A. absurd B. original C. emotional D. unusual

9.A. ordinary B. advanced C. alternative D. certain

10.A. wisdom B. mercy C. injury D. shame

11.A. thought B. approach C. behavior D. purpose

12.A. punishing B. forgiving C. blaming D. praising

13.A. mean B. prove C. reflect D. represent

14.A. and B. or C. but D. so

15.A. uncertain B. premier C. next D. last

16.A. essential B. valuable C. impossible D. unavoidable

17.A.trapped B. located C. lost D. occupied

18.A. drive B. drag C. put D. shift

19.A. keep B. refresh C. weaken D. clean

20.A. naturally B. finally C. definitely D. initially

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。

Michael’s birthday was coming soon, so he asked his dad for a bicycle so that he wouldn’t have to walk to school anymore. 1. Michael got a book instead but he did not complain ( 抱怨 ).

One bright and sunny day while Michael was walking past a bookstore on his way to school, he saw a big boy on a bike. The bike was too small for the boy. 2.

The boy was a student in Michael’ s school. Michael recognized him. The boy’s name was William. His leg seemed to have broken. Michael picked up William’s bike which was not damaged and rode to the nearby hospital to get help. 3. Michael rode William’ s bike to school so he would not be late for class.

After school, Michael quickly rode the bicycle to William’ s house with a book for him. 4. But he had to put some medicine on his leg and stay in bed for some time.

To Michael’ s surprise, William was getting a new bike for his birthday in two months so he let Michael have his old bike. Michael was overjoyed(喜出望外).

5. . Michael visited William every day until Williams’s leg was better.

A. Luckily, William was not seriously hurt.

B. Michael found it interesting and couldn’t help laughing.

C. From then on, Michael and William became good friends

D. William gave his new bike to Michael to show his thanks.

E. However, Michael’ s dad had lost his job and did not have much money.

F. As the boy was turning around a corner, the bike crashed into a tree.

G. A few minutes later, an ambulance (救护车) came and took William to the hospital.

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