三、說明文

本刊試題研究中心

Task 1

Jeremiah Thoronka was born in the fighting of the Sierra Leone civil war and grew up in the gutter (貧民窟) in the suburbs of the capital Freetown, having to burn wood for lighting and heating.Jeremiah saw with his own eyes how like himself, in addition to the smog making breathing problems common, his young contemporaries fell behind in their schoolwork because of a lack of decent lighting.

Energy poverty is a major issue in Sierra Leone—with just 26% of the population having access to electricity.In rural parts of the country,only 6% of people have electricity access,most of whom turn to solar lanterns and dry-cell batteries.As a result,it's led to the destruction of forests as people cut down trees for firewood, which leaves Sierra Leone highly sensitive to extreme events like floods and landslides.Families'reliance on firewood also leads to frequent house fires.

These life-threatening disadvantages and hardships fuelled Jeremiah's passion for renewable energy and climate change advocacy.At 17,when studying at the African Leadership University in Rwanda, he launched a start-up called Optim Energy that transforms vibrations (震動) from vehicles and footfall on roads into an electric current.It is different from established renewable energy sources including wind or solar because it generates power without relying on changeable weather.

Optim Energy ran a successful pilot program in Jeremiah's neighbourhoods, Makawo in the northern part of Sierra Leone and Kuntoluh east of Freetown.With just two devices,the start-up provided free electricity for 150 households comprising around 1,500 citizens,as well as 15 schools where more than 9,000 students attend.

Jeremiah is currently developing plans to expand into the healthcare field, which needs power to cool medicines and create enough light for treating patients after dark.

1.What affected Jeremiah's academic performance?

A.The war.B.The smog.

C.The poor lighting.D.The breathing problem.

2.What can we learn about energy poverty from paragraph 2?

A.It is caused by solar lanterns and dry-cell batteries.

B.It has a worse impact on the city area.

C.It brings about the destruction of forests.

D.It increases the risk of forest fires.

3.What is special about Optim Energy?

A.It draws on vibrations to make electricity.

B.It upgrades the use of solar energy.

C.It runs a pilot program throughout the city.

D.It helps 9,000 students return to school.

4.What message does the text want to convey?

A.Electricity is the lifeblood of the city.

B.Whoever is happy will make others happy too.

C.Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.

D.Even if we are all in the gutter,some are making it better.

Task 2

Anyone can be late a handful of times, but to be the person who is always late—that's an art,a frustrating art,or a side effect of your personality traits,scientists have found.

So what is it that causes some people to constantly miss trains,make it to the wedding just after the bride's shown up and regularly annoy their friends? And why is it so hard for us to fix it?“There are all sorts of punishments for being late, and the paradox is that we are late even when those punishments and consequences exist,”said Justin Kruger, a social psychologist at New York University.

One of the commonest reasons why people are frequently late is that they fail to accurately judge how long a task will take—something known as the planning fallacy (謬誤).Research has shown that people on average underestimate the time to complete a task by a significant 40 percent.

Another trait is that forever-late-comers are more likely to be multitaskers.In a 2003 study run by Jeff Conte from San Diego State University found that out of 181 subway operators in New York City, those who preferred multitasking were more often late for their job.This is because multitasking makes it harder to have the awareness of what you're doing.Conte also discovered there is a personality type that's more likely to be late.While highly strung (緊張不安的), achievement-oriented Type A individuals are more possible to be punctual.Type B individuals, however, who are more laid-back (松弛的), have a higher chance to be late.

Admittedly,knowing all of this doesn't necessarily help fix the problem.But scientists are starting to work on strategies that can slowly improve our punctuality.For people who constantly underestimate tasks, breaking down an activity into detailed steps can help people estimate how long something will take more accurately.As for your personality type,unfortunately, there isn't much you can do to change that.But accepting that you need to struggle for it may just help.Acceptance,after all,is the first step to change.

1.What does the underlined word“paradox”mean in paragraph 2?

A.Strategy.B.Argument.C.Solution.D.Puzzle.

2.What is a possible feature of forever-late-comers?

A.They plan to spend more time on a task.

B.They tackle more than one task at a time.

C.They suffer from concentration difficulties.

D.They have high expectations for achievements.

3.Which advice can be given to people who are always late?

A.Learn to accept who they are.B.Change their personality type.

C.Divide a task into smaller ones.D.Keep to the timetable accurately.

4.What is the main idea of the text?

A.Time management contributes to success.

B.Late comers should be severely punished.

C.One's always being late is linked to personality.

D.Changing personality helps improve punctuality.

Task 3

Many of us spend part of each day surrounded by strangers,whether on our daily commute (上下班往返), or sitting in a park or a cafe.But most of them remain just that—strangers.However, new evidence has shown that plucking up (鼓起) the courage to strike up conversation might be good for our health.

Nicholas Epley from the University of Chicago and Juliana Schroeder from the University of California are behavioral scientists.They wanted to know whether solitude is a more positive experience than interacting with strangers, or if people misunderstand the consequences of distant social connections.They found that many people feel uncomfortable and frightened talking to others and their research suggested that when we make an initial conversation, we consistently underestimate how much a new person likes us.It seems that we think all the things could go wrong and why someone wouldn't want to talk with us.

Their research involved an experiment with a group of Chicago commuters and found that“every participant in our experiment who actually tried to talk to a stranger found the person sitting next to them was happy to chat”.From this and other research, the conclusion is that connecting with strangers is surprisingly pleasant and it has a positive impact on our well-being.It's true that talking can make you feel happier and happiness can lead to better mental health.

However, if you're an introvert (性格內向者）, the thought of speaking to someone new might make you anxious.But the American research found“both extroverts(性格外向者)and introverts are happier when they are asked to behave in an extroverted manner”.So maybe,if you're a loner,it's time to come out of your shell and make some small talk with a stranger—it could be the beginning of a new friendship.

1.What does the underlined word“solitude”in paragraph 2 mean?

A.Being calm.B.Being pleasant.

C.Being alone.D.Being healthy.

2.Why might we be unwilling to speak to a stranger?

A.We don't trust a new person.

B.We can't find a common topic.

C.We like distant social connections.

D.We feel the stranger may dislike us.

3.What could help start a new friendship?

A.Making small talk.B.Sitting next to a stranger.

C.Sharing personal details.D.Behaving in a polite manner.

4.Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A.How to be an extrovert B.Talking to strangers

C.How to speak to strangers D.Making new friends

Task 4

Just like happiness and sadness, anxiety is part of everyone's experience—but it's not always tolerated as such.“People often spend too much time and effort trying to rid anxiety of themselves,”says Dr Joel Minden, a clinical psychologist.“I encourage them to remember that anxiety is a normal emotional response.”

If you try to banish anxiety, all you're doing is putting it more at the forefront of your mind.But if you accept anxiety as part of life, you can learn to relate to it with self-pity or even with humour.This is a cornerstone of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT),which has been gaining clinical validation, including by the American Psychological Association.ACT guides people to see their unpleasant emotions as just feelings and to accept that parts of life are hard.Sufferers are encouraged to begin a dialogue with anxious thoughts, examining their causes while also keeping in mind their personal goals and values.

This way of relating to anxiety has been a powerful strategy for John Bateman, the 52-year-old host of the podcastOur Anxiety Stories.When negative thoughts arise, he acknowledges them but doesn't let them drive his decisions.Over the years, Bateman has noticed that if he submits to his thoughts, they don't go away but dramatically increase.But if he recognizes them for what they are, just a passing thought and not a fact that needs to be acted on,they gradually go away.

Learning to live with anxiety is an individual process and one that requires trial and error to get just right.While acceptance is the first and most important step to take, some lifestyle changes have been proven to take the edge off anxiety,as well.Since tiredness,increased tension and stress leave us much easier to fall into anxiety, a well-balanced diet,sufficient rest and,especially,regular exercise can help us manage it better.

1.What may Dr Joel Minden agree about anxiety?

A.It goes hand in hand with joy.B.It should be seriously taken.

C.It is easily-earned experience.D.It is often improperly treated.

2.What can explain the underlined word“banish”in paragraph 2?

A.Ignore.B.Focus on.C.Recognize.D.Drive away.

3.Why does the author mention John Bateman in paragraph 3?

A.To explain a strategy.B.To describe a phenomenon.

C.To present a successful case.D.To introduce a public figure.

4.What is advised to deal with anxiety in the last paragraph?

A.Concentrating on the process.B.Making lifestyle adjustments.

C.Avoiding exposure to pressure.D.Learning to get things in place.

Task 5

When put to tests,bees have long proved that they've got a lot more to offer than pollinating (授粉), making honey and being loyal to a queen.The hard-working insects can change their behavior when things seem difficult, and now some scientists find there is proof that they also like to play.

Scientists from Queen Mary University of London performed an experiment, in which they set up a container that allowed bees to travel from their nest to a feeding area.But along the way, the bees could choose to pass through a separate section with some small wooden balls.Over 18 days,the scientists watched as the bees“went out of their way to roll wooden balls repeatedly,despite no apparent incentive(刺激)to do so”.

Earlier studies have shown that the black and yellow bugs are willing to learn new tricks in exchange for food or other rewards.In this case,to get rid of external factors,scientists made sure the bees had adapted to their new home and that their environment was stress-free.

The finding suggests that like humans, insects also interact with objects as a form of play.Also similar to people, younger bees seem to be more playful than adult bees.“This research provides a strong indication that insect minds are far more complicated than we imagine.There are lots of animals who play just for the purpose of enjoyment, but most examples come from young mammals (哺乳動物)and birds,”said Lars Chittka,a professor of sensory and behavioral ecology at Queen Mary University of London,who led the study.

The study's first author, Samadi Galpay, who is a PhD student at Queen Mary University of London, states that it is more evident that bees may be capable of experiencing feelings.“They may actually experience some kind of positive emotional states, even if basic, like other larger animals do.This finding has effects on our understanding of the sense and welfare of insects, which, consequently, encourages us to respect and protect wildlife on Earth ever more,”she says.

1.What is the new finding about bees?

A.They are fond of having fun.B.They are faithful to the queen.

C.They are adaptable to changes.D.They are skilled at rolling balls.

2.How did scientists remove external influences in the experiment?

A.By teaching bees new tricks.B.By rewarding bees with food.

C.By making bees feel at home.D.By building new homes for bees.

3.What are Lars Chittka's words mainly about?

A.The forms of bees'interaction.

B.The complexity of bees'minds.

C.The examples of mammals'play.

D.The purpose of mammals'enjoyment.

4.What does Samadi Galpay say about the study result?

A.It backs up prior understanding of insects.

B.It reveals reasons for bees'positive feelings.

C.It drives research on animals'emotional state.

D.It contributes to wildlife conservation on Earth.