Have you ever pressed the pedestrian button at a crosswalk and wondered if it really worked? Or strike the “close door” button in an elevator, while suspecting that it may, in fact, have no effect at all? They're called “placebo(安慰剂) buttons”—buttons that mechanically sound and can be pushed, but provide no functionality.
In New York City, only about 100 of the 1, 000 crosswalk buttons actually function. Crosswalk signals were generally installed before traffic jam had reached today's levels, and, over time, they started to influence the complex harmony of traffic lights.
But while their function was taken over by more advanced systems—such as automated lights or traffic sensors—the physical buttons were often kept, rather than being replaced at further expense. Other cities, such as Boston, Dallas and Seattle, have gone through a similar process, leaving them with their own placebo pedestrian buttons. In London, which has 6,000traffic signals, pressing the pedestrian button results in a reliable “Wait” light. But that doesn't necessarily mean that the “green man”—or “pedestrian stage” in traffic signal design profession—will appear any sooner.
“We do have some crossings where the green light comes on automatically, but we still ask people to press the button because that enables accessible features,” said Glynn Barton, director of network management at Transport for London.
These features, such as blind tracks and hearable traffic signals, help people with visual disorder cross the road and only function when the button is pressed. As for the lights, a growing number of them are now combined and become a part of an electronic system that detects traffic and adjusts time frequency accordingly(giving priority to buses if they're running late, for example), which means that pressing the button has no effect.
According to Langer, a Harvard psychologist, placebo buttons give us the illusion of control—and something to do in situations where the alternative would be doing nothing. In the case of pedestrian crossings, they may even make us safer by forcing us to pay attention to our surroundings. “They serve a psychological purpose at the very least,” she added.
1.What is a placebo button?
A.A button that flashes at a crosswalk.
B.A button that warns the pedestrians.
C.A button that nearly has no practical effect now.
D.A button that is not common before the electronic system.
2.Why are the placebo buttons in Boston kept?
A.They cost more to be replaced than to be kept.
B.They are unique attractions on the street.
C.They function well and are environmentally friendly.
D.They respond more slowly than the advanced systems.
3.What does the psychologist Langer think of the buttons at a crosswalk?
A.They're harmful to mental health.
B.They have no use for pedestrians.
C.Pressing them makes people feel foolish.
D.People may have a sense of safety when pressing them.
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A.How do placebo buttons affect mental health?
B.How do the buttons at a crosswalk operate?
C.When should a pedestrian wait at a crosswalk?
D.Why are the big cities full of buttons that don't work?
高三英语阅读选择中等难度题
Have you ever pressed the pedestrian button at a crosswalk and wondered if it really worked? They’re called “placebo(安慰剂）buttons”一buttons that mechanically sound and can be pushed，but provide no functionality.
In New York City, only about 100 of the 1, 000 crosswalk buttons actually function. Crosswalk signals were generally installed before traffic jam had reached today’s levels.
But while their function was taken over by more advanced systems—such as automated lights or traffic sensors — the physical buttons were often kept, rather than being replaced at further expense. Other cities，such as Boston，Dallas and Seattle，have gone through a similar process, leaving them with their own placebo pedestrian buttons. In London, which has 6, 000 traffic signals，pressing the pedestrian button results in a reliable “Wait” light. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the “green man”— or “pedestrian stage” in traffic signal design profession — will appear any sooner.
“We do have some crossings where the green light comes on automatically, but we still ask people to press the button because that enables accessible features,’’ said Glynn Barton, director of network management at Transport for London.
These features, such as blind tracks and hearable traffic signals, help people with visual disorder cross the road and only function when the button is pressed. As for the lights, a growing number of them are now combined and become a part of an electronic system that detects traffic and adjusts time frequency accordingly (giving priority to buses if they’re running late, for example), which means that pressing the button has no effect.
According to Langer, a Harvard psychologist, placebo buttons give us the illusion (错觉)of control — and something to do in situations where the alternative would be doing nothing. In the case of pedestrian crossings, they may even make us safer by forcing us to pay attention to our surroundings. “They serve a psychological purpose at the very least,” she added.
1.Why are the physical buttons still kept in some cities?
A. Because it may cost money to replace them.
B. Because they remain as memories of a city.
C. Because do have real functions in traffic.
D. Because they can result in reliable lights.
2.Which of the following word can replace the underline word “features” in Paragraph 4?
A. Functions.
B. Uses.
C. Equipment.
D. Facilities.
3.If you pressed a “placebo button” in London, what would happen?
A. All traffic would be affected.
B. Some kind of sound might appear.
C. Pedestrians came first to cross the road.
D. “Green man” were bound to show up earlier.
4.What can we know about “palcebo buttons” from Langer’s words?
A. They can really control traffic.
B. They serve little functions.
C. They may work mentally.
D. They can help the blind.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
—I pressed the button just now, but no copies came out.
—The machine _______ well. You must have made an error in operation.
A. runs B. ran
C. had run D. has run
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
When you are _______ about which button to press on the complicated machine, you can either read the user’s guide for guidance or fax us for specific instruction. Don’t ______ the trial-and-error method.
| A．insure; do | B．ensure; make | C．uncertain; try | D．unsure; touch |
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
To ________ the web page, you press this button, which makes the most recent information appear.
A．refresh B．promote
C．tear D．adopt
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Don't press the red button ,_______you will set off the alarm.
A. but B. or C. so D. and
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
If ________ in the elevator, please press the emergency button immediately.
A. trapped B. trapping
C. having trapped D. to be trapped
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Cities alarmed by deaths and injuries of pedestrians are taking efforts to make crosswalks safer for people on foot, especially seniors and children who need more time to cross streets.
A pedestrian is killed in a traffic accident in the USA every 110 minutes；one is injured every nine minutes, according to official date. Crosswalk can be especially dangerous for the elderly. Among people 70 and older, 36% of pedestrian deaths in 2006 occurred in crosswalks, compared with 21% of those younger than 70, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The Federal Highway Administration（FHWA）advises that next year states increase by nearly 15% the amount of time traffic lights provide for pedestrians to cross the street after the flashing orange hand appears .
FHWA spokesman Doug Hecox says reasons for the change include an aging population that needs more time to cross, health-conscious Americans walking more, children encouraged to walk to prevent getting overweight and high gas prices pushing people to walk instead of drive.
Pedestrian deaths went down by 12% from 5,449 in 1996 to 4,784 in 2006. But among those in 2006, 471 were killed in crosswalks, down slightly from 488 ten years earlier, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says.
1.Which of the following is true according to the text?
A. Among 100 pedestrian deaths there were 21 people younger than 70.
B. Old people are more likely to meet with accidents in crosswalks.
C. Traffic accidents killed more old people than young people.
D. About seven traffic accidents happened per hour.
2.What is FHWA’s suggestion to states?
A. Fixing more traffic lights.
B. Providing more crosswalks.
C. Giving pedestrians more time to cross streets.
D. Increasing the time before the orange lights appear.
3.What’s the cause of the crosswalk safety problem according to the test?
A. There’re many cars and buses on the road.
B. Pedestrians are careless.
C. Crosswalks are crowded.
D. Drivers don’t give way.
4.The report from NHTSA suggests that ________ .
A. fewer people were injured in crosswalks
B. crosswalk safety has been greatly improved
C. much has been done to reduce traffic accidents
D. pedestrian deaths in crosswalk remain a serious problem
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Cities alarmed by deaths and injuries of pedestrians are taking efforts to make crosswalks safer for people on foot, especially seniors and children who need more time to cross streets.
A pedestrian is killed in a traffic accident in the USA every 110 minutes; one is injured every nine minutes, according to official data. Crosswalks can be especially dangerous for the elderly. Among people 70 and older, 36% of pedestrian deaths in 2006 occurred in crosswalks, compared with 21% of those younger than 70, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The Federal Highway Administration(FHWA) advise that next year states increase by nearly 15% the amount of time traffic lights provide for pedestrians to cross the street after the flashing orange hand appears.
FHWA spokesman Doug Hecox says reasons for the change include an aging population that needs more time to cross, health-conscious Americans walking more, children encouraged to walk to prevent getting overweight and high gas prices pushing people to walk instead of drive.
Pedestrian deaths went down by 12% from 5,449 in 1996 to 4,784 in 2006, Bur among those in 2006, 471 were killed in crosswalks, down slightly from 488 ten years earlier, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA) says.
1.Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．Among 100 pedestrian deaths there were 21 people younger than 70 |
| B．Old people are more likely to meet with accidents happened per hour. |
| C．Traffic accidents killed more old people than young people |
| D．About seven traffic accidents happened per hour. |
2.What is FHWA’s suggestion to states?
| A．Fixing more traffic lights |
| B．Providing more crosswalks |
| C．Giving pedestrians more time to cross streets. |
| D．Drivers don’t give way |
3.What’s the cause of the crosswalk safety problem according to the test?
| A．There’re many cars and buses on the road. |
| B．Pedestrians are careless. |
| C．Crosswalks are crowded. |
| D．Drivers don’t give way. |
4.The report from NHTSA suggests that
| A．fewer people were injured in crosswalks |
| B．crosswalk safety has been greatly improved |
| C．much has been done to reduce traffic accidents |
| D．pedestrian deaths in crosswalks remain a serious problem |
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Have you ever wondered how the trainers at Sea World get the 19,000-pound whale to jump 22 feet out of water and perform tricks? They get that whale to go over a rope farther out of the water than most of us can imagine. 1..
So how do the trainers at Sea World do it? The first thing they do is reinforce(强化) the behavior that they want repeated --- in this case, to get the whale to go over the rope.2., in a position where the whale can’t help but do what’s expected of it. Every time the whale goes over the rope, it’s given positive reinforcement and gets fed with fish. But what happened when the whale goes under the rope? Nothing — no criticism, no warning and no feedback. 3..
Positive reinforcement is the key of that simple principle that produces such splendid results. And as the whale begins to go over the rope more often than under, the trainers begin to raise the rope. It must be raised slowly enough so that the whale doesn’t starve.
4.. Make a big deal out of the good and little stuff that we want consistently. Secondly, under-criticize. People know they need help when they mess up. 5., people will not forget the event and usually will not repeat it.
So we need to set up the circumstances so that people can’t fail. Over-celebrate, under-criticize…and know how far to raise the rope.
A. This is a great challenge
B. And the whale stays right where it is
C. If we figure out a way to motivate the whale
D. They start with the rope below the surface of the water
E. If we under-criticize, punish and discipline less than expected
F. Whales are taught that their negative behavior won’t be acknowledged
G. The simple lesson to be learned from the whale trainers is to over-celebrate
高三英语七选五困难题查看答案及解析
Have you ever wondered how the trainers at Sea World get the 19,000-pound whale to jump 22 feet out of water and perform tricks? They get that whale to go over a rope farther out of the water than most of us can imagine. 1..
So how do the trainers at Sea World do it? The first thing they do is reinforce(强化) the behavior that they want repeated --- in this case, to get the whale to go over the rope.2., in a position where the whale can’t help but do what’s expected of it. Every time the whale goes over the rope, it’s given positive reinforcement and gets fed with fish. But what happened when the whale goes under the rope? Nothing — no criticism, no warning and no feedback. 3..
Positive reinforcement is the key of that simple principle that produces such splendid results. And as the whale begins to go over the rope more often than under, the trainers begin to raise the rope. It must be raised slowly enough so that the whale doesn’t starve.
4.. Make a big deal out of the good and little stuff that we want consistently. Secondly, under-criticize. People know they need help when they mess up. 5., people will not forget the event and usually will not repeat it.
So we need to set up the circumstances so that people can’t fail. Over-celebrate, under-criticize…and know how far to raise the rope.
A. This is a great challenge
B. And the whale stays right where it is
C. If we figure out a way to motivate the whale
D. They start with the rope below the surface of the water
E. If we under-criticize, punish and discipline less than expected
F. Whales are taught that their negative behavior won’t be acknowledged
G. The simple lesson to be learned from the whale trainers is to over-celebrate
高三英语七选五困难题查看答案及解析