It"s a fact that we all dream. Some dreams seem to last for hours, others only for seconds. Some of us have strange dreams, some have interesting dreams, and some of us have unpleasant dreams. Tests in the 1980s showed that these dreams occur within 90-minute cycles, each cycle made up of six stages. In the last stage people experience rapid eye movement, known as REM, and it is in this stage that dreaming takes place. Eighty percent of people who were woken during this sixth stage could easily remember their dreams. On the other hand, when during the first five stages (NREM), only seven percent could describe a dream.
However, of these same people woken during the first five stages, 74% were able to remember thinking activity, although they would not call it a dream. NerysDee, who has written about dreams in a book called "Your Dreams and What They Mean" says: "Perhaps during NREM sleep we are sorting out our outer mundane problems, but in REM sleep we are dealing with inside matters." She also makes the following statement about 90-minute cycle: It may also prove the reason why insomniacs who wake in the middle of the night find it impossible to get to sleep again for at least an hour and a half. In other words, until they have missed out one complete 90-minute sleep period.
小题1:Which of the following statements about dreams is TRUE?| A．Everyone dreams but very few can recall what they dream. | | B．Some people have long dreams and others have very short ones. | | C．People can only remember unpleasant dreams. | | D．More than eighty percent of people can remember their dreams. |
小题2:According to the tests in the 1980s, dreaming takes place______.| A．between each 90-minute cycle | | B．at any time during 90-minute cycles | | C．during the first five stages of 90-minute cycles | | D．in the last stage of 90-minute cycles |
小题3:People woken during REM sleep can______.| A．hardly remember their dreams | | B．easily remember their dreams | | C．only remember their dreams | | D．partly remember their thinking activity |
小题4:"Insomniacs" are persons who______.| A．can always remember their dreams | | B．have trouble getting into sleep at night | | C．experience rapid eye movement | | D．usually wake after each 90-minute sleep period |
|
小题1:B
小题2:D
小题3:B
小题4:B |
试题分析：文章讲述的是有关“梦”的研究。每个人都做梦，有的梦持续时间长，有的却很短。有测试显示，梦每隔90分钟循环一次，一个循环经历六个阶段。人们常说的做梦，发生在第六个阶段。
小题1:根据第一段“It"s a fact that we all dream. Some dreams seem to last for hours, others only for seconds.”可知，有的梦持续很长时间，有的却很短暂。故选B。
小题2:根据第一段“these dreams occur within 90-minute cycles, each cycle made up of six stages. In the last stage people experience rapid eye movement, known as REM, and it is in this stage that dreaming takes place.”可知，梦以90分钟为一个循环，每个循环分为六个阶段，做梦发生在第六个阶段，故选D。
小题3:根据第一段“In the last stage people experience rapid eye movement, known as REM, ...Eighty percent of people who were woken during this sixth stage could easily remember their dreams.”可知，在第六阶段即快速眼动阶段醒来的话，很容易记得梦境，故选B。
小题4:根据“who wake in the middle of the night find it impossible to get to sleep again for at least an hour and a half.”可知，划线词指的是夜里醒来以后很难再次入睡，这个状态持续一个半小时，故选B。 |
核心考点
试题【It"s a fact that we all dream. Some dreams seem to last for hours, others only f】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
Most parents, I suppose, have had the experience of reading a bedtime story to their children. And they must have how difficult it is to write a children"s book. Either the author has aimed too . , so that the children can"t follow what is in his (or more often, her) story, the story seems to be talking to the readers.
The best children"s books are very difficult nor very simple, and satisfy both the who hears the story and the adult who it. Unfortunately, there are in fact books like this, the problem of finding the right bedtime story is not to solve.
This may be why many of books regarded as of children"s literature were in fact written for . “Alice"s Adventure in Wonderland” is perhaps the most of this.
Children, left for themselves, often the worst possible interest in literature. Just leave a child in bookshop or and he will more willingly choose the books in an imaginative way, or have a look at most children"s comics ( 连环画 ), full of the stories and jokes to which both teachers and right-thinking parents .
Perhaps we parents should stop trying to persuade children into our taste in literature. After all children and adults are so that we parents should not expect that they will enjoy the books. So I suppose we"ll just have to compromise（妥协） over that bedtime story.
| 小题1: | | A．hoped | B．realized | C．told | D．said |
|
| 小题3: | | A．easy | B．short | C．high | D．difficult |
|
| 小题5: | | A．both | B．neither | C．either | D．very |
|
| 小题6: | | A．child | B．father | C．mother | D．teacher |
|
| 小题7: | | A．hears | B．buys | C．understands | D．reads |
|
| 小题8: | | A．few | B．many | C．little | D．much |
|
| 小题9: | | A．but | B．however | C．so | D．because |
|
| 小题10: | | A．hard | B．easy | C．enough | D．fast |
|
| 小题11: | | A．articles | B．work | C．arts | D．works |
|
| 小题12: | | A．adults | B．girls | C．boys | D．children |
|
| 小题13: | | A．difficult | B．hidden | C．obvious | D．easy |
|
| 小题15: | | A．library | B．school | C．home | D．office |
|
| 小题16: | | A．read | B．designed | C．printed | D．written |
|
| 小题17: | | A．favor | B．interest | C．object | D．read |
|
| 小题18: | | A．receiving | B．accepting | C．having | D．refusing |
|
| 小题19: | | A．same | B．friendly | C．different | D．common |
|
| 小题20: | | A．common | B．average | C．different | D．same |
|
|
A device that stops drivers from falling asleep at the wheel is about to undergo(接受) testing at Department of Transport laboratories and could go on sale within 12 months.
The system, called driver Alert, aims to reduce deadly road accidents by 20%--40% that are caused by tiredness. Airline pilots can also use it to reduce the 30% of all pilot-error accidents that are related to fatigue（疲劳）.
Driver Alert is based on a computerized wristband. The device, worn by drivers or pilots gives out a sound about every four minutes during a car journey. After each sound the driver must respond by squeezing the steering wheel(方向盘). A sensor in the wristband detects this pressing action and measures the time between the sound and the driver’s response.
Tiredness is directly related to a driver’s response time. Usually, a watchful driver would take about 400 milliseconds to respond, but once that falls to more than 500 milliseconds, it suggests that the driver is getting sleepy.
In such cases the device gives out more regular and louder sounds, showing that the driver should open a window or stop for a rest. If the driver’s response continues to slow down, the sounds become more frequent until a nonstop alarm warns that the driver must stop as soon as possible.
The device has been delivered to the department’s laboratories for testing. If these tests, scheduled for six months’ time, are successful, the makers will bring the product to market within about a year.
小题1:How should a driver respond to the sounds from Driver Alert?| A．By sounding a warning. | | B．By touching the wristband. | | C．By checking the driving time. | | D．By pressing the steering wheel. |
小题2:We can learn from the text that the driver needs to stop for a break when his response time is ________| A．about 400 milliseconds | B．below 500 milliseconds | | C．over 500 milliseconds | D．about 4 minutes |
小题3:When the driver gets sleepy while driving, Driver Alert ______.| A．moves more regularly | | B．stops working properly | | C．opens the window for the driver | | D．sounds more frequently and loudly |
小题4:According to the text, Driver Alert ______.| A．aims to reduce tiredness-related accidents | | B．has gone through testing at laboratories | | C．aims to prevent drivers from sleeping | | D．has been on sale for 12 months |
|
The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution has just published a report on new materials and has looked at the case of nanotechnology（纳米技术）, which describes the science of the very small. Nanotechnology covers those man-made materials or objects that are about a thousand times smaller than the microtechnology（微电子技术）we use, such as the silicon chips of computers.
Nanotechnology gets its name from the nanometer, which is a billionth of a meter. There are about 600 consumer products already on the market that use nanotechnology. Nanomedicine is also being developed to fight cancer and other fatal diseases.
The Royal Commission found no evidence of harm to health or the environment from nanomaterials, but this “absence of evidence” is not being taken as “evidence of absence”. In other words, just because there are no apparent problems, this is not to say that here is no risk now or in the future. The commission is concerned about the pace at which we are inventing and adopting new nanomaterials, which could result in future problems that we are ill-equipped to understand or even find with current testing methods.
One of the problems about nanotechnology is that when we make something very small out of a well known material, we may actually change the functionality of that material even if the chemical composition remains the same. Indeed, it is not the particle（颗粒）size that should concern us, but its functionality. Take gold, for example, which is a famously inert (惰性) substance, and valuable because of it. It doesn’t rust or corrode because it doesn’t interact with water or oxygen. However, a particle of gold that is between 2 and 5 nanometers in diameter becomes highly reactive. This is not due to a change in chemical composition, but because of a change in the physical size of the gold particles. How can a change in size result in a change of function? One reason is to do with surface area. Nanoparticles have relatively a much bigger surface area. It is like comparing the surface area of a basketball with the total surface area of many pea-sized balls with the same weight of the single basketball. The pea-sized balls have a surface area many hundreds, indeed thousands of times bigger than the basketball, and this allows them to interact more easily with the environment. It is this increased interactivity that changes their functionality—and makes them potentially more dangerous to health or the environment.
小题1:Why does the writer mention microtechnology in the first paragraph?| A．to introduce the topic of nanotechnology | | B．to help us better understand nanotechnology | | C．to help us know more about microtechnology | | D．to compare microtechnology with nanotechnology |
小题2:The example of the “gold” in the last paragraph is intended to show that_________.| A．gold is valuable because it is an inert substance | | B．an inert substance like gold doesn’t interact with water or oxygen | | C．the function of gold is steady because it is an inert substance | | D．the function of gold changes when made into something very small |
小题3:Which process explains that there might be risks in nanotechnology? | A．expand surface area →increase interactivity → change functionality→cause possible dangers | | B．expand surface area → change functionality → increase interactivity →cause possible dangers | | C．increase interactivity → expand surface area → change functionality→cause possible dangers | | D．increase interactivity → change functionality → expand surface area→cause possible dangers |
小题4:What does the passage mainly focus on?| A．the introduction of nanotechnology and its wide use | | B．the present use of nanotechnology and its future | | C．the potential danger nanotechnology may bring us | | D．the proposal to stop nanotechnology due to the potential danger |
|
A kitchen that gives step-by-step cooking instructions in French could inspire a revolution in language learning in the UK. By using a new technology, it speaks to you as you prepare a French dish. The kitchen breaks new ground by taking language learning out of the classroom and linking it with an enjoyable and rewarding real-life activity.
The new kitchen is designed to be used in schools, universities and even people’s homes. It could also be an existing kitchen. The first version of the technology was tested in the kitchens of project partner Newcastle University. The kitchen could be available for schools and universities, and for the UK market by the June of 2014.
The Newcastle University team is now working on ways to put it on the market. And the European Union has given money to begin programs in six other languages, including English Italian and Spanish. Finally, versions could be developed for any language cuisine（烹饪法）in the world.
Professor Paul says, “By international standards, the UK students are now poor when it comes to learning languages—a problem that certainly has an economic influence. We believe that developing skills in a country’s language and its cuisine will help change the trend.”
On a computer fixed into the kitchen, the user first selects the French recipe（菜谱）they want to follow. Digital sensors built into dishes, containers and other equipment then communicate with the computer to make sure the right instructions are given at the right time, the user can ask the computer to repeat an instruction, or translate it into English, simply by pressing the touch screen. After cooking, the user can test what they have learned by carrying out a short test on the computer.
All grammar and vocabulary has been carefully selected to make sure that using the kitchen adds to basic proficiency（熟练）in understanding French.
Now three easy-carrying versions of the kitchen are being prepared. They’re to be fixed in Newcastle University and at Institute Francais, a London-based charity devoted to teaching the French language.
小题1:The new kitchen is designed mainly to __________.| A．increase people’s interest in cooking | | B．teach people how to cook French dishes | | C．offer people a new way to learn languages | | D．help cooks learn spoken French in the kitchen |
小题2:Which of the following is TRUE about the kitchen?| A．It has versions in six languages now. | | B．It is already available for sale in the UK. | | C．It has received strong support from the EU. | | D．It can be used only in schools and university. |
小题3:When a person is using the kitchen, ___________.| A．it will give him a test on his cooking skills | | B．it can translate French into another language | | C．the cooking process will stop if he goes wrong | | D．he must be careful so as not to make mistakes |
小题4:What would be the best title for the text?| A．UK students have problems in language learning. | | B．New technology helps students learning cooking. | | C．An enjoyable and rewarding real-life activity. | | D．A Talking Kitchen That Teaches You French. |
|
What"s going to happen in the future? Will robots take over our planet? Will computers become smarter than us? Not likely. But here are some things that scientists say are most likely to happen 10 to 30 years later from now, according to the BBC.
1．Digital money
We used to pay with cash for everything we bought. Now when we swipe(刷) our bus pass or use a credit card to shop online, money is spent without us even seeing it. In fact, we are already using one type of digital money.
You have to admit that using a card is much easier than searching your pockets for change. It is also safer than carrying a lot of cash.
When ATM cards were first introduced, they were not accepted everywhere. But now it"s hard to live without them. People in Sweden completely stopped using cash last year, according to the Associated Press, and the US might be next.
2．Bionic(能力超人的)eye
It"s no longer something only in a scifi movie. People who are blind may have a chance to get their sight back—by wearing bionic eyes.
A blind eye can no longer sense light, but a bionic eye can use a camera to “see” the environment and send data directly to the brain.
Although the bionic eye that"s out now only allows patients to see lights and unclear shapes, a highresolution(高清晰度的) version could be just a few years away.
3．Selfdriving cars
Everything is going automatic these days—washing machines, ticket selling machines and even cars. Unlike a human driver, a selfdriving car won"t get distracted by a phone call, the radio or something outside the window. Sensors and cameras on the car would allow it to stick strictly to the rules of the road and keep a safe distance from other cars. This would greatly reduce the number of road accidents. You could even take a nap while the car drives itself.
Many vehicle companies are now planning selfdriving cars. “By 2040, driverless vehicles will be widely accepted and possibly be the dominant vehicles on the road，” said Jeffrey Miller, professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage, US, in Wired magazine.
小题1:The underlined word “distracted” in the article is closest in meaning to “________”．| A．directed | B．discouraged | | C．attacked | D．disturbed |
小题2:Jeffrey Miller"s attitude towards selfdriving cars is ________.| A．optimistic | B．pessimistic | | C．doubtful | D．cautious |
小题3:Which section is the article most likely to be found in the newspaper?| A．Learning Kit | B．Campus Trends | | C．Entertainment | D．Technology |
|
