Money is the root of all evil and new study claims there may be some truth behind the saying. Scientists at the University of California. Berkeley, US,announced on February 27 that rich people are more likely to do unethical (不道德的)things, such as lie or cheat,than poorer people.

The scientists did a series of eight experiments. They published their findings online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS,《美国国家科学院院刊》).

They carried out the first two experiments from the sidewalk near Berkeley. They noted that drivers of newer and more expensive cars were more likely to cut off other cars and pedestrians at crosswalks. Nearly 45 percent of people driving expensive cars ignored a pedestrian compared with only 30 percent of people driving more modest (不豪华的)cars.

In another experiment,a group of college students was asked if they would do unethical things in various everyday situations. Examples included taking printer paper from work and not telling a salesperson when he or she gave back more change. Students from higher-class families were more likely to act dishonestly.

According to the scientists,rich people often think money can get them out of trouble. This makes them less afraid to take risks. It also means they care less about other people’s feelings.

Finally,it simply makes them greedier. “Higher wealth status seems to make you want even more,and that increased want leads you to bend the rules or break the rules to serve your self-interest,’’said Paul Piif, lead scientist of the study.

Piff pointed out that the findings don’t mean that all rich people are untrustworthy(不能信赖的)or all poor people honest. He said the experiments were to show how people living in different social situations express their instincts and values in different ways.

1.By saying “money is the root of all evil”,the author wants to___________.

A. draw readers’ attention to the research

B. link wealth with bad behavior

C. show how the saying proves the findings

D. defend rich people who do unethical things

2.Which of the following is TRUE about the experiments the scientists did,according to the scientist quoted?

A. Most wealthy people are not trustworthy.

B. The findings were not persuasive enough and the scientists will do further experiments.

C. Drivers of more expensive cars are more likely to break traffic rules.

D. Students from poorer families are not as honest as students from richer families.

3.Why did the scientists do the experiments?

A. To show how social status affects people's ethics.

B. To show people’s instincts and values in different ways.

C. To test whether the saying “money is the root of all evil” is true.

D. To show the difference between higher-class people and lower-class people.

4.What does the article really want to show us?

A. Money is the root of all evil.

B. The rich are more likely to act badly.

C. The saying is reasonable.

D. All rich people are untrustworthy.

Eight Things a Burglar Won’t Tell You

Should you spend your money on a home security system? A look inside a burglar’s mind might help you decide.

1.Of course I look familiar.I was here just last week cleaning your carpets,painting your shutters,or delivering your new refrigerator.

2.Hey,thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week.While I was in your home,I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.

3.To you,leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air.To me,it’s an invitation which I am more than happy to accept.

4.If it snows while you’re out of town,get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house,or it will be a dead giveaway.By the way,loud dogs and nosy neighbors are the two things I hate most.

5.It’s raining.You’re fumbling with your umbrella,and you forget to lock your door---understandable.But understand this: I don’t take a day off because of bad weather.

6.Do you really think I won’t look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers,the bedside table,and the medicine cabinet.Here’s a helpful hint: I almost never go into kids’ rooms.

7.You’re right: I won’t have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables.But if it’s not fastened,I’ll take it with me.

8.Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook.com page.It’s easier than you think to look up your address.

1.Money and valuables might be the safest if kept in your______.

A. kids’ room

B. sock drawer

C. medicine cabinet

D. safe

2.The underlined words “a dead giveaway” here may probably be something that______.

A. throws away useless things at home

B. warns a burglar that someone is dead

C. tells a burglar the truth

D. frightens a burglar away

3.We can draw a conclusion from the text that______.

A. burglars seldom steal in bad weather

B. if you do housework yourself,you’ll stay away from burglars

C. you yourself are sometimes to blame for a theft

D. you can always count on your neighbors when you are out

4.The main purpose of the article is to _____.

A. summarize when burglars steal most frequently

B. encourage people to spend money on home security systems

C. explain why burglars take up stealing

D. teach people how to protect their homes

完形填空

When most people travel, they pick up all sorts of things: souvenirs, T-shirts, postcards and so on. However, Harry Loomer is .When he travels, he leaves something behind, something of lasting value — his

Harry began donating blood at a college blood drive four decades ago. Since then, he has donated his blood .Not once or twice a year, but every 56 days — as often as the law .Even though he is now retired and .extensively, it has not slowed him down at all.

For people who need blood,Harry is a/an .Since up to four people can _ from a single pint of blood, Harry Loomer, with a donation of 480 pints of blood, has played a big role in helping save hundreds of lives.

Connie Smith also gives blood regularly. She knows that donating blood requires little work and almost no while helping to save a life.“People need to know how vital it is to have blood on hand,” she says.“There is absolutely no for it.”

Connie is participating in a Red Cross programme designed to pair closely _ donors with people who need blood regularly because of long-term .She is paired with a child who needs a pint of blood every two weeks.To ensure an adequate _ for this young patient,Connie and another donor donate their blood every 56 days.

“It’s not always ,” Connie admits,“but it’s more than worth it to know that I’m helping that precious child. I’m sure if other people know how vital blood donations are,they would be to sacrifice too.”

1.A. unlucky B. strange C. different D. brave

2.A. help B. blood C. money D. smile

3.A. regularly B. monthly C. occasionally D. gradually

4.A. suggests B. allows C. requires D. believes

5.A. drives B. travels C. exercises D. researches

6.A. doctor B. father C. example D. hero

7.A. benefit B. suffer C. choose D. start

8.A. surprising B. fair C. generous D. reasonable

9.A. condition B. courage C. pain D. time

10.A. substitute B. access C. place D. reward

11.A. matched B. balanced C. linked D. involved

12.A. developments B. illnesses C. tests D. processes

13.A. support B. application C. supply D. attention

14.A. necessary B. helpful C. effective D. convenient

15.A. excited B. willing C. lucky D. able

Writing one or two articles a day is a fair goal for a human writer. By contrast, the Wordsmith platform can produce up to 2,000 articles a second! Wordsmith is one example of natural language-generation software, often referred to as a robot journalist. To be fair, the software doesn’t start from the beginning, like a human writer might. Instead, the software takes a set of structured data and transforms it into readable text.

Natural language-generation software, such as Wordsmith and Quill, does its work by identifying trends and highlights in sets of data. The software then searches its own dictionary for the words to express its findings.

Why keep human writers around

Although this type of software writes faster than any human, it requires sets of structured data to work. That’s why it’s especially useful for writing earnings reports and other types of “dry” writing. Humans, on the other hand, are good at turning their unstructured thoughts directly into prose. The reports produced by Wordsmith and Quill read naturally, and they can match the tone of human writers. But for now, the robot journalists probably won’t steal many jobs or win any Pulitzer Prizes!(普利策奖)

Current applications of natural language-generation software

Financial reports: The software is commonly used by banks or traders to analyze large amounts of financial data and then produce reports in plain English.

Health and fitness: The software can turn data gathered from wearable devices or fitness trackers into personalized reports. The writing tone can even be adjusted to sound more encouraging!

Sports reporting: The software is often used to turn real baseball, basketball and football statistics into exciting stories.

1.What does natural Language-generation software refer to?

A. The Wordsmith platform.

B. A robot journalist.

C. A special dictionary.

D. Articles written by computer.

2.Natural language-generation software can_________.

A. discover the world’s focuses through the Internet

B. write well enough to win Pulitzer Prizes

C. produce articles in a tone similar to human’s

D. write such beautiful prose as human writers

3.We can learn from the passage that natural Language-generation software ________.

A. has taken the place of human writers currently

B. is only able to turn structured data into dry reports

C. is widely used in all the fields

D. works properly only with the help of sets of structured data

4.Nowadays Natural language-generation software is seldom used by_________.

A. schools B. banks

C. hospitals D. newspapers

Can you imagine a world without the Internet? It’s surprising to think about it.

Now, China has more than 162 million Internet users, according to the China Internet Network Information Centre. This is the second highest number of user in the world after the United States. Today, 66%of Chinese “netizens (网民)” are teenagers. “They spend about thirteen hours every week online,” said Qian Hulin, an Internet expert(专家). Doctor Song in Beijing Xuanwu Hospital said about 14% of Chinese netizens who are teens often lasted over ten hours to play online games.

The main reasons why teenagers surf the Web are to search for information, to communicate with others and to have fun. On the Internet, teenagers can find out almost anything. And surfing the Web can help students with their homework and widen their knowledge.

Li Dong, a teacher at No. 41 Middle School in Shijiazhuang, likes her students to use the Internet. “When we talk in class, students who surf the Net usually know more background information than the others,” she said.

In addition, people can use the Internet to write letters or stories and send emails. Many teens keep in touch with their friends online. It is cheaper than phoning somebody far away and also much quicker.

1._______ has the most Internet users in the world according to the article.

A. China B. America C. Canada D. Russia

2.There are about _______ Chinese netizens to surf about 13 hours every week.

A.107 million old B. 22.7 million old

C. 107 million young D. 22.7 million young

3.Song said some teenagers continued _______ more than ten hours.

A. playing online games

B. searching for information

C. chatting with their friends

D. sending emails to others

4. Li Dong in No. 41 Middle School likes her students to use the Internet because she ______.

A. thinks surfing the net can help students spend less time on homework

B. thinks her students can get more background information than the others

C. wants her students to talk to her about their hobbies and interests

D. wants to know what her students do and think about at home

5.Which way is the cheapest and quickest to learn something about friends far away?

A. Giving them a call.

B. Going to see them.

C. Writing a letter to them.

D. Sending emails to them.

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