Part III 阅读理解

Passage One

What did you study at university? If it was something along the lines of law or business, you might want to look away now. That's because according to new research, which has foundalink between our university subjects and our personalities, you have selfish, uncooperative tendencies and are not very in touch with your feelings.

On the plus side, you're probably the life and soul ofaparty, the findings suggest. Researchers analyzed data from more than 13,000 university students who were involved in 12 separate studies. From this, they discoveredacorrelation between the "Big Five" major personality traits and the subjects they were enrolled on.

For example, those studying law, economics, political science and medicine tended to be much more outgoing than those taking other subjects, the study found. But when it came to "agreeableness"—the tendency towards being helpful, generous and considerate—the lawyers scored particularly low, as did business and economics students.

Arts and humanities students, as well as those studying psychology and politics scored highly for openness, meaning they were curious, imaginative and in touch with their inner feelings, while economists, engineers, lawyers and scientists scored comparatively low. However, the arts and humanities students also tended to be less conscientious and more nervous, typically exhibiting signs of anxiety and moodiness.

Psychology students were not far behind arts and humanities students for these traits. Study author Anna Vedel, from the University of Aarhus in Denmark, said she was surprised by the results. "The effect sizes show that the differences found are not trivial, far from," she said. "On the more humorous side they do confirm our more or less prejudicial stereotypes of the disturbed psychologist, the withdrawn natural scientist, the cynical economist." And she said that the findings could help those school pupils who currently have no idea what to study at university, as well as helping academics to plan their lectures.

"I'm not arguing that these results should playamajor role in either guidance or selection, but it might provide some inspiration for students that are in doubt about study choices and want to make a choice based on more than abilities, for example," said Dr. Vedel. "Or teachers might better understand their student population."

21. The first paragraph implies that law or business students may .

    A be amused by the researchB be interested in the researchC dislike the researchD enjoy the research

22. According to the research, law students scored particularly low in the trait of .

    A generosityB opennessC anxietyD selfishness

23. The word "conscientious" (Para.4) probably means " " .

    A moodyB sensitiveC curiousD careful

24. Anna Vedel stated that the research .

    A confirmed the link between personality and professionB showed that the differences were far from significantC was not reliable because of its prejudicial observationD did not have enough samples to support its findings

25. According to Ann aVedel, the research may help .

    A students make wise choices in finding jobsB teachers understand their students betterC students make presentations more academicallyD school pupils go to better universities

Passage Two

Alph aGo's victory over Go ( 围棋) champion Lee Se-dol reportedly shocked artificial intelligence experts, who thought such an event was 10 to15 years away. But if the timing wasasurprise, the outcome was not. On the contrary, it was inevitable and entirely foreseeable. Playing complex games is precisely what computers do supremely well.

Just as they beat the world champions at checkers ( 跳棋) and then chess, they were destined to beat the champion at Go. Yet Idon't believe, as some do, that human defeats like this one presage an era of mass unemployment in which awesomely able computers leave most of us with nothing to do.

Advancing technology will profoundly change the nature of high-value human skills and that is threatening, but we aren't doomed. The skills of deep human interaction, the abilities to manage the exchanges that occur only between people, will only become more valuable. Three of these skills stand out: The first, the foundation of the rest, is empathy, which is more than just feeling someone else's pain.

It's the ability to perceive what another person is thinking or feeling, and to respond in an appropriate way. The second is creative problem-solving in groups. Research on group effectiveness shows that the key isn't team cohesion or motivation or even the smartest member's IQ; rather, it's the social sensitivity of the members, their ability to read one another and keep anyone from dominating.

The third critical ability, somewhat surprisingly, is storytelling, which has not traditionally been valued by organizations. Charts, graphs and data analysis will continue to be important, but that's exactly what technology does so well. To change people' s minds or inspire them to act, tell themastory.

These skills, though basic to our humanity, are fundamentally different from the skills that have been the basis of economic progress for most of human history, such as logic, knowledge and analysis, which we learned from textbooks and in classrooms. By contrast, the skills of deep human interaction address the often irrational reality of how human beings behave, and we find them not in textbooks but inside ourselves.

As computers master ever more complexity, that' s where we'll find the source of our continued value.

26. According to the author, Alph aGo's victory .

    A could have happened earlierB came asapleasant surpriseC was an expected resultD was moreamatter of luck

27. The word " presage" (Para.2) is closest in meaning to " ".

    A surviveB sufferC inventD predict

28. What is the author's attitude towards the human future in face of technology?

    A Unclear.B Confused.C Worried.D Optimistic.

29. Which of the following is the most fundamental to human interaction?

    A Social sensitivity of group members to understand each other.B Strong ability to share people's feelings and respond.C Team spirit to make sure that everyone is involved.D Inspirational storytelling to motivate people to act.

30. According to the author, the skills of deep human interaction .

    A are the source of true human values in the futureB can work with knowledge to make the world betterC are similar to the skills of human logic and analysisD can be learned from textbooks and in classrooms

Passage Three

Last year, I went WWOOFing (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) atabeautiful organic farm in La Reunion. With WWOOFing, volunteers exchange their time and work for food and accommodation. I slept inacabin in the woods with hedgehogs (刺猬) digging about in the bushes, all different coloured birds singing in the morning and endless rows of palm trees offering shade from the sun.

For me, one of the best ways to get to knowanew place is to work with the land, live with the locals and share meals together. This is why Iabsolutely love WWOOFing. It has got to be one of the best ways to travel. It isamutually beneficial exchange where everyone involved prioritizes people and environment above profit.

You get the time and space to deepenaconnection with local communities and nature. There isalot to learn and each farm has its own unique way of doing things, depending on the environment, climate and soil. At the farm in La Reunion we planted palm trees to harvest the core of the trunk which can be eaten in salads.

Before staying with the farm Ihad only eaten heart of palm from cans which were nothing in comparison to the real thing, fresh from the ground. When potting up the very beginnings of the palm trees, I felt grateful to be a part of the start of the trees' cycle. I was filled with awe that something so small could grow into something so big and strong.

We also did lots of weeding, which helped me to get to know all kinds of different plants, to be able to identify which ones we could use as herbs/medicine/in salads and which were seen as uneatable. I also got to harvest pineapples and guava fruit (番石榴) to make jams which will be sold at the local market.

Of course, not everyone is able to travel far away into the field. The great thing about the skill-share philosophy behind WWOOFing is that it's something we can all do from our own backyard. The focus shifts from money to how we can best support each other in our communities. A fair exchange can makeabig difference in the world.

31. WWOOFing enables volunteers to .

    A get food and shelter for their workB travel around La Reunion for freeC tell the differences between various birdsD have close contact with wild animals

32. The author found his farm life in La Reunion quite .

    A awfulB rewardingC comfortableD difficult

33. The author did all of the following on the organic farm EXCEPT .

    A removing weedsB planting palm treesC harvesting fruitsD collecting vegetables

34. The philosophy of WWOOFing is to .

    A improve local environmentB make locals live betterC unite different communitiesD advocateafair exchange

35. This passage is mainly about .

    A the development of WWOOFingB a local WWOOFing communityC a charming WWOOFing experienceD the system of WWOOFing

Passage Four

Experts say distracted walking isagrowing problem, as people of all ages become more dependent on electronic devices for personal and professional matters. They also note pedestrian deaths have been rising in recent years. In 2005, 11% of all U.S. deaths involved pedestrians, but that number rose to 15% in 2014.

The rise in deaths coincides with states introducing bills that target pedestrians. Some states, such as Hawaii, Arkansas, Illinois, Nevada and New York, continue to introduce legislation every year. The measure recently introduced by New Jersey assembly woman Pamela Lampitt would ban walking while texting and prohibit pedestrians on public roads from using electronic communication devices unless they are hands-free.

Violators would face fines of up to $50, 15-day imprisonment or both, which is the same penalty as jaywalking (乱穿马路). Half of the fine would be allocated to safety education about the dangers of walking while texting, said Lampitt. Some see the proposal as an unnecessary government overreach, while others say they understand Lampitt's reasoning.

But most agree that people need to be made aware of the issue. "Distracted pedestrians, like distracted drivers, presentapotential danger to themselves and drivers on the road," Lampitt said. "An individual crossing the road distracted by their smartphone presents just as much danger to motorists as someone jaywalking and should be held, at minimum, to the same penalty." The main question raised about the measure, though, is whether it can be enforced consistently by police officers who usually have more pressing matters to deal with.

Some feel that rather than imposinganew law, the state should focus on distracted-walking education. Lampitt said the measure was needed to stop and penalize "risky behavior". She cited aNational Safety Council report that showed distracted-walking incidents involving cellphones accounted for an estimated 11,101 injuries from 2000 to 2011.

The study foundamajority of those injured were female and most were 40 or younger. Talking on the phone was the most prevalent activity at the time of injury, while texting accounted for 12%. Nearly 80% of the injuries occurred as the result ofafall, while 9% occurred from the pedestrian strikingamotionless object.

36. This passage is mainly concerned with .

    A the difficulty in enforcing road regulationsB rising deaths caused by distracted walkingC the dangers of jaywalking on busy streetsD distracted walking involving smartphones

37. The states introducing bills that target pedestrians .

    A have benefited from the billsB find it hard to carry them outC have been promoting the legislationD will have fewer deaths of pedestrians

38. According to the measure proposed by Lampitt, walking while texting would .

    A become illegalB involve safety educationC be blamed publiclyD incurafine of over $50

39. Lampitt reasons that distracted pedestrians are as dangerous as .

    A motoristsB speeding driversC jaywalkersD drunk drivers

40. Which of the following would the author of the passage most probably agree with?

    A Males are more vulnerable to distracted-walking injuries.B Police officers are unhappy with the proposed law.C Safety education is more important than penalty.D Rising distracted-walking incidents call for real attention.

Blog and Comments

The blog and comments are followed by questions or unfinished statements, each with four suggested answers A, B, C and D. Choose the best answer and mark your answer on the Answer Sheet. The saying "Clothes Make the Man" dates back some 400 years and it refers to the fact that when people seeawell-dressed person, they assume that person isaprofessional, capable, and (especially in the old days) rich.

Therefore, you had to dress like how you wanted to be perceived, what you wanted to eventually achieve. Fast forward 400 years, lots of folks still think the same way. But does it really makeadifference? I happen to be one of those who do not put faith in the old saying. I suppose Imight be in the minority but Iamamember of an elite club with the likes of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates in my camp.

Perception is not reality; perception is halfway to discovering reality. Perception is drawn from our own impressions, our own belief systems. Is it powerful and influential? Absolutely! Is it all that it seems? Less often than you think. How many times have you cast an initial judgment only to surprise yourself later and learn how you missed out onagreat opportunity, person or idea?

41. Which of the following might the writer of the passage agree with?

    A Steve Jobs and Bill Gates dress formally.B We should not judgeaperson by his clothing.C It is clothes that make the man.D The well-dressed are more likely to succeed.

42. According to the writer of the passage, perception .

    A might prove wrongB is powerful and reliableC is half realityD might be worthless to us

43. The writer of Commentlseems to .

    A dislike the way Steve Jobs dressed for business occasionsB suggest that business people have no taste in clothingC believe that the well-dressed are the most successfulD think that Steve Jobs' casualness reflected his self-confidence

44. Speaking of Steve Jobs, the writer of Comment 2 .

    A points out that Steve Jobs wasavery aggressive personB suggests that he and Steve Jobs used to be in the same clubC holds the same view as the writer of the passageD thinks Steve Jobs' casualness was carefully thought out

45. When he went to the dinner party in jeans (Comment 3), the philosopher .

    A thought that people liked his clothesB was not aware of how his clothes lookedC felt quite embarrassedD considered himself out of place