Ask Dr? Jeffers | This month Dr. Jeffers is answering questions about the human brain and how it works. |
Dear Dr. Jeffers, One of my colleagues, Felix Moeller, told me that scientists are learning to use computer to "read minds". Is there any truth to this story/ -Jane Leon, New York, USA Dear Ms. Leon, Well, a lot of research is being conducted in this area, but so far, the brain scanning equipment and corresponding computer programs haven"t been able to actually read thoughts. In one experiment, test subjects (受试者) were connected to scanning equipment and shown two numbers on a screen. They were then asked to choose between adding or subtracting (减) the two numbers. Using this method, researchers were able to follow brain processes and make the correct assumptions (假设) 70 percent of the time. It"s not quite mind reading, but it"s certainly a first step. -Dr. J. | |
Dear Dr. Jeffers, My three-year-old son loves it when I dig my fingers into his sides and tickle (胳肢) him until he laughs uncontrollably. The other day I noticed him trying to tickle himself but he couldn"t do it. Why not? -Glenn Lewis, Vancouver, Canada Dear Mr. Lewis, It"s because of how the brain works. The brain is trained to know what to pay attention to and what to ignore. It causes us to ignore physical feelings we expect to happen, but it causes a mild panic reaction when there is an unexpected feeling. For example, you don"t notice how your shoulder feels while you"re walking down the street. But if someone comes up behind you and touches you lightly on the shoulder, you may jump in fear. It"s that unexpected part that causes the tickle reaction. -Dr. J. | |
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阅读理解。 | |
Stop Spam When I first got an e-mail account ten years ago, I received communications only from family, friends, and colleagues. Now it seems that every time I check my e-mail, I have an endless series of advertisements and other correspondence that do not interest me at all. If we want e-mail to continue to be useful, we need specific laws that make spamming (发送垃圾邮件) a crime. If lawmakers do not do something soon to prohibit spam, the problem will certainly get much worse. Computer programs allow spammers to send hundreds of millions of e-mails almost instantly. As more and more advertisers turn to spam to sell their products, individual (个人的) e-mail boxes are often flooded with spam e-mails. Would people continue to use e-mail if they had to deal with an annoying amount of spam each time? This problem is troubling for individuals and companies as well. Many spam e-mails contain computer viruses that can shut down the entire network of a company. Companies rely on e-mail for their employees to communicate with each other. Spam frequently causes failures in their local communications networks, and their employees are thus unable to communicate effectively. Such a situation results in a loss of productivity and requires companies to repeatedly repair their networks. These computer problems raise production costs of companies, which are, in the end, passes on to the consumer. For these reasons, I believe that lawmakers need to legislate (立法) against spam. Spammers should be fined, and perhaps sent to prison if they continue to disturb people. E-mail is a tool which helps people all over the world to communicate conveniently, but spam is destroying this convenience. | |
1. What does the underlined word "correspondence" in the Paragraph 1 probably mean? | |
A. messages B. ideas C. connections D. programs | |
2. According to the text, what is the major cause of the flooding spam? | |
A. Companies rely on e-mail for communications. B. More people in the world communicate by e-mail. C. Many computer viruses contain spam e-mail. D. More advertisers begin to promote sales through spam. | |
3. According to Paragraph 3, who is the final victim of spam? | |
A. The business B. The advertiser C. The employee D. The consumer | |
4. What is the purpose of the text? | |
A. To inform B. To educate C. To persuade D. To instruct | |
阅读理解。 | |
For centuries, the only form of written correspondence (通信) was the letters were, and are, sent by some form of postal service, the history of which goes back a long way. Indeed, the Egyptians began sending letters from about 2000 BC, as did the Chinese a thousand years later. Of course, modern postal service now are march more developed and faster. depending as they do on cars and planes fore delivery. Yet they are still too slow for some people to send urgent documents (紧急 文件) and letters. The invention of the fax (传真) machine increased the speed of delivering documents even more. When you send a fax you are sending a copy of a piece of correspondence to someone by telephone service. It was not until the early 1980s that such a service was developed enough for businesses to be able to fax documents to each other. The fax service is still very much in use when copies of documents require to be sent, but, as a way of fast correspondence, it has been largely taken the place of by email. Email is used to describe messages sent form one computer user to another. There are advantages and disadvantages with emails. If you send some one an email,then he will receive it extremely quickly. Normal postal services are rather slow as far as speed of delivery is concerned. However, if you write something by email, which you might later regret, and send it immediately, there is no chance for second thoughts. At least, if you are have to address and seal (封) the envelope and take it to the post box. There is plenty of time to change your mind. The message is think before you email! | |
1. We can learn from the text that _____. | |
A. email is less popular than the fax service B. the postal service has over the years become faster C. the postal service has over the years become slower D. the fax service has a history as long as the postal service does | |
2. It can be inferred from the text that _____. | |
A. the fax service had been fully developed by the 1980s B. letters have been used in China for about 1,000 years C. the fax machine was invented after the 1980s D. letters have been used in Egypt for about 2,000 years | |
3. In the last paragraph, the write mentions "think before you email" to show that _____. | |
A. you may regret if you don "t seal your envelope B. you may regret before you send something by email C. you"d better not send your email in a hurry D. you need plenty of time to send an email | |
4. The text mainly deals with _____. | |
A. the progress in correspondence B. the advantage of fax machines C. the advantage of emails D. the invention of fax machines | |
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If you"re like most students, you probably read both at home and outside your home: perhaps somewhere | |
1. The author believes that the right reading environment _____. | |
A. helps readers a little in their reading tasks B. helps readers a lot in their readers a lot in their reading tasks C. can only be created at one"s home D. can only be created outside one"s home | |
2. Which type of the following interruptions is mentioned in the text? | |
A. Dictionaries B. Paper C. Phone calls D. Notebooks | |
3. What would be the best title for the text? | |
A. How to read fast B. Creating an Effective Reading Environment C. The Ways to Reduce Possible Interruptions D. What to Read | |
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When a Swedish ship that sank in 1628 was recovered from the port of Stockholm, historians and scientists were overjoyed with the chance to examine the remains of the past. The ship construction showed how ships were built and operated during the seventeenth century. In this way, artifacts, objects made by human beings, provided a picture of daily life almost 400 years ago. Underwaterarchaeology-the study of ships, aircraft and human settlements that have sunk under large bodies of water-is really a product of the last 50 years. The rapid growth of this new area of study has occurred because of the invention of better diving equipment.Besides the Swedish ship wreck (残骸), underwater archaeologists have made more exciting discoveries such as the 5000-year-old boats in the Mediterranean Sea. Underwater archaeology can provide facts abut the past. In ancient ports all over the world are ships sunken in the past 6,000 years. There are also sunken settlements in seas and lakes telling of peoples way of life and their systems of trade in ancient times. Underwater archaeologists want to study these objects to add to the world"s knowledge of history, but they have to fight two enemies. One enemy is treasure hunters who dive for ancient artifacts that they can sell to collectors. Once sold, these objects are lost to experts. The second enemy is dredging machines (挖掘机) often used to repair ports. These machines destroy wrecks and artifacts or bury them deeper under sand and mud. By teaching the public about the importance of underwater "museums" of the past, archaeologists are hoping to get support for laws to protect underwater treasures. | |
1. What purpose does Paragraph 1 serve in the passage? | |
A. To provide background information of the topic B. To attract readers" attention to the topic C. To use an example to support the topic D. To offer basic knowledge of the topic | |
2. The aim of underwater archaeology is to _____. | |
A. exploit water bodies B. search for underwater life C. study underwater artifacts D. examine underwater environment | |
3. Underwater archaeologists are worried because _____. | |
A. sea hunters have better diving equipment B. their knowledge of world history is limited C. dredging machines cause damage to the ports D. sold artifacts can hardly be regained for research | |
4. What is the main purpose of the passage? | |
A. To introduce a young branch of learning. B. To discuss the scientists" problems. C. To explain people"s way of life in the past. D. To describe the sunken ships. | |
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How can a creature weighing over 5 tons and normally taking 150 kilograms of food and 120 liters of water per day survive in a desert environment? In the southwest African country of Namibia, and the Sahara lands of Mali further north, the desert elephant does just that. Although not regarded as a separate species from the African elephant, the desert cousin differs in many ways. Their bodies are smaller, to absorb less heat, and their feet are larger for easier walking across sandy surfaces, They are taller, to reach higher branches. They have shorter tusks (象牙), and most importantly, longer trunks to dig for water in riverbeds. Desert elephants can travel over 70 kilometers in search for feeding grounds and waterholes, and have a larger group of families. They drink only every 3-4 days, and can store water in a "bag" at the back of their throat, which is only used when badly needed. Desert elephants are careful feeders-they seldom root up trees and break fewer branches, and thus maintain what little food sources are available. Young elephants may even eat the dung (粪便) of the female leader of a group when facing food shortage. During drought they are unlikely to give birth to their young but with good rains the birthrate will increase greatly. Desert elephants have sand baths, sometimes adding their own urine (尿液) to make them muddy! As we continue to overheat our weak planet, it can only be hoped that other animal species will adapt as extraordinarily well to change as the desert elephant. | |
1. The underlined part in Paragraph 2 means"_____ ". | |
A. remains in the African countries B. drinks 120 liters of water a day C. manages to live in desert areas D. eats 150 kilograms of food daily | |
2. Desert elephants are called careful feeders because they _____. | |
A. rarely ruin trees B. drink only every 3-4 days C. search for food in large groups D. protect food sources for their young | |
3. The author answers the question raised in the first paragraph with _____. | |
A. stories and explanation B. facts and descriptions C. examples and conclusion D. evidence and argument | |
4. What can be inferred from the last sentence in the passage? | |
A. Overheating the earth can be stopped. B. Not all animal species are so adaptable. C. The planet will become hotter and hotter. D. Not all animals are as smart as desert elephants. |