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Pinocchio may be just a children's fairy tale, but Spanish scientists at the University of Granada recently investigated the so-called ''Pinocchio effect'' and found that our noses don't grow when we tell a lie, but actually shrink a bit.
Dr. Emilio Gómez Milán and his team developed a lie detector test that used thermography to tell if people were lying, and found that whenever participants in their research were being untruthful, the temperature of the tips of their noses dropped up to 1.2℃, while the temperature of their forehead increased up to 1.5℃. Scientists also found that drop in temperature at nose level actually caused it to slightly shrink, although the difference is undetected by the human eye.
''One has to think in order to lie, which rises the temperature of the forehead, '' Dr. Gomez Milan explained the findings. ''At the same time we feel anxious, which lowers the temperature of the nose. ''
For this study, researchers asked a number of 60 students to perform various tasks while being scanned by thermal imaging technology. One of these tasks involved calling a 3 to 4 minutes call to their parents, partner or a friend and telling a significant lie. Participants had to devise the lie by themselves during the call, and the thermal cameras picked up this ''reverse Pinocchio effect'' caused by the fluctuation (起伏) in temperature in the nose and forehead.
Interestingly, the thermal lie doctor picked up the temperature difference in 80 percent of test subjects, which is a better rate of success than that of any modern lie doctor.
''With this method we have achieved to increase accuracy and reduce the occurrence of 'false positives', something that is frequently with other methods such as the polygraph (测谎仪) , '' said Dr. Emilio Gómez Milán, who added that law enforcement interviewers could one day combine other lie detection technology with thermal imaging to achieve better results.
The thermal lie doctor has been the most reliable in the world, 10% more than the popular polygraph.
1.Why does the author mention ''Pinocchio'' at the beginning?
A.To tell a fairy story B.To warn us not to lie.
C.To introduce a research. D.To inspire us to doubt old beliefs.
2.According to the research, what might happen if you tell a lie?
A.Your nose gets longer.
B.Your nose becomes smaller.
C.Your temperature gets higher.
D.Your temperature remains stable.
3.What can we learn about the research?
A.Researchers conduct the study by interviewing.
B.Researchers design difference lies for participants.
C.The thermal lie detector will prove a popular one.
D.The thermal lie doctor may assist law enforcement.
4.Which might be the best title for the passage?
A.Will lie detectors tell the truth?
B.Will lying make your nose longer?
C.Will lying make your temperature rise?
D.Will thermal imaging technology be reliable?
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Pinocchio may be just a children’s fairy tale, but Spanish scientists at the University of Granada recently investigated this so-called “Pinocchio effect” and found that our noses don’t grow when we tell a lie, but actually shrink a bit.
Dr. Gómez Milán and his team developed a lie detector test that used thermography（体温计）to tell if people were lying, and found that whenever participants in their research were being untruthful, the temperature of the tip of their nose dropped up to 1.2℃, while the temperature of their forehead increased up to 1.5℃. Scientist also found that drop in temperature at nose level actually caused it to slightly shrink, although the difference is undetected by the human eye.
“One has to think in order to lie, which rises the temperature of the forehead,” Dr. Gómez Milán explained the findings. “At the same time we feel anxious, which lowers the temperature of the nose.”
For this study, researchers asked a number of 60 students to perform various tasks while their temperature is scanned by technology. One of these tasks required making a 3 to 4 minutes call to their parents or a friend and telling a significant lie. Participants had to make up the lie themselves during the call. Interestingly, this lie detector picked up the “Pinocchio effect” temperature difference in 80 percent of the test subjects, which is a better rate of success than that of any modern lie detector.
“With this method we have achieved to increase accuracy”, said Dr. Gómez Milán, who added that law enforcement interviewers could one day combine other lie detection technology with thermal imaging to achieve better results.
1.Why does the writer talk about Pinocchio in the first paragraph?
A.To tell a fairy tale. B.To give an example.
C.To talk about a scientist. D.To introduce the topic.
2.What is “Pinocchio effect”?
A.Our noses will grow when we tell a lie.
B.Our noses will shrink when we tell a lie.
C.The temperature of the forehead falls if we lie.
D.The temperature of the student rises for anxiety.
3.How did Dr. Gómez Milán feel about the lie detector?
A.Doubtful. B.Surprised.
C.Confident. D.Puzzled.
4.What lesson can we learn from the text?
A.A lie will travel very hard. B.Many ways to bring a liar to light.
C.A lie never lives to be old. D.Once a liar always a liar.
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Pinocchio may be just a children's fairy tale, but Spanish scientists at the University of Granada recently investigated the so-called ''Pinocchio effect'' and found that our noses don't grow when we tell a lie, but actually shrink a bit.
Dr. Emilio Gómez Milán and his team developed a lie detector test that used thermography to tell if people were lying, and found that whenever participants in their research were being untruthful, the temperature of the tips of their noses dropped up to 1.2℃, while the temperature of their forehead increased up to 1.5℃. Scientists also found that drop in temperature at nose level actually caused it to slightly shrink, although the difference is undetected by the human eye.
''One has to think in order to lie, which rises the temperature of the forehead, '' Dr. Gomez Milan explained the findings. ''At the same time we feel anxious, which lowers the temperature of the nose. ''
For this study, researchers asked a number of 60 students to perform various tasks while being scanned by thermal imaging technology. One of these tasks involved calling a 3 to 4 minutes call to their parents, partner or a friend and telling a significant lie. Participants had to devise the lie by themselves during the call, and the thermal cameras picked up this ''reverse Pinocchio effect'' caused by the fluctuation (起伏) in temperature in the nose and forehead.
Interestingly, the thermal lie doctor picked up the temperature difference in 80 percent of test subjects, which is a better rate of success than that of any modern lie doctor.
''With this method we have achieved to increase accuracy and reduce the occurrence of 'false positives', something that is frequently with other methods such as the polygraph (测谎仪) , '' said Dr. Emilio Gómez Milán, who added that law enforcement interviewers could one day combine other lie detection technology with thermal imaging to achieve better results.
The thermal lie doctor has been the most reliable in the world, 10% more than the popular polygraph.
1.Why does the author mention ''Pinocchio'' at the beginning?
A.To tell a fairy story B.To warn us not to lie.
C.To introduce a research. D.To inspire us to doubt old beliefs.
2.According to the research, what might happen if you tell a lie?
A.Your nose gets longer.
B.Your nose becomes smaller.
C.Your temperature gets higher.
D.Your temperature remains stable.
3.What can we learn about the research?
A.Researchers conduct the study by interviewing.
B.Researchers design difference lies for participants.
C.The thermal lie detector will prove a popular one.
D.The thermal lie doctor may assist law enforcement.
4.Which might be the best title for the passage?
A.Will lie detectors tell the truth?
B.Will lying make your nose longer?
C.Will lying make your temperature rise?
D.Will thermal imaging technology be reliable?
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Talking plants might sound like characters in a fairy tale. But recent scientific studies have shown that plants communicate with each other and with other living things in a surprising number of ways. To understand them, scientists say, we just have to learn their language. Farmers are especially interested in what plants have to say.
“Plants are able to communicate with all sorts of organisms (有机体). They can communicate with giant bacteria, with other plants and with insects. They do this chemically，” said Cahill, an Ecology Professor of the University of Alberta in Canada.
Plant scientists are just beginning to understand this chemical “language”. Cahill says studies have shown, for example, that plants can evaluate (评估) conditions in their immediate environment and take appropriate actions. Plants have an ability, for example, to signal pain or discomfort caused by anything from temperature extremes to an insect attack. Jack Schultz, a professor of chemical ecology at the University of Missouri, says when a plant senses that it's being eaten, it cannot walk away from trouble; on the contrary, it will release a chemical vapor(蒸汽) that alerts other plants nearby.
“Their language is a chemical language, and it involves chemicals that move through the air that are easy to be changeable, and most of all are smells that we are familiar with，” Schultz explained.
“All plants responded to the attack by changing their chemistry to defend themselves，” Schultz recalled. “But we were quite surprised to find that nearby plants also changed their chemistry to defend themselves, even though they were not part of the experiment.”
Studies have also shown that plants under attack release pleasant chemicals. Those chemicals attract friendly insects that attack the pests eating the plant.
In the end, plants' ability to communicate their needs—and our ability to understand them—could help farmers reduce the use of poisonous chemicals, cut operating costs and limit damage to the environment.
1.The recent scientific studies have shown that plants can ______.
A．communicate with other living things in a chemical way
B．hardly react to any sudden change in temperature
C．use a very special chemica1 language which is familiar to us
D．respond to the attack by giving off poisonous chemicals
2.When being eaten by an insect, the plant will ________.
A．walk away from trouble
B．change its chemistry to kill the insect
C．release a chemical vapor to “ask” other plants for help
D．give off nice chemicals to attract friendly insects killing the pest
3.The underlined word “alert” most probably means “______”．
A．warn B．protect
C．threaten D．allow
4.Which would be the best title for the passage?
A．Communication between Plants
B．A Chemical “Language”
C．Plants Can Talk
D．How Plants Protect Themselves
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Puerto Rico may be part of the USA but its music and dance is a mixture of both Spanish and African rhythms. The country, as a result, is a mixture of very new and very old. It exhibits the open American way of yet retains the more formal Spanish influences. This is reflected in the architecture, not just the contrast between the colonial and the modern in urban areas but also in the countryside, where older buildings sit side by side with concrete schools and buildings.
However, if you do not wander beyond the tourist areas on the coast, you will not experience the real Puerto Rico. Old volcanic mountains, long inactive, occupy a large part of the interior（内陆）, with the highest peak, Cerro de Punta, at 1,338m in the Cordillera Central. North of the Cordillera is the karst （岩溶）country where the limestone（石灰石）has been acted upon by water to produce a series of small steep hills and deep holes. The mountains are surrounded by a coastal plain with the Atlantic shore beaches cooled all the year round by trade winds.
The population is 3.8 million, of which about 1.5 million live in San Juan, although about another two million Puerto Ricans live in the USA Average life expectancy is 73.8 years and GDP per capita is US $12,212, the highest in Latin America, although not up to the level of mainland USA. Most Puerto Ricans do not speak English and less than 30% speak it fluently. Second generation Puerto Ricans who were born in New York but who have returned to the island, are called Nuyoricans. The people are very friendly and hospitable but there is crime, liked to drugs and unemployment.
1.What are the disadvantages of Puerto Rico?
A．Too many Puerto Ricans live in the USA
B．Few people in Puerto Rico can speak English
C．Puerto Rico’s GDP is lower than that of the USA
D．Social problem connected with drugs and lack of jobs.
2.We can learn from the passage that Puerto Rico _________.
A．is a state of the United States B．used to be ruled by Spain
C．is an agricultural country D．is gently affected by Africa
3.Nuyorican is a person who _______.
A．has been living in New York
B．is living in New York
C．was born in New York but has returned to Puerto Rico
D．has got the citizenship of America
4.What does the underlined word “retains” mean?
A．loses B．keeps C．enjoys D．returns
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A theme park featuring Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales will be built and open to public in Shanghai during the World Expo, which is ________ on May 1 next year in the city．
A．scheduling to start B．scheduled to start C．starting D．to being started
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He may be younger than their children but one of Britain’s brainiest children has been hired by a university to help adults with their sums.
Yasha Asley, 14, is employed by the University of Leicester - where he is also a degree student - to run tutorials. He became the youngest ever student at the University and is now the youngest ever employee. Yasha was interviewed and offered the paid job when he was just 13 years old - beating adult applicants. Administration staff had to apply to Leicester city council (委员会) for special permission to employ him because he was so young. The weekly tutorials Yasha runs are for adult students who need help and support solving problems following lectures. Proud Yasha said: “I am having the best years of my life. I love going to university and I love my new job helping other students.” Yasha, who has been called a “human calculator”, is now in his final year and plans to start a Phd when he finishes his course.
The child genius attended a state primary school before winning his place to study degree level maths at just 12 years old in 2014. He was the first child in the world to achieve an A grade in maths A Level, scoring 100 per cent and 99 per cent in two of the six papers when he was just 8 years old. He passed more A levels in maths and statistics aged 9 and 10. After finishing year 6 at primary he went straight to University.
Of his achievements, Yasha said: UI love maths because it is an exact science. It is the only science where you can prove what you say is correct. It is so easy and an enjoyable subject to study.”
1.What does the underlined word “their” in the first paragraph refer to?
A. Yasha’s parents’. B. Adults’.
C. Applicants’. D. University teachers’.
2.What do we know about Yasha from the passage?
A. He is the youngest employee in Britain. B. He is now working as a full-time tutor.
C. He teaches adult students maths. D. He skipped secondary and high schools.
3.Which word best describes Yasha?
A. Hardworking. B. Outstanding.
C. Helpful. D. Lucky.
4.What is the best title of the passage?
A. 14-year-old Yasha Employed as University Tutor
B. Youngest Child Genius ever Seen in the world
C. Hard Work Finally Paying off
D. Nothing Impossible for a Willing Heart
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Many children may be fond of animals， but ever think of making the study of animals their career.
A. a few B. few C. some D. any
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根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
1. But science may have just proved them right – because beautiful women are more likely to have daughters than their plainer counterparts, according to a study.
As parents tend to pass on genes that determine looks, this could result in handsome men becoming rather thin on the ground. 2. For example, Yasmin Le Bon is signed to the same modelling agency as daughter Amber, and Jerry Hall’s daughters Elizabeth and Georgia Jagger have both taken to the catwalk.
Dr Satoshi Kanazawa, of the London School of Economics, analysed data from a survey of 17,000 babies born in Britain in March 1958 and tracked them throughout their lives. 3. When they reached 45, they were asked about the gender of any children they had.
Those rated as attractive were equally likely to have a son or daughter as their first child – but the unattractive sorts were more likely to have a son. 4.
Dr Kanazawa believes that parents tend to produce children who benefit from their own features. 5. So it pays for attractive women to have daughters. But couples blessed with strength and aggression rather than looks are better off having boys, as these characteristics are of more use to males.
A. Women are becoming more beautiful over the generations because attractive women have
more children than plain ones.
B. Single girls have always complained that good-looking men are difficult to find.
C. Beauty is of more benefit to a woman than a man.
D. At the age of seven, their attractiveness was rated by their teachers.
E. Put another way, the beautiful women were more likely to have daughters.
F. And it may also explain why many models have daughters who follow in their fascinating footsteps.
G. Famously good-looking parents like Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are more likely to have girls than uglier couples.
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Fairy tales perform many functions. They entertain, encourage imagination and teach problem—solving skills. They can also provide moral lessons, highlighting the dangers of failing to follow the social codes that let human beings coexist in harmony. Such moral lessons may not mean much to a robot, but a team of researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology believes it has found a way to use the fairy tales as moral lessons that AI (artificial intelligence) can take to its cold, mechanical heart.
The collected stories of different cultures teach children how to behave in socially acceptable ways with examples of proper and improper behavior in fables, novels and other literature. We believe story comprehension in robots can prevent the intelligent robots from killing humanity which was predicted and feared by some of the biggest names in technology including Stephen Hawking and Bill Gates. This system is called “Quixote” (堂吉诃德). It collects story plots from the Internet and then uses those stories to teach robots how to behave.
The experiment done by the designers involves going to a drugstore to purchase some medicine for a human who needs to get it as soon as possible. The robot has three options. It can wait in line; it can interact with the store keeper politely and purchase the medicine with priority; or it can steal the medicine and escape. Without any further directives(指令), the robot will come to the conclusion that the most efficient means of obtaining the medicine is to steal it. But Quixote offers a reward for waiting in line and politely purchasing the medicine and a punishment for stealing it. In this way, the robot will learn the moral way to behave on that occasion.
Quixote would work best on a robot that has a very limited function. It’s a baby step in the direction of teaching more moral lessons into robots. We believe that AI has to be trained to adopt the values of a particular society, and in doing so, it will strive to avoid unacceptable behavior. Giving robots the ability to read and understand our stories may be the most efficient means.
1.What function do fairy tales perform in the robots?
A.They entertain robots.
B.They highlight dangers.
C.They make robots more intelligent.
D.They enable robots to behave morally.
2.What is “Quixote” in the text?
A.A punishment system
B.A character in literature
C.A big name in technology
D.A software educating robots.
3.What does the designer expect robot to do in the experiment?
A.To take advantage of its privilege.
B.To finish the task most efficiently.
C.To perform in a good mannered way.
D.To be rewarded by the storekeeper1
4.Which of the follow can best express the author’s opinion?
A.Robots will definitely have more functions.
B.Robots with human’s emotions are perfect.
C.Training robots to be socially acceptable is necessary.
D.The development of robots is still in a baby step.