英国《金融时报》
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英国《金融时报》原文阅读精选集（三）

英国《金融时报》 出品

©浙江出版集团数字传媒有限公司 2017

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目　录

英国《金融时报》原文阅读精选集Vol.21

1. “比石油更昂贵的将是水”？

2. 中国公务员远不如一般人健康

3. 同性情节不过关？大马撤下《美女与野兽》

4. 吸电子烟真的比吸烟好嘛？

5. “Trumpchi”是否能圆美国梦

6. 马云：制假售假者该进监狱

7. 健康手环真的有效吗？

8. 借助机器甄别忠诚员工，靠谱吗？

9. 机器人攻击主人怎么办

10. 当你的老板是机器人

英国《金融时报》原文阅读精选集Vol.22

1. 星巴克终于要“回”意大利开店了

2. 有钱任性的新方式：绕月旅行

3. 华尔街投行有多少“亚洲面孔”？

4. 移居外星不是梦？

5. 中国逾一半省份报告H7N9型禽流感疫情

6. 再见了深夜食堂

7. 机器人代工算漏税吗？

8. 我是机器人，这是您要的咖啡

9. 当老鼠成为杀人机器？

10. 空气“最致命”的国家

英国《金融时报》原文阅读精选集Vol.23

1. 微博打败Twitter？

2. 什么？万达进军欧洲金融业！

3. 休假多久才算够？

4. 吃薯条会致癌吗？

5. “每周40小时的工作量要杀死我们了！”

6. 带着病人“飞越疯人院”

7. 女性开始讲粗话，性别歧视问题就解决了？

8. 别让你的食谱“逼”自己太紧

9. 不要再次辜负你的新年愿望

10. 是时候给你网上的资料排排毒了

英国《金融时报》原文阅读精选集Vol.24

1. 麦当劳的“外患内忧”

2. 中国医生“慌”又“荒”

3. 奥运顶级赞助计划为何选中阿里？

4. 节日吃胖 公司帮忙

5. 拜托 收起你的剪刀手

6. 无人驾驶汽车反而让道路更加拥挤

7. 国家越穷 越爱吸烟？

8. 打击“过劳死”，日本是认真的？

9. 麦叔叔的苦：我将如何挽留你的胃？

英国《金融时报》原文阅读精选集Vol.25

1. 银发赌客令人愁

2. 宠物市场的蛋糕有多香

3. 小米在印度的“中国梦”

4. 在中国娶个媳妇儿花多钱？

5. 让声浪更“猛”

6. 喝不起伏特加，就喝沐浴油？

7. 我们正在教孩子们错误的数学

8. 电动汽车的“春天”？

9. 无法拒绝的酒精，会要了你的命吗？

10. 为什么会“空中愤怒”

英国《金融时报》原文阅读精选集Vol.26

1. 福利太好也是错？

2. 再见吧我的东北老家！

3. 英国仍有许多“课堂作业”要做

4. 出售用户信息的“另类交易”

5. 乔丹击败乔丹体育到底有多难?

6. 新年将至，送什么给你的宝贝

7. 为什么我们不能接受死亡？

8. 如何打造天才儿童

9. 亚马逊为什么要开线下实体杂货店？

10. 中国HIV新发病例趋势引发担忧

英国《金融时报》原文阅读精选集Vol.27

1. 机器人抢饭碗 什么岗位较安全？

2. 该不该为孩子的新年表演而请假？

3. 中国遭遇“精子危机”

4. 美国黑五网购 堪比双11

5. 中国成专利申请首超100万件的国家

6. 广告，该听从于技术还是艺术

7. 电商刷单，我该如何识破你

8. 电商开始不行了？

9. 在网上遭到仇恨言论煽动的青少年

10. 你的密码有多脆弱？

英国《金融时报》原文阅读精选集Vol.28

1. 45岁就退休？

2. 网上购物能预测心理疾病？

3. 什么？雅虎高管早就知道黑客攻击？！

4. “光棍节狂欢”全球化？

5. 女性员工一定要穿高跟鞋吗？

6. 假如你要跳槽到竞争对手公司

7. 优步大变能否捕获你的心？

8. 学会倾听，让你的员工更高效

9. 流浪狗，该杀吗？

10. “零工经济”能否“解救”跨性别人士

英国《金融时报》原文阅读精选集Vol.29

1. 没人比它更懂你

2. 谁是中国快递大佬？

3. 中国打击网络“刷单、刷好评”动真格了？

4. Airbnb和Uber的大难题？

5. 中国：全球金融科技创新的领导者

6. 消费者技术的创新总费力不讨好？

7. 在电影院睡着真的好吗？

8. 屏幕对我们的视力伤害有多大？

9. 重塑消费市场的中国千禧一代

10. 向机器人求个职

英国《金融时报》原文阅读精选集Vol.30

1. 马云“牵手”斯皮尔伯格

2. 赚多少钱才会感到富有？

3. 你注定就是胖子吗？

4. 百岁老人压力大

5. 黑莓离场 英雄落幕？

6. 是时候给女性她们想要的了

7. 如何管理“不忠的”千禧一代

8. 会玩：可以录像的太阳镜

9. 优步司机什么“鬼”

10. 1万美元的天价药膏

英国《金融时报》原文阅读精选集Vol.21

“比石油更昂贵的将是水”？

别以为这是玩笑，在不久的将来水资源将会成为比石油更加昂贵的大宗商品？

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

agriculture农业；农耕['ægrɪkʌltʃə]

scarcity不足；缺乏['skeəsɪtɪ]

cite引用；传讯[saɪt]

fossil化石的；陈腐的['fɒs(ə)l; -sɪl]

municipal市政的，市的[mjʊ'nɪsɪp(ə)l]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分6秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

1分51秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分2秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分42秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Water set to become more valuable than oil（429 words）

By Andrew Ward in London

Water will become more valuable than oil as rising demand from people,industries and agriculture puts pressure on supplies,according to the chief executive of French utility Suez.

Jean-Louis Chaussade,whose company this month agreed to buy General Electric’s water unit for $3.4bn,said water scarcity posed one of the biggest challenges facing industries such as chemicals,drugs,mining and energy.

Asked whether water would one day be a more valuable commodity than oil,Mr Chaussade told the Financial Times:“In future,probably yes.”

He cited projections that by 2035 some 40 per cent of the world population will live in areas facing water scarcity. This would put companies in competition with people and farming for supplies.

“Governments are saying to industries:‘you can operate here but you can’t take water from underground’,”Mr Chaussade said.“Companies will have to rely on waste water recycling or desalination plants to meet their needs.”

Mr Chaussade said the €95bn market for industrial water services was set to expand at an annual rate of 5 per cent over the long term — outpacing global economic growth of about 3 per cent.

Suez’s investment in the industrial water market contrasts with efforts by its biggest investor,Engie,the French energy group,to exit oil and gas production and coal-fired power generation as the world shifts beyond fossil fuels.

Industrial water provides a bigger opportunity for Suez than its traditional municipal business,he added,as industries account for a fifth of global water use compared with 5 per cent for humans. The rest is used by agriculture.

GE Water helps companies including ExxonMobil,Pfizer and Nestlé manage treatment and consumption of water.

About half of the US company’s revenues come from the US but Mr Chaussade said the strongest growth potential was in developing economies,especially China.“The Chinese people and government will no longer accept new plants being built without proper treatment of waste water,”he added.

GE decided to sell its water unit as part of efforts to head off potential objections from competition regulators to the merger of its oil and gas division with Baker Hughes,a rival oilfield services group which has its own water business serving the energy industry.

Suez agreed to buy the GE unit in partnership with Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec,a Canadian pension fund manager. The French group will own 70 per cent of the joint venture and fold its existing industrial water activities into the business. The JV will have annual revenues of about €2bn,compared with Suez’s 2016 sales of €15.3bn.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Which one is not mentioned as the rising demand to put pressure on water supply?

A. People

B. Industries

C. Pollution

D. Agriculture

答案(1)

2.How many percent of the world population will live in areas facing water scarcity by 2035 according to the projections?

A. 3%

B. 5%

C. 35%

D. 40%

答案(2)

3.Which one can’t be used in the industry as the government said?

A. Circulating water

B. Underground water

C. Seawater desalination

D. All of the three

答案(3)

4.Which one account for a fifth of global water use as mentioned?

A. Chinese people

B. Industries

C. The governments

D. Agriculture

答案(4)

(1) 答案：C.Pollution
解释：法国公用事业公司苏伊士(Suez)的首席执行官称，水将比石油更昂贵，原因是人类、工业和农业不断上升的需求将给水的供应带来压力。

(2) 答案：D.40%
解释：这些预测认为到2035年40%的世界人口将生活在缺水地区。

(3) 答案：B.Underground water
解释“政府在对产业说：‘你可以在这里经营，但你不能从地下抽水’，”肖萨德表示，“企业将不得不依赖废水循环或者海水淡化工厂来满足自身需求。”

(4) 答案：B.Industries
解释：比起Suez传统的市政用水业务，工业用水服务给予了Suez更大的机会，因为工业用水占全球用水的五分之一，相比之下人类用水占5%。剩下部分是农业用水。

中国公务员远不如一般人健康

在多年反对宴请和喝酒的生活方式之后，长期被人与这种生活方式联系在一起的中国公职官员依然远没有一般人健康——逾一半中国男性公务员患有与肥胖和过度饮酒相关的脂肪肝。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

booze酒；酒宴[buːz]

servant公务员；雇工['sɜːv(ə)nt]

spinal脊柱的；针的['spaɪn(ə)l]

culprit罪犯；罪魁祸首['kʌlprɪt]

diabetes糖尿病；多尿症[,daɪə'biːtiːz]

gout痛风；一滴[gaʊt]

abnormally反常地；变态地[æb'nɔrməli]

rubber-stamp象征性的

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

2分36秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

1分34秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分50秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分38秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Desk time,poor diet and drink weigh on China’s civil servants（387 words）

By Tom Hancock in Shanghai

Chinese public officials remain far less healthy than the general population years into a campaign against the banquets-and-booze lifestyles with which they were long associated.

A survey of the medical records of about 300,000 of China’s 10m civil servants found 57 per cent had excessive levels of blood lipids such as cholesterol and more than half were overweight or obese. The comparative figures for the general population were 41 per cent and 25 per cent.

Spinal problems were the most common complaint in the study published this week by iKang,a medical company,affecting about 60 per cent of officials surveyed across five regions. The study pointed to too much desk time,poor diet and lack of exercise as culprits.

Men were less healthy and were more likely to be overweight and have indications of diabetes and gout. A third of male civil servants rated“abnormally”on at least five health measures,compared with about a fifth for women.

Strikingly,more than half of male officials had fatty liver disease,an ailment associated with obesity and excessive alcohol consumption,compared with estimates of about 20 per cent for men in the general population.

The iKang survey follows a 2012 study of 15,000 civil servants funded by the ministry of education,which found that 40 per cent rarely exercised while 20 per cent regularly drank to excess.“For civil servants,risks of social drinking or alcoholism are enormous,”the authors said.

Xi Jinping,China’s president,rose to the leadership of the Communist party the same year and promoted an anti-corruption campaign and austerity drive that included a limit on official banquets to“four dishes and one soup”.

Sales of high-end alcohol nosedived but have since recovered,while the number of new corruption prosecutions has slowed. At a meeting of China’s rubber-stamp legislature this week,officials denied suggestions that the anti-corruption campaign had lost steam.

Civil servants in China have traditionally enjoyed free access to healthcare,while private sector workers pay out of pocket for most treatments. Those perks are one of the reasons annual civil service examinations are intensely competitive.

But in further bad news for Chinese officials already struggling with high blood pressure,diabetes and gout,Beijing is pushing reforms that would require government employees to pay a bigger portion of their salaries into medical insurance schemes.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.How many percent of civil servants had excessive levels of blood lipids according to the survey?

A. 25%

B. 41%

C. 57%

D. 60%

答案(1)

2.Which one is not mentioned as the culprit for spinal problems?

A. relationship problems

B. to too much desk time

C. poor diet

D. lack of exercise

答案(2)

3.Who funded the study of 15,000 civil servants in 2012?

A. the Ministry of Health medical

B. the Ministry of Education

C. the iKang

D. the anti-corruption campaign

答案(3)

4.What is the limit on official banquets though the anti-corruption actions?

A. one dish and one soup

B. four dishes and one soup

C. six dishes and two soup

D. four dishes and two soups

答案(4)

(1) 答案：C.57%
解释：血脂过高的比例达到57%，超重或肥胖的比例超过一半。而一般人群的这两个比例分别是41%和25%。

(2) 答案：A.relationship problems
解释：医疗公司爱康国宾(iKang)本周发布的研究报告显示，颈椎问题是最常见的抱怨，影响了5个地区60%的受访官员。该报告指出，造成这种健康问题的原因是长时间伏案工作、饮食不良以及缺乏锻炼。

(3) 答案：B.the Ministry of Education
解释：中国教育部在2012年出资委托相关机构对1.5万名公务员进行了调查，结果发现40%的受访者很少锻炼，而20%的受访者经常过度饮酒。

(4) 答案：B.four dishes and one soup
解释：官员宴会限制为“四菜一汤”。

同性情节不过关？大马撤下《美女与野兽》

迪士尼近日宣布，其真人版电影美女与野兽将不会按照马来西亚审查委员会的要求，对影片内的涉及同性恋情节进行删节，并决定将该片撤出该国电影院——凸显出跨国公司正越来越多地与亚洲保守的反同性恋态度发生冲突。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

homosexuality同性恋['hɒməʊ,seksjʊ'ælətɪ]

artistic integrity艺术良知

portray描绘；扮演[pɔː'treɪ]

rigorously严厉地；残酷地['rigərəsli]

congregation集会；集合；圣会[kɒŋgrɪ'geɪʃ(ə)n]

assertive肯定的；独断的；坚定而自信的[ə'sɜːtɪv]

emoticon表情符号，表情图示[ɪ'məʊtɪkɒn]

villain坏人，恶棍；戏剧、小说中的反派角色；顽童；罪犯['vɪlən]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

4分12秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分2秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分53秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分0秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Disney withdraws‘Beauty and the Beast’in Malaysia（606 words）

By Jeevan Vasagar in Singapore and Matthew Garrahan in New York

Walt Disney has pulled Beauty and the Beast from cinemas in Malaysia in a stand-off with authorities that underlines how multinationals are increasingly coming into conflict with conservative hostility to homosexuality in Asia.

Malaysia’s film censorship board said the film had been approved following a cut to remove a so-called“gay moment”. However,Disney said in a statement that“the film has not been and will not be cut for Malaysia.”

The decision to withdraw the film rather than submit to censorship comes amid a growing determination on the part of multinationals to resist illiberal rules in the markets in which they operate.

“They are showing that they believe in artistic integrity,”said Eugene Tan,associate professor at Singapore Management University.“They will know what the consequences are,and will have done their calculations.”

The live-action adaptation of the 1991 animated musical is the first Disney film to feature a gay character. It includes a brief scene in which LeFou,played by Josh Gad,dances with another man.

The commercial consequences for Disney will be slight,given the size of the Malaysian box office. However,the stand-off is the latest sign of mounting tension between Southeast Asia’s increasingly vocal gay community and religious conservatives,with multinationals caught in the crossfire.

Both Malaysia and Singapore ban sex between men and censor media content that portrays homosexuality in a positive light.

The guidelines are rigorously enforced. Last year,producers staging the musical Les Miserables in Singapore cut a scene in which two men kiss,after being warned it might affect the show’s rating.

Beauty and the Beast has been approved for release in Singapore but the city-state’s Anglican bishop warned clergy last week to alert congregations to its“homosexual content”.

“Disney films for children’s entertainment are usually associated with wholesome,mainstream values,”Rennis Ponniah,bishop of Singapore,said in a statement.“But times are changing at a foundational level.”

Mr Tan of Singapore Management University believes the incident is part of a growing trend.

“You see the gay community asserting itself in Southeast Asia,and in turn,there is a pushback,”he said.“Multinationals have their own cultural background that they want to honour. Companies are going to face this a lot more often as both groups are becoming more assertive.”

Singapore last year warned foreign companies against sponsoring an annual gay rights rally,Pink Dot,which draws support from global banks and tech companies including Goldman Sachs and Twitter.

Google has said publicly that it wants to sponsor the event again this year,and will apply to the government for a permit under new regulations restricting foreign involvement in Singaporean public speaking events.

Indonesia has pressed social networks to take down emoticons featuring same-sex couples. Gay sex is not illegal in Indonesia but authorities feared stirring unrest“especially in relation to the religious and cultural norms in Indonesia”.

Beauty and the Beast director Bill Condon said in an interview with Attitude,a British magazine,that the manservant LeFou has affectionate feelings for the main villain,Gaston.

“And that’s what has its pay-off at the end,which I don’t want to give away. But it is a nice,exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie,”Mr Condon said.

Mr Condon,who is gay,said the curse that transforms the hero into a beast was intended as a metaphor for Aids by the first film’s lyricist Howard Ashman,who died of the condition in 1991.

In Russia,where a recently enacted law prohibits“promoting homosexuality to minors”,Beauty and the Beast was approved for screening this month but with an age rating of 16 and above.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What was the reason that Disney decided to withdraw Beauty and the Beast from Malaysia?

A. Malaysia is a relatively small market for Disney

B. Some part of the film has to be cut in order to get approved

C. The film contains discrimination against Malaysians

D. The film was not welcomed by Malaysians

答案(1)

2.Besides Malaysia,which Asian country also bans sex between men?

A. Singapore

B. Japan

C. Korea

D. China

答案(2)

3.Which company said publicly that it wants to sponsor the Pink Dot event again this year?

A. Yahoo

B. Google

C. Twitter

D. Goldman Sachs

答案(3)

4.What was the attitude of Bill Condon towards the gay moment of Beauty and the Beast?

A. He believed it was a nice,exclusively gay moment

B. He was shocked by it

C. He think it was not necessary

D. He was very disappointed

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.Some part of the film has to be cut in order to get approved
解释：迪士尼决定不在马来西亚上映美女与野兽是因为影片中所包含的涉及同性恋的片段在接受马来西亚的审查时，被要求必须去除这些情节才能上映，而迪士尼表示不会因为马来西亚政府的要求而删除这些情节，于是不在当地上映该电影。

(2) 答案：A.Singapore
解释：除了马来西亚之外，新加坡也颁布了禁止了男性性行为的禁令。

(3) 答案：B.Google
解释：Twitter和Goldman Sachs是Pink Dot的支持者，但谷歌今年公开地表示想要再次赞助这一同性恋集会活动的意愿。

(4) 答案：A.He believed it was a nice,exclusively gay moment
解释：在接受英国媒体的采访时比尔·康顿（影片导演）表示，对于美女与野兽电影中的同性恋情节，他觉得是迪士尼电影中极为罕见而珍贵的片段，对于这样的情节他是不愿意因审查而删除的。

吸电子烟真的比吸烟好嘛？

近年来，电子香烟成为那些渴望健康生活却又不能戒除烟瘾的人们的新选择。电子香烟的推广使其成为了一个新兴的研究领域。然而电子香烟真的如同宣传的那样对人体危害更小吗？最新的研究结果将为我们揭晓这个答案。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

Vape吞云吐雾（特指电子水烟）

Exhalation蒸发，呼气；散发物[eksə'leɪʃ(ə)n]

Combustible可燃的，易燃的[kəm'bʌstɪb(ə)l]

Peril危险；冒险；危及['perɪl]

Carcinogen致癌物质[kɑː'sɪnədʒ(ə)n]

Obfuscate使模糊使混乱['ɒbfʌskeɪt]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

6分1秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

3分36秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

2分0秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分24秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Is it better to vape than to smoke?（842 words）

By Anjana Ahuja

They seem most visible when the wind blows in from the Arctic — small clusters punctuating the empty streets,white sticks clasped between blue fingers and their exhalations drifting across No Smoking signs.

Smokers are,in all respects,a dying breed. In England in 2015,16.9 per cent of people described themselves as smokers,compared with 19.3 per cent in 2012. About a third tried to give up in the past 12 months.

Those who carry on puffing suffer higher rates of cancer,heart disease,respiratory disease and stroke than non-smokers. The National Health Service estimated that 78,000 deaths in 2014 were attributable to the habit.

Many smokers have considered turning to electronic cigarettes,which are“vaped”rather than smoked,in order to quit. Ecigarettes are a recent development in tobacco harm-reduction and are marketed as a less harmful alternative to smoking. But a stream of conflicting stories about their benefits,or otherwise,has left consumers confused.

Last month,for example,several newspapers including the Daily Mail,The Times and The Sun,reported research that suggested certain flavours of ecigarettes may harm sperm. The findings were presented at a British Fertility Society conference but are yet to be published in a journal.

There is,however,a strong scientific consensus that vaping is far better for health than smoking（although it is best to neither vape nor smoke). This consensus was reinforced by a study published this week in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Ecigarettes have been barely regulated until recently,meaning that their ingredients are not always known. In the past,e-liquid and vapour have been found to contain toxins such as carbonyls,tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines（TSNAs) and heavy metals,which can also be found in tobacco smoke.

This similarity constitutes one reason why their risk level has been a concern. The new study suggests vapers have a lower exposure to these toxins than smokers and hence are subject to a lower risk to health.

Researchers led by Dr Lion Shahab at University College London looked at five groups of long-term nicotine users. They were: regular smokers; former smokers who now only used ecigarettes; former smokers who only used nicotine replacement therapy such as patches or gum; smokers who also used ecigarettes,and smokers using nicotine replacements.

There were 181 participants,and their saliva and urine were tested for biomarkers of nicotine,carcinogens and other toxins.

Dr Shahab found that those who used only ecigarettes received a similar nicotine hit to smokers,while benefiting from substantially lower exposure to toxins and carcinogens. By extrapolation,lower exposure suggests lower levels of eventual harm.

The dual users who smoked and vaped were subject to exposures as high as smokers,for reasons that are as yet unclear. Thus smokers who want to improve their health are advised to completely give up combustible cigarettes rather than mix them with ecigarettes or nicotine patches.

The work,funded by Cancer Research UK,confirms that“full cessation of all nicotine products remains the best option to avoid harm”.

The finding echoes other analyses,such as a 2014 systematic review in the journal Therapeutic Advances in Drug Safety,which concluded“electronic cigarettes are by far a less harmful alternative to smoking . . .”and that considerable health benefits accrue from switching. Public Health England states that vaping is 95 per cent safer than smoking.

Put simply,there is a spectrum of peril: smoking regular cigarettes exposes you to considerable known harms; ecigarettes and nicotine patches offer lower exposure and by implication less harm. And of course,steer clear of all nicotine products if you know what is best for you.

At a briefing at the Science Media Centre in London last week,Professor Robert West,editor-in chief of the journal Addiction,offered an insightful précis of how the clear,simple message that vaping is safer than smoking had become lost in the haze:“We see a constant drip-drip of them [studies into ecigarettes]: small studies,studies in mice; studies without cigarettes as a comparator,studies looking at risk where the level of risk isn’t quantified.”

The novelty of the products means that long-term surveys of vaping are decades away,leaving the knowledge gap ripe for filling by the kind of studies alluded to by Professor West.

In addition,the“to vape or not to vape”dilemma is coloured by an association with the absurdly powerful tobacco industry,which has long obfuscated and dissembled over the sheer deadliness and addictiveness of its products.

This has led to another criticism of vaping: it lures people into smoking. Research is trying to elucidate whether children who vape and then smoke would have ended up smoking anyway. The hotly contested“gateway”argument is separate and important but should not be conflated with the issue of relative toxicity.

And what if you have not tried any form of tobacco? Just say no,full stop,to both vaping and smoking — to the unpleasant smell,to the unnecessary expense,to the raised risks of disease（whatever they turn out to be) and,of course,to being forced out into the cold.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What is the percentage of people in England would describe themselves as smokers in 2016?

A. 16.9%

B. 19.3%

C. 21.5%

D. 33.2%

答案(1)

2.What is the result of Dr Lion Shahab’s research?

A. Vapers were subject to exposures as high as smokers

B. The risk level of vaping is unknown due to the uncertainty of the ingredients

C. It’s better to mix combustible cigarettes with ecigarettes or nicotine patches

D. Vaping is much safer than smoking.

答案(2)

3.Which answer is not one of the groups used as the experiment subject in Dr Lion Shahab’s research?

A. Regular smokers

B. Former smokers who now gave up smoking

C. Former smokers who now used ecigarettes or nicotine replacement therapy

D. Smokers who also used ecigarettes or nicotine replacements

答案(3)

4.What is the criticism of vaping mentioned in the article?

A. Promoting vaping may do harm to the tobacco industry

B. Vaping could lead to other kind of diseases to human body

C. Vaping lures people into smoking

D. Vaping cause unpleasant smell and unnecessary expense

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.19.3%
解释：2015年英国有16.9%的人是吸烟者，19.3%是2012年的数据，而有三分之一的吸烟者表示在过去的一年内曾经尝试戒烟。

(2) 答案：D.Vaping is much safer than smoking.
解释：Dr Shahab的实验发现电子烟可以带来和普通香烟一样的吸烟效果，但是却能减少吸烟者对于毒素和致癌物质的摄入。

(3) 答案：B.Former smokers who now gave up smoking
解释：实验对象包括：使用普通香烟的吸烟者；以前是吸烟者现在只使用电子香烟的人；过去的吸烟者现在使用尼古丁替代产品的人；同时使用普通香烟和电子烟以及同时使用普通香烟和尼古丁替代产品的人，没有提到已经完全戒烟的人。

(4) 答案：C.Vaping lures people into smoking
解释：有批评指出，电子香烟对人体的较小危害性很可能会导致更多没有吸烟习惯的人成为吸烟者。其他答案是文中提到的一些观点但并不是明确表示的对于电子香烟的批评。

“Trumpchi”是否能圆美国梦

如果有一个中国汽车品牌可以打进美国市场，它很可能是“传祺”，尽管“Trumpchi”与特朗普（Trump）并无关系。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

namesake同名物；同名的人['neɪmseɪk]

auspicious吉利的；幸运的[ɔː'spɪʃəs]

syllable音节['sɪləb(ə)l]

roomier宽敞的（roomy的比较级）

modification修改，修正；改变[,mɒdɪfɪ'keɪʃ(ə)n]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分25秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分36秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分34秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分54秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

China’s‘Trumpchi’carmaker embarks on US drive（540 words）

By Charles Clover and Sherry Fei Ju in Beijing

Several Chinese carmakers have tried and failed to crack the coveted US market,but if one Chinese car brand can make it,that marque could well be the“Trumpchi”.

Made by Guangzhou Automobile Group Company,the first Trumpchi rolled out of the Guangzhou-based factory in 2010 — well before its near namesake sought the US presidency.

Now the sixth-best-selling brand in China is poised to test the waters of the toughest car market in the world. At January’s Detroit auto show,Trumpchi became the first Chinese brand to feature on the event’s main floor,and Yu Jun,general manager,said the carmaker was targeting its first US sales in 2019.

“The US is the second-largest car market after China,”said Mr Yu.“If you want to become a global leading brand and enter the global market,we must enter the US market.”

So far the Trumpchi has been exported to some developing countries under the GAC brand,but the company is still unsure whether its auspicious-sounding name would help or hinder it in the US.

The car is named Chuanqi（“Legendary”) in Chinese,and GAC said the English name was unrelated to the reality TV star-turned-president — rather,it is a compound of the English word trump（“to excel,surpass”) and the first syllable of the word“cheerful”.

“We were debating whether to use this name [on the US export models] even before Mr Trump was elected,”said Mr Yu,“and now we will have to decide whether to use this name.”

The primary challenge in entering the US is the high cost of testing and meeting the highest safety and emissions standards in the world,said Robin Zhu,chief Asia auto analyst at Bernstein in Hong Kong.“The US has infinitely more stringent rules than China,”he said.

Chinese factories already export China-made Buicks and Volvos to the US while a handful of domestic makers such as Geely and Chery have failed to break into the market. Geely appeared at the Detroit auto show in 2006,where its“China Dragon”car flopped,while Chery tried unsuccessfully in 2005.

Trumpchi cars are roomier than average for Chinese buyers,which Mr Yu said was an advantage in the US.

“Both Chinese and American consumers like big fancy cars — the bigger the better and the fancier the better,”he said,adding that the company had not decided which model to export and what modifications were required.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.When was the first Trumpchi“born”in Guangzhou?

A. 2006

B. 2009

C. 2010

D. 2012

答案(1)

2.What is Trumpchi rank on best-selling list in China?

A. 1

B. 3

C. 4

D. 6

答案(2)

3.Which one is not correct about the car’s name?

A. Its English name is unrelated to Trump

B. The car was helped by its name because of the new president

C. It is the commixture of“trump”and“cheerful”

D. It means Legendary in Chinese

答案(3)

4.What is the primary challenge in entering the US for Trumpchi as Robin Zhu said?

A. High cost of high-level standards

B. Technical barrier of emissions

C. Controversy of its name

D. The lack of export experience

答案(4)

(1) 答案：C.2010
解释：第一辆传祺车于2010年从广州的工厂下线——这个时间比和它英文名字相近的那位人士竞选美国总统早多了。

(2) 答案：D.6
解释：如今它是在中国销量第六的汽车品牌。

(3) 答案：B.The car was helped by its name because of the new president
解释：传祺中文名称音同“传奇”。广汽集团表示，该品牌英文名和那位曾是电视真人秀明星的美国总统并无关系。相反，该英文名称是英语单词“trump”（意为超过、胜过）和“cheerful”（令人愉快）一词的首音节组成的。

(4) 答案：A.High cost of high-level standards
解释：分析师Robin Zhu表示，进入美国市场的主要挑战，是与测试和满足全球最高安全及排放标准相关的高成本。他说：“美国有着比中国严格太多的规则。”

马云：制假售假者该进监狱

马云称，“假如销售一件假货拘留七天，制造一件假货入刑，那么我想今天中国的知识产权保护现状、食品药品安全现状，我们国家未来的创新能力一定会发生天翻地覆的变化。”

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

ramp up增加

counterfeiting伪造[,kauntəfeitiŋ]

scourge鞭打；蹂躏；严斥[skɜːdʒ]

delegate委派…为代表[ˈdɛlɪˌɡeɪt; -ɡɪt;（for v.,) ]

crusade改革运动；十字军东侵[kruː'seɪd]

the National People's Congress全国人民代表大会

onus责任，义务；负担['əʊnəs]

plea请求；辩解[pliː]

harness治理；套；驾驭['hɑːnɪs]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分25秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分36秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分34秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分54秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Alibaba founder Jack Ma calls on China to jail counterfeit sellers（540 words）

By Louise Lucas in Hong Kong

Alibaba founder Jack Ma has for the first time called directly on China’s government to ramp up efforts to erase counterfeiting,blaming modest penalties and lax laws for the scourge of fakes.

The appeal to delegates at this week’s National People’s Congress marks an escalation by Mr Ma,one of China’s richest men,and a reversal from his earlier comments that counterfeits are often better quality than the real thing.

It also follows a renewed crusade against fakes that followed the return of Alibaba’s ecommerce platform Taobao to the US blacklist of“notorious markets”for peddling counterfeit goods.

In an open letter to delegates of the NPC and The Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference posted on China’s Twitter-like Weibo platform,Mr Ma called for counterfeits to be tackled in the same way as drink driving.

“If,for example,we imposed a seven-day prison sentence for every fake product sold,the world would look very different both in terms of intellectual property enforcement and food and drug safety,as well as our ability to foster innovation,”he wrote.

Highlighting laws that enabled 99 per cent of counterfeit activities to go unchecked and inappropriately small penalties for those fined,he said there was“a lot of bark around stopping counterfeits,but no bite”.

Turning the onus on to Beijing is a calculated gamble for Mr Ma. He has been under pressure to clamp down on fakes since the US Office of the Trade Representative blacklisted Taobao,both by overseas regulators and big brands,but his plea may not align with the government’s priorities,say observers.

While applauding Alibaba’s efforts,some lawyers pointed to an element of lip-service: Alibaba has come out with a string of initiatives since the USTR move,including working with police in Shenzhen and Swarovski to sue two merchants selling fake watches.

“What he is saying is valid: China needs to do more,”said Paul Haswell,a partner at Pinsent Masons in Hong Kong,“Alibaba is investing more in anti-counterfeiting,hiring more lawyers and going after people. But it still feels very much like showboating.”

Brands complain that merchants selling knock-offs that are closed down by Alibaba simply reappear under a different name a few hours later,and point to the swath of fake goods available across the platform.

Alibaba says it is harnessing big data,combining addresses and other information,to detect reincarnated merchants. But these efforts are undermined by laws,said Mr Ma.

Big data enabled Alibaba to pass on 4,495 leads to cases for offline investigations,which resulted in the successful criminal prosecution of 469 cases,he said — a hit rate of roughly 10 per cent.

Of the 200 counterfeit cases penalised by the Bureau of Commerce and Industry last year that Alibaba studied,the average fine was Rmb10,000.（$1,450).“This reality only encourages more people to produce and sell fake goods!”he wrote.

He said that manufacturers,rather than internet ecommerce platforms,were the root problem.“Counterfeit goods are being produced in a steady stream every day by illegitimate factories,just like the smog that comes from all directions and fills the streets . . . Manufacturers will always be the source of the problem; and the law has to be the root of the solution.”

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Which country blacklisted Taobao to the“notorious markets”?

A. America

B. Britain

C. China

D. France

答案(1)

2.Where did Jack Ma sent an open letter to call on China to jail counterfeit sellers?

A. Twitter

B. Weibo

C. WeChat

D. Petition

答案(2)

3.What is the hit rate of counterfeit cases on Taobao as mentioned?

A. 5%

B. 10%

C. 48%

D. 80%

答案(3)

4.Where are the root problem of counterfeit goods according to Ma?

A. manufacturer

B. ecommerce platform

C. consumer

D. the law

答案(4)

(1) 答案：A.America
解释：在此之前，阿里巴巴电商平台淘宝(Taobao)因销售假货再次被美国列入“恶名市场”黑名单，阿里巴巴由此掀起了新一轮的打假运动。

(2) 答案：B.Weibo
解释：马云在新浪微博(Weibo)上发表了一封致全国人大和全国政协代表的公开信。

(3) 答案：B.10%
解释：阿里巴巴利用大数据排查出4495件线索让警方展开线下调查，结果被成功提起刑事诉讼的只有469件，打击率大约为10%左右。

(4) 答案：A.manufacturer
解释：他说，问题的根源是制造工厂而非互联网电商平台。

健康手环真的有效吗？

可穿戴设备在越来越广泛地被人们应用在健康领域，但是该设备是否真的有助于减肥，科学家们进行了科学实验。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

seraph六翼天使['serəf]

bracelet手镯[ˈbreɪslət]

chide责骂[tʃaɪd]

pedestrianism徒步[pi'destriənizəm]

compensatory补偿性的[kɒmpen'seɪtərɪ]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

6分31秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

3分53秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

2分12秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分28秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Are fitness trackers effective?（884 words）

By Anjana Ahuja

The devil on the shoulder has been replaced by a digital angel on the wrist — for many of us,at least. This seraph,perhaps a Fitbit bracelet or an Apple Watch,chides us silently to get off the bus a little earlier,take the stairs instead of the lift,and thus achieve the hallowed target of 10,000 steps a day.

Such keen pedestrianism,promise makers of wearable activity trackers,is the key to becoming fitter and,it is implicitly suggested,slimmer.

Except that the emerging evidence does not quite match up to the marketing pitch. A study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh measured whether fitness devices aided weight loss and found people shifted more flab when they were not wearing trackers.

The scientists are not quite sure why but it might be that fitness devices double up as both angel and devil,spurring the wearer to climb the stairs and delivering information on calories burnt — leading to a compensatory cookie on the top floor.

Around 470 overweight adults enrolled on the Pittsburgh trial. All were told to diet and exercise more,which is standard advice. Six months in,half the participants were randomly assigned to an“enhanced”intervention: they got a fitness tracker,could monitor their progress and receive feedback through a website. The expectation,according to Professor John Jakicic,who led the study,was that the bells-and-whistles group would shed the most weight.

The results,collated two years after the experiment started,confounded expectations: the unmonitored slimmers lost an average of 5.9kg,whereas their digitally tracked peers shed 3.5kg. In September the authors concluded in the Journal of the American Medical Association that“devices that monitor and provide feedback on physical activity may not offer an advantage over standard behavioural weight loss approaches”.

It is a lovely piece of research,because it actually bothered to measure something that most of us had taken on trust: that activity trackers help us to better execute good intentions. Indeed,wearable health technology has become a profitable juggernaut: one market research company forecasts that,worldwide,53m fitness trackers will be sold in 2016.

And yet the evidence on their effectiveness has struggled to keep pace with consumer enthusiasm. One issue is the algorithms used to count steps and estimate the number of calories expended. These vary between devices,as shown by guinea pigs who have worn several trackers simultaneously.

One tester found that,over a week,her tally of calories burnt,as measured by Jawbone and Fitbit devices,differed by more than 2,600. That’s roughly a day’s worth of eating. If you have a tracker that systematically over-counts the calories used up,and you dine accordingly,you are unlikely to lose weight.

The companies claim the discrepancies between trackers are down to different algorithms and different sensors. As a very general rule of thumb,the more sensors a tracker contains — accelerometers for detecting motion,and altimeters and gyroscopes for orientation are standard — the more accurate it should be about the nature,frequency,intensity and duration of your activity.

For example,some trackers contain sensors that shine light on to the skin and,by looking at the light reflected from blood vessels,work out how energetically the heart is pumping.

Device makers,perhaps aware that comparison tests undermine the scientific validity of their products,point out that it is the trend in activity that wearers should focus on,rather than precise data. In that respect,fitness devices might prompt people to become more active.

On the other hand,fitness is not the same as weight loss. Shedding a spare tyre is a matter of dietary arithmetic: if you eat fewer calories than you expend,you will lose weight.

The unexpected outcome of the Pittsburgh study could,Professor Jakicic has theorised,be down to users setting too much store by the technology,and losing sight of the advice to which all overweight people should adhere to: eat less and move more. Fitness devices tend to address only one half of that mantra. The technology has moved on since the Pittsburgh guinea pigs first enrolled,but,before buying a tracker,it is still worth considering carefully how it will help you to achieve your goals. Be honest: do you want a calorie counter just so you can tell when you have earned the right to a cupcake? Or is your fitness bracelet a lifestyle statement?

As someone who does not wear a tracker — I fear that in technology terms I would be categorised as a late-to-never adopter — there is something rather pleasing about modern science confirming the value of an old-fashioned approach to keeping fit and staying trim.

Fortunately my domestic routine includes about 90 minutes of daily walking（through necessity,not virtue). I try not to eat too many cakes,or drink too much wine. I no longer own bathroom scales; the zips on my dresses and a full-length mirror offer unforgiving feedback. The low-tech approach is deliberate: I already spend too much time checking emails and social media accounts,and to fret over steps and calorie expenditure would be a digital fixation too far.

In any case,how have we become obsessed with reaching 10,000 steps a day? This figure is so perfectly rounded that it invites closer inspection — but that is a discussion for another day.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.According to the article,how many fitness trackers will be sold in 2016？

A. 38m

B. 45m

C. 53m

D. 80m

答案(1)

2.What is the study conducted by University of Pittsburgh？

A. whether fitness devices aided weight loss

B. the popularity of fitness devices

C. the safety of the devices

D. whether the price of the device is reasonable

答案(2)

3.What is the result of the experiment in the article?

A. unmonitored slimmers lost less weight

B. unmonitored slimmers lost more weight

C. unmonitored slimmers lost same weight as monitored slimmers

D. unmonitored slimmers lost gained some weight

答案(3)

4.To what extent does the statistics that calories burnt in a week differ measured by different devices？

A. More than 2600

B. More than 2000

C. Less than 2000

D. Less than 1000

答案(4)

(1) 答案：C.53m
解释：第七段提到。

(2) 答案：A.whether fitness devices aided weight loss
解释：University of Pittsburgh研究可穿戴设备是否助于减肥。

(3) 答案：B.unmonitored slimmers lost more weight
解释：未佩戴设备的参与实验人员的体重减少比佩戴设备的人员体重减少的要多一些。

(4) 答案：A.More than 2600
解释：有提到Jawbone and Fitbit两种设备数据的差别超过2600。

借助机器甄别忠诚员工，靠谱吗？

各银行正求助于行为特征描述来遴选毕业生，希望拓宽招聘的高校范围，并减少随后跳槽至对冲基金的新员工人数。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

behavioural行为的；动作的[bɪ'heɪvjər(ə)l]

Ivy League schools常春藤盟校

exposure曝光；揭露[ɪk'spəʊʒə; ek-]

numerical数值的；数字的[njuː'merɪk(ə)l]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分50秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

1分16秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分20秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分49秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Banks shake up hiring process（491 words）

By Laura Noonan

Deutsche Bank is using behavioural profiling when hiring US graduates in a bid to widen the range of colleges it selects from and reduce the number of recruits who later quit to join hedge funds.

Its latest initiative is just one of a number of recruitment techniques investment banks are rolling out as they compete for talent in a world that deems the industry less attractive than it once was.

Barclays is about to launch a new selection process that it says will give candidates a“real insight”into what working at the group is like and allow the bank to tap a broader pool of students.

Citigroup has said it is testing behavioural profiling across its US investment bank. Goldman Sachs is also piloting its own version of profiling but has not yet decided whether to roll it out more widely.

Deutsche’s screening system requires candidates to complete a 20-minute behavioural test when applying for US corporate finance roles. Their results are then compared with a‘fingerprint’based on the test results of the best performing junior staff at Deutsche.

Koru — the Silicon Valley behavioural testing firm that the German bank is working with — can also compare the results of Deutsche’s top juniors against a database of about 30,000 students built up from tests run for other companies. Most of these students are from colleges from which banks do not typically recruit.

Noel Volpe,the Deutsche Bank managing director spearheading the project,said the value of the system was that it provided“the specifics of a candidate who matches certain traits that resonate here with our best and brightest people”.

He claimed the people identified by the Koru tests would be better long-term bets for the bank than the best candidates from Ivy League schools that banks traditionally“fight over”. These candidates often felt“no loyalty to any one firm”,Mr Volpe said,and often played rival banks off against each other.

By weeding these people out in the recruitment process,Deutsche hopes to avoid hiring graduates who soon leave to join hedge funds.“I don’t want the person who’s going to come here,interview at a hedge fund six months in,which is the dynamic in the US,”Mr Volpe said.

Credit Suisse has been using virtual recruiting for graduates since 2010 and,in some countries,hires up to a third of its graduate intake this way.“This effort means we aren’t limiting ourselves in terms of talent sources,but rather attracting a much broader group of students from different backgrounds and schools,”said Andrea Tolchinsky,head of global campus recruiting at Credit Suisse.

In the UK,Barclays is using“contextualised screening”so that candidates from less advantaged backgrounds will get more credit for their exam scores and achievements than better-off graduates.“We want a diverse workforce,”said Jane Clark,head of graduate resourcing and development.“It is good for business and our client base is diverse too.”

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Which one is not mentioned to hire US graduates with using behavioural profiling?

A. Goldman Sachs

B. Citigroup

C. Merrill Lynch

D. Deutsche Bank

答案(1)

2.How low is the behavioural test for candidates in Deutsche Bank?

A. 20 minutes

B. 40 minutes

C. 20 hours

D. 40 hours

答案(2)

3.Which one is not right about graduates from Ivy League schools as Noel Volpe thought?

A. they always gain popularity though banks

B. they can have job without Koru tests

C. they often feel“no loyalty to any one firm”

D. they may skip from job to job in a short period

答案(3)

4.When did Credit Suisse begin using virtual recruiting for graduates?

A. 2008

B. 2009

C. 2010

D. 2012

答案(4)

(1) 答案：C.Merrill Lynch
解释：德意志银行(Deutsche Bank)本月面向一部分美国大学毕业生启用一套筛选系统。花旗集团(Citigroup)也在其美国投行部门试验行为特征描述，高盛(Goldman Sachs)正在试运行自己的版本。

(2) 答案：A.20 minutes
解释：德银现在要求申请美国企业融资职位的候选人完成由Koru设计的20分钟行为测验，测试结果然后会被拿去与该行表现最佳的初级员工的测验结果进行比对。

(3) 答案：B.they can have job without Koru tests
解释：沃尔普表示，常青藤大学的毕业生往往没有忠诚意识。“我不希望有人到这里来，六个月后又去某家对冲基金面试”。

(4) 答案：C.2010
解释：瑞信(Credit Suisse)从2010年起采用虚拟方法招聘毕业生，在某些国家以这种方式招聘三分之一的新人。

机器人攻击主人怎么办

IOActive测试了世界上最著名的一些机器人，发现了一些可被黑客利用的缺陷，有可能被用来造成身体伤害或让某些活动停止。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

vulnerable易受攻击的['vʌln(ə)rəb(ə)l]

specialize专门研究['speʃəlaɪz]

so-called所谓的；号称的[,səʊ'kɔ:ld]

stall停止，停转；拖延[stɔːl]

ransomware勒索软件

countermeasure对策；反措施['kaʊntəmeʒə]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

5分13秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

3分10秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

2分41秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分17秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Hacked robots vulnerable to turning on their owners（775 words）

By Hannah Kuchler in San Francisco

The world’s best-known robots are at risk of spying on their users,revealing trade secrets or even being taken over and used in physical fights,according to security experts who warn that the devices are vulnerable to cyber attack.

IOActive,a cyber security company,tested 50 robots — including SoftBank Robotics’childlike Pepper robot and Rethink Robotics’industrial Baxter robot — and discovered weaknesses that would allow a hacker to manipulate arms and legs and take over microphones and cameras.

As more robots replace humans in jobs from construction sites to hospitals,with Pepper already being used in stores and homes and Baxter deployed on assembly lines and to control machines,the impact of a potential cyber attack increases. Spending on robots and related services is set to double to $188bn in 2020,according to data from research firm IDC.

Cesar Cerrudo,chief technology officer for IOActive Labs,which specialises in hunting for flaws in so-called Internet of Things devices,said he was concerned that robots were being connected to the internet with no thought for cyber security.

“Once the robots start to be in every home and many businesses,the motivation to attack them will increase exponentially,”he said.“Since they can move around their surroundings,especially industrial robots,they use a lot of power and can be programmed to do very dangerous movements in real time.”

While it found no evidence yet of any cyber attacks on robots,Mr Cerrudo warned that they could be used to cause physical harm or to stall operations.

He said that if one of the flaws that he discovered was used to infect a robot with ransomware,malicious software that shuts down a computer until its recipient pays a ransom,it could damage operations.

“If they start replacing workers with robots,it will be as if someone hacked the company’s employees,”he said.

IOActive,which has informed robot manufacturers of the flaws,also found serious cyber security problems in robots from other companies including Ubtech Robotics,Robotis,Universal Robots and Sartec Corp.

Universal Robots said it was aware of IOActive’s report and was“investigating the potential vulnerability described and potential countermeasures”. Rethink Robotics said that two of the items noted by IOActive were“intentional design features for the research and education version of Rethink’s robots only”. The other items noted by IOActive were“already known to us and addressed in Rethink’s latest software release.”

The researchers probed the mobile applications,operating systems and associated software that run the physical robots,and discovered that many key services did not have username and password authentication,making it easy for anyone to control the robot remotely.

Another common problem was weak data protection,either using no encryption or not implementing it correctly,which could be a problem when robots have access to personal or financial data.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.How many robots were tested by IOActive?

A. 50

B. 60

C. 100

D. 130

答案(1)

2.Which has already been used in stores and homes by now?

A. Xiaodu

B. Baxter robot

C. Pepper

D. Universal Robot

答案(2)

3.Where is IOActive Labs’job going?

A. fixing the vulnerabilities about cyber security

B. hunting for flaws in Internet of Things devices

C. ehunting for advantage in Internet of Things devices

D. innovating the Internet of Things devices

答案(3)

4.Who received the report of flaws from IOActive?

A. robot users

B. robot manufacturers

C. robot scientists

D. government

答案(4)

(1) 答案：A.50
解释：网络安全公司IOActive测试了50台机器人，包括软银机器人(SoftBank Robotics)生产的孩子模样的Pepper，以及Rethink Robotics的工业机器人Baxter。

(2) 答案：C.Pepper
解释：Pepper已被用在商店和家庭，Baxter被用在装配线上。

(3) 答案：B.hunting for flaws in Internet of Things devices
解释：文章提到IOActive LabsIOActive专门致力于寻找物联网设备的缺陷。

(4) 答案：B.robot manufacturers
解释：IOActive已把这些缺陷通报给了机器人生产商。

当你的老板是机器人

也许以前只能在科幻电影里看到机器取代人类进行工作，但现在人类与机器进行交互在工作中已经变得越来越频繁，如何与机器进行协作变得越发重要。如果你的老板是机器人，你该如何和他相处？

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

tedious冗长乏味的['tiːdɪəs]

groan呻吟[grəʊn]

dystopian反面乌托邦的[dis'təupiən]

tortuous扭曲的['tɔːtʃʊəs; -jʊəs]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

5分13秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

3分10秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

2分41秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分17秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Wanted: workers willing to defy their robot bosses（775 words）

By Kaye Wiggins

A bored worker turns to her manager to say she has had enough of a tedious task.

“Please continue,we need more data,”comes the cold reply. But it is not from a human boss. It is from the white,plastic robot that is overseeing her work. With a groan,the worker continues.

This is not a dystopian scene from a science-fiction B movie,but a real-life experiment at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg,Canada,in which researchers are trying to understand better how humans might interact with robots in the workplace.

Its results were striking. Although participants,including the unfortunate worker with an android boss,had been told beforehand that they could leave at any time,many obeyed the robot’s commands and carried on with the tortuous task of renaming hundreds of digital files.

“I was taken aback,”says James Young,an associate professor in the university’s computer science department,who watched the experiment from the next room.“I was thinking,‘They’re still doing it. Just get up and leave.’”

Had the instructions been on their computer screen instead,he says,participants would probably have given up or questioned the instructions much sooner.“We’re curious about the social pressure this robot is putting on people,”he says.

His research is part of a growing field known as“human-robot interaction”,in which engineers,computer scientists,sociologists,linguists and psychologists study how people and robotic systems work together. This includes how it may affect workplaces of the future.

It comes as the use of robots in the workplace rises rapidly. According to the International Federation of Robotics,in 2015 companies spent $11.1bn on industrial robots — used in car manufacturing,electronics and the metal industry — with sales rising 15 per cent to more than 250,000,the highest annual figures to date. Sales of professional services robots — used in agriculture,defence,medicine and cleaning — rose by a quarter to just over 40,000,with a value of $4.6bn.

Humanoid robots of the kind used in the University of Manitoba’s study make up only a small proportion of robot sales. But the IFR expects the number of“cobots”,or lightweight robotic systems designed to work directly with humans,to rise. Mr Young says his university’s study raises questions about how people will interact with those autonomous machines at work.

“There’s a lot of work showing how,when the human brain sees something moving around with a bit of intelligence,people attribute human-like characteristics to it,”he says.“Their expectations of its ability shape how they interact with it.”Mr Young says this applies to non-humanoid robots as well as those with human characteristics. He fears that a future generation of employees might trust the machines more than their own judgment,leading to errors at work and a demotivated workforce.

“Employees should remember,it’s just a machine and it doesn’t always know what’s going on,”he says.“They should question it,and if they’re not sure,talk to their human boss.”

Companies hiring a new generation of staff who will work with robots may look for people willing to challenge the machines. David D’Souza,head of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s London region,says recruiters will also look for individuals who show flexibility and are positive.

“We know technology will play a different part in people’s careers over time,and you need to be able to constantly learn new skills,adapt to your environment and potentially change profession,”he says.

However,companies hiring staff to work alongside robots will have to think not just about what they want from their staff but also how they can protect them from the potential downsides of the job. Cary Cooper,professor of organisational psychology and health at Alliance Manchester Business School,is concerned that employees working with robots will miss out on social interaction at work.

“People will not have their social needs met by [robots],”he says.“How can they?”He adds that with limited social interaction,employees are likely to“have less job satisfaction,be bored and maybe get ill”. Companies should design their systems so that employees working with robots spend as much time as possible with other people,he says.

How companies and their staff adapt to the use of robotics will depend on a range of factors,including,crucially,whether the machines are thought to threaten jobs. But Prof Cooper says employers’first step in integrating the two should be to acknowledge the scale of the change it represents.

“Human resources teams know how to manage man-to-man,”he says.“But managing man-to-machine is going to be a different era.”

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What are James Young’s team curious about?

A. the mistakes from robots

B. the cost of the machines

C. social pressure the robot putting on people

D. the average life of the machine

答案(1)

2.According to the International Federation of Robotics,how much did companies spent on industrial robots?

A. $1.1bn

B. $6.9bn

C. $11.1bn

D. $20.5bn

答案(2)

3.What does James Young fear?

A. a future generation of employees might trust the machines more than their own judgment

B. machines might make foreseen problems

C. emloyees tend to be hard to get jobs

D. machines’maintenance costs become increasingly high

答案(3)

4.According to David D’Souza,what kind of individuals will recruiters look for?

A. those who make less mistakes than machines

B. those who accept relatively less salary

C. those who show flexibility and are positive

D. those who obey machines absolutely

答案(4)

(1) 答案：C.social pressure the robot putting on people
解释：第六段，讲到James Young先生好奇的是这些机器带给人们的社会压力。

(2) 答案：C.$11.1bn
解释：第八段，讲到现在的公司在机器人方面进行了巨额的投入，同时也相应取得了在业绩上的提升。

(3) 答案：A.a future generation of employees might trust the machines more than their own judgment
解释：Howard Schultz今年4月将辞去CEO 一职，专注于新的精品咖啡店业务。星巴克的现任COO，Kevin Johnson 将接替他的职务。

(4) 答案：C.those who show flexibility and are positive
解释：第十二段，David D’Souza认为雇主还是更倾向于去聘用有着灵活应变能力的员工。

英国《金融时报》原文阅读精选集Vol.22

星巴克终于要“回”意大利开店了

几乎已经遍及全球的星巴克，在意大利却不见踪影。事实上，关于“意大利第一个星巴克即将开业”的传闻已经流传了好多年，如今“星爸爸”对传言似乎要认真了。全球最大的咖啡连锁店业者能否在遍地是coffee bar的“咖啡之乡”站得住脚？不得而知。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

dolce甜美的；悦耳而柔和的['dɒltʃeɪ]

premium高价的；优质的['priːmɪəm]

mom and pop（指商店）小型的

margins利润；[心理] 边缘['mɑ:dʒɪnz]

mixology调酒[mik'sɔlədʒi]

aperitif开胃酒[ə'perɪtiːf; ə,perɪ'tiːf]

brioche奶油蛋卷；奶油糕点[briː'ɒʃ; 'briːɒʃ]

croissant羊角面包[krwɑːsɒŋ]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

4分57秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分54秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分47秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分58秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Starbucks to try and sell espresso to the Italians（585 words）

By Starbucks to try and sell espresso to the Italians

Starbucks has unveiled the site of the Seattle group’s first coffee bar in Italy in a daring attempt to sell espresso back to the Italians and tap into Italy’s dolce vita to boost the brand’s premium offering back home in the US.

The world’s largest coffee chain will open its first premium“Roastery”outlet outside the US and China in Italy’s business capital,which has sparked lively local debate about whether the arrival threatens the traditional“mom and pop”coffee bars. At 25,500 square feet,the Starbucks Roastery,in size at least,has no local equivalent.

Before an audience of top Italian entrepreneurs from the fashion and food industries,Starbucks chief executive Howard Schultz,who attributes his original idea for the chain to a visit to Milan and Verona in 1983,said it was the“culmination of a great dream”.

“There has always been a missing link to the success we have had and the growth and development we have had because we have not entered Italy,”he said,beneath frescoes at Milan’s City Hall flanked by mayor Giuseppe Sala.

The site will be the former headquarters of Italy’s national post office in the city,a sprawling Liberty-style building minutes’walk from the city centre Piazza del Duomo.

The Roastery is Starbucks’premium offering,designed to cater to well-heeled consumers that are driving sales of niche,artisan goods. It serves small batch“Reserve”coffees in a variety of brewing methods.

Starbucks plans to open 20 Roasteries in coming years around the world. The company says that customers spend about four times the amount per visit in the premium coffee and food outlets,which offer higher margins than its original stores. It also plans to open 1,000 premium“Reserve”stores.

The unveiling of Starbucks’first Italian location comes as the company continues its expansion overseas. Mr Schultz will step aside as chief executive in April to focus on the expansion of Starbucks’premium brand of stores.

Starbucks will sell local Milan produce from the Princi bakery,including brioches,croissants,cookies and bread in all its Roasteries worldwide.

Rocco Princi,a well-known Milan baker,who has created a chain of stores selling freshly baked goods and coffee,said he had been asked by investors from“China,India,America”to buy his brand and had refused. But he was convinced by Mr Schultz’s Roastery concept after being flown out to Seattle to see it.

As well as Princi food,the Roasteries will also offer early evening“mixology”of cocktails,a nod to Milan’s local after-work aperitivo culture.

Starbucks’arrival in Italy has been mooted for more than five years. Mr Schultz said the Milan Roastery was planned as the first of many stores in the country,with property already earmarked for more stores in Milan.

Starbucks’expansion is part of a broader trend of internationalisation of high quality Italian food and drink.

Campari,another Milan-based brand,on Tuesday reported a 16 per cent jump in sales for its orange Aperol aperitif and a 10 per cent jump for its namesake red aperitif thanks in large part to thirsty US consumers.

Eataly,the upmarket delicatessen chain which has its biggest store in New York’s Fifth Avenue,is due to list in Milan in the next 18 months. Grom,a high-end gelateria,was bought by Unilever in 2015. Prada,the Italian fashion house,two years ago bought an haute Milan coffee store Pasticceria Marchesi,and is now looking to expand it into markets in Asia and the Middle East.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Which one of the following is not right about“Roastery”?

A. it is similar to those“mom and pop”ones in Italy

B. it can be found in China according to the plan

C. it is the premium one of Starbucks

D. it is the first outlet of Starbucks in Italy

答案(1)

2.How many Roasteries will be opened in coming years around the world in the plan?

A. 2

B. 20

C. 250

D. 1000

答案(2)

3.When will Mr. Schultz step aside as chief executive of Starbucks?

A. April 2017

B. May 2017

C. April 2018

D. May 2018

答案(3)

4.What will be sold in Roastery because of Milan’s local after-work aperitivo culture?

A. croissants

B. cookies

C. cocktails

D. bread

答案(4)

(1) 答案：A.it is similar to those“mom and pop”ones in Italy
解释：Roastery在与意大利其传统的小店不同，占地面积达25,500平方英尺。

(2) 答案：B.20
解释：星巴克计划在未来几年内全球范围内新开20家Roastery门店。

(3) 答案：A.April 2017
解释：Howard Schultz今年4月将辞去CEO 一职，专注于新的精品咖啡店业务。星巴克的现任COO，Kevin Johnson 将接替他的职务。

(4) 答案：C.cocktails
解释：Aperitivo即英文中的"aperitif"——开胃酒，在米兰有这种文化：享用晚餐正餐前先去酒吧喝一杯，因此Roastery除了售卖当地的食品，还会由于这样的文化售卖调酒。

有钱任性的新方式：绕月旅行

这可真的不是梦！美国私人航天企业太空探索技术公司(SpaceX)昨日宣布，2018年将用新猎鹰重型火箭发射“龙飞船”送私人旅客绕月飞行。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

orbit轨道；盘旋；绕轨道运行['ɔːbɪt]

capsule胶囊；太空舱['kæpsjuːl; -sjʊl]

satellite人造卫星；随从['sætəlaɪt]

mount爬上；使骑上马；安装[maʊnt]

launch pad发射台

tactic策略，战略['tæktɪk]

galvanise激励；镀锌['ɡælvənaiz]

fanatical狂热的[fə'nætɪkəl]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分11秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分28秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分28秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分52秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

SpaceX plans to fly private astronauts round the moon（520 words）

By Richard Waters in San Francisco

Elon Musk raised the bar again for private space flight on Monday,as his SpaceX rocket company said it planned to fly two private individuals around the moon before the end of next year.

If successful,it will be the first trip by private astronauts out of earth’s orbit,and the first time since 1972 that anyone has made it around the moon. However,SpaceX has yet to even carry out a test flight of the Falcon Heavy rocket that would be needed for the trip,or the Dragon 2 capsule that would carry the astronauts.

Mr Musk has made a career of setting hugely ambitious deadlines at SpaceX and for his electric car company,Tesla,only to see the dates slip. SpaceX’s customers have generally stuck by it despite the setbacks,though satellite company Intelsat switched a contract to a rival launch company last year because of delays with the Falcon Heavy.

SpaceX said two unnamed individuals had approached it about making the flight and paid“a significant deposit”for a trip around the moon.

The launch plan points to a timetable that would put SpaceX ahead of Space Adventures,a space tourism company that has been trying for years to get a lunar trip off the ground. Space Adventures some years ago set a price of $150m for a seat on its proposed trip.

SpaceX did not disclose how much it would charge,but Richard Rocket,chief executive of NewSpace Global,which researches the private space industry,said it was likely to cost a minimum of $100m a seat to mount such a mission.

The first test flight of the Falcon Heavy rocket is scheduled for this summer,with the Dragon capsule set to take its first,unmanned trip to the International Space Station before the end of the year. SpaceX hopes to launch its first humans into space in the second quarter of 2018,under a contract with Nasa to get supplies and astronauts to the ISS.

“I’m wondering how they’re about to go from having yet to get anyone to the International Space Station to sending two astronauts around the moon,”said Mr Rocket. Mr Musk“has never been afraid to announce deadlines and miss them”,he added.

A launch-pad explosion last September for its existing Falcon rocket was the latest setback for the company’s plans to achieve a regular launch schedule with several rockets a month blasting off for space. It has returned to flight this year with two successful launches.

The ambitious goal for reaching the moon echoes Mr Musk’s tactic of using attention-grabbing targets to galvanise support for his projects,even if his original timetables end up slipping. Last September he caused a stir when he laid out a timetable to get astronauts to Mars by 2025.

The same effect has been apparent at Tesla,which has been able to maintain a fanatical Wall Street following despite delays in hitting its production targets. Tesla is about to face its biggest test of all,with Mr Musk promising to boost its vehicle production to 500,000 in 2018,from fewer than 100,000 in 2016.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.How many people will be send to fly around the moon before the end of next year?

A. 2

B. 4

C. 6

D. 8

答案(1)

2.Which one of the following is co-founded by Elon Musk?

A. SolarCity

B. Tesla

C. Blastar

D. SpaceX

答案(2)

3.Which one is not right about this journey?

A. “passengers”will be in Dragon 2 capsule

B. its customers have generally stuck by it despite the setbacks

C. the names of“passengers”will be published after 2 days

D. it will be the first trip by private astronauts out of earth’s orbit if it is successful

答案(3)

4.When could the astronauts go to Mars according to Musk’s timetable?

A. 2018

B. 2025

C. 2035

D. 2050

答案(4)

(1) 答案：A.2
解释：太空探索技术公司SpaceX于周一（2月27日）宣布，将于2018年将两名旅客送至太空，进行为期一周的环月旅行，此次环月旅行的总里程约为48万~64万公里。

(2) 答案：B.Tesla
解释：伊隆·马斯克是SpaceX创办人，以及特斯拉汽车和PayPal的联合创办人。目前，马斯克担任Space X的执行长兼首席设计师、特斯拉汽车执行长兼产品架构师、以及SolarCity的主席；与此同时，他还是现代第一辆可行电动车-Tesla Roadster的联合设计者之一。

(3) 答案：C.the names of“passengers”will be published after 2 days
解释：乘客付了一笔可观的费用，但他们目前还未授权SpaceX披露他们的名字。

(4) 答案：B.2025
解释：Elon Musk说SpaceX计划在2025年将人类送上火星。

华尔街投行有多少“亚洲面孔”？

美国顶级银行近年在亚洲聘用近12万人，这可能使其与承诺把就业岗位迁回美国的特朗普政府产生紧张。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

tension张力，拉力；紧张['tenʃ(ə)n]

benchmarking标杆管理；标记['bentʃ,mɑːkɪŋ]

combat反对；与…战斗['kɒmbæt; 'kʌm-]

offshore离岸的['ɒfʃɔː; ɒf'ʃɔː]

manual手工的；体力的['mænjʊ(ə)l]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分53秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

1分18秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分21秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分49秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

More than one in 10 staff at US banks work in Asia（495 words）

By Laura Noonan in Dublin and Ben McLannahan in New York

Top American banks riding high on Donald Trump’s presidency have hired almost 120,000 people in low-cost Asian economies,creating potential tensions with the new administration,which has pledged to bring jobs back to the US.

Bank of America,Citigroup,JPMorgan Chase,Morgan Stanley,Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs employed 12 per cent of their total global workforce in Asian support centres in 2015 — the most recent data available. This compared with 10 per cent of overall jobs in 2013,according to figures compiled for the Financial Times by McLagan,a pay benchmarking company.

US banks have increasingly sought to cut costs and jobs at home to combat tougher regulation and sluggish revenue growth. David Warfield,associate partner at McLagan’s performance practice,said the banks were likely to continue adding staff outside the US,despite the Trump administration urging companies to invest more at home.

Mr Warfield said there was still demand from global banks to hire more staff in Asia,particularly for compliance functions that have become increasingly important following the financial crisis.

“Fifteen years ago,compliance roles would have been seen as essential to locate in the same building as the front office,”he said.

“Today,these activities have been separated into business support roles and more specialised roles. The specialist roles are being supported from alternative offshore locations.”

The number of banking staff working in offshore centres in Asia in compliance-related roles rose 18 per cent to 15,000 from 2013 to 2015,McLagan data show,while the numbers of Asian IT and operations jobs rose 6 per cent over the same period.

“For now,it’s a steady trend — increased headcount across control functions,compared to the IT and operations functions which are largely in place and stable,”said Mr Warfield.

That trend could be disrupted by policies outlined by Mr Trump,however,and in particular the review of financial sector regulations that Mr Warfield said could“lessen the demand for support staff in compliance and other control functions”.

“The big question will be technology and how that impacts on the more manual work [being done at service centres],”Mr Warfield said,adding that the automation and efficiency from technological advancement could reduce overall job numbers in offshore centres in the long term.

He added that banks’decisions about where to locate staff could become“less price-driven and more a function of reputation and specialist skillsets”. He said this would create the potential for countries and cities to become tech hubs,citing India and eastern Europe.

McLagan data show the investment bank divisions of Citi,JPMorgan,BofA and Morgan Stanley have almost 2,700 staff in eastern Europe,more than three times the numbers employed a decade ago.

But this is much less than the 12,650 staff employed by the investment banking divisions in India and the 22,000 across Asia.

Goldman,which is not included in the investment bank specific data,also has significant headcount in Asia,including about 5,000 staff in Bangalore.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Why did McLagan select the data in 2015 as the survey sample?

A. 2015 is the typical year

B. It is asked by Donald Trump

C. It is the most recent data available

D. It is the most the most comprehensive data in history

答案(1)

2.What is the percentage of Asian staffs in these Wall Street Banks in 2013?

A. 8%

B. 10%

C. 12%

D. 13%

答案(2)

3.What could reduce overall job numbers in offshore centres in the long term as Warfield said?

A. technology

B. money

C. policy

D. location

答案(3)

4.Which one has become less important to decide the location of staffs?

A. specialist skillsets

B. price

C. reputation

D. international politics

答案(4)

(1) 答案：C.It is the most recent data available
解释：因为2015年是可获得数据的最近年份。

(2) 答案：B.10%
解释：相比之下，2013年这些银行的亚洲雇员人数占全球总数的10%。

(3) 答案：A.technology
解释：是自动化和由科技推动生产效率的影响。

(4) 答案：B.price
解释：在把员工安排在哪里的问题上，各银行的决定可能会变得“在更小程度上由价格驱动，在更大程度上受声誉和专业技能的影响”。

移居外星不是梦？

由于Trappist-1又小又冷，让围绕它的7颗行星非常温暖，意味着这些行星上可能存在液态水，甚至是生命。研究人员认为，这可能是太阳系以外，最适合人类居住的地方，并指出在太阳系以外发现宜居行星是十分罕见的。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

light year[天] 光年

Belgium比利时（首都是布鲁塞尔）['bɛldʒəm]
orbit轨道；眼眶；势力范围['ɔːbɪt]

dimly朦胧地；微暗['dɪmli]

tidal潮汐的；潮的['taɪd(ə)l]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

1分1秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

1分41秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

0分12秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分25秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Astronomers make largest ever discovery of habitable planets（254 words）

By Clive Cookson,Science Editor

Astronomers have identified the largest group of potentially habitable planets yet discovered,about 40 light years away from Earth.

An international team led by Liège university in Belgium made the discovery of the planetary system,three of whose seven Earth-sized worlds have conditions in which life could have evolved. Their findings,reached by combining observations from a dozen telescopes on mountaintops and in space,are published in the journal Nature.

The planets orbit a relatively cool red dwarf star called Trappist-1 that has just 8 per cent of the sun’s mass and 0.5 per cent of its light output.

Until now the hunt for planets in the galaxy beyond our solar system,known as exoplanets,has concentrated on sun-like stars,around which more than 3,500 have been detected. The Trappist-1 discovery marks the start of a new search focusing on red dwarfs,which are more plentiful than larger stars.

“The energy output from dwarf stars like Trappist-1 is much weaker than that of our sun,”said Amaury Triaud,a team member at Cambridge university.“Planets would need to be in far closer orbits than we see in the solar system if there is to be surface water. Fortunately,it seems that this kind of compact configuration is just what we see around Trappist-1.”

Because the Trappist-1 system is relatively close to Earth in galactic terms and because its parent star is a dimly shining dwarf,astronomers predict that it will be easier to study than most exoplanets associated with dazzlingly bright sun-like stars.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.How many planets of this planetary system have conditions in which life could have evolved according to the study?

A. 3

B. 7

C. 8

D. 40

答案(1)

2.How many telescopes on mountaintops and in space to observe?

A. 7

B. 12

C. 40

D. 120

答案(2)

3.Which one is not right about Trappist-1?

A. it is at a high temperature

B. it has 8% of the sun’s mass

C. it has 0.5% of sun’s light output

D. it is relatively close to Earth in galactic terms

答案(3)

4.Which one is not mentioned as the reason to make it easier to study than others?

A. the Trappist-1 system is relatively close to Earth

B. its parent star is a dimly shining dwarf

C. it is without too dazzlingly bright

D. it is rocky body about the same size as Earth

答案(4)

(1) 答案：A.3
解释：由比利时列日大学(University of Liège)牵头的一个国际小组发现了该行星系。该行星系中有7个与地球大小类似的行星，其中3个具有可能孕育生命的条件。

(2) 答案：B.12
解释：原文“a dozen”，天文学家结合在山顶和太空的12个望远镜的观察结果得出了这一发现。

(3) 答案：A.it is at a high temperature
解释：这些行星在围绕一个名为Trappist-1的温度相对较低的红矮星的轨道运行，该恒星的质量仅为太阳的8%，其能量输出仅为太阳的0.5%。

(4) 答案：D.it is rocky body about the same size as Earth
解释：因为在整个银河系中Trappist-1星系距离地球相对较近、其母星又是光度较弱的矮星，天文学家预测，相比其他大多数与光度较强、和太阳类似的恒星相关的系外行星，该星系更易研究。

中国逾一半省份报告H7N9型禽流感疫情

国家卫计委本周在部署全国疫情防控工作时召开了一次视频会议。该委员会证实，今年1月，中国有逾一半的省份报告H7N9型禽流感感染病例和死亡病例。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

outbreak爆发；恐怖地带

avian鸟的；鸟类的['eɪvɪən]

fatal致命的；重大的['feɪt(ə)l]

fatality死亡；宿命；致命性[fə'tælɪtɪ; feɪ-]

influenza流感（简写flu）[ɪnflʊ'enzə]

likelihood可能性，可能['laɪklɪhʊd]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

1分0秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

1分41秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

0分12秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分25秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Half of China’s provinces hit by bird flu outbreaks in January（253 words）

By Hudson Lockett

China’s health commission has confirmed deadly outbreaks of H7N9 avian influenza occurred in 16 of the country’s 31 provinces last month.

Confirmation that over half of China’s provinces had reported outbreaks and fatal cases of H7N9 avian influenza in January came during a conference convened this week by the National Health and Family Planning Commission on formulating a nation-wide response to the virus.

A summary of the conference published by the commission on Tuesday asserted that the situation could be contained,“but without decisive measures,the epidemic situation will spread further.”

The commission recorded 192 cases of H7N9 bird flu reported in mainland China last month,with 79 deaths. Numbers reported by state news agency Xinhua last week showed that as of February 17 there had been 77 additional cases reported this month,with eight fatalities.

In its latest report on influenza transmitted by animals,the World Health Organization also noted there had been H7N9 cases in Hong Kong and Macau during the December 20-January 16 period.

H7N9 avian influenza was first discovered in China in March 2013. Most cases of human infection report recent exposure to live poultry or possibly contaminated environments such as markets where live birds are sold – a common feature of southern Chinese cities.

The WHO maintained in its January report that public health risk from H7N9 and similar strains of influenza had not changed,and that while further human infections with viruses of animal origin are expected,“the likelihood of sustained human-to-human transmission of these viruses remains low.”

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.How many provinces have been confirmed that deadly outbreaks of H7N9 avian influenza occurred in January?

A. 13

B. 16

C. 28

D. 31

答案(1)

2.How many people died because of H7N9 last month in China?

A. 17

B. 79

C. 92

D. 179

答案(2)

3.When was H7N9 avian influenza first discovered in China?

A. 2013

B. 2014

C. 2015

D. 2016

答案(3)

4.Which one is not right about H7N9 as mentioned?

A. the situation could be contained

B. the public health risk from H7N9 had not changed

C. the epidemic situation will spread further without decisive measures

D. the likelihood of sustained human-to-human transmission of these viruses remains high

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.16
解释：中国国家卫生和计划生育委员会（简称：国家卫计委）证实，今年1月，在中国31个省份中，已有16个省份报告H7N9型禽流感感染病例和死亡病例。

(2) 答案： B.79
解释：国家卫计委报告，今年1月，中国内地共报告192例H7N9型禽流感感染病例，死亡79人。官方通讯社新华社上周报道的数据显示，截至2月17日，2月份共报告新增病例77例，有8人死亡。

(3) 答案：A.2013
解释：H7N9型禽流感是2013年3月在中国发现的。

(4) 答案：D.the likelihood of sustained human-to-human transmission of these viruses remains high
解释：文章提到尽管预计还会有更多人感染源自动物身上的病毒，但“这些病毒持续人际传播的可能性仍然很小”。

再见了深夜食堂

日本24小时全天候营业的便利店和食肆，不知道“惯坏了”多少在这里生活的人，也是多少零售公司学习的案例。然而由于劳动力短缺，这样的便利恐怕不得不say goodbye了。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

late-night深夜的；午夜的

denizen居民；外来语['denɪz(ə)n]

puzzle难题；迷惑['pʌz(ə)l]

ratio比率，比例['reɪʃɪəʊ]

rejig重新装备[ri'dʒɪɡ]

gateway网关；方法；通道['geɪtweɪ]

precast concrete预制混凝土

deflationary通货紧缩的[dɪ'fleʃən,ɛri]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

4分45秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分20秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分6秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分5秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Japan scraps 24-hour culture to keep down wages（652 words）

By Robin Harding in Tokyo

They were a late-night home away from home for the reporter on a stake-out,the student with an essay to write and the denizens of Tokyo’s demimonde. At a 24-hour“family restaurant”,a few hundred yen would pay for soft drinks and a safe,well-lit seat to while away the night.

No longer. At the end of January,the Royal Host restaurant chain closed its last 24-hour famiresu,as the cultural staple is called,in the Tokyo suburbs. Shortly afterwards,restaurant chain Skylark group closed 310 of its restaurants during night hours,leaving just 100 that still stay open around the clock.

The end of 24-hour service is partly because there are fewer students in Japan’s ageing society. But the main factor is the growing shortage of casual staff — a big issue after four years of robust economic growth — that makes it hard to operate profitably during late-night hours.

“The number of late-night customers is falling,but the number of staff willing to work nights is falling too,and if there’s a shift you can’t cover then it’s impossible to open,”says Minoru Kanaya,chief administrative officer for the Skylark group.

“People working in the middle of the night are mainly driven by money. It isn’t that they want to work then — they do it because the pay is good,”says Mr Kanaya.“And for those hours the wage rates have been increasing steadily.”

The late-night shutdown by Skylark offers an answer to a big puzzle about Japan’s economy: why are growing labour shortages and an unemployment rate of just 3.1 per cent not spurring wage inflation and upward pressure on prices? Inflation is stuck near zero,far below the Bank of Japan’s 2 per cent goal.

Meanwhile,the ratio of jobs to applicants,1.36,in Japan is now at its highest level for 25 years. Permanent positions for office staff are still easy to fill,thus holding down the overall ratio.

For waiters there are 3.8 jobs for every applicant; for drivers the ratio is 2.7; and for builders it is 3.95 times,highlighting just how tough it is to hire for service jobs. Companies are raising wages to some extent,hiring more women,and employing foreign guest workers.

According to interviews across a range of industries,however,companies are also rejigging their operations to improve working conditions to attract staff while keeping the total wage bill under control,even if they lose sales.

These adjustments to Japan’s culture of hard work and extreme customer service make life better for employees,but they do not lead to higher wages,incomes or consumption,helping to explain how companies keep prices under control.

At Yamato Transport,the delivery service known affectionately in Japan as‘Black Cat’for its logo of a mother cat carrying a kitten,the biggest challenge is recruiting the long-distance drivers who criss-cross the country between the company’s 69 sorting centres every night,says project manager Kazuo Hatakeyama.

“For example,a long-distance driver might leave Tokyo at 9pm and arrive in Osaka at 5 or 6am the next day. Then they need to take an eight-hour break,so they can’t return to Tokyo until the next night,”says Mr Hatakeyama,who works in Yamato’s strategic network division.

To make that assignment easier,the company is shifting from point-to-point moves between its sorting offices to a system of three highly automated‘gateways’,including one in the central city of Nagoya. Truckers from Tokyo and Osaka now meet at Nagoya,swap vehicles,and then drive back to where they started.“In that way,the driver can get home the next day,”Mr Hatakeyama says.

At some point,fixes like this will run out. Companies may then feel forced to pay more and charge more. For now though,after deflationary decades in which they made profligate use of cheap labour,businesses are finding plenty of other ways to adapt.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.When did the Royal Host restaurant chain close its last 24-hour famiresu?

A. last May

B. last December

C. January

D. February

答案(1)

2.What is the main factor of the end of 24-hour service?

A. fewer students

B. robust economic growth

C. the growing shortage of casual staff

D. the falling number of late-night customers

答案(2)

3.What is the main reason of people working in the middle of the night according to Mr. Kanaya?

A. smaller workload

B. high wages

C. workers’willing

D. insomnia

答案(3)

4.Which one is not mentioned as the measure to attract staff?

A. abandoning the culture of hard work

B. raising wages to some extent

C. hiring more women

D. improving working conditions

答案(4)

(1) 答案：C.January
解释：家庭餐厅“Royal Host”在今年1月取消了24小时通宵服务的famiresu。

(2) 答案：C.the growing shortage of casual staff
解释：文章提到，最主要的原因是临时工越来越大的缺口，使得深夜的经营很难营业。

(3) 答案：B.high wages
解释：如Kanaya所说，人们上夜班的主要原因是为了获得这个时段更高的工资。

(4) 答案：A.abandoning the culture of hard work
解释：文章并未提到要摒弃辛勤工作的文化。

机器人代工算漏税吗？

与人类劳动者相比，机器人至少有一个不公平的优势：不用缴所得税。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

socialist社会主义者；社会党党员['səʊʃ(ə)lɪst; 'səʊʃəlɪst]

make a fortune发财，赚大钱

automation|自动化；自动操作[ɔːtə'meɪʃ(ə)n]

levy征收；征兵，征税['levɪ]

fray争论；打架[freɪ]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

2分59秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

1分47秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分59秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分41秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Bill Gates calls for income tax on robots（419 words）

By Richard Waters in San Francisco

Robots have at least one unfair advantage over human workers: they do not pay income tax.

Bill Gates,co-founder of Microsoft and the world’s richest man,thinks that should change. It is an idea that until now has been associated more with European socialists than tech industry leaders,and puts him in the unusual position of explicitly arguing for taxes to slow the adoption of new technology.

Mr Gates made his fortune from the spread of PCs,which helped to erase whole categories of workers,from typists to travel agents. But,speaking in an interview with Quartz,he argued that it may be time to deliberately slow the advance of the next job-killing technologies.

“It is really bad if people overall have more fear about what innovation is going to do than they have enthusiasm,”he said.“That means they won’t shape it for the positive things it can do. And,you know,taxation is certainly a better way to handle it than just banning some elements of it.”

The idea of using taxes to support people put out of work by automation has been catching on in the tech world,but Mr Gates went further,pushing for a direct levy on robots that would match what human workers pay.

“Right now,the human worker who does,say,$50,000 worth of work in a factory,that income is taxed and you get income tax,social security tax,all those things,”he said.“If a robot comes in to do the same thing,you’d think that we’d tax the robot at a similar level.”

The extra money should be used to retrain people the robots have replaced,Mr Gates said,with“communities where this has a particularly big impact”first in line for support.

Some politicans have also joined the fray. Benoît Hamon,France’s Socialist candidate in this year’s presidential elections,has called for a tax on robots to fund a minimum income for all.

Some tech leaders have hinted that the tech companies’customers — rather than the industry itself — should foot a higher tax bill. In a recent interview with the Financial Times,Satya Nadella,Microsoft’s current chief executive,said:“Whenever somebody cuts cost,that means,hopefully,a surplus is getting created. You can always tax surplus.”

Mr Gates echoed that suggestion,though he also struck a more radical stance with his levy on the machines’producers.“I don’t think the robot companies are going to be outraged that there might be a tax,”he said.“It’s OK.”

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What is Gate’s purpose of imposing income tax from robots?

A. slow the adoption of new technology

B. accelerate the adoption of new technology

C. please the European socialists rather than tech industry leaders

D. gain more profit

答案(1)

2.What is the similarity between the spread of PCs and robot technology as mentioned?

A. high-profit

B. high-efficiency

C. job-killing

D. hair-raising

答案(2)

3.How much tax should robots pay compared with human workers’as Gates said?

A. half level

B. a similar level

C. diploid level

D. threefold level

答案(3)

4.Where should the extra money be used as mentioned?

A. to comfort the unemployed people

B. to retrain people replaced by robots

C. to support technical innovation

D. to encourage science-and-technology enterprise

答案(4)

(1) 答案：A.slow the adoption of new technology
解释：到目前为止，支持这种想法的更多是欧洲的社会主义者，而不是科技行业的领袖。这也体现了盖茨不同寻常的立场：明确支持通过征税来延缓新技术的应用。

(2) 答案：C.job-killing
解释：盖茨从个人电脑(PC)的普及中发家，电脑普及是导致从打字员到旅行代理商等许多行业消失的因素之一。但他在接受Quartz采访时提出，当前或许应该有意地延缓下一批夺走工作岗位的技术的进步。

(3) 答案：B.a similar level
解释：盖茨呼吁对机器人直接征收与人类工人水平相当的税金。

(4) 答案：B.to retrain people replaced by robots
解释：针对机器人征收的税款应该用于对被机器人取代的人进行再培训，“受到特别大影响的群体”应该首先获得支持。

我是机器人，这是您要的咖啡

你没有来到一个假的咖啡店！这家Cafe X里没有一个真人咖啡师，也没有店员。全部都由机器人来进行点单和制作咖啡。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

occupation职业；占有[ɒkjʊ'peɪʃ(ə)n]

full automation完全自动化

barista咖啡师[bə'rɪstə]

artisanal手工艺性的['ɑːtɪzənəl]

homespun简朴的；手织的['həʊmspʌn]

forgo放弃；停止；对…断念[fɔː'gəʊ; fə-]

utilitarian功利主义的；实利的[jʊ,tɪlɪ'teərɪən]

humanoid像人的['hjuːmənɒɪd]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

4分5秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分32秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分14秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分8秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

I,robot am serving your coffee（680 words）

By Tim Bradshaw

It can be hard to figure out how terrified of robots and artificial intelligence we working humans ought to be — very or extremely?

It depends on how far ahead you want to look. McKinsey believes that less than 5 per cent of today’s occupations are candidates for full automation using“current technology”. However,the consultancy also estimates that 45 per cent of the activities people are paid to do could be automated by using“already demonstrated technology”.

The latest occupation in the robots’firing line is the barista. Café X,a new shop in San Francisco’s Metreon mall,delivers a coffee,from bean to finished cup,without human intervention.

The robocup,as I call it,works in place of human coffee makers and servers. It strikes at the heart of one of San Francisco’s prime directives: that we all must queue at artisanal coffee shops.

A few years ago,a wave of venture capital and tech wealth steamed into the city’s homespun coffee-shop market. Twitter’s Jack Dorsey,for example,became an investor in Sightglass Coffee,which has three slick bleached-wood bars in San Francisco.

But Café X forgoes this aesthetic in favour of utilitarian industrial chic.

Its whole site — one robot,a couple of tables and a few chairs — is tucked into a corner of the mall next to the lifts that go to the cinema upstairs; it is where you might find a photo booth.

Visitors expecting humanoid robots like those found in Japanese department stores will be disappointed. For“robocup”is a mechanical arm of the kind you can see in a car factory,encased in a glass booth. Behind the arm are tubes of coffee beans of different varieties and roasts,a stack of paper cups and two coffee makers that would not look out of place in an office kitchen.

I bought a flat white using an app that Café X has set up for customers’orders. Next to the robot there are two iPads with credit-card swipes. Futuristically,it does not take cash.

Speed and multitasking are the robot’s advantage over humans. It can produce two cups simultaneously in less than a minute. This is ideal for Snapchat or Instagram. Many Café X customers enjoy filming the process on their phone,even though robocup is more like a giant coffee machine than a robot barista.

Because it can cut out the humans,it is also pretty cheap: $2.25 for a straight espresso or $2.95 for a latte,about a dollar less than a brew at one of the city’s hipster coffee shops. Swapping Peet’s for Verve coffee beans adds a dollar but flavoured syrups and sugar are free.

People were in the queue ahead of me,and the app said my coffee would take three minutes. Barely a minute later,or so it seemed,my brew was ready. I entered a pin code from the app on to a screen fixed to the robot’s booth. The giant arm spun round,picked up my cup and placed it on a small platform. It then slowly lowered my coffee into the opening where I could grab it.

The preparation was hardly theatrical. The arm took a cup and put it under the coffee maker,which poured in the espresso and the milk,then picked it up again and put it to the side while I tapped in my code.

It is hard to fault the coffee. It tasted as good as any flat white I have had in San Francisco,helped by the freshly ground beans and a good temperature of milk.

Verdict

Café X’s decision not to give its barista human characteristics such as a voice or anthropomorphic form may make it less attention-seeking than some robots but it plays to its biggest strength: efficiency. After queueing for as much as 15 minutes at high-end coffee shop Blue Bottle just a few blocks away,Café X seems almost instantaneous. When I want chit-chat or a heart in the foam,I can go elsewhere for that. The rest of the time,Café X’s robotic utilitarianism is welcome.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.How many percent of the today’s human workers could be replaced by robots as McKinsey said?

A. 3%

B. 5%

C. 45%

D. 78%

答案(1)

2.Where is this completely automatic Café X with robots?

A. San Francisco

B. Los Angeles

C. New York

D. London

答案(2)

3.Which one is not right about this Café X?

A. there is one robot,a couple of tables and a few chairs

B. immediate trauma death

C. it is next to the lifts that go to the cinema upstairs

D. visitors could buy coffee by credit-card

答案(3)

4.What is the robot’s advantage over humans as barista?

A. filming the process automatically

B. speed and multitasking

C. wide variety of coffee beans

D. accurate and efficiency

答案(4)

(1) 答案：C.45%
解释：事实上很少有职业会完全被自动化取代，这个机率甚至小于5%。但是45%的职业活动可由现代机器人代替。

(2) 答案：A.San Francisco
解释：Cafe X 坐落于旧金山的 AMC Metreon 中心，产品种类从意式浓缩咖啡到奶基咖啡一应俱全。

(3) 答案：C.it is next to the lifts that go to the cinema upstairs
解释：这些机器咖啡师并人形的，而是像在汽车工厂中的机械手臂。

(4) 答案：B.speed and multitasking
解释：机器人咖啡师在速度和多工作业上要优于人类。

当老鼠成为杀人机器？

谁说只有编剧的脑洞大，科学家脑洞大起来可不是闹着玩的——让僵尸杀手靠边站吧：通过对古老大脑回路进行深入研究，科学家们找到了可以把性情温和的老鼠变成凶猛的掠食者的神经元。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

neuron神经元，神经细胞['njʊərɒn]

ferocious残忍的；惊人的[fə'rəʊʃəs]

optogenetic光遗传学

laser激光['leɪzə]

cricket蟋蟀; 板球['krɪkɪt]

amygdala杏仁核；扁桃腺[ə'mɪgdələ]

prey掠夺；折磨; 被捕食的动物[preɪ]

carnivore食肉动物；食虫植物['kɑːnɪvɔː]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分9秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分26秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分27秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分51秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Scientists turn mild-mannered mice into killers（517 words）

By Clive Cookson,Science Editor

Step aside killer zombies: scientists have delved deep into ancient brain circuits to reveal neurons that can instantly turn mild-mannered mice into ferocious predators — before switching the rodents back to their normal placid selves.

The researchers at Yale University used“optogenetic”technology,which switches specific neurons on and off in genetically engineered animals with laser light,to tap into brain mechanisms that control predatory hunting.

“We’d turn the laser on and they’d jump on an object,hold it with their paws and intensively bite it as if they were trying to capture and kill it,”said Ivan de Araujo,lead investigator.

The mice attacked not only live prey such as crickets,which they immediately devoured,but also inanimate objects such as mobile plastic toys that they would normally avoid.

The study,published in the journal Cell,was part of a broader programme to research the evolutionary biology and neural mechanisms underlying feeding behaviour in animals.

Investigation of various brain regions showed that the central nucleus of the amygdala was closely associated with the urge to hunt and with controlling the jaw and neck muscles required to subdue and kill prey.

By manipulating brain cells in this region through optogenetics,the Yale team found one distinct set of neurons controlled pursuit and another controlled the kill. If the hunting neurons were switched on and the biting set inactivated,the mice pursued prey but could not deliver the killer bite to finish it off.

The next stage in the Yale project will be to explore how sensory inputs（from the eyes,nose and ears) into the amygdala trigger predatory behaviour and to discover how the brain co-ordinates its pursuit and killing modules.

“We now have a grip on their anatomical identities,so we hope we can manipulate them even more precisely in the future,”said Dr de Araujo. The brain mechanisms involved may be ancient. The evolution of jaws in vertebrates,starting with fish about 400m years ago,has been driven by carnivores.

“The ability to hunt was a major evolutionary advantage,”said Dr de Araujo.“The first mammals were specialist insectivores and these traits are still present in their descendants today.”The Yale research could have practical applications,such as using improved knowledge of the brain’s motor circuits that control face and jaw muscles to treat neurological diseases.

Researchers in mobile robotics and artificial intelligence could also use information from the predatory brain to create a device that pounces on a moving target,Dr de Araujo added. But the production of killer zombie mice is not on the agenda.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What kind of technology was used in the experiment?

A. reverse genetics

B. optogenetic

C. inhibitory cells

D. brain imaging

答案(1)

2.What is this study’s primary programme?

A. feeding behavior

B. breeding behavior

C. aggressive behavior

D. defense behavior

答案(2)

3.What will happen to mice if the hunting neurons were switched on and the biting set inactivated?

A. bite to finish it off but could not pursue prey

B. immediate trauma death

C. pursued prey but could not bite to finish it off

D. pursued prey but could not catch it

答案(3)

4.Which one of the following is not mentioned as the practical application?

A. treat neurological diseases

B. create a device that pounces on a moving target

C. control face and jaw muscles

D. the production of killer zombie mice

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.optogenetic
解释：研究人员利用“光遗传”技术（利用激光开启和关闭转基因动物的特定神经元）进入控制掠食性狩猎的大脑机制。

(2) 答案：A.feeding behavior
解释：论文发表在《细胞》(Cell)杂志上，是研究动物进食行为的更广泛计划的一部分。

(3) 答案：C.pursued prey but could not bite to finish it off
解释：如果启动追逐神经元，但不启动咬食神经元，老鼠会追上猎物，但无法咬死后者。

(4) 答案：D.the production of killer zombie mice
解释：这一研究理论可能用于治疗神经疾病、或者创建一种扑向移动目标的设备，但是制造杀人僵尸老鼠不在议程上。

空气“最致命”的国家

中国PM2.5污染导致的过早死亡人数多年来一直高于其他任何国家。美国健康影响研究所的研究发现，印度在这方面即将超越中国。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

airborne空运的；空气传播的['eəbɔːn]

endure忍耐；持续[ɪn'djʊə; en-; -'djɔː]

emission喷射；发行；排放[ɪ'mɪʃ(ə)n]

diameter直径[daɪ'æmɪtə]

cholesterol胆固醇[kə'lestərɒl]

Hindu festival Diwali排灯节(也叫光明节)

sporadic零星的；分散的[spə'rædɪk]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分9秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分26秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分27秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分51秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

India air pollution deaths poised to exceed China’s（517 words）

By Kiran Stacey in New Delhi

India is on the verge of overtaking China as the country with the most deaths caused by air pollution,the world’s biggest environmental killer,according to research published on Tuesday.

In 2015 both countries suffered about 1.1m premature deaths as a result of polluted air,with India just 18,000 behind China,the US-based research organisation Health Effects Institute found,making air pollution the fifth-highest cause of death among all health risks.

In India,a combination of households burning solid fuels for cooking,coal-fired power plants,crop burning,industrial emissions and vehicle fumes contribute to some of the highest airborne particulate counts in the world.

For years,China has endured more deaths than any other country as a result of exposure to PM2.5 pollution — particulate matter measuring less than 2.5 millionths of a metre in diameter.

But while air pollution-related deaths in China have come down slightly in the past decade,they have increased in India,from about 900,000 annually in 2005 to just under 1.1m in 2015,the HEI report says.

Worldwide,air pollution caused 4.2m deaths in 2015,a 7.5 per cent jump from a decade earlier. Toxic air now kills almost as many people as high cholesterol and even more than excessive salt or being overweight,according to the study.

“There is a growing worldwide consensus — among the World Health Organization,World Bank,International Energy Agency and others — that air pollution poses a major global public health challenge,”said Robert O’Keefe,HEI vice-president.“Nowhere is that risk more evident than in the rapidly growing economies of Asia.”

In India,the worst pollution is often found in New Delhi,the country’s capital and largest city,due to a combination of climatic conditions,rapidly increasing vehicle use and nearby heavy industry. A study by the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment found the city’s Badarpur coal plant was one of the most polluting in the country.

In October,the pollution count in the capital went off the charts after celebrations for the Hindu festival Diwali filled the air with smoke for several days and eventually helped contribute to a court-imposed ban on fireworks.

WHO figures show that from 2011 to 2015,New Delhi had by far the highest levels of coarse particulates of any megacity in the world,with levels more than double those in Beijing.

Experts say the improvement in Beijing has been achieved partly because air pollution there is now treated as a public health emergency. This means the government can order cars off the road and shut down schools and parts of industry if particulates are predicted to remain high for at least three days.

In New Delhi,countermeasures are more sporadic. In November,Arvind Kejriwal,the city’s chief minister,ordered schools to close for three days,halted construction and demolition work for five days and shut down the Badarpur coal plant for 10 days. However,he has not repeated last year’s“odd-even”experiment of only allowing cars to travel on alternate days based on licence plate numbers. A subsequent study found the move had helped cap the rise in particulate emissions.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Which one of the following is more likely to cause deaths according to the study?

A. high cholesterol

B. high cholesterol

C. toxic air

D. being overweight

答案(1)

2.Where is the most serious polluted in India?

A. New Delhi

B. Bombay

C. Calcutta

D. Bangalore

答案(2)

3.Which one is not mentioned as the reason of air pollution in New Delhi?

A. population boom

B. climatic conditions

C. rapidly increasing vehicle use

D. nearby heavy industry

答案(3)

4.How many days is the threshold to shut down schools if particulates are predicted to remain high in Beijing?

A. 10

B. 7

C. 5

D. 3

答案(4)

(1) 答案：C.toxic air
解释：根据美国研究组织发布的报告，2015年空气污染致死人数比十年前提高了7.5%，比高胆固醇、过度食盐和超重更加致命。

(2) 答案：A.New Delhi
解释：在印度，最严重的污染常出现在该国最大城市、首都新德里。

(3) 答案：A.population boom
解释：这是气候条件、车辆使用量猛增以及附近重工业三者共同作用的结果。

(4) 答案：D.3
解释：空气污染在那里现已被视为突发公共卫生事件。这意味着，如果预期颗粒物浓度至少3天保持在高位，政府可下令汽车不得上路、学校停课、部分工厂停工。

英国《金融时报》原文阅读精选集Vol.23

微博打败Twitter？

根据媒体数据，这是微博首次在收盘时市值超越Twitter。尽管不得不承认，这段“超车”与后者股价下滑有较大关系。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

capitalization市值（等于capitalization）、资本化[,kæpɪtəlɪ'zeʃən]

eclipse使黯然失色；形成蚀[ɪ'klɪps]

rumoured谣传的；传说的['ru:məd]

suitor求婚者['suːtə]

monetise使货币化['mʌnitaiz]

nascent初期的；开始存在的['næs(ə)nt; 'neɪ-]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分25秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分35秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分34秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分53秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

China’s Weibo eclipses rival Twitter’s market capitalization（539 words）

By Louise Lucas in Hong Kong

China’s Weibo is worth more than US rival Twitter,after a rallying share price drove its market capitalisation to $11.3bn,surpassing the US messaging platform’s $11.1bn.

Twitter’s share price dropped late last week after the company missed revenue forecasts and failed to deliver on hopes of a“Trump bump”. By contrast,shares in Weibo,part-owned by Alibaba,have been climbing on the back of a rising number of subscribers and its growing ability to wring more cash out of them.

Weibo came close to eclipsing Twitter when the latter’s shares tumbled in October when it transpired that rumoured suitors,including Walt Disney and Salesforce,had failed to materialise. This is the first time Weibo’s market capitalisation has risen past Twitter’s on a close-of-day basis,according to Bloomberg data.

While Weibo’s usurping of Twitter’s position owes much to the US company’s falling stock,the switchover comes as China’s technology groups are narrowing the gap with their western rivals on various metrics — and in many more cases are overtaking them in terms of offerings to consumers.

Alibaba,for example,is dwarfed by ecommerce peer Amazon when it comes to market capitalisation: $255bn v $395bn. But its net income of $2.47bn in the three months to the end of December put Amazon’s $749m in the shade and its business model,which via Ant Financial also encompasses payments,is much broader.

One area where some Chinese companies have lagged behind substantially is in monetising their subscriber bases,seen by many investors as leaving huge potential for growth. Subscribers to Moments,the Facebook-like news feed run by Tencent,for example,may see just one ad — a fraction of those shown on the US social network.

Nasdaq-listed Weibo,which has more than 340m monthly average users,is similarly behind.

Jialong Shi,internet analyst at Nomura,calculates that Weibo’s annual average revenue per monthly user of $1.90 in 2015 was a quarter of Twitter’s $6.50 and one-sixth of Facebook’s $11.30. These numbers continued to improve in the first three quarters of 2016,but are still well behind those of its US peers.

“The social platform ad market is very nascent in China,”said one Hong Kong analyst,who noted that it accounts for 8 per cent of the online ad market against 20 per cent in the US and is dominated by Tencent Moments and Weibo.

While Weibo has been dubbed China’s Twitter it is in some ways more akin to YouTube with a dash of Instagram thrown in. Videos and live streaming,much of it user-generated,are popular on Weibo,a reflection of the heavily youth-based audience,with 88 per cent under 33.

Twitter is blocked in mainland China,although still claims millions of users who access the site through virtual private networks.

Like YouTube celebrities,Weibo’s equivalents — known as wang hong or key opinion leaders — generate videos and other content that is avidly followed. However,China’s opinion leaders have grown in influence,driving growth and revenues for themselves as well as the platforms they use.

One analyst cites the example of Zhang Da Yi,a fashion model with more than 4m followers on Weibo who sells her own designs on Taobao,Alibaba’s ecommerce platform,a career change that pulled in $108m last year.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Which company is one of the Weibo’s shareholder?

A. Tencent

B. Samsung

C. Alibaba

D. Harding Loevner

答案(1)

2.Which company is the potential takeover target from Walt Disney and Salesforce last October?

A. Twitter

B. Weibo

C. Alibaba

D. Amazon

答案(2)

3.What is the market share of social platform ad in the US?

A. 2%

B. 8%

C. 20%

D. 80%

答案(3)

4.Who is the main users of Weibo as mentioned?

A. people over 18

B. people under 33

C. 55-65 year-old females

D. 18-38 year-old males

答案(4)

(1) 答案：C.Alibaba
解释：文章提到：相比之下，由阿里巴巴(Alibaba)部分持股的微博的股价在用户数量不断增加和盈利能力越来越强的推动下不断攀升。

(2) 答案：A.Twitter
解释：去年10月，微博的市值曾一度逼近Twitter的市值，当时，包括华特迪士尼(Walt Disney)和Salesforce的潜在收购方未能正式发起收购，导致Twitter股价大跌。

(3) 答案：C.20%
解释：中国社交平台广告在中国在线广告市场的占比仅为8%，而美国的这一比例为20%。

(4) 答案：B.people under 33
解释：微博88%的用户都是年龄在33岁以下的年轻人。

什么？万达进军欧洲金融业！

野心不小的万达正成为欧洲银行资产的潜在买家，让一些金融业人士感到吃惊。一些观察人士指出，万达在中国或国外几乎没有经营金融业的任何经验。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

diversify使多样化，使变化[daɪˈvɜːsɪˌfaɪ]

boon恩惠；福利；利益[buːn]

hurdle障碍；栏；跳栏['hɜːd(ə)l]

yacht游艇，快艇；轻舟[jɒt]

foray涉足，初次尝试['fɒreɪ]

leverage ratio杠杆率；资本充足率 杠杆比率（是正股市价与购入一股正股所需权证的市价之比，杠杆反映投资正股相对投资认股证的成本比例）

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

4分10秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分0秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分52秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分0秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

China’s Wanda circles Postbank in search of European bank assets（602 words）

By Don Weinland in Hong Kong and Caroline Binham in London

China’s largest property developer Dalian Wanda Group has set its sights on banks in Europe,including Germany’s Postbank,as it diversifies away from its core real estate business.

The Beijing-based group led by China’s richest man is actively looking at several European financial institutions,three people familiar with the matter said. Postbank — which has been put up for sale by Deutsche Bank — was among the institutions on Wanda’s list,according to two of those people.

The company’s hunt for financial assets was at an early stage and so far there has been no official approach to Deutsche,said the people.

But the interest in Postbank will be a boon to Deutsche,which has hit hurdles in its attempts to offload the German retail unit. One person familiar with the matter said Deutsche was seeking €6bn for the unit,which is suffering from low returns in the face of persistently low interest rates and competition from state-backed rivals.

Both Wanda and Deutsche declined to comment.

The acquisition of a bank by Wanda — following a multiyear global acquisition spree of US cinemas and production studios,an Italian yacht maker and a sports rights group in Switzerland — would be its first foray into the financial sector.

The move would also be another step towards diversifying away from its focus on being one of the world’s largest private property developers. In China,Wanda is best known for its massive development projects,including a series of theme parks.

However,its emergence as a potential buyer of banking assets in Europe took some in the financial sector by surprise. Some observers noted that the company has virtually no experience in the industry in China or abroad.

It also comes at a time when Chinese regulators are cracking down on outbound corporate investments that do not fit with companies’core lines of business. It was unclear if banking assets would be deemed a primary part of Wanda’s operations.

Over the past two years,group chairman Wang Jianlin has indicated that Wanda would adopt an“asset-light”strategy for real estate while expanding its so-called cultural division,which includes theme parks and a growing portfolio of global entertainment-related businesses.

Since 2014,Wanda has spent about $11.8bn on overseas assets,according to data from Dealogic. Mr Wang’s net worth was $31.4bn,according to Forbes.

Meanwhile,analysts covering Deutsche remain sceptical that it can successfully sell even part of its stake in Postbank. Citigroup analysts wrote earlier this month that there was a risk a sale would not materialise.

A sale of Postbank’s mortgage-heavy book would boost Deutsche’s leverage ratio,a key regulatory metric that measures capital to overall assets. International standard-setters want to increase leverage ratio requirements for the largest and most complex banks in the world.

But the bank has remained tight-lipped over Postbank’s potential price tag. Marcus Schenck,Deutsche’s chief financial officer,responded to analysts’estimates that it carried €5bn of book value by saying it would not disclose the price“because it’s not a terribly helpful metric to disclose in particular when an M&A track is also an option”.

He added:“We will only be selling these assets if it gives us a meaningful capital relief. And hence,we will certainly not accept a major writedown.”

Wanda joins a small group of Chinese conglomerates eyeing banks and other financial institutions in Europe,including Fosun International and Anbang Insurance. In November,Fosun became the largest shareholder in Portuguese bank Millennium BCP and also owns the country’s largest insurer,Caixa Seguros Saúde.

Bankers noted that Wanda would likely join a consortium of bidders for a large financial institutions acquisition in Europe.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Where is the headquarters of the Dalian Wanda Group?

A. Dalian

B. Hangzhou

C. Beijing

D. Shenzhen

答案(1)

2.Who owned the Deutsche Postbank as mentioned?

A. Commerzbank

B. NRW.BANK

C. Deutsche Bank

D. HypoVereinsbank

答案(2)

3.Which one is not mentioned as the overseas acquisition from Wanda by now?

A. cinemas

B. fund company

C. production studios

D. yacht maker

答案(3)

4.What is the key regulatory metric that measures capital to overall assets?

A. dividend payout ratio

B. leverage ratio

C. equity ratio

D. conversion ratio

答案(4)

(1) 答案：C.Beijing
解释：中国最大的房地产开发商万达集团总部位于北京。

(2) 答案：C.Deutsche Bank
解释：德意志银行曾在2015年宣布出售其拥有的德国邮政银行，大幅削减投行部门。

(3) 答案：B.fund company
解释：万达没有收购过基金公司，这是其初次涉足金融领域。

(4) 答案：B.leverage ratio
解释：将德国邮政银行的沉重的抵押贷款债券出售掉将会使德银的杠杆率大幅提升，而杠杆率又是衡量银行资产健康状况的一个很关键的监管指标。

休假多久才算够？

从小长假和法国人长达一个月的假期，到美国人不可思议的越来越短的假期，休假多久才足以在恢复元气的同时，激发人生道路的调整？

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

hallowed神圣的，神圣化的['hæləʊd]

meting out给予

allotted专款的；拨出的[ə'lɔtid]

cohorts军团['kəuhɔ:ts]

tenure任期；占有['tenjə]

malady弊病；疾病；腐败['mælədɪ]

neurological神经学上的[,njʊərə'lɒdʒɪkl]

fray争论；打架[freɪ]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

5分52秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分58秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

2分32秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分14秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Work pressure demands more downtime than a fleeting week off（745 words）

By Herminia Ibarra

The month of August,that hallowed time when Latin Europe grinds to a sunny halt,concludes with September’s good intentions to sustain the summer’s healthier habits. Rapidly we revert to form.

Finnish researcher Jessica de Bloom’s analysis shows the feelings of renewal that people report after a seven-day holiday fade within one to four weeks of returning to work. A short break,concludes a Scientific American article,“is like a cool shower on an oppressively muggy summer day — a refreshing yet fleeting escape”.

On a continuum from the mini-sabbatical to the French month-long pause to the incredible shrinking US vacation,how much time is enough to not just recover physically but also to motivate a personal course correction?

In keeping with our“smarter,faster,better”culture,Ms de Bloom advises meting out our allotted rest and restoration into shorter,more frequent vacations. But what if we need bigger chunks of downtime to recharge our batteries fully and gain adequate mental distance from our often-toxic work environments? Unfortunately,there is scant research to enlighten us.

A 13-year study of four cohorts of investment bankers illustrates the long-term costs of ignoring our bodies’need for respite. The bankers followed by Alexandra Michel,a Wharton business school professor,pushed the limits of their young bodies with impunity in their first three years as associates. Around year four,they started to break down from overwork.

Eating disorders,tics,sleep disturbances,anxiety and depression were commonplace. Most of them responded by pushing harder to maintain performance.

Eighty per cent strongly agreed with the statement:“I am trying harder to control my body but with less success than before.”Starting at year six,40 per cent had breakdowns so severe they were forced to stop working.

Responses to the breakdowns fell into two camps. One group treated their bodies as“antagonists”,escalating efforts to exert control. They talked about“letting your body know who is in charge”and submitted to extreme regimes such as lemon-juice only cleanses and boot-camp training.

A second group learnt to treat their bodies as“insightful advisers”,heeding even subtle signs such as low energy as cues:“I learnt to differentiate between being tired and drained. When I am drained,my body says that something isn’t right and I stop and try to figure it out,”said one in this camp.

The longer intermissions their maladies imposed allowed them to step back for long enough to recognise and reject their companies’unwritten rules.“Once your body forces you to stop certain behaviour,you ask why you engaged in them and whether there are alternatives,”said one director.

As Prof Michel followed her participants into new and different careers at middle age,from the ninth to the 13th year of the study,she also found that avoiding unsustainable work habits takes more than changing jobs or even occupations.

Many of them relapsed after moving into organisations that were supposedly less work intensive. Even among those who had learnt to treat their bodies as insightful advisers,a significant number experienced a second breakdown within the first year at their new jobs.

Not only had they chosen similarly demanding positions but,still weakened from their tenure at the banks,they also failed to take sufficient time in between roles to convalesce and gain psychological distance from their hard-driving selves. Needless to say,they also intensified the pace of work for everyone else,role-modelling behaviours they were then forced to sustain.

A spate of neurological studies show that downtime is not only crucial for replenishing the brain’s stores of attention and motivation,but also for sustaining the cognitive processes that make us human. The“time to think”so many of us naively pine for allows us to consolidate memories,integrate what we have learnt,plan for the future,maintain our moral compass and construct a sense of self.

The popularity of sabbaticals and adult“gap-years”is but one indication of our desire for respite. Yet,people cram them full of languages to learn and mountains to trek in a manic attempt to increase the yield on our decreasing amount of leisure time,while their organisations claw back time at the front and back end of a hard-negotiated,and often too-short,time period.

Still,for those of us who need it most,withdrawal from the fray is rarely voluntary. More often than not our recalcitrant bodies drag us into repose. Maybe it is time to give the way we work a rest.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.When will the feelings of renewal fade after a seven-day holiday?

A. within 4 to 8 weeks

B. within 1 to 4 weeks

C. within 200 days

D. within 1 to 4 days

答案(1)

2.What kind of vacation is suggested by Finnish researcher Jessica de Bloom?

A. longer vacations

B. vacation away from work

C. shorter,more frequent vacations

D. vacations with family

答案(2)

3.When the bodies will be punished after crazy working without rest ,according to the Michel’s research?

A. the first year

B. the fourth Year

C. the sixth Year

D. the tenth year

答案(3)

4.Which one is not mentioned about“downtime”according to the neurological studies?

A. replenishing the brain’s stores of attention

B. cooling systems on an oppressively muggy summer day

C. replenishing the brain’s stores of motivation

D. sustaining the cognitive processes

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.within 1 to 4 weeks
解释：芬兰研究员Jessica de Bloom的分析显示，人们在7天假期后报告的那种精神抖擞的感觉会在恢复工作的1至4周内消退。

(2) 答案：C.shorter,more frequent vacations
解释：按照我们的“更聪明、更快、更好”文化，Jessica de Bloom建议重新安排我们的假期，调整为更短、更频繁的假期。

(3) 答案：B.the fourth Year
解释：一项对4组投资银行家进行的长达13年的研究表明，到了第4年左右，他们开始因过度工作而出现问题。

(4) 答案：B.cooling systems on an oppressively muggy summer day
解释：大量神经学研究表明，休假不仅对大脑恢复注意力和积极性至关重要，而且对维持使我们具有人性的认知过程不可或缺。

吃薯条会致癌吗？

有关油炸土豆中发现高水平的致癌物丙烯酰胺屡被报道，那到底怎么吃是安全的？

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

carcinogenic致癌的；致癌物的[,kɑːs(ɪ)nə'dʒenɪk]

starchy含淀粉的；浆糊状的；刻板的['stɑːtʃɪ]

acrylamide丙烯酰胺[ə'krɪləmaɪd]

prehistoric史前的；陈旧的[priːhɪ'stɒrɪk]

amino acid[生化] 氨基酸[ə,mi:nəu 'æsid]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

2分31秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

1分32秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分48秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分38秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Food agency warns of cancer risk from roast potatoes（380 words）

By Clive Cookson,Science Editor

A UK public health campaign aims to persuade people to change their cooking habits to avoid generating carcinogenic chemicals.

The initiative is the world’s first consumer-orientated campaign to reduce acrylamide,which is created by cooking starchy foods — particularly potatoes — for long periods at high temperatures.

“Our diet survey shows that all age groups consume more acrylamide in their diet than is desirable,”said Steve Wearne,policy director of the Food Standards Agency.“The majority of people are not aware that acrylamide exists or that they might be able to reduce their personal intake.”

Although humans have probably been consuming acrylamide since cooking began in prehistoric times,high levels were first identified in fried and baked foods by Swedish scientists in 2002,said Professor Guy Poppy,FSA chief scientist.“That raised concern worldwide because many studies showed that acrylamide could cause cancer in laboratory animals.”

No one has proved that acrylamide in cooked food is causing cancer in people — and there are no estimates for the number of cases associated with dietary acrylamide.

But,on the basis of the animal studies and the damaging effect of acrylamide on DNA,scientists say it is likely to contribute to the overall burden of cancer.

The chemical forms in cooking through a natural reaction between amino acids and carbohydrates at temperatures above 120C. Boiling and steaming do not produce enough heat to generate acrylamide.

FSA sampling over the past decade shows that food manufacturers have successfully cut acrylamide concentrations in potato crisps and chips,bread,biscuits and roast coffee,by adjusting their cooking procedures.

Other advice includes a warning not to keep raw potatoes in the fridge.

According to the FSA,potatoes undergo a process called“cold sweetening”at fridge temperatures,which slowly changes their carbohydrate composition in a way that is more likely to form acrylamide during frying or roasting. Instead,they should be stored in a dark place that is cool but no colder than 6C.

Another way to reduce acrylamide formation is to change the amino acid balance of the potatoes themselves and in particular to cut the amount of asparagine. Public health authorities are encouraging potato breeders to develop low-asparagine varieties. This could be achieved through genetic modification if the public came to accept GM potatoes,said Prof Poppy.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Who is the“Service Target”of this health campaign?

A. companies

B. government

C. scientific institutionr

D. consumers

答案(1)

2.Which one is not mentioner about acrylamide in diet according to the survey?

A. people intake more acrylamide than imagined

B. lots of people are not aware that acrylamide exists

C. it is derived from potatoes

D. acrylamide is not good for our health

答案(2)

3.Which one of the following is more likely to cause cancer?

A. biscuits

B. roast fish

C. boiled eggs

D. boiled potatoes

答案(3)

4.What's the safe temperature for potatoes avoiding acrylamide?

A. -6C-12OC

B. 6C-120C

C. 12C-60C

D. -60C-12C

答案(4)

(1) 答案：D.consumers
解释：文章提到这个健康组织是以消费者为导向的。

(2) 答案：C.it is derived from potatoes
解释：丙烯酰胺是一种化学物质，并非来源于土豆，但和烹饪方式有关。

(3) 答案：A.biscuits
解释：瑞典的研究显示,煎炸或烘焗含有淀粉质的食物，会产生偏高的丙烯酰胺含量，丙烯酰胺可能导致癌症。

(4) 答案：B.6C-120C
解释：超过摄氏120度可能产生丙烯酰胺，同时储存在冰箱里面也会，最好存放于避光阴凉处，不高于摄氏6度。

“每周40小时的工作量要杀死我们了！”

还是那句话，工作时间长并不等同于做了很多事。效率，或许是更重要的因素。超长的工作时间不仅是效率低下，很可能让你错误率上升，而之后不得不再次返工。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

rallying cry战斗口号

hard-won来之不易的；难得的

fatigue疲劳，疲乏[fə'tiːg]

jeopardise使…受危险['dʒepədaiz]

breadwinner养家糊口的人['bredwɪnə]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

5分22秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分41秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

2分20秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分10秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

The death of the 40-hour week is killing us（703 words）

By Gill Plimmer

In the 19th century the slogan“eight hours’labour,eight hours’recreation,eight hours’rest”became the rallying cry of unions and social justice reformers on both sides of the Atlantic.

More than a century later,that hard-won victory is under threat. In many cases it has already been overturned.

“The 40-hour week is long gone,”says Karyn Twaronite,global diversity and inclusiveness officer at Ernst & Young. Its study of nearly 10,000 full-time managers in eight countries found that working hours have increased sharply since the financial crisis hit in 2007-8.

“It’s not just a US phenomenon,”says Ms Twaronite.“Many other countries are tipping the scales. Since the financial crisis,working more than 40 hours has become the‘new normal.’”

About half of managers work more than 40 hours,the study found. A third say they are working an additional five or more hours a week.

But the extra hours do not necessarily translate into higher productivity. According to a study by Stanford University,productivity declines sharply after 50 hours,and plummets to almost nothing after 55 hours,so much so that the extra 15 hours is of little value.

John Pencavel,the study author,says this could be because“employees at work for a long time may experience fatigue or stress that not only reduces [their] productivity,but also increases the probability of errors,accidents and sickness that impose costs on the employer.”

Technology is partly to blame for the rise in working hours,combined with the increasingly insecure job market. Although smartphones and remote work software have brought flexibility,too often the need to be“always in touch”is piled on top of — rather than during — the traditional eight-hour day,according to EY’s Ms Twaronite.

“People are tethered to technology,”she says.“They can’t just go home and switch off. You can be finished for the day but it will be morning in China and you will be expected to respond. Count all those extra minutes online and the hours add up very quickly,”she adds.

Sarah Moore,professor of psychology at the University of Puget Sound,who has studied the decline in working conditions in the US,says that workloads have grown because businesses have downsized so that employees now have to do the work that used to be done by two or more co-workers.

“In addition,especially since the 2008 economic downturn,many workers have reported to us that they are grateful for a job and are unwilling,for example,by turning down overtime hours,to jeopardise their employment.”

Nicola Smith,head of economics at the UK’s Trades Union Congress,says the move away from the 40-hour week is part of a long-term shift driven by seven-day-a-week opening for shops,the decline of unions and increasing numbers of women in the workplace.

“It now takes two earners to keep a household going,not just one. We’ve moved away from the traditional breadwinner model,”she says.

The TUC has coined the phrase“Burnout Britain”to describe the long-hours working culture. Its study of Office for National Statistics data found that the number of people working more than 48 hours per week had risen by 15 per cent since 2010 to 3,417,000.

Ben Willmott,head of public policy at Britain’s Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development,says the shift away from the 40 hour week is“gradual but the trend is definitely in train”.

Even though technology has the power to unshackle workers from their desks,the CIPD says there is an increase in“presenteeism” — the need to be seen in the office. It found that 30 per cent of employers have seen an increase in people coming in to work while they are sick and 40 per cent a rise in mental health problems in the past 12 months.

“Although the job market has picked up,the outlook is still pretty uncertain,which is one reason why some people are reluctant to take time off sick even when they are ill.”says Mr Wilmott.

“The overall net effect is that many employees find themselves working more hours simply because it is possible and the workplace culture expects it,”says Ms Moore.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.When has the“40-hour week”become the“new normal”as Twaronite said?

A. since 19th century

B. since 20th century

C. since the First World War

D. since the financial crisis

答案(1)

2.How many hours is the limitation of working efficiently according to a study by Stanford University?

A. 15

B. 35

C. 50

D. 55

答案(2)

3.Which one of the following increasing the working time potentially?

A. policy

B. life stress

C. technology

D. globalization

答案(3)

4.What is the meaning of“Burnout Britain”?

A. the inefficient working culture

B. the long-hours working culture

C. the errors after long-hours working

D. the standard 40-hour week

答案(4)

(1) 答案：D.since the financial crisis
假设：不只是在美国，自金融危机之后，一周工作40个小时成为了“新常态”。

(2) 答案：C.50
解释：根据这份报告，在工作50小时之后工作效率锐减，工作55个小时后几乎没有生产力了。

(3) 答案：C.technology
解释：工作时长的拉长除了对市场的不安全感，也要归咎于科技。尽管智能手机和软件增加了工作的灵活性，但也让人不得不在8小时以外“随时保持联系”，无形中延长了工作时间。

(4) 答案：B.the long-hours working culture
解释：英国工会大会提出“筋疲力尽的英国”(Burnout Britain)这个词来形容长时间工作的文化。

带着病人“飞越疯人院”

1974年上映的《飞越疯人院》，世界电影艺术历史上最经典的美国巨著之一，如今在中国上演现实版：一名中国精神科医生在跳槽到一家资金更充裕的医院的同时，还一并带走了64名精神病患者。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

psychiatrist精神病学家，精神病医生[saɪ'kaɪətrɪst]

civil servants公务员

moonlight兼职，夜袭['muːnlaɪt]

counterpart对应的人或物['kaʊntəpɑːt]

commitment承诺，保证[kə'mɪtm(ə)nt]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

2分51秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

1分43秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分56秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分40秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Chinese doctor’s dash underlines private healthcare challenges（408 words）

By Tom Hancock in Shanghai

A Chinese psychiatrist who took 64 mental patients with him when he moved to a better-funded hospital has sparked debate about doctors’professional freedoms as China tries to encourage private capital to enter its strained healthcare system.

A state-run hospital in the southern province of Guizhou notified local police last week when Yang Shaolei,its director of psychiatry,transferred all but one of his ward’s patients to a privately backed rival after submitting his resignation. Over the weekend,Guihang 300 Hospital vowed to sue Dr Yang,attacking his actions as“an organised violation of medical consent and medical professional guidelines . . . which tramples on industry rules for healthy competition”.

However,others have hailed Dr Yang as a champion of professional freedoms for China’s low-paid doctors,who are treated akin to civil servants with medical licences and are generally tied to a single hospital.

Reformers have tried to relieve the burdens on public hospitals,in part by encouraging investment of private capital into healthcare. In 2015,China’s health minister even called on physicians to moonlight in the private sector where they can command higher salaries.

Yet while several high-profile private sector businesses have invested in hospitals,many say their public counterparts have prevented their best doctors from moving to private institutions.

“Local governments wouldn’t want to see that happening,”said He Jingwei,a professor at The Education University of Hong Kong.“They see that they have spent so much effort and resources in training doctors and want to keep them. Private healthcare in China is still very undeveloped.”

Reports compared the scene of Dr Yang loading his patients into ambulances as they moved to better conditions to the 1975 film One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest,in which the character played by Jack Nicholson rails against poor conditions in a psychiatric hospital and encourages patients to escape.“Formally,there is nothing wrong with what he did,”a Shanghai orthopaedist surnamed Tan told the Financial Times.

Local authorities said they were investigating the incident. Their response is being watched as a gauge of commitment to healthcare reforms.

Four of Dr Yang’s patients later returned to Guihang,joining a 103-year-old who was the sole inpatient left behind by Dr Yang. In an interview with the Beijing News,Dr Yang said that consent for the transfers had been given either by the patients or their legal guardians.

“Moving hospitals is better for the patients,”he said.“I was not thinking about money.”

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Which one of the following was encouraged to enter its strained healthcare system?

A. community clinic

B. foreign-capital hospital

C. state-owned hospital

D. private -capital hospital

答案(1)

2.What happened to Yang Shaolei to transfer his patients?

A. resignation

B. promotion

C. illness

D. got fired

答案(2)

3.When were Chinese physicians called to moonlight in the private sector?

A. 1975

B. 2000

C. 2015

D. 2016

答案(3)

4.What did Jack Nicholson against in a psychiatric hospital according to the movie?

A. poor conditions

B. low wage

C. rat race

D. low qualifications

答案(4)

(1) 答案：D.private -capital hospital
解释：中国正尝试鼓励私人资本进入其不堪重负的医疗体系。

(2) 答案：A.resignation
解释：该院精神科主任杨绍雷在提交辞职报告后，将该科室除一人之外的所有患者都转到了一家民营背景的同业竞争医院。

(3) 答案：C.2015
解释：2015年，中国卫生部部长曾鼓励医师到能获得更高薪金的民营医院兼职。

(4) 答案：A.poor conditions
解释：《飞越疯人院》(One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest)中的情节。在该片中，杰克·尼科尔森饰演的角色不满精神病院糟糕的环境，鼓励病友们逃出这里。

女性开始讲粗话，性别歧视问题就解决了？

和过去相比，今天女性在讲粗话上不输男性，这或许代表着某种进步？要理解这点，可以关注一下加州州立大学语言人类学家近期所作的一些有意思的研究——她考察了过去一个世纪美国男性和女性讲粗话的规律，借鉴了大量调查数据、历史记录和已发表的文献。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

swearing发誓；咒骂['sweərɪŋ]

trivia琐事['trɪvɪə]

anthropologists人类学家[,ænθrə'pɒlədʒɪsts]

barometer气压计；晴雨表[bə'rɒmɪtə]

excrement粪便，排泄物['ekskrɪm(ə)nt]

taboo禁忌；禁止[tə'buː]

static静态的；静电的；静力的['stætɪk]

subverted推翻；破坏[səb'vɜːt]

utterly完全地；绝对地['ʌtəlɪ ]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

5分13秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

3分10秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

2分41秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分17秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Bad language: the curse of gender equality（775 words）

By Gillian Tett

Earlier this week I put an empty jar on top of my kitchen counter with a label saying“No swearing”. This device is supposed to stop my daughters from breaking linguistic taboos: if they curse,they have to deposit a dollar in the jar.

But the device is also meant to control me. In recent months,as stress has risen in these politically tumultuous times,swear words have been popping out of my mouth. So I have committed to honour that dollar pledge as well,in a bid to prevent my daughters from copying me.

Is this just a piece of domestic trivia? Perhaps. But,as anthropologists have long argued,the way that cultures define“swearing”is a barometer for social norms. And when it comes to western culture today,the question of whether we do（or do not) swear reveals some interesting points about changing gender roles — and the internal conflicts that these keep throwing up.

To understand this,take note of some fascinating research conducted by Barbara LeMaster,a linguistic anthropologist at California State University,and presented at the American Anthropological Association in Minneapolis last month. She recently examined the patterns of swearing among American men and women during the past century,drawing on survey data,historical records and published texts.

She started by noting that most western swear words fall into three categories: they refer to sex,excrement or religion. That,in a sense,is no surprise: the reason swear words have the power to shock is that they disregard conventions and break taboos. In the case of American culture,sexual activity,excrement and religion are considered respectively to be private,“dirty”and sacred. Thus talking about these concepts in public and/or with disrespect overturns boundaries.

But language is never static and swearing is no exception. When LeMaster looked back at how men and women spoke a century ago,she noticed a striking gender divergence: men who were angry employed words linked to sex,excrement and religion（ie phrases similar to modern swear words). However,women“had special language”,LeMaster said. They used phrases that subverted religion in a more subtle manner,such as“oh goodness”or“my gracious”,as well as others that no longer offend,because religion has lost its dominant cultural role.

The reason for this split is not hard to find: a century ago,male and female roles were separated in many areas of life,and the cultural ideal of“femininity”presented an assumption that women should be subordinate,meek and submissive. Talking like a man — in an aggressive,crude way — was taboo.

Today,the concept of“acceptable”female behaviour has shifted: women are politicians,business leaders,scientists,soldiers and journalists. They still do not have quite the same cultural freedom as men; just look at the opprobrium heaped on Hillary Clinton or the way that forceful women are often described as“bossy”. But as roles have shifted,speech expectations have changed — and continue to change.

When LeMaster looked at how people swear today she discovered that women are using as many swear words as men,if not more.“Women have started to use the strong language used by men,but men are not using the words used by women [a century ago].”And while the balance of words associated with sex,excrement and religion varies,this distinction now reflects religion and class as much as gender.

Is this a good thing? Many readers might howl“No!”And since I am a creature of my own cultural environment and biases,in some senses I share this dismay: I hate the idea of a world shaped by“foul”language,particularly if it involves my daughters.

Hence my introduction of that swearing jar.

Then again,the fact that swearing is now an equal-opportunity practice is cheering in some ways. Winning the right to shout“f**k you!”without needing to apologise（too much) was never a feminist ideal; and it is utterly trivial compared with the infinitely more serious issues that women are grappling with today. But the only thing worse than a world where people shout obscenities is a place where this is only culturally permitted for men. Language,like much else,should be gender blind.

So maybe it is time for men to start copying old-fashioned female speech,and for all of us to limit ourselves to saying“goodness”or“darn”. That might sound peculiarly mild or mealy-mouthed. It might even leave us fuming in these volatile times. But now,more than ever,a little extra civility,respect and graciousness could go a long way — for women and men. It might even help to create a more equal world.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Who was the“swearing surveillanced object”by an empty jar in kitchen initially?

A. the author’s daughters

B. the author

C. the author’s husband

D. the baby-sitter

答案(1)

2.Which one is not mentioned as the main category linked to most western swear words?

A. forefathers

B. sex

C. excrement

D. religion

答案(2)

3.Why did women use phrases that subverted religion that no longer offend as the“special language”?

A. male and female roles were separated in many areas of life

B. women should be subordinate

C. stress has risen in these politically tumultuous times

D. religion has lost its dominant cultural role

答案(3)

4.Which one is not right in today's world?

A. men are using the words used by women

B. the balance of words associated with sex,excrement and religion varies

C. swearing is an equal-opportunity practice

D. women are using the strong language used by men

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.the author
解释：最开始作者打算用这个玻璃罐阻止女儿们打破语言禁忌：她们要是讲粗话，就得往罐子里投进一美元。而这个玩意儿对作者也是一个约束。

(2) 答案：A.forefathers
解释：大部分西方人说的脏话可以分成三大类：性、排泄物或宗教。

(3) 答案：D.religion has lost its dominant cultural role
解释：意志力（或自律）还常常被比作肌肉，问题是经常使用是强化了肌肉，还是造成肌肉疲劳。

(4) 答案：A.men are using the words used by women
解释：女人们开始讲以往只会出自男性之口的粗话，不过男人们却没使用（一个世纪前的）女性用语。

别让你的食谱“逼”自己太紧

春节大餐顿顿过后，身体“肿”的开始抗议，多少人打开搜索引擎并给自己定下要科学、自律饮食的目标。而实际上，不要再逼自己喝下浓稠油绿的蔬菜汁了，看文章告诉你正确的饮食平衡。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

quinoa藜麦['kiːnəʊə; kwɪ'nəʊə]

wintry冬天的['wɪntrɪ]

immaculate完美的[ɪ'mækjʊlət]

irreproachable无瑕疵的[ɪrɪ'prəʊtʃəb(ə)l]

unhinged精神错乱的[ʌn'hindʒd]

self-loathing自我厌弃

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

5分20秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分40秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

2分20秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分10秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

How to diet: don’t try too hard（701 words）

By Bee Wilson

In this wintry season of resolutions,it is not enough any more for a plate of food to be good. For many in the grip of this or that diet philosophy,every meal must aspire to be immaculately balanced: protein-boosted and containing a full rainbow of vegetables. But perfect is the enemy of the good,as the philosopher Voltaire said. A cold,unseasoned“wellness bowl”of quinoa,sliced tofu,avocado and sprouted mung beans may be irreproachably balanced. But it isn’t half as enjoyable to eat as the kind of hearty dinner that considers flavour first and nutrition after,whether that’s a plate of eggs Florentine with toast or a dish of smoky-rich black dhal with fluffy white rice.

If a balanced diet is so healthy,why does the pursuit of it drive so many of us nuts? As an overweight and self-loathing teenager,I was a sucker for the perfect diet. But my projects for flawless eating would start with carrots and hope before ending,a few days later,in pastries and despair. In the name of“balance”（which is often a synonym for thinness),otherwise sensible people do crazy things,like force down a vat of green juiced slime in order to tick off three of their five-a-day in one go. There are even those now who swear that not-eating might be a more balanced form of nutrition than eating. Huel is a strange milkshake-like meal replacement made from oats,pea protein and a bunch of other stuff（the American equivalent is Soylent),which advertises itself as“nutritionally complete food”. The implication is that proper food — the tasty stuff that we spear with a fork — is woefully incomplete.

The idea of eating for the sake of balance could always look a little unhinged. As the food writer MFK Fisher complained in her 1942 book How to Cook a Wolf,there was a tendency in mid-20th century America for“meal-balancing”. This meant combining“a lot of dull and sometimes actively hostile foods”in a single meal,purely for the sake of covering your nutritional bases. Fisher found it“stupid”that so many Americans felt they needed to start the day with a monotonous gamut of juice,coffee,hot or cold cereal,“eggs and cured pork in any of about four ways”,lest they might be lacking in anything.

Now,if anything,our idea of balanced eating is even more counterproductive. It’s become less about how many nutritious foods you can cram on a plate and more about how many things you can cut out. Many people — influenced by clean-eating gurus — have become convinced that there is such a thing as an absolutely good or absolutely bad food. Entire food groups — from carbohydrates to dairy — are expunged from the diet in the name of balance and glow,as if the tiniest nibble of bagel might set you off kilter. This is a dangerous kind of balance to pursue.

Such paranoid reactions are to be expected,however,in a food supply which has itself become colossally unbalanced,mostly because it is drowning in sweetness. You try to buy a“healthy”snack only to discover that your“protein bar”is basically a brownie with pretensions. Given we live in a world in which sugar is present in 80 per cent of all supermarket foods and newsagents push you to buy a 200g slab of chocolate when all you wanted was a magazine,it’s time to take balance back in our own hands.

***

We must each find our own equilibrium when it comes to food. MFK Fisher wisely said that we should aim to“balance the day,not each meal in the day”. A balanced diet might mean spinach and chickpea soup for lunch but spaghetti and clams with a delicious salad for dinner. Real balance means navigating the bewildering food environment we live in and still finding a way to eat with gusto and joy. It means staying on an even keel — not starving,not bingeing — and ignoring any voices that promise you a perfect diet. It means worrying less about the balance of proteins to carbs in your body and more about the balance of oil to vinegar in your vinaigrette.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.In Fisher’s book,when was there a tendency in America for“meal-balancing”?

A. in mid-19th century

B. in mid-20th century

C. in early of 19th century

D. in early of 20th century

答案(1)

2.What is Fisher’opinion about those Americans who are worried if they don’t have balanced meal？

A. Stupid

B. Autonomic

C. Useless

D. Understandable

答案(2)

3.What is the key point of this article？

A. We should start a day with a balanced meal

B. A meal should contain all kind of nutrition

C. We should eat less sweet and chocolate

D. Our idea of balanced eating is even more counterproductive.

答案(3)

4.What is not the real balanced diet according to the article？

A. Balance the day,not each meal in the day

B. Follow the voice which promise you a perfect diet

C. Staying on an even keel — not starving,not bingeing

D. Navigating the bewildering food environment we live in and still finding a way to eat with gusto and joy

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.in mid-20th century
解释：在Fisher的书中提到20世纪中期的美国开始了注重饮食平衡的趋势。

(2) 答案：A.Stupid
解释：Fisher认为，如果因为没有平衡的饮食便产生焦虑，觉得自己缺少营养是愚蠢的想法。

(3) 答案：D.Our idea of balanced eating is even more counterproductive.
解释：我们对平衡饮食的认识有些起反向作用。

(4) 答案：B.Follow the voice which promise you a perfect diet
解释：阐述了作者关于正确的饮食平衡的观点。

不要再次辜负你的新年愿望

也许你已指定2017年为“奇迹年”，在这划时代的一年里，你终于要变得更瘦、更健康、更有钱。如果你确实是这么规划的，那么到今年年底时，你的身材、体魄和银行存款很可能还跟2016年基本一样。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

pluck out拔出

cork软木塞[kɔːk]

betterment改善，改进['betəm(ə)nt]

sweet tooth喜好甜食

inertia惯性；惰性[ɪ'nɜːʃə]

finite有限的；限定的['faɪnaɪt]

casino俱乐部，赌场；娱乐场[kə'siːnəʊ]

embark着手；上船或飞机[ɪm'bɑːk; em-]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

5分24秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

3分16秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

2分45秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分19秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Why your new year resolutions are not working（790 words）

By Anjana Ahuja

Tradition dictates that each new year is an opportunity for self-improvement. Perhaps you have designated 2017 as the annus mirabilis in which you will finally become thinner,fitter or richer. In which case,you are likely to end the year with much the same midriff,vigour and bank balance as you had in 2016.

New year’s resolutions are not to be undertaken lightly — and certainly should not be popped out on December 31 with the same abandon as champagne corks. That is because they are about behaviour change,which is a difficult feat to pull off at any time of the year.

It is hard to pluck out a reliable figure about the proportion of people who stick to their good intentions,but one survey of more than 2,000 people found that 56 per cent do not.

This should not be surprising. We have all had ample opportunity over the past 12 months to reflect on our shortcomings,with few of us managing to achieve desirable change earlier. Why this inertia should suddenly dissolve in January has always puzzled me,which is why my new year’s resolution is usually not to make any.

It is not that my life does not require betterment — but,to a certain degree,I lack willpower. It is this precious commodity that is seen as key to whether the resolutions made on January 1 are adhered to.

Permanently overcoming my sweet tooth would be a resolution doomed to failure. Instead,I try to occasionally eschew a biscuit with my morning coffee. From such modest ambitions are minor triumphs fashioned.

Psychologists have long thought willpower was a finite resource that should be expended judiciously,on life’s most important challenges. Newer studies,however,are less confident about this assertion,implying that we may possess the capacity to be strong-willed in all aspects of life,from diet and health through to jobs and relationships.

Willpower,or self-discipline,is also often likened to a muscle — the debate is really whether the muscle is strengthened,or fatigued,by regular use.

The idea that willpower is a capacity with limits originates in classic studies that give participants two successive challenges,both of which require willpower,for example resisting delicious foods. Very generally,people seem to struggle more on the second task — an observation that has been traditionally explained away by the first task draining the willpower tank.

What works?

I asked Professor Norcross for his three top tips to Financial Times readers embarking on resolutions. His first recommendation is to track progress,on the basis that behaviours that are measured are more likely to improve,via reminders and rewards.

Second,he says,adapt your environment. My interpretation: if you want to rein in spending,don’t go to a casino. After all,cues are all around us,prompting us subconsciously to behave in certain ways. As Prof Norcross puts it:“Trigger healthy behaviours by hanging with prudent people,places and things.”For me,it means not having biscuits in the house.

His final tip? Expect to mess up. It may even help:“One of our research studies showed that 71 per cent of successful resolvers said their first slip had actually strengthened their efforts — they learnt from the mistake and recommitted.”

Psychologists haven’t completely cornered the market: economists can offer wisdom on behavioural change too. One of my favourite strategies is embodied by the website www.stickk.com. It was co-founded by Yale academics Dean Karlan and Ian Ayres,among others,and relies on two brutal behavioural truths: people do not like losing money（loss aversion),and they are likely to behave better when others are looking.

A person signing up to a“commitment contract” — such as keeping weight below a certain threshold — must agree to have it policed by a referee,and to forfeit a financial penalty if he or she falters. Sending forfeited cash to an“undeserving”recipient — for example,an overweight Trump supporter pledging money to the Clinton Foundation if the pounds don’t budge — is a particularly effective insurance policy against misdemeanour. The website claims to triple the chances of people fulfilling their promises.

If I really wanted to conquer the biscuit blight,I would probably try something along those lines: maybe a fiver for every furtive Hob Nob,with the proceeds going to the Kardashians. But I have got a leftover Christmas assortment to get through first.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Why the new year’s resolutions can’t be undertaken lightly?

A. they are about behaviour change

B. they are about behaviour change

C. 56% people don’t stick to their good intentions

D. it is a difficult feat to pull off in January

答案(1)

2.Why does the author do not make any new year’s resolution?

A. Inertia dissolve in January has always puzzled her

B. she lacks willpower

C. the life does not require betterment

D. January 1 is not the right time

答案(2)

3.What is likened to Willpower（or self-discipline) as usual?

A. champagne cork

B. casino

C. brain

D. muscle

答案(3)

4.Which one is not mentioned as the tip on resolutions from psychologists?

A. economists can offer wisdom on behavioural change

B. track progress

C. adapt your environment

D. expect to mess up

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.they are about behaviour change
解释：新年决心是不能轻易下的，因为它关系到改变行为方式，无论在一年中的任何时候，这都是一件难以实现的壮举。

(2) 答案：A.Inertia dissolve in January has always puzzled her
解释：作者表示：为什么这种懒惰会在1月份突然消失？我总是对此感到困惑，这就是为什么我通常不制定任何新年计划。

(3) 答案：D.muscle
解释：意志力（或自律）还常常被比作肌肉，问题是经常使用是强化了肌肉，还是造成肌肉疲劳。

(4) 答案：A.economists can offer wisdom on behavioural change
解释：心理学家并没有完全垄断这个市场，罚款是经济学家的方案。

是时候给你网上的资料排排毒了

数据时代，网络对用户私人数据的搜集常常被人们忽略，通过对私人数据的搜集，互联网公司可以准确地定位用户的偏好、消费水平等信息。是时候让自己开启一段数字解毒期了？

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

faddish好时髦的['fædɪʃ]

regime政治制度[reɪ'ʒiːm]

advocacy辩护['ædvəkəsɪ]

compartmentalize划分，区分[kɒmpɑːt'ment(ə)laɪz]

detox排毒['diːtɒks]

fatigue疲劳，疲乏[fə'tiːg]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

5分24秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

3分16秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

2分45秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分19秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Give your online personal data a detox（790 words）

By Leslie Hook

It is January,a popular time to cleanse. Faddish diets,purging the closet,exercise regimes — the new year has a way of encouraging these. But there is one potential resolution often overlooked: a digital detox.

I recently picked up a Data Detox Kit that one of my roommates had left in the living room. The kit,a small,square box containing instructions that are also available to download online,is produced by two non-profits,the Tactical Technology Collective,a Berlin group focused on tech tools for advocacy,and Mozilla,builder of the Firefox browser.

Its aim is not to divorce you from technology but rather to help you manage privacy settings and any personal data that may be floating around online. The eight-day programme promised to help me cut down on toxic data build-up and reduce“data bloat”.

“Do you feel like your digital self is slipping out of control,”the kit’s website asks.“Have you let yourself install too many apps,clicked‘I agree’a few too many times,lost track of how many accounts you’ve created?”

Yep,I thought,that sounds like me. Afterwards I would feel lighter and more in control,the kit assured.

Like any detox fad,the promises seemed a bit too good to be true,and I started off as a sceptic. As a technology reporter I already knew that my phone and apps were tracking my every move.（Like many millennials,I do not particularly have a problem with that.) So what if Facebook knows I have a cold and shows me cough medicine advertisements? That has never bothered me too much.

As I started to undertake the data detox however,I was genuinely surprised at the extent of the information that companies had collected about me.

On day one,the kit teaches me that Google does not only maintain a“location history”of my movements. It also uses this to estimate where my photos were taken and stores this information with each picture. In Google photos,the facial recognition capabilities mean that when I type in“mom”or“dad”,the algorithm accurately picks out photos of my parents.

The good news is that these settings（and more) can be changed. After a couple of minutes spent going through Google’s privacy checklist,which is,admittedly,clear and helpful,I did indeed start to feel more in control.

Day two of the detox turned to another data giant: Facebook. The kit shows you where to find out“what Facebook thinks you like”; in other words,the labels that Facebook has assigned based on your activity,which it then uses to target advertising. These range from the very broad（interested in“politics”) to the very specific. In my case Facebook correctly guessed that I share an apartment and travel frequently.

This was kind of creepy but later in the detox,as the cleanse grew more intense,the types of data exposed became more intimate. On day six,the kit helps you to request your personal data from data brokers,those companies that scoop up the information we scatter online and sell it to marketers. I learnt that the broker knew my birthday,salary range and how much I spent on clothing in a year. It is possible to edit this data but not to opt out entirely.

The final days of the programme explore the ways in which your digital identity can be what you make it. While many of the tips in the first part of the detox are practical — such as switching to search engines that will not collect your data — the suggestions in the last two days become more extreme.

Create multiple online personas that are not linked to each other,it recommends,so that they can be compartmentalised for different purposes. Use tricks to confuse advertising companies,such as changing your timezone on social media accounts and“liking”random things to throw off Facebook’s algorithms. To add to the noise,use a browser extension that will constantly run fake searches to hide whatever you are actually searching for.

These guerrilla tactics feel a little less useful than the rest of the programme. Perhaps it was detox fatigue setting in,but these final exercises made me realise that using my real identity online is actually very useful for most of what I do on the internet.

Still,like any good detox,it was nice to walk away from the programme feeling more educated about my personal data and how to control it. Achieving total privacy online may still be something of a chimera for the layperson. But it feels good to take back even a little bit of control. At least Google is no longer tracking photos of my parents.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What is Data Detox Kit’s aim?

A. It protects PC from computer virus.

B. It helps users manage privacy settings online.

C. It restricts people’s time spend online.

D. It defends unhealthy information.

答案(1)

2.What does Facebook use to target advertising？

A. the data provided by seller

B. the advice by consultant firm

C. the label assigned based on users’activity

D. the data collected by Google

答案(2)

3.According to the article，what doesn’t data brokers know？

A. birthday

B. salary range

C. consumption level

D. password of bank account

答案(3)

4.Which one isn’t the method to protect privacy online mentioned by the article？

A. cancel all accounts online

B. create multiple online personas that are not linked to each other

C. use tricks to confuse advertising companies

D. use a browser extension that will constantly run fake searches

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.It helps users manage privacy settings online.
解释：Data Detox Kit帮助人们管理网络上有关隐私的设置。

(2) 答案：C.the label assigned based on users’activity
解释：Facebook根据用户的活动进行标签，进而以此投放广告。

(3) 答案：D.assword of bank account
解释：作者意识到自己的生日、薪水、消费水平等信息已经被贩卖。

(4) 答案：A.cancel all accounts online
解释：第十一段，提到了一些防止自己的隐私数据被搜集的一些办法。

英国《金融时报》原文阅读精选集Vol.24

麦当劳的“外患内忧”

麦叔叔在异国他乡20亿美元“卖身”后不久，其国内的财报便传来噩耗：新奇的早餐策略仍敌不过竞争，第四季美国同店营收在6个季度来首度下滑，仅略好于分析师预估。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

turnround突然好转（或恶化）['tɜːnraʊnd]

metric公制的；度量标准['metrɪk]

year-on-year与上年同期数字相比的

woo追求；招致；向…求爱[wuː]

fiscal财政的；国库的['fɪsk(ə)l]

somber阴沉的；忧郁的['sɒmbə]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分33秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

1分6秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分13秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分46秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

McDonald’s US sales fall amid concerns over home market strategy（467 words）

By Lindsay Whipp in Chicago

McDonald’s US sales dropped 1.3 per cent in the fourth quarter,raising concerns about the sustainability of chief executive Steve Easterbrook’s turnround strategy in the home market of the world’s largest fast-food chain.

US same-store sales,a key metric of growth,dropped for the first time in one-and-a-half years as the company faced its first full year-on-year comparison of its all-day breakfast — the most important menu change since Mr Easterbrook took over as CEO in early 2015.

Shares erased initial gains after the announcement on Monday and were down 0.8 per cent at $121.25 in morning trading in New York.

McDonald’s has been transforming its menu in an attempt to become more relevant to changing consumer tastes in the US and woo a younger crowd.

While analysts have praised the company for its introduction of the all-day breakfast,the fourth-quarter sales decline highlights how much more needs to be done to win new customers and retain them over the long term instead of 2 temporary lifts in sales.

“McDonald’s ends its fiscal year on a sombre note with figures that put pay to the early optimism which surrounded its turnround programme,”said Neil Saunders,an analyst at Conlumino,the research firm.

“Widening the audience in a sustainable way is the key issue for McDonald’s as it enters its new fiscal year. The menu changes made so far have not completely reinvigorated the brand with younger and more discerning consumer segments,many of whom still shun the chain in favour of what they see as more premium offerings from other players.”

Mr Saunders said the all-day breakfast had given consumers a cheaper option for lunch and dinner,resulting in lower spending per visit for those meals instead of markedly increasing traffic.

Group-wide global revenue dropped 5 per cent to $6.03bn in the fourth quarter,dragged down by the weak performance in the US and the impact of the strong dollar,which generated 2 percentage points of the fall,and as it carried out its plan to sell restaurants. However,the decline was not as steep as analysts had forecast.

Its international business outperformed the US,with global comparable store sales rising 3.8 per cent,also ahead of analysts’expectations for a 1.5 per cent rise.

Earnings increased 10 per cent to $1.44 a share,or 12 per cent excluding the impact of the strong dollar. Profit was bolstered by one-time gains from restaurant sales.“2016 was a year of purposeful change as we focused on the key elements of our turnround plan,”Mr Easterbrook said in a statement.

“As we begin the first quarter of 2017,we are mindful of the comparison we face against first-quarter 2016 results,which benefited from leap year,favourable weather and continued momentum from all-day breakfast in the US.”

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What is the key metric of growth?

A. same-store sales

B. cash flow

C. same-store growth

D. the number of stores

答案(1)

2.What is the most important menu change for McDonald’s since 2015?

A. breakfast without hamburger

B. cancel cola

C. all-day breakfast

D. coffee for free

答案(2)

3.Who did the McDonald’s want to cover by the change of menu?

A. the poor

B. younger crowd

C. office worker

D. body-building group

答案(3)

4.Which one of the following is not right as mentioned?

A. profit was bolstered by durative income from restaurant sales

B. global revenue dragged down by the weak performance in the US

C. global revenue was impacted by the strong dollar

D. the decline was not as steep as analysts had forecast

答案(4)

(1) 答案：A.same-store sales
解释：文章提到，同店销售额是衡量经济增长的关键指标。

(2) 答案：C.all-day breakfast
解释：自2015年Easterbrook上任以来，最大的改变是全天候供应早餐。

(3) 答案：B.younger crowd
解释：麦当劳一直在调整菜单试图改变美国消费者的口味和吸引更加年轻的消费者。

(4) 答案：A.profit was bolstered by durative income from restaurant sales
解释：原文提及利润收到餐厅销售额的一次性收益提振。

中国医生“慌”又“荒”

一位自称“基层医生”的网民在健康界(Cn-healthcare)网站上评论道：“我们每月拿回家的薪水少得可怜……我觉得我们被逼成为卖药的了。”

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

diabetes糖尿病；多尿症[,daɪə'biːtiːz]

practitioner从业者，执业医生[præk'tɪʃ(ə)nə]

obstetrician产科医师[,ɒbstə'trɪʃ(ə)n]

midwive助产士；促成因素['mɪdwaɪf]

kickback回扣，佣金；强烈反应['kɪkbæk]

deficit赤字；不足额['defɪsɪt; 'diː-]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分41秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

1分11秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分16秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分47秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

China health plan threatened by shortage of family doctors（478 words）

By Tom Hancock in Shanghai

An ambitious plan by China to increase its doctor numbers by nearly 40 per cent over the next five years faces a severe test as medical graduates choose other professions because of low pay and overwork.

China’s ageing population and growing burden from conditions such as cancer and diabetes is leaving its underfunded public hospitals,the first port of call for most patients,increasingly strained. In response,China is hoping to rely more on general practitioners,known as family doctors.

The State Council announced a five-year health plan last week that aims to increase average life expectancy by one year to 77.3 years by the end of 2020. It called for an increase in the number of doctors from the current level of 1.5 per 1,000 citizens to more than two by 2020. That compares with figures of 1.9 in Brazil and 2.8 in Britain.

The plan said China would need to employ an extra 140,000 obstetricians and midwives to cope with rising demand after the country scrapped its one-child policy in favour of allowing couples to have two children.

But a recent survey suggested it would be difficult to recruit the number of doctors required. In the 10 years to 2015,Chinese universities produced 4.7m medical graduates,while the total number of doctors rose by just 750,000,representing a 16 per cent increase,according to data compiled by Angela Fan of Taiwan’s NatThe medical profession is relatively poorly paid in China,with the average doctor’s salary just Rmb5,000（$720) a month.“In comparison with young doctors in the US,the young in China are extremely unsatisfied with their salaries,”Ms Fan said.

Low pay is also the root of a widespread kickback culture in Chinese hospitals. When state broadcaster CCTV last month exposed doctors in Shanghai receiving a Rmb1,800 monthly fee from a drug sales agent,the staff were suspended and an investigation launched. But few expect such exposés to end the phenomenon.

One self-described“low-level doctor”commented on website Cn-healthcare:“Each month we take home a measly paycheck…I feel we are being turned into drug sales staff.”

Chinese doctors are also overworked,often seeing as many as 12 patients an hour,and have been the victims of attacks from patients and their family members frustrated over medical care.

The doctor deficit is particularly stark in the countryside,which had a shortfall of more than 500,000 physicians in 2015,and in certain specialities such as paediatrics. Nearly half of all registered paediatricians left their positions between 2005 and 2011 because of low pay and long working hours,officials said last year.

“If this pattern continues,China will suffer a chronic shortage of medical doctors in certain specialities and in rural areas,”the researchers said. The high number of medical dropouts would“only compound the problem”of increased healthcare needs caused by an ageing society,they added.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.How many years does it spend to increase doctor numbers by nearly 40% according to the plan?

A. 3

B. 5

C. 7

D. 10

答案(1)

2.Which one of the following is the first chose for patients in China now?

A. public hospitals

B. private hospitals

C. family doctors

D. community clinics

答案(2)

3.Who will be needed to cope with Chinese childbearing policy as mentioned?

A. baby-sitters

B. surgeons

C. puerperae

D. obstetricians

答案(3)

4.What is the root of a widespread kickback culture in Chinese hospitals?

A. overworked

B. low pay

C. high cost

D. doctor deficit

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.5
解释：中国制定了在今后5年将医生总数增加近40%的宏伟计划，但随着医学专业毕业生因薪资低和工作强度大而选择其他职业，该计划面临严峻考验。

(2) 答案：A.public hospitals
解释：community clinics是社区诊所。大多数病人会先到公立医院看病，中国希望更多依赖全科医生，即家庭医生。

(3) 答案：D.obstetricians
解释：是产妇的意思。中国将需要增加14万名产科医生和助产士，这是为了应对日益增长的生育需求，近期中国取消了一孩政策。

(4) 答案：B.low pay
解释：工资低还是中国医院普遍存在回扣现象的根源。

奥运顶级赞助计划为何选中阿里？

“TOP”赞助商是国际奥委会全球最高级别的合作，对入选企业实行严格准入规则，每期名额仅10家左右，且每类产品和服务在全球范围内只能有一个合作伙伴。成立仅17年的阿里巴巴是奥运会TOP赞助商最年轻的面孔。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

coffer金库；资金['kɒfə]

Pyeongchang韩国平昌

disclose公开；揭露[dɪs'kləʊz]

negotiation谈判；转让；顺利的通过[nɪgəʊʃɪ'eɪʃ(ə)n]

secured有担保的[sɪ'kjʊr]

ease减轻，缓和；使安心[iːz]

implement执行；实现，使生效['ɪmplɪm(ə)nt]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

4分2秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分56秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分48秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分59秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Alibaba to sponsor next 6 Olympic Games（591 words）

By Murad Ahmed in London

Alibaba has signed a deal to sponsor the next six Olympic Games,in a move expected to deliver at least $600m into the coffers of the body that runs the world’s biggest sporting event.

The Chinese ecommerce group founded by Jack Ma joins an elite corporate list that includes McDonald’s,Coca-Cola and Visa as part of the“worldwide sponsorship programme”for the International Olympic Committee,the governing body of the games,until 2028.

Under the terms of the deal announced on Thursday,Alibaba will also provide technology services to the games organisers,and will establish the Olympic Channel,a new digital television service intended to promote the games to younger sports fans. Alibaba said it would help tailor the channel for Chinese audiences.

Mr Ma said Alibaba would use its technology to help“evolve the Olympic Games for the digital era”.

The top tier of Olympic sponsors has previously been dominated by western groups and has only once before included a Chinese company — PC maker Lenovo during the 2008 Beijing games.

But the IOC has been seeking to build ties with Asian sponsors to help promote its events worldwide. Asian cities — Pyeongchang in South Korea,Tokyo and Beijing — will host the next three Olympic Games: one summer and two winter events.

Financial details of Alibaba’s agreement were not disclosed,but analysis of revenues from previous sponsorship deals suggests the company will have paid hundreds of millions of dollars for the marketing rights.

One person briefed on the negotiations said the IOC had secured new deals with recent sponsors such as Bridgestone and Panasonic worth at least $200m over a four-year Olympic cycle,with the Alibaba deal likely to be in excess of the sums paid by those groups.

According to forecasts from the IOC,its top 12 sponsors provided revenues of a little more than $1bn for the 2014 winter games in Sochi and last year’s summer games in Rio de Janeiro.

Overall revenues from broadcasting rights and other commercial deals,netted the organisation $5.6bn over the same period.

Over the past two years,Chinese groups have invested billions in sports companies,European football clubs and media rights agencies,a spending spree sparked by the call of President Xi Jinping to transform China into a“great sports nation”.

Last year,Wanda Group,controlled by China’s richest man,Wang Jianlin,signed a sponsorship deal with Fifa,world football’s governing body,covering the next four World Cups. Alibaba has increasingly looked to expand into sport and already part-owns a Chinese football club.

Industry executives said Alibaba has been actively looking at large sporting deals,and previously held sponsorship talks with Fifa and FC Barcelona,the Spanish football club,as it sought new ways to market its brand around the world.

The deal with Alibaba may help ease the pressure on Thomas Bach,IOC president,who has been under fire for his handling of revelations of Russian state-sponsored doping before the Rio games. Mr Bach declined to enforce a blanket ban on Russian athletes,a move called for by the World Anti-Doping Agency and some western bodies.

Mr Bach,elected to an eight-year term as president in 2013,has attempted to implement a series of reforms intended to make hosting the games more affordable for future bid cities. But that has not prevented cities,including Oslo,Rome and Boston,from pulling out of contention for hosting future games,citing the prohibitive cost.

The IOC splits the proceeds from broadcasting and commercial deals with host cities to soften the financial blow of staging the event.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.How many Olympic Games are included of the Alibaba-sponsored program?

A. 3

B. 5

C. 6

D. 8

答案(1)

2.Which one is not mentioned as the“worldwide sponsor”for the International Olympic Committee?

A. McDonald’s

B. Coca-Cola

C. Panasonic

D. Visa

答案(2)

3.Who was the only top sponsor from China before Alibaba?

A. Huawei

B. Lenovo

C. Tencent

D. CITIC

答案(3)

4.What is the reason of Rome and Boston exiting the race for hosting Olympic games?

A. prohibitive cost

B. without domestic sponsor ncentive

C. nonsupport president

D. lag in technology

答案(4)

(1) 答案：C.6
解释：中国电商集团阿里巴巴(Alibaba)签署协议赞助今后6场奥运会。

(2) 答案：C.Panasonic
解释：阿里巴巴加入了一个包括麦当劳(McDonald’s)、可口可乐(Coca-Cola)和Visa在内的精英企业名单。按照协议阿里巴巴还将为赛事组织者提供技术服务，并建立“奥林匹克频道”。

(3) 答案：B.Lenovo
解释：奥林匹克顶级赞助商长期由西方集团主导，只是在2008年北京奥运会期间才有一家中国公司赞助商——个人电脑制造商联想(Lenovo)。

(4) 答案：A.prohibitive cost
解释：多个潜在主办城市，包括奥斯陆、罗马和波士顿，因成本过高而撤回了举办申请。

节日吃胖 公司帮忙

节假日好吃好喝过后，体重秤上冰冷的数字啪啪打脸：一定是我水喝多了。不对，你是真的胖了，然而这个时候是最容易改变自己的时刻，那么公司又能做些什么让你找回轻盈的自己？更加健康和活力？

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

hydration水合作用[haɪ'dreɪʃən]

blueprint蓝图['bluːprɪnt]

resilience恢复力；弹力[rɪ'zɪlɪəns]

excess过度，过量；无节制[ɪk'ses; ek-; 'ekses]

indulge满足；纵容；使高兴；使沉迷于[ɪn'dʌldʒ]

longevity长寿；寿命[lɒn'dʒevɪtɪ]

detox戒瘾病房；戒瘾诊所['diːtɒks]

chunking分组法['tʃʌŋkɪŋ]

indication指示，指出；迹象[ɪndɪ'keɪʃ(ə)n]

lull平息；减弱；停止[lʌl]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

4分58秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分28秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分11秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分7秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Overdone it over Christmas? Employers step in（670 words）

By Andrew Jack

When staff come to work at Nomura’s London headquarters this week,they will find“lean,mean”dishes on offer in the canteen,advice from a nutritionist on healthy eating and hydration,and mood-boosting foods.

“We have developed a healthy blueprint and our big drive in January is nutrition,”says Ian Edwards,the bank’s programme director of health and wellbeing.“We call it Blue Monday for mental resilience.”

The company is not alone. At BP,employees will arrive to“Bright Blue Monday”day,with discounts on healthier food,gym membership promotions and encouragements to join the oil group’s“run-a-muck”annual fitness challenge with staff around the world.

“We are using one of the darkest days [of the year] to consider opportunities for change,”says Richard Heron,vice-president for health and chief medical officer,referring to the third Monday in January which has been identified by some mental health professionals as the most depressing day of the year.

The initiatives capitalise on employees’widespread adoption,following Christmas excesses,of New Year’s resolutions and are backed by a growing recognition among employers that workplace programmes can support a healthier and more productive workforce.

But while early January might be the prime time for promotion of the latest faddish diet or gym membership to the guilty over-indulgers of the festive period,there are questions about how effective the measures prove in practice.

There is no doubt that many people could do much to change their lifestyles,improving their own wellbeing and longevity and easing long-term pressures on health services. A recent survey by Public Health England,a UK government agency,suggests that eight out of 10 people aged 40-60 either weigh too much,drink too much or do not exercise enough.

As Kevin Fenton,director of health and wellbeing at Public Health England,has suggested:“Rather than attempting a punishing detox or buying the latest diet book,the message from PHE is to make simple changes to improve your health both now and for the future.”

He advises“chunking”,or breaking down ambitious goals into smaller achievable tasks rather than an“all or nothing”approach that is more likely to fail: from 10-minute physical activity sessions to swapping sugary for healthier snacks.

“Fresh start”resolutions can take place at different times of the year rather than just January. There are also indications that involving family and co-workers in activities can help reduce the risks of broken resolutions.

That is where the workplace can play a growing role. Prof Theresa Marteau,director of the Behaviour and Health Research Unit at Cambridge university,says:“Initiatives based on changing environments would likely be more effective and enduring than those based solely on motivating individuals to change their behaviour.”

She points to the importance of reducing unhealthy foods in staff canteens,for instance,as well as the adoption of adjustable stand-sit desks and“walking”or“standing”meetings rather than classic sit-down ones.

She also stresses the“signalling effect”to encourage others,notably in hospitals,where accelerated efforts to improve the healthiness of food and drink could help staff,patients and visitors alike.

Such measures are reflected in many workplace health programmes. At Nomura,Ian Edwards says that his company finalised this year’s initiatives in December. After a“softer sell”this month,it will accelerate efforts to promote good practices in February,when the initial enthusiasm starts to lull.

“We don’t push too hard in January because most people have the drive to do things anyway,and they feel they should do something,”he says.“We help them when they start flagging with a February burn.”

Last year,Nomura won in two categories in Britain’s Healthiest Workplace awards,backed by the FT,which helped sustain the company’s support for initiatives it believes make good business sense.

That may seem a little removed from the daily priorities of employees. But for those already recovered from the worst excesses of the Christmas meal,there are low-fat turkey meatballs on the Nomuracanteen menu this week to nudge them in the right direction.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What is Nomura’s big drive of“Blue Monday”in January?

A. energy

B. sleep

C. exercise

D. nutrition

答案(1)

2.When is one of the darkest days of the year as mentioned?

A. the first workday after Christmas

B. the first Monday in January

C. the third Monday in January

D. the third workday in January

答案(2)

3.Why early January is the prime time for promotion of the gym membership?

A. red envelope make people rich

B. over-indulging during festival make people guilty

C. more discounts of gyms

D. a part of corporate welfare

答案(3)

4.Where can the workplace play a growing role to make employees healthier?

A. collectivity

B. incentive

C. compulsivity

D. flexibility

答案(4)

(1) 答案：D.nutrition
解释：野村证券表示，他们一月的主题是“营养”。

(2) 答案：C.the third Monday in January
解释：Richard Heron提到，1月的第三个周一是一年中最黑暗难熬的日子之一，心理学家认为这一天是有可能是全年最令人压抑沮丧的一天。

(3) 答案：B.over-indulging during festival make people guilty
解释：节假日的饮食放纵会让人们在节后格外内疚，因此这个时候是推荐健康饮食和健身房会员卡的黄金时段。

(4) 答案：A.collectivity
解释：文章提到集体的改变比个人改变更加容易，可以在运动的时候与家人、同事一起，这正是公司可以大有作为的地方。

拜托 收起你的剪刀手

这次不是因为姿势土，而是为了你的安全——科学家利用现成的数码相机拍摄了一些指尖，然后用生成的图片骗过了一个指纹识别系统，这样可能会让黑客得到银行账号的访问权。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

off-the-shelf现成的；常备的；成品的

fingerprint指纹；手印['fɪŋgəprɪnt]

imperil危及；使陷于危险[ɪm'perɪl; -r(ə)l]

iris虹膜；鸢尾属植物['aɪrɪs]

megapixel兆象素['meɡəpɪksəl]

acrylic丙烯酸的[ə'krɪlɪk]

emulsion乳剂[ɪ'mʌlʃ(ə)n]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分40秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

1分10秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分16秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分47秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Fingerprint theft points to digital danger（477 words）

By Robin Harding in Tokyo

Peace signs flashed on social media can give hackers access to bank accounts,warn Japanese scientists who have used a digital camera to steal fingerprint data.

With off-the-shelf equipment,researchers at the National Institute of Informatics in Tokyo photographed fingertips at ranges of up to three metres,and used the resulting pictures to fool a fingerprint recognition system.

The research threatens a future where nothing — not even your body itself — is safe from identity theft,imperilling the booming industry of biometric security.

“As camera resolution gets higher,it’s becoming possible to image smaller things like a fingerprint or an iris,”said Isao Echizen,professor at the National Institute of Informatics in Tokyo.

“Once you share them on social media then they’re gone. Unlike a password you can’t change your fingers,so it’s information you have to protect.”

Biometric security is reaching the mainstream with more than 50 per cent of mobile phones set to include fingerprint recognition for the first time in 2017. The technology is also used in immigration control and for access to high-security controlled areas.

The NII work is the first time researchers have demonstrated the full chain,from photographing fingertips to reconstructing a print that can fool a scanner. There have been several cases of illegal entry into Japan using fake fingerprints made from silicon film to fool scans at the border,showing how the technology could be used.

Mr Echizen and his colleagues took photos with a 20 megapixel Canon digital camera that costs $900. For now,he says,the technique needs good lighting and the fingertips must be in focus so the average selfie is not a risk today. That will change quickly as camera resolution improves.

For public figures,the wealthy and those of interest to intelligence agencies,however,fingerprint theft is already a risk.“The thing to worry about for now is not a selfie but an attacker,”said Mr Echizen.“If a professional wants to get somebody’s fingerprints they can do it.”

For example,someone speaking at a conference could have their fingerprints stolen by a cameraman sitting in the audience,who could then make fakes and use them to impersonate the target.

Wearing gloves is one answer,but the NII team have developed and patented a countermeasure of their own,which involves having your fingertips covered in acrylic emulsion and then using a stencil to transcribe a pattern on to them in acrylic paint.

The fingertips can still be read by a contact-based biometric sensor but the pattern makes it impossible to capture them in a photograph.

Mr Echizen says he recognises that patterning the fingertips is unlikely to be a welcome part of the daily routine for many people but he hopes to make it as easy as possible.“We want to consider something easier to put on or take off in the future,”he says.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Which country’s scientists have used a digital camera to steal fingerprint data?

A. China

B. US

C. UK

D. Japan

答案(1)

2.What is the limitary distance to collect valid fingerprint in the experiments?

A. 3 cm

B. 330 mm

C. 3 m

D. 30 feet

答案(2)

3.What is the difference between password authentication and fingerprint verification?

A. change password

B. code identify

C. security level

D. user experience

答案(3)

4.Which one of the following is not mentioned as the use of biometric security?

A. fingerprint recognition

B. immigration control

C. vehicle identification

D. high-security controlled

答案(4)

(1) 答案：D.Japan
解释：是日本科学家用数码相机窃得了被拍摄者的指纹数据。

(2) 答案：C.3 m
解释：研究人员利用现成设备，在最远三米的距离拍摄了一些指尖，然后用生成的图片骗过了一个指纹识别系统。

(3) 答案：A.change password
解释：与密码不同，你无法更改你的手指指纹。

(4) 答案：C.vehicle identification
解释：2017年，配备指纹识别功能的手机将首次突破半数，生物识别安全技术正日益成为主流。这项技术还被用于入境管制和高安全级别控制区域的准入。

无人驾驶汽车反而让道路更加拥挤

自动驾驶汽车将引领移动、安全和便捷的新时代，然而越来越多人选择这一智能车辆的同时，可能造成对公共交通的放弃。道路将变得更加拥挤。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

congestion拥挤；拥塞；淤血[kən'dʒestʃ(ə)n]

exploit开拓；剥削；开采[ɪk'splɒɪt; ek-]

rail station火车站；铁路车站

reinforce加强，加固；强化；补充[riːɪn'fɔːs]

rein控制；驾驭；勒住[reɪn]

envisages正视，面对；想像[ɪn'vɪzɪdʒ; en-]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

2分38秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

1分36秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分51秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分39秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Driverless cars heading for a jam,says transit group（390 words）

By Robert Wright,Transport Correspondent

Growing adoption of self-driving vehicles risks aggravating urban congestion if it promotes the use of cars over buses and trains,a public transport body has warned.

The International Union of Public Transport sets out two scenarios for the widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles in a policy brief. Under one,public transport operators exploit the technology to reinforce services. Autonomous vehicles might serve as on-demand shuttles to bring people to rail stations or bus stops,it suggests.

In the alternative scenario,the widespread private ownership of autonomous vehicles worsens congestion substantially.

Caroline Cerfontaine,a manager for transport and urban life at UITP,said the unregulated spread of autonomous vehicles would mean more traffic.“More people would choose to drive in an AV because it’s an attractive choice,”Ms Cerfontaine said.

Some enthusiasts for the technology claim that,because AVs should make more efficient use of road space,they will create fewer congestion problems. Public transport provision could then be scaled back.

However,sceptics insist that efforts to rein in private vehicle use will be just as critical following the advent of AV technology.

Ms Cerfontaine said scenarios developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology suggested AVs would still cause congestion.

“A car is still a car,”she said.“It’s not as space-efficient as public transport. There is simply no alternative that can absorb the sheer volume of people that need to be moved.”

The paper goes on to say,however,that,if AVs are deployed mainly on a shared basis operating in fleets,about 80 per cent of motor vehicles now used in cities will no longer be needed. Vehicles will be far more heavily used.

The paper envisages two potential scenarios for widespread deployment of shared vehicles. In one,the vehicles compete with public transport,as services such as Uber and Lyft do at present. The paper says that will increase the number of miles travelled on roads and take journeys away from public transport,walking and cycling.

In UITP’s preferred scenario,public transport providers and operators of autonomous vehicles will co-operate,with AVs able to operate more efficiently and cheaply in some rural and suburban areas,funnelling passengers to efficient,mass-transit modes for most of their journeys.

No public transport option could replace all car trips,Ms Cerfontaine said,and public transport operators should co-operate with car-sharing services.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What will be needed to reinforce services according to the policy brief?

A. money

B. technology

C. bus stops

D. governmental resources

答案(1)

2.What is the technology enthusiasts’attitude towards AVs?

A. they can relieve the traffic pressure

B. they make less efficient use of road space

C. they will create more congestion problems

D. they could be a kind of public transport

答案(2)

3.How many percent motor vehicles will be retained with the shared AVs?

A. 20%

B. 40%

C. 50%

D. 80%

答案(3)

4.Which one of the following is not advised by UITP?

A. public transport providers and operators of autonomous vehicles will co-operate

B. mass-transit modes are preferred scenario

C. AVs compete with public transport,just like Uber

D. AVs could operate more efficiently and cheaply in some rural and suburban areas

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.technology
解释：在简报中提到，公共交通运营商需要利用技术来加强服务。

(2) 答案：A.they can relieve the traffic pressure
解释：一些技术狂热者认为，自动驾驶汽车可以更加高效的利用道路空间，造成更少的交通拥堵情况。

(3) 答案：A.20%
解释：文章提到在自动汽车的共享经济下，可以提高车辆的使用率，现在马路上大约80%的汽车将不再是必要的。

(4) 答案：C.AVs compete with public transport,just like Uber
解释：文章提到，UBER这样与公共交通竞争的方式并不是理想的，会让大家远离交通工具。

国家越穷 越爱吸烟？

在全球烟草用量减少的大趋势下，中低收入国家吸烟率逆势增长。据WHO统计，目前全球吸烟者共有10亿人，有80%都来自中低收入国家。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

seize抓住；夺取；理解[siːz]

continent大陆，洲，陆地['kɒntɪnənt]

prevalence rate流行率；患病率

Cameroon喀麦隆（西非国名）[,kæmə'ru:n; 'kæm-]

wield使用；行使；挥舞[wiːld]

Arab阿拉伯的['ærəb]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

4分15秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分4秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分54秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分1秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Emerging economies buck trend for decline in smoking（610 words）

By Federica Cocco

Smoking rates have risen sharply in a small number of countries,running against a trend in which world tobacco is in retreat.

Tobacco use is becoming increasingly concentrated in low- and middle-income countries that are home to 80 per cent of the world’s 1bn smokers,according to the World Health Organisation.

According to a study out today from the National Cancer Institute and the WHO,the number of tobacco-related deaths is projected to increase from about 6 million deaths annually to about 8 million annually by 2030,with more than 80 per cent of these occurring in low-and middle-income countries.

Much of the increase is in evidence in emerging markets where consumers are becoming wealthier,and tobacco companies are seizing the opportunity to make cigarettes more readily available.

Higher rates have been observed in some countries in Africa where smoking was never part of the culture. Across the continent the prevalence rate was 14 per cent,compared with 23 per cent in the Americas and 31 per cent in the eastern Mediterranean,according to a survey by The Lancet,the medical journal.

The influence of tobacco companies is also evident in Indonesia,where the smoking rate rose almost 30 per cent over the past 15 years,making the country home to more than 70m smokers.

Among adult men,67.4 per cent are smokers,and Indonesia is on track to displace China,followed by Russia and the US,as home to the world’s largest smoking population.

But while heavy-smoking countries have enforced strict anti-tobacco policies — Russia has among the strongest tobacco control laws in the world — Indonesia has so far resisted.

The Industry Ministry in Jakarta announced a year ago that its cigarette production would double to 524.2bn a year by 2020 in a move that was,however,blocked by the Supreme Court.

Despite warnings of a public heath disaster and estimates putting healthcare costs at up to Rp11tn a year — equivalent to 0.3 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product — the government has still refused to sign the WHO convention.

Much of the resistance is linked to the influence tobacco companies wield at a governmental level,where they are a source of significant revenues,and in the media,which they support through lucrative advertising.

Still,the government has shown some initiative,mainly by curtailing the scope for cigarette advertising and raising some duties on tobacco-related products.

In China,the world’s largest tobacco consumer and producer,more cigarettes are smoked than in the next top 29 consumer countries combined.

The country signed the convention in 2006 but has only just begun to implement it in earnest after being warned that a third of young Chinese men would die prematurely from smoking.

In the Arab world,the spread of tobacco is eliciting a minimal response at the public health and policy levels. In Jordan,the proportion of smokers has risen from 25 per cent in 2000 to 40 per cent in 2015,and in Bahrain from 12 per cent to nearly 30 per cent.

The increase can be traced back to the 1990s when waterpipe smoking became popular again,thanks in part to the introduction of ma’assel,or flavoured tobacco. A café culture that has become increasingly dependent on waterpipe smoking is presenting a challenge to advocates of smoking bans.

Outright bans and higher taxes are the most effective means to curb smoking,says the WHO,which adds that studies show that populations tend to approve of higher taxes when the beneficiary is public healthcare. Without these steps,poorer countries will stand to bear the health,environmental and economic costs of increased smoking-related deaths,a price they can ill-afford.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.How many percent people in low-and middle-income countries will be dead related to tobacco by 2030?

A. 20%

B. 30%

C. 40%

D. 80%

答案(1)

2.Which one is not right as mentioned?

A. cigarettes are much easier to access because of tobacco companies

B. smoking is popular though Africa

C. smoking culture is more popular in the eastern Mediterranean than Americas

D. people in emerging countries are becoming wealthier

答案(2)

3.Where is the world’s largest smoking market?

A. Russia

B. China

C. America

D. Indonesia

答案(3)

4.When China signed the convention to country tobacco?

A. 1999s

B. 2000

C. 2006

D. 2015

答案(4)

(1) 答案：D.80%
解释：美国癌症协会和WHO的研究预计，到2030年，每年与烟草相关的死亡会从600万例上升到800万例，其中八成以上也将发生在中低收入国家。

(2) 答案：B.smoking is popular though Africa
解释：以非洲为例，部分国家从来没有吸烟文化，但吸烟却变得更普遍。调查发现，非洲整体的吸烟流行率为14%，这个数据在美洲和地中海区域分别为23%和31%。

(3) 答案：B.China
解释：身为世界上最大烟草生产和消费的中国，香烟的消耗量已超过紧随其后的29个吸烟大国的总消耗量。

(4) 答案：C.2006
解释：早在2006年，中国就签署了“烟草控制框架公约”，但在被警告将有三分之一的年轻男性因吸烟而早衰之后，中国才开始认真地贯彻公约内容。

打击“过劳死”，日本是认真的？

日本的加班文化创造了“过劳死”这个词，而日本政府在今年全力倡议每个月要有一天早下班！日本的加班时间远远超过其它国家，去年日本员工平均工作时间是 1719 小时，而德国、法国和英国的平均工作时间分别是 1371、1482、1674 小时。但是根据日本生产力中心的数据，在 G7 国家里，日本的工作效率是最低的。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

deflation通货紧缩；放气

glimmer微光；闪光；少许['glɪmə]

ruinously毁灭地；败坏地['rʊɪnəsli]

sleep-deprived睡眠不足

snoozing小睡；打盹儿[snuːz]

pile on堆在…之上；使堆积在…

karoshi（日）过劳死[kə'rɒʃɪ]

blurred模糊不清的；被弄污的

negotiation谈判；转让；顺利的通过[nɪgəʊʃɪ'eɪʃ(ə)n]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

5分2秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

3分3秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

2分36秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分15秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

‘Death by overwork’in Japan exposes dangers of overtime culture（759 words）

By Leo Lewis

For a nation struggling to make sense of deflation,duty and the shock of a graduate trainee being worked to death at one of Japan’s most prestigious companies,“Premium Friday”seems to provide a glimmer of hope.

Following revelations of ruinously excessive overtime demands at Japan’s largest advertising agency,Dentsu,the government wants bosses to order their overworked,sleep-deprived employees home at 3pm on the last Friday of every month.

Proponents of the idea,which include the powerful Keidanren business lobby,argue that workers could use the time for recuperative snoozing or enjoy more leisure activities and rev the economy out of deflation.

It may not,say many labour experts,be quite that simple.

In Japan,quality time has long been measured in minutes. But pressure is piling on Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe,now entering his fifth year at the helm of the“Abenomics”economic revitalisation programme. Legal claims of death by overwork have risen to a record during his reign,and many see labour reform as badly overdue.

Mr Abe is discovering — as leaders before him have — that any attempt to reform Japan’s long-hour culture stumbles. Attitudes have adapted from postwar nation rebuilding to the 1980s desire for dominance,through to the protect-my-job-at-all-cost workaholism of the past two deflationary decades. What has remained constant is punishing overwork.

“There is a structural and deep-rooted problem with the working practice not just of Dentsu but other companies,”says Hiroshi Kawahito,a lawyer advising the family of Matsuri Takahashi,a Dentsu graduate trainee whose suicide has roused the Japanese public from a traditional indifference towards stories of punishing overwork.

The true extent of overtime worked in Japan,adds Waseda University labour law professor Makoto Ishida,is“impossible to calculate but undoubtedly very very huge”.

Last month,when Japan’s labour ministry referred Dentsu and one of its executives to prosecutors over Ms Takahashi’s death,the company said in a statement:“We take the incident seriously. We offer our apology to those concerned for causing such a situation.”

Ms Takahashi’s death came to light late last year after her parents went public with the conclusion of the local labour standards bureau that their daughter had been a victim of karoshi — the legally recognised“death by overwork”syndrome from which,officially,at least 200 Japanese die every year,and which labour groups believe silently claims many more.

Media reports on the contents of deleted text messages Ms Takahashi sent to her mother while she was struggling to survive on just 10 hours of sleep a week bit the public mood in Japan particularly hard.

Work overload has become a global problem,as access to technology has blurred the definition of working hours.

From January 1,French organisations with more than 50 workers have been obliged to start negotiations with staff to define the hours they can ignore their smartphones. Many banks have sought to curb long hours for junior bankers in the wake of the death of a Bank of America intern in London in 2013,which was a result of a seizure possibly caused by work overload,a coroner’s inquest found.

Japanese work culture is,however,infused with an idea that exhaustion is more virtuous than excellence — a position that has suited companies just fine. Karoshi is nothing new. The term was first recognised in Japan decades ago,and annual claims have been steadily rising to a record 1,456 in 2015. Clocking up an average of just over 2,000 working hours a year,the Japanese are one of the world’s most overworked nations.

A recent health ministry report found Japanese sleeping even less in 2015 than they did in the pressurised 1980s. Corporate Japan’s long-term shift to employing more part-time workers has served to increase the workloads on full-time staff.

Even the language of the workplace gives the game away: as each worker leaves（no matter how late),he or she apologises to those left behind（osakini shitsureishimasu) for doing so. The remainers duly thank the departee for“tiring yourself out”.

Reform attempts are under way. There is an existing policy to name and shame companies that force more than 100 hours of overtime per month on employees. The threshold will be lowered to 80 hours. Failing bosses will have to explain themselves to the Ministry of Health,Labour and Welfare.

But the Premium Friday campaign may prove to be a cosmetic publicity drive unless Japanese companies change the culture.

Keio University labour law professor Yoshio Higuchi warns the end of karoshi“will require a simultaneous huge shift in Japanese society itself”.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.When the sleep-deprived employees could go home as Japanese government proposed?

A. at 6pm on the last Friday of every month

B. at 3pm on the last Friday of every month

C. at 3pm on the first Friday of every month

D. at 3pm on the every Friday of every month

答案(1)

2.How many years has Shinzo Abe been at the helm of the“Abenomics”until 2017?

A. 4

B. 5

C. 10

D. 15

答案(2)

3.How many Japanese die every year as mentioned?

A. 100

B. 200

C. 300

D. 500

答案(3)

4.What did more than 50 French workers negotiate about in 2017?

A. to define the hours they can sleep at home

B. to define the hours they can ignore their smartphones

C. to reduce the working time

D. to define the hours they can work at home

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.at 3pm on the last Friday of every month
解释：这项倡议被命名为“Premium Friday”（大意是更有价值的周五）鼓励企业每个月最后一个周五让员工下午3点提前下班。

(2) 答案：B.5
解释：2017年时安倍晋三掌舵其“安倍经济学”的第五个年头。“安倍经济学”（Abenomics）是指日本第96任首相安倍晋三2012年底上台后加速实施的一系列刺激经济政策，最引人注目的就是宽松货币政策。

(3) 答案：B.200
解释：日本每年有至少200人是法律“认可”的过劳死，但劳工团体认为这个数字实际上更多。

(4) 答案：B.to define the hours they can ignore their smartphones
解释：从1月1日起，拥有50名员工以上的法国公司有义务开始与员工协商，界定他们可以忽视智能手机的时间。

麦叔叔的苦：我将如何挽留你的胃？

不要不相信，当北京第一家麦当劳餐厅于1993年在天安门广场附近开业时，约有4万人排队等候下订单。也不要嗤之以鼻，曾几何时小朋友能在麦当劳过生日，是一件多么骄傲自豪的事情，而如今被加入小朋友的餐单黑名单。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

voracious贪婪的；贪吃的；狼吞虎咽的[və'reɪʃəs]

lustre光泽，光彩['lʌstə]

royalty特许权；专利；皇室['rɒɪəltɪ]

nimbly敏捷地；机敏地['nimbli]

mundane世俗的，平凡的；世界的['mʌndeɪn; mʌn'deɪn]

like-for-like sales同比销售额

franchise公民权；经销权；管辖权['fræn(t)ʃaɪz]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分30秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分38秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分36秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分54秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

McDonald’s faces test after ceding control of China restaurants（547 words）

By Tom Hancock in Shanghai

When Beijing’s first McDonald’s outlet opened near Tiananmen Square in 1993,about 40,000 people queued round the block to place an order,a sign of a voracious appetite for fast food that would propel China to become the company’s third-biggest market by outlets,trailing only the US and Japan.

But a quarter of a century later the Golden Arches have lost some of their lustre for Chinese consumers,and amid falling sales McDonald’s on Monday sold control of 2,700 China restaurants to a consortium led by state-run investor Citic. The $2.1bn deal follows KFC-owner Yum Brands’spin-off of its much larger China operations in October.

While both groups will continue to receive royalties from Chinese sales,analysts say ceding control of assets and handing decisions to local management will allow the brands to expand more rapidly and localise more nimbly in a crucial market.

But both new units will struggle to improve the image of US chains. Where once they were perceived as an exotic,upscale choice for dates,business meetings and even weddings they are now increasingly looked upon as mundane. Sales at both groups were also hit after scandals over expired meat in 2014,while ordering apps have spurred increased competition for deliveries.

“China has grown out of the American fast food craze,”says Junheng Li,founder and president of New York-based equity research group JL Warren Capital.

KFC’s market share fell to 3.6 per cent in 2015 from 6.4 per cent in 2012,according to Euromonitor,with same-store sales declining in absolute terms. McDonald’s does not separate out its China revenues but said like-for-like sales in the country had fallen almost 2 per cent in the third quarter.

China became crucial to both brands,especially for Yum,whose 7,200 KFC and Pizza Hut branches there generated $6.9bn in 2015 — the highest of any region. KFC was seen as a model of overseas management,adapting to local tastes by adding porridge and rice to its menu.

McDonald’s China,in which two Citic affiliates will have a 52 per cent stake,with US private equity firm Carlyle Group taking 28 per cent,is expected to back plans to open 1,500 McDonald’s outlets over the next five years,mostly in smaller cities.

In such locations“the market is still expanding at a fast rate and western outlets are still highly regarded”,says Kamel Mellahi of Warwick Business School,adding that“the franchise model will enable McDonald’s to localise its offerings in China”.

But,says Mr Mellahi,“the franchise brings its own challenges,not least . . . lack of talent and managerial skills in third and fourth cities and,most of all,loss of control”.

Founded in 1979 and best known for investments in property and natural resources,Citic has deep pockets and impeccable political connections but no experience of running restaurants. It was attracted to McDonald’s by the opportunity to gain a foothold in one of corporate America’s most iconic brands,according to people close to the deal.

Under the terms of the 20-year McDonald’s franchise agreement,the new owners are barred from altering management or suppliers for two years,or exiting through a public offering. The FT reported last month that potential buyers including Bain Capital and its Chinese partner had dropped out of the auction over the terms.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What hit the McDonald’s and KFC in 2014?

A. pepper scandals

B. ordering apps

C. over expired meat scandals

D. change of dietary ideas

答案(1)

2.How many McDonald’s outlets will be opened in China over the next five years as according to the plan?

A. 280

B. 1500

C. 2800

D. 15000

答案(2)

3.What description of the following is not right about Citic?

A. rich experience of running restaurants

B. founded in 1979

C. has deep pockets and impeccable political connections

D. famous for investments in property and natural resources

答案(3)

4.When the new owners could alter management or suppliers under the agreement?

A. 2018

B. 2019

C. 2021

D. 2037

答案(4)

(1) 答案：C.over expired meat scandals
解释：在2014年的过期肉制品丑闻之后，这两家集团的销售额都受到了冲击，而订餐应用加剧了送餐方面的竞争。

(2) 答案：B.1500
解释：麦当劳中国预计将支持未来五年在中国（主要是中小城市）开设1500家餐厅的计划。中信旗下的两家公司将拥有麦当劳中国52%的股权，美国私人股本公司凯雷集团(Carlyle Group)将持股28%。

(3) 答案：A.rich experience of running restaurants
解释：中信集团成立于1979年，以投资房地产和自然资源而闻名，拥有雄厚的财力和无可挑剔的政治关系，但唯独没有经营餐厅的经验。

(4) 答案：B.2019
解释：根据麦当劳的20年特许经营协议的条款，新所有者在两年内不得更换管理层或供应商，也不得通过上市退出。包括贝恩资本(Bain Capital)及其中国合作伙伴在内的潜在买家，已因为这些条款而退出了竞购。

英国《金融时报》原文阅读精选集Vol.25

银发赌客令人愁

你以为赌场与魅力、乐趣和年轻人的喜悦联系在一起？数据显示，每年1亿赌客中有一半超过50岁。越来越多的贫穷老人开始把生活粘在老虎机上。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

stranded搁浅的；陷于困境的[strændɪd]

casino俱乐部，赌场；娱乐场[kə'siːnəʊ]

eye-opening令人瞠目的；使人开眼界的['ai,əupəniŋ]

opium鸦片；麻醉剂['əʊpɪəm]

pinched痛苦的；困难的；收缩的[pɪntʃt]

plentiful丰富的；许多的['plentɪfʊl; -f(ə)l]

capitalism资本主义['kæpɪt(ə)lɪz(ə)m]

grassroot基层；草根

boredom厌倦；令人厌烦的事物['bɔːdəm]

segregated被隔离的['seɡrɪɡeɪtɪd]

slot machine老虎机

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

5分48秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分56秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

2分31秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分14秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

The rise of the silver slotter（740 words）

By Gillian Tett

Earlier this month,I travelled to Atlantic City,New Jersey,to watch an Iggy Azalea concert. The trip was something of a disaster: after three hours of commuter traffic,we arrived to discover that the concert had been cancelled.

Stranded in Atlantic City with a hotel room already booked,I decided to do something that I had never done before: wander around the casinos. It was an eye-opening experience. Before my trip,I had associated casinos with glamour,fun and youthful joy; a combination of Monte Carlo,James Bond and a stag party. But the Atlantic City casinos looked more like an electronic opium den designed for senior citizens: the halls were filled with flashing,multicoloured machines,surrounded by clusters of（mostly) shabbily dressed people who,to my surprise,were overwhelmingly elderly.

It’s possible that some of those people were having a great time but their faces did not show it. Instead,most were glued to the slot machines with an expression of pinched intensity,seemingly oblivious to the world around them. Indeed,they barely moved,except to get a（subsidised) drink or withdraw more money from the plentiful ATM machines. And what really startled me was that when I passed through again early next morning,on my way home,people were still glued to those machines — I suspected some had been there all night.

Some readers will just shrug their shoulders at this. After all,gambling is as old as capitalism. And the US has more controls than most western nations. Until recently,casinos could only be located in a few designated spots（such as Atlantic City or Las Vegas or on Indian reservations) and casual sports betting was restricted.

More importantly,mainstream political culture has traditionally viewed the gaming industry with unease,partly because of America’s Puritan heritage. Three decades ago,nobody associated with a casino would have dared to run for high political office. Clearly this has changed. Donald Trump used to own several. Moreover,casino operators such as Sheldon Adelson are big public donors,and Hillary Clinton has held a rally at an Atlantic City casino. As gambling has become more acceptable in a political sense,casinos are proliferating.

Maybe this is inevitable or,at least,a natural consequence of what happens when capitalism meets consumer demand. But what I saw in Atlantic City left me with a sour taste. A couple of years ago,Amy Ziettlow,a Lutheran pastor,did a grassroots investigation into gambling,and found a world where poor retirees were becoming increasingly hooked on slot machines.

That is partly because these senior citizens have more time on their hands. However,it is also because casinos are tapping into this elderly market by presenting themselves as places to combat loneliness and boredom. As a result,more than half of the 100 million visitors each year are over the age of 50 — and they provide the vast majority of the sector’s $66bn-odd revenues. And while the gaming industry insists that addicts are rare,David Oslin,a psychiatrist at the University of Pennsylvania,estimates that four million older adults in the US have a gambling addiction — and that number is rising.

“I was shocked to learn that seniors often name gambling as their favourite form of entertainment,”Zeittlow observed,in a report that describes numerous scenes similar to those that I encountered: hordes of poor,elderly people glued to slot machines.

…

Of course,as the gaming industry would indignantly point out,these addiction levels are still much lower than those for other drugs,such as alcohol. And I would not suggest that prohibition might help here. In any case,polls suggest that most Americans want the gambling controls loosened,not tightened. But,if nothing else,it seems that there needs to be more debate. One of the（ironic) consequences of the earlier regulations is that because gambling usually takes place out of sight of mainstream America,in segregated areas,it is very easy for non-gamblers to ignore what is going on. Unless you happen to stumble into a casino by accident.

Maybe policy makers,pundits and elites should all be made to spend a night stranded in Atlantic City,where they too can take a closer look at what is driving the casino industry today. Gambling has always had a seamy,exploitative side. But the rise of silver-haired punters gives this world a whole new twist; if not a sense of 21st-century tragedy.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.How many times have the author been in casinos?

A. 0

B. 1

C. 2

D. too many times to remember

答案(1)

2.Which one of the following has more controls?

A. Canada

B. Britain

C. America

D. Germany

答案(2)

3.Who have more time on their hands as mentioned?

A. senior citizens

B. young people

C. middle-aged man

D. the rich

答案(3)

4.What is most Americans’attitude towards gambling?

A. want the gambling controls tightened

B. these addiction levels are higher than drugs

C. want the gambling controls loosened

D. gambling are not acceptable

答案(4)

(1) 答案：A.0
解释：由于被滞留在大西洋城，于是作者决定做一件自己从来没有做过的事情：逛赌场。

(2) 答案：C.America
解释：跟大多数西方国家相比，美国对赌博有着更多的控制。直到不久以前，赌场只能设于几个指定的地点（如大西洋城、拉斯维加斯或印第安保留地），而且休闲体育类博彩受到限制。

(3) 答案：A.senior citizens
解释：两年前的研究发现了贫穷退休人员越来越迷恋老虎机的现象。部分原因在于，这些老年人有了更多的时间可供支配。

(4) 答案：C.want the gambling controls loosened
解释：民意调查表明，大多数美国人希望当局放宽对赌博的限制。

宠物市场的蛋糕有多香

拥有M&M豆、士力架等明星产品的糖果制造商玛氏公司，实际上也是全球第一家生产专业宠物食品的企业（伟嘉猫粮、宝路狗粮）。在新年的第一个月，又宣布砸下重金77亿美元收购宠物医院运营商VCA。资料显示，在美国宠物产值已达到602.8亿美元。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

veterinary兽医的['vet(ə)rɪn(ə)rɪ; 'vet(ə)nrɪ]

conglomerate企业集团；聚合物[kən'glɒm(ə)rət]

fragmented片断的；成碎片的['fræɡmentɪd]

clinic临床；诊所['klɪnɪk]

individualization个性化；个体化[ˌɪndɪvɪdʒʊəlaɪ'zeɪʃn]

porch门廊；走廊[pɔːtʃ]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

4分57秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分54秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分47秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分58秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Mars makes $9.1bn bet on growing US pet market（585 words）

By Lindsay Whipp James Fontanella-Khan

Mars is to acquire one of North America’s largest providers of veterinary services for $9.1bn including debt,as the family-held M&Ms-to-Whiskas conglomerate seeks a bigger share of the growing US petcare market.

Mars,the second-biggest seller of pet food and products in the US after Nestlé,has agreed to buy VCA for $93 per share,including $1.4bn in debt,representing a 41 per cent premium to the company’s average share price over the previous month,in a deal which is to be funded by cash and debt.

VCA shares jumped 28.3 per cent to close at $90.79 in New York on Monday.

Mars said the deal would increase the number of animal hospitals it owns in North America by about 800 to 1,900,although this remains a small proportion of the region’s 24,000 clinics,which are mostly independently owned. Bankers say there could be other moves to consolidate the fragmented market,including further deals by Mars.

Importantly,the deal gives Mars ownership of VCA’s reference laboratories business,which is used by 17,000 of North America’s animal hospitals,making it the largest in the region.

Mars is aiming to increase its exposure to all aspects of petcare in a US market where spending rose an estimated 4.1 per cent to $62.8bn last year,according to figures provided by the American Pet Products Association. Of that,spending on veterinary care probably rose 3.2 per cent to $15.9bn during the period,APPA said.

Specialised care and prescription food for animals are among the fastest-growing segments in the industry,according to bankers working in animal healthcare. Aside from its pet food brands,which include Iams,and Banfield pet hospitals,Mars owns companies that provide DNA testing and GPS tracking for pets.

The deal will enable Mars to expand its business in veterinary care and beyond pet food and products,where it lags behind Nestlé’s Purina brand. Purina has 21 per cent of the US market versus Mars’10.8 per cent,according to Euromonitor,even if Mars is bigger globally.

Poul Weihrauch,president of Mars’global petcare business,said“individualisation”was the industry’s most important trend,as technology and nutrition allowed pets to have“tailor-made diagnostics and food which extend the lives of pets”.

Bob Antin,chairman,chief executive and co-founder of VCA,noted that of the US’s 125m households,over 100m now have pets. He added that he saw growth opportunities ahead,but declined to give forecasts beyond its full-year 2016 revenue guidance of between $2.52bn and $2.54bn.

In its most recent quarter,Los Angeles-based VCA reported a 19.1 per cent increase in revenue to $646.9m,while earnings rose 6 per cent to 71 cents a share.

“Over the years,pets have gone from staying outside to the porch and then the foot of the bed. Now pets are in your bed,a part of [the] family,it’s an amazing process that’s taken place.”

As part of the deal,Mr Antin will sell his 2.5 per cent stake in VCA,valued at $192.5m based on the $7.7bn Mars is paying for all of VCA’s equity. He established VCA in 1986 with his brother and a friend,and plans to continue to run it after its incorporation into Mars,saying that he“has no plans to leave”.

Morgan Stanley,BDT and law firm Skadden,Arps,Slate,Meagher & Flom are advising Mars on the deal. Barclays is acting as financial adviser to VCA,and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and Potter Anderson Corroon are serving as legal advisers.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Who is the biggest seller of pet food and products in the US?

A. Mars

B. BRIDGE

C. Nestlé

D. Myfoodie

答案(1)

2.Which one of the following is not right about Mars and US petcare market?

A. Mars remains a small proportion of the North America‘s clinics

B. most North America‘s clinics are independently owned

C. VCA maintains majority ownership of reference laboratories business

D. Mars is aiming to increase its exposure to all aspects of petcare

答案(2)

3.Which brand belongs to Nestlé on petcare business?

A. Purina

B. VOC

C. Whiskas

D. Pedigree

答案(3)

4.What was the industry’s most important trend as Poul said,the president of Mars’global petcare business?

A. fitness

B. sleeping in the bed

C. customizing

D. GPS tracking

答案(4)

(1) 答案：C.Nestlé
解释：玛氏公司是全美第二大的宠物产品生产商，仅次于雀巢。

(2) 答案：C.VCA maintains majority ownership of reference laboratories business
解释：这次交易使得玛氏公司拥有了VCA的实验室相关业务，VAC并未保留。

(3) 答案：A.Purina
解释：雀巢普瑞纳，冠能、康多乐就是他的产品的。据Euromonitor（欧睿国际）的数据，其在全美占据21%的市场，相较于玛氏公司的10.8%。

(4) 答案：C.customizing
解释：Poul表示，由于技术和营养，现在行业的最大趋势是为宠物订制诊断和食物。

小米在印度的“中国梦”

小米首席财务官周受资表示，“小米在以我们希望的方式……在我们希望增长的地区……增长。”小米并未不计代价地把增长或抢占市场份额摆在首位，而是把注意力放在提高其在线销售和分销的效率、发展小米配套产品的“生态系统”上。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

untapped未开发的；未使用的[ʌn'tæpt]

subcontinent次大陆[,sʌb'kɑntɪnənt]

milestone里程碑，划时代的事件['maɪlstəʊn]

flag标记；衰退；枯萎[flæg]

alongside在旁边[əlɒŋ'saɪd]

unveiled揭开面纱[,ʌn'veɪld]

ultra极端的；过分的['ʌltrə]

wane衰落；变小；亏缺[weɪn]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

4分33秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分14秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分1秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分3秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Xiaomi gains ground in India as it broadens expansion drive（635 words）

By Tim Bradshaw in Las Vegas

Xiaomi,the Chinese smartphone maker,said that its revenues in India had exceeded $1bn last year as it looks abroad for growth amid continuing competitive pressures at home.

Chinese-owned technology companies have so far led the smartphone market in India. The subcontinent is seen as the next big untapped market for mobile makers at a time when growth has begun to flag elsewhere.

Sales of Xiaomi’s smartphones in the country more than doubled from 3m to about 6.5m,Shou Zi Chew,its chief financial officer,told the Financial Times in an interview.

“What this [$1bn] milestone shows is we have successfully stepped out of China into the global arena,”he said at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas,where Xiaomi is exhibiting for the first time.

“2016 was a watershed year for us as we truly became an international company.”

Xiaomi is among the top three smartphone companies by sales in India,alongside Huawei and Lenovo’s Motorola.

To achieve that in just a couple of years,Xiaomi“replicated our Chinese strategy”of focusing on online sales and an ecosystem of companion products,championed by a passionate community of what it calls“Mi fans”instead of traditional advertising,Mr Chew said.

However,after a period of breakneck growth leading up to 2015,Xiaomi has struggled to maintain momentum in China in the past two years,losing its position at the top of the world’s largest mobile market to local rivals such as Oppo and Vivo.

Mr Chew would not say whether Xiaomi’s global sales grew last year,after it missed its revenue targets in 2015.

“The company has grown in a way we wanted it to grow…where we want it to grow,”he said. Instead of prioritising growth or market share gains at any cost,Xiaomi has focused on increasing efficiencies in its online sales and distribution and developing its“ecosystem”of companion Mi products.

These range from internet-connected air purifiers and rice cookers to its wildly popular Mi Band fitness tracker,which has sold more than 23m units.

Xiaomi focuses on smartphones,TV sets,wireless routers and laptops,while it has invested in or supported 77 start-ups which together have sold more than 50m connected devices that tie into its central Mi Home app. A handful of these Mi ecosystem companies have exceeded Rmb1bn in sales,he said.

Many of those companion devices are on show at CES,where Xiaomi unveiled an ultra-thin TV set.

After its early success in India,Mr Chew said that Xiaomi was now increasingly confident that it could take its operating model,which he likened to a blend of Japanese homewares brand Muji and US discount retailer Costco for its combination of affordable quality and ultra efficiency,to other countries,including“the key big emerging market countries,Europe and the US”.

“The US is an important market for us,”he said.“We want to enter in the right way.”

So far Chinese handset makers have largely struggled to gain meaningful distribution and sales in the US,where Apple and Samsung dominate.

Mr Chew joined Xiaomi in mid-2015 from Yuri Milner’s DST Global,a significant investor in the seven-year-old Chinese company.

Xiaomi raised $1.1bn at a valuation of $45bn in late 2014,making it one of the world’s most valuable private tech companies.

At the end of 2015,as sales began to wane in China,Xiaomi determined that“blind growth is dangerous”,he said.“We will always pursue the highest quality,the most cost efficient channels and return the cost savings to consumers. That is the way we have chosen to grow in 2016.”

Despite not raising new capital for more than two years,Mr Chew said“we don’t need to”raise more funds.“There is no reason to believe we are not profitable,”he said.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What is the milestone for Xiaomi to show they have successfully stepped out of China into the global arena?

A. Xiaomi is exhibiting at the CES

B. revenues in India had exceeded $1bn last year

C. the growth has begun to flag elsewhere

D. its smartphones are more than doubled from 3m to about 6.5m during a month

答案(1)

2.Which one is not mentioned as the top three smartphone company in India?

A. Xiaomi

B. Huawei

C. OPPO

D. Motorola

答案(2)

3.Which one is not Xiaomi’s strategy in China?

A. championed by traditional advertising

B. online sales

C. the ecosystem of companion products

D. championed by“Mi fans”

答案(3)

4.What device was launched to debut at CES?

A. smartphones

B. Mi Band fitness tracker

C. ultra-thin TV set

D. wireless routers

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.revenues in India had exceeded $1bn last year
解释：小米去年在印度的营收已超过10亿美元。周受资在消费电子展(CES)上表示：“这一（10亿美元的）里程碑证明，我们已成功走出中国，登上全球舞台。”今年，小米首次在该展会参展。

(2) 答案：C.OPPO
解释：小米和华为(Huawei)及联想(Lenovo)旗下的摩托罗拉(Motorola)，是印度销量前三的智能手机公司。

(3) 答案：A.championed by traditional advertising
解释：小米“复制了我们在中国的战略”，聚焦于在线销售和配套产品生态系统，并由被小米称为“米粉”的热心群体（而不是传统的广告营销）宣传。

(4) 答案：C.ultra-thin TV set
解释：许多此类配套设备在拉斯维加斯消费电子展上亮相。小米在展会上发布了一款超薄电视机。

在中国娶个媳妇儿花多钱？

在中国，新娘稀缺正在强化彩礼传统。通常一些条件比较好的家庭，想着给孩子办好点，彩礼给得高家里有面子。也有很多家庭因无力承担而返贫，条件差的甚至还要借钱娶媳妇。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

extravagant浪费的；过度的[ɪk'strævəg(ə)nt; ek-]

scarcity不足；缺乏['skeəsɪtɪ]

dowry嫁妆；天资；亡夫遗产['daʊ(ə)rɪ]

virtuous有道德的；贞洁的['vɜːtjʊəs; -tʃʊəs]

cap覆盖；胜过；给…戴帽[kæp]

terminate使终止；使结束；解雇['tɜːmɪneɪt]

lavish浪费的；丰富的；大方的['lævɪʃ]

deplete耗尽，用尽；使衰竭[dɪ'pliːt]

boycott联合抵制['bɒɪkɒt]

Joy and Grief Board of Supervisor红白理事会

stripper脱衣舞女['strɪpə]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分48秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

1分15秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分19秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分48秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Chinese county moves to ban expensive wedding gifts（488 words）

By Gabriel Wildau in Shanghai

A Chinese county plans to restrict extravagant spending on wedding gifts,highlighting the transactional nature of marriage in a country where a scarcity of brides is intensifying traditional dowry practices.

Communist party officials in Taiqian,in central China’s Henan province,have issued an action plan on“transforming social traditions”and“building a virtuous Taiqian”.

Draft rules aim to cap the value of a single wedding gift at Rmb60,000（$8,600) and forbid the gifting of houses and cars. Wedding banquets will be limited to fewer than 10 tables.

Li Hongwei,vice-director of Taiqian’s Office of the Spirit of Civilised Culture Committee,told the Henan Business Daily that some elderly families of modest means had“lost the family fortune”on weddings.

“Some families of means want to give their child a nicer wedding. They give expensive gifts and it gives face to their family,”he said.“Many families don’t have these resources,so they fall into poverty. Those of modest means actually need to borrow money to take a daughter-in-law.”

Men in poor rural counties are the most affected by unbalanced sex ratios resulting from China’s one-child policy,which was scrapped in 2015 after 35 years in effect. A traditional preference for male children — who were seen as better able to support parents in old age — led many women to terminate pregnancies.

The bridal shortage has boosted traditional dowry practices,with grooms and their families often forced to offer lavish gifts to the bride’s family as a condition of marriage.

Officials say the draft rules are aimed at protecting poor,elderly residents from depleting their savings and taking on debt to pay for betrothal gifts for their children. They specifically forbid“using weddings to demand property”. Taiqian’s per-capita gross domestic product was Rmb26,146 in 2014,according to the latest official figures,well below the national figure of Rmb47,203.

The rules call for party officials to restrict ceremonies that do not obey the gifting guidelines. Punishments can include public shaming and collective boycotts of extravagant events.

The county is also establishing a Joy and Grief Board of Supervisors — which already exist in other rural villages — to enforce the measures.

China’s national-level Communist party propaganda and civilised culture committees convened a telephone meeting with local counterparts in late November,calling on them to take measures against extravagant weddings and funerals. In 2015 the culture ministry condemned the rural practice of using strippers to attract attendees to funerals.

Despite the appearance of paternalistic over-reach,many netizens applauded the intent behind the guidelines.

Rising property prices,especially in big cities,have increased the burden on men seeking wives. It is common for women to demand a house for themselves or their families before agreeing to marry.

“In my area we’ve got lots of wedding slogans. Usually it’s Rmb10,001 for an engagement,then at the wedding another Rmb66,000 or Rmb99,000 etc,”said microblog user Xingxing.“The pressure feels as big as a mountain.”

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Which one of the following is not mentioned about the draft rules in Taiqian?

A. 10 tables or less wedding banquets

B. gold rings are better than diamond rings

C. a single wedding gift will be limited to Rmb60,000

D. gifting of houses and cars is discouraged

答案(1)

2.How many years did the one-child policy last in China?

A. 15

B. 20

C. 35

D. 70

答案(2)

3.Why were strippers invited to rural funerals?

A. to celebrate a victory

B. to comfort relatives

C. to attract attendees

D. to reduce the sadness

答案(3)

4.What do most women ask for before agreeing to marry?

A. Rmb10,001

B. a computer

C. a house

D. a car

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.gold rings are better than diamond rings
解释：规定草案旨在把彩礼总数控制在6万元人民币（合8600美元）以内，并提倡不要房、不要车。喜宴共计不超过10桌。

(2) 答案：C.35
解释：中国独生子女政策带来的性别比例失衡，对贫穷乡村的男性造成的影响是最大的。2015年，中国废除了长达35年的独生子女政策。

(3) 答案:C. to attract attendees
解释：2015年，中国文化部谴责了农村葬礼请来脱衣舞女郎助兴的做法。

(4) 答案：C.a house
解释：在同意结婚之前，女性通常要求男方为自己或自己的家人买房子。

让声浪更“猛”

这或许是文艺咖的好消息：双声道立体声技术被提升上了一个新高度。你只需要一个耳机，一台电脑与一个提供立体声音效的网站，便可以享受超豪华的听觉盛宴。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

artificial人工的[ɑːtɪ'fɪʃ(ə)l]

binaural双耳的[bɪ'nɔːr(ə)l; baɪ-]

lurk潜伏[lɜːk]

Princeton普林斯顿（美国新泽西州中部的自治市镇）

hifi高保真（High Fidelity ）

aerospace航空宇宙['eərəspeɪs]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

5分29秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分45秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

2分24秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分11秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

3D for the ear takes sound to another level（714 words）

By Jonathan Margolis

Improvements in sound reproduction can come as a delightful shock.

I’ll never forget the first time I heard music on stereo headphones. It was 1979 in Harrogate,North Yorkshire,where a shop had a new thing on display called a Sony Walkman. Within seconds,I was so enchanted by the sensation of sound seeming to be inside your head that I paid more than a week’s wages on the spot for it — £79,I believe.

By today’s standards,that first Walkman,with its cassettes and simple on-ear headphones,would sound more awful than awesome.

But here’s a rarely spoken truth about recorded music: even with a high-end hifi system costing thousands and playing the kind of expensive high-quality digital recordings now available,it would still be impossible to confuse a recording with a live performance.

Stereo records have been around since 1953 but stereo still sounds artificial,just as film or TV drama dialogue is quite different from real life conversation.

There’s a fascinating improvement coming. It’s called binaural recording and although it,too,has been known about for a while — Lou Reed released three binaural albums in the 1970s — the technology didn’t take off when basic stereo was still being introduced.

But this successor to stereo is finally emerging from experimental status.

Binaural really is awesome. You don’t need more than a PC and headphones to experience it. Just go to one website that supplies binaural music,hdtracks.com,download a £20.50 sampler album called You’re Surrounded,and see if you don’t agree that it’s uncannily real.

In binaural recordings,the musicians seem to be all around you. It’s like 3D for the ears. There’s even an audio illusion of sound coming from behind and above you — like surround sound in a cinema,but much more realistic.

Binaural is recorded with a spooky-looking moulded human head with a microphone in each ear. This rig simulates how our ears gather sound. Hearing can sense the direction sound comes from because ears aren’t just random flaps of gristle,but brilliantly evolved sound-gathering mechanisms.

I went to a recent recording session for a commercial binaural album in a disused church in Brooklyn,NY. The acoustics of such a building made the recordings sound more evocative than they would in a studio. The session was run by David Chesky,a composer,audio innovator and founder of the website HD tracks.

The lead artist performed a few feet in front of the $15,000 dummy head,with other musicians around him. When I listened to the raw recording,it was an exact reproduction of the performance. Everyone was in the right place.

Mr Chesky explained during a break that he believes binaural audio will elevate virtual reality to the next level.“With a next-generation VR headset and binaural sound,it won’t be virtual reality. It will be indistinguishable from reality,”he said.

One of the limitations of binaural,however,is that it requires headphones,which do detract a notch or so from the perfect simulation of reality.

Except there’s a development here,too. Next stop on my magical binaural tour was eight subway stops away,at the Upper East Side apartment of Edgar Choueiri,professor of applied physics and aerospace engineering at Princeton University. Mr Choueiri is also a hifi enthusiast and collaborator of Mr Chesky. And he has developed a method of bringing binaural reproduction to loudspeakers.

You don’t even need special speakers or a dedicated room to hear it. What you need is one of Mr Choueiri’s black boxes — the Bacch Stereo Purifier — which cost $55,000. Some 24 have already been sold in New York and Hong Kong.

Now,binaural delivered through headphones is extraordinary,but without them,it is otherworldly. I can only describe it as like being in an audio hologram. It can plant a whisper in your ear as if there’s a ghost in the room.

Mr Choueiri’s invention can even conjure up mild binaural effects from old,non-binaural recordings. Listening to some Beatles tracks was like being at Abbey Road Studios,with John,Paul,George and Ringo all around you. Layers of information no one knew were there have seemingly lurked on some recordings for decades.

Even a man who is,after all,an actual rocket scientist,is not quite sure yet how that happens.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.When did Lou Reed firstly release three binaural albums?

A. 1960s

B. 1970s

C. 1980s

D. 1990s

答案(1)

2.Which one you don’t need to experience binaural?

A. PC

B. TV

C. headphone

D. a website that supplies binaural music

答案(2)

3.Which is one of the limitation of binaural?

A. it costs a lot

B. the sound is too low

C. it requires headphones

D. it is hard to record

答案(3)

4.Who has developed a method of bringing binaural reproduction to loudspeakers?

A. Mr Chesky

B. Beatles

C. Edgar Choueiri

D. Lou Reed

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.1970s
解释：第六段。讲Lou在1970年代发布了3张双声道音乐唱片。

(2) 答案：B.TV
解释：第七段．讲除了电脑和耳机外，只需要一个网址。

(3) 答案：C.it requires headphones
解释：第十三段。需要耳机才行是限制之真实效果的一个因素。

(4) 答案：C.Edgar Choueiri
解释：第十四段。最后一句。Edgar Choueiri建立了这个方法。

喝不起伏特加，就喝沐浴油？

很多日用品中含有高度酒精，饮用廉价伏特加替代品致死的问题在俄偏远地区尤其严重。俄政府不得不改变此类产品的监管，以减少它们对嗜酒者的吸引力。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

cabinet内阁；橱柜['kæbɪnɪt]

vodka伏特加酒['vɒdkə]

contaminated受污染的；弄脏的[kən'tæməneɪtɪd]

decree法令；判决[dɪ'kriː]

cosmetic化妆品；装饰品[kɒz'metɪk]

pharmaceutica药物[,fɑːmə'suːtɪk(ə)l; -'sjuː-]

vending machines自动贩卖机

fraction分数；部分['frækʃ(ə)n]

Irkutsk伊尔库茨克[ir'ku:tsk]

miracle奇迹，奇迹般的人或物['mɪrək(ə)l]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

2分37秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

1分2秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

0分27秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分30秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Putin orders crackdown on vodka substitutes after bath oil deaths（305 words）

By Max Seddon in Moscow

Russian president Vladimir Putin has ordered his cabinet to crack down on dangerous vodka substitutes after 62 people in Siberia died this week from drinking contaminated bath oil.

Mr Putin’s decree,published on the Kremlin’s website on Wednesday,will introduce measures restricting the production and sale of cosmetics and medicines with alcohol content above 25 per cent. The move comes amid a surge in cases of people dying from drinking cheap pharmaceutical products for their high alcohol content — sometimes as much as 95 per cent — instead of vodka.

With such products,often available from vending machines on the street,selling for a fraction of the price of legally made vodka,the problem is particularly acute in provincial Russia and has worsened as a two-year recession takes its toll on the poorest Russians.

The government is also under orders to change regulation on the products to make them less attractive to drinkers.

In Irkutsk,the Siberian city near Lake Baikal where at least 107 people fell ill from drinking the bath oil,local authorities declared a public health emergency and banned the sale and production of all alcohol not marketed as a beverage. Oleg Yaroshenko,the region’s top public health official,said that about half of those still in hospital were not expected to live.

“Only a miracle can save them,”he said,according to state media. Regulators say that Russians annually drink a total of 170m-250m litres of“pharmacy cognac”measured in vodka terms of about 40 per cent alcohol.

Taking into account the liquids’higher alcohol content,the underground alcohol market makes up about 20 per cent of total consumption.

Police said the bath oil sold in Irkutsk had contained methylated spirit and antifreeze instead of ethanol. Counterfeit vodka made at the same factory that produced the bath oil also contained methylated spirit.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What kind of products will be restricted as Putin said?

A. cosmetics and medicines with alcohol content below 25%

B. cosmetics and medicines with alcohol content above 25%

C. pharmaceutical products with alcohol content above 95%

D. cosmetics and drinks with alcohol content below 25%

答案(1)

2.Where can people buy these cheap vodka substitutes?

A. drugstores

B. vending machines

C. supermarkets

D. underground markets

答案(2)

3.How many people fell ill from drinking the bath oil in Irkutsk?

A. 40

B. 62

C. 95

D. 107

答案(3)

4.How many percent did the underground alcohol market make up of total consumption?

A. one half

B. one third

C. one fifth

D. one twentieth

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.cosmetics and medicines with alcohol content above 25%
解释：周三发布在克里姆林宫网站上的这道法令，将采取措施限制酒精含量超25%的化妆品和药品的生产与销售。

(2) 答案：B.vending machines
解释：此类产品通常可以从街上的自动售货机买到，且价格只有合法酿造的伏特加几分之一。

(3) 答案：D.107
解释：在靠近贝加尔湖(Lake Baikal)的西伯利亚城市伊尔库茨克(Irkutsk)，至少107人因饮用沐浴油而病倒。

(4) 答案：C.one fifth
解释：地下酒水市场约占总消费量的20%。

我们正在教孩子们错误的数学

现代生活中，从生到死、从贸易到旅游，都离不开数学的思维，许多问题可以靠人和计算的配合更高效而准确地解决。几十年前的人们根本无法想象今天科技产品的巨变，然而孩子们的数学课本还是一成不变 。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

futuristic未来派的[fjuːtʃə'rɪstɪk]

billow汹涌；翻腾['bɪləʊ]

mathematical applications数学应用

astounding令人震惊的[ə'staʊndɪŋ]

formulate规划；用公式表示['fɔːmjʊleɪt]

equip装备，配备[ɪ'kwɪp]

deliberation审议；考虑[dɪ,lɪbə'reɪʃ(ə)n]

synonymous同义的[sɪ'nɒnɪməs]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

6分10秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

3分41秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

2分4秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分25秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

We are teaching today’s children the wrong type of maths（854 words）

By Joanna Perkins

Step into the new Winton mathematics gallery at the Science Museum in London,designed by the late Zaha Hadid,and one is transported into a futuristic landscape where billowing clouds encircle a treasure trove of seemingly unconnected exhibits.

Once inside,a journey through mathematical applications to all aspects of the human condition appears — life and death,form and beauty,trade and travel. Intricate circular slide rules,archaic and beautiful,are positioned a short leap away from quantum chips; an abacus overlooks Charles Babbage’s difference engine. The richness of mathematics over centuries is immediately astounding.

And that is the beauty of it — this is not mathematics for mathematics’sake. This is the real world,described,formulated,studied,created by mathematics.

Maths is hot in British schools. It is extremely popular with 16 to 18-year-olds,who are increasingly taking the subject at A-level. As a component of the so-called Stem subjects — science,technology,engineering and maths — it provides a ticket into the world of scientific possibilities and,importantly,to jobs.

Or does it?

The maths that today’s students learn will not equip them with the real-world Stem skills that industry,science,government and commerce demand. Employers do not require the same maths that was around in the 1600s,or even 50 years ago. Yet that still forms the core of education policy.

The machinery that powers mathematics is crucial. And today’s computing machinery is beyond the imagination of anyone who lived before the late 20th century.

Before modern computers,calculations were very expensive because they had to be done by hand. Therefore in real life you would try very hard to minimise the amount of computation,at the expense of more upfront deliberation in defining and abstracting precise questions to tackle. It was a meticulous process.

Nowadays,a much more experimental approach can be combined with a looser initial question because computation is so cheap and effective that one can try a multitude of approaches.

These processes,starting with defining questions,translating them into maths,computing the answers and interpreting results,are the cornerstones of computational thinking. Many people,though,do not think of this as maths,which traditionally people assume to be synonymous with pure calculation: narrow and devoid of real-world application.

To significantly increase uptake and engagement of maths in schools we need to focus on computational thinking,the process that drives real-world application of mathematics. The magic is in optimising how process,computer and human can be put together to solve problems.

This approach needs knowledge of what is possible,experience of how to apply it and know-how of today’s machinery for performing it. These are the core Stem skills that a 21st-century student deserves,harnessing the power of automation.

The Winton gallery,housed adjacent to the recently installed computing gallery,shows,above all,the continued and exponential expansion of applications of mathematics. Where once we could apply basic geometry to ancient surveying,we now use diverse,complicated mathematical techniques to design aircraft,accurately predict mortality rates and design gravity-defying structures.

Maths is continually evolving,akin to Hadid’s undulating clouds. It has come of age and it is vitally important that education reflects — stands on — these advancements.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What provide a ticket into the world of scientific possibilities?

A. mathematical applications

B. STEM subjects

C. computers

D. math class

答案(1)

2.Why were calculations very expensive at past?

A. it had to be done by hand

B. modern computers were cost much more

C. it was a meticulous process

D. people can not imagine

答案(2)

3.What is the first step of computational thinking?

A. translating them into maths

B. computing the answers

C. writing the algorithm

D. defining questions

答案(3)

4.Where should we focus on to increase uptake and engagement of maths in schools?

A. computational skill

B. computational thinking

C. computing the answers

D. basic geometry

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.STEM subjects
解释：文章提到是理工科，即science,technology,engineering and maths。“学好数理化，走遍天下都不怕”。

(2) 答案：A.it had to be done by hand
解释：在现代计算机出现之前，大量的计算是非常昂贵的，因为都要人工手动操作。

(3) 答案：D.defining questions
接受：计算思维的步骤是：定义问题、将其转化为数学（模型）、计算问题、转化为结果。

(4) 答案：B.computational thinking
解释：应该把教育的重点放在学生计算思维的培养上。

电动汽车的“春天”？

更加环保的电动汽车销量处于拐点，指数级增长在前方招手（即使所充的电能全部来自煤炭，其排放量也比可比的汽油汽车低20%-30%）。面对这几天持续“浓郁”的雾霾困扰，这似乎算是一个好消息吧？

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

beckon召唤；吸引['bek(ə)n]

macro巨大的，大量的['mækrəʊ]

trajectory轨道，轨线[trə'dʒɛktəri]

component成分；组件[kəm'pəʊnənt]

gigawatt千兆瓦；十亿瓦特['gɪgəwɒt]

scenario方案；情节[sɪ'nɑːrɪəʊ]

guzzle狂饮；暴食['gʌz(ə)l]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

6分10秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

3分41秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

2分4秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分25秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Electric vehicles: amp it up（854 words）

By Dan Bogler

Global electric vehicle sales are at an inflection point where exponential growth beckons,similar to the adoption of solar panels a few years ago. And it is an emerging market,China,that is leading the way.

According to estimates compiled by Medley Global Advisors,a macro research service owned by the FT,there will be more than 2m EVs on the road by the end of this year,up 60 per cent on 2015. On the current trajectory that will increase tenfold to 20m globally by 2020 and,according to the International Energy Agency,could reach 150m by 2040,if the most ambitious targets for containing global warming are met（see chart).

China is by far the largest market for EVs,with more than 300,000 expected to be sold this year — an annual growth rate of 120 per cent — and an official target of 5m EVs on the road by 2020. And while Tesla hogs the headlines,at least in the west,China already has 25 companies building 51 models of electric cars.

One reason mass adoption is coming closer is the rapid decline in production costs as economies of scale increase. Battery costs,the critical component,are already down from over $1,000 per kilowatt hour in 2010 to $268 today and expected to drop to $100/kWh by 2020.

Capacity is ramping up,with Tesla’s Gigafactory expected to produce 35 gigawatt hours within three years,while LG Chem in Korea is more than doubling its Li-on battery output to 20 GWh and two Chinese facilities — Lishen and CATL — are upgrading from below 5 GWh to 20 GWh and 25 GWh,respectively.

New EV models already cost less than $40,000 and within a decade they could become cheaper than conventional cars,with an average price of about $20,000.

Running costs are another reason for optimism,since EVs are inherently more efficient. A traditional internal combustion engine only converts 30 per cent of its fuel input into motion,with the rest lost to heat,sound and energy. EVs,meanwhile,have an efficiency rate of 80 per cent,so charging one costs about $500 a year in the US compared with the $1,400 spent on gasoline every year — despite America’s subsidised gasoline prices.

At the same time,range is improving with the latest Tesla Model 3 and the GM Bolt able to travel 200 miles between charges and a new Mercedes-Benz SUV promised for 2019 having a range of 300 miles. The necessary infrastructure is also being put in place. China already has 85,000 public charging stations,with the US and several European countries each having between 10,000 and 20,000.

Even so,EV sales still depend heavily on government incentives,especially since auto manufacturers are currently losing money on every unit sold. Some 90 per cent of new EV sales this year have taken place in eight markets — China,the US,the Netherlands,Norway,the UK,Japan,Germany and France — which all have generous provisions for EV sales.

But while several European nations are planning to phase out such payments in the next five years and US policy is up in the air given the election of Donald Trump,China（and Japan) are likely to continue with their subsidy schemes. Several other EMs,notably India,may soon introduce them to reduce pollution.

This is because EVs are simply and demonstrably cleaner. Even if only coal is used to generate the electricity to charge an EV,the emissions are 20-30 per cent lower than those of a comparable petroleum vehicle. With the transportation sector accounting for a third of all greenhouse gas emissions and government regulations tightening,this will force the auto industry to adapt and adopt.

As far as energy investors are concerned,however,the circle does not quite close — at least not yet. Yes,if there are 20m EVs on the road by the end of 2020 that will reduce the growth in gasoline demand. But Medley reckons there will be no outright reduction in oil consumption until at least 2030.

The reason for that is simply down to numbers. Against those 20m EVs,there are 1.1bn conventional passenger cars in existence and this number is also still growing,probably reaching 1.3bn in 2020. At that point,EVs will be just 1.5 per cent of the global fleet. Moreover,they are concentrated on the lighter end,where mileage is lower. Most heavy trucks and buses — 7 per cent of the vehicle fleet but a quarter of fuel consumption — still burn petrol.

Even under the IEA’s optimistic scenario,EV adoption will replace just 1.3m barrels/day of oil consumption in 2030. This is very modest given that oil demand is growing at 1m b/d annually.

As EV costs come down and adoption picks up,they can be paired with distributed solar generation capacity in developing nations,thus skipping the cost and time needed to develop traditional grid infrastructure. This does provide an exceedingly bullish outlook for EV growth. Yet starting from the current low base,it will take over a decade to have an impact on a mammoth global passenger car fleet that will continue to guzzle gas.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Where is the the largest market for electric vehicles as Medley Global Advisors said?

A. America

B. Japan

C. Australia

D. China

答案(1)

2.What is the critical component for electric cars?

A. engine

B. battery

C. steering wheel

D. solar panel

答案(2)

3.When could people spend $20,000 to buy an electric car,much cheaper than the conventional one?

A. 2017

B. 2020

C. 2026

D. 2036

答案(3)

4.Which one of the following is not the reason of mass adoption of EVs?

A. rapid decline in production costs

B. less government incentives one traditional cars

C. running costs

D. much cleaner

答案(4)

(1) 答案：D.China
解释：根据英国《金融时报》旗下的宏观研究服务机构Medley Global Advisors汇编的估测数据，中国是电动汽车遥遥领先的最大市场。

(2) 答案：B.battery
解释：文章提到电动汽车的关键部件是电池，其成本已经从2010年的1000美元/千瓦时(kWh) ，降低至如今的268美元/kWh，预计到2020年将降低至100美元/kWh。

(3) 答案：C.2026
解释：目前新款电动汽车的价格已经低于4万美元，在10年内，它们可能比传统汽车更便宜，平均价格在2万美元左右。

(4) 答案：B.less government incentives one traditional cars
解释：文章并未提及政府对传统汽车的补贴。

无法拒绝的酒精，会要了你的命吗？

眼看圣诞节、春节将至，越来越多的应酬无法推脱，有多少人在节日里是连轴转的“醉生梦死”？这些你无法拒绝、或是自己中意的酒精摄入，会要了你的命吗？喝多少才是安全的？

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

centrepiece中心装饰品['sentəpi:s]

strain菌株；拉紧；负担[streɪn]

pricier价格高的，昂贵的

tipple酒；烈酒['tɪp(ə)l]

poison放毒于；败坏['pɒɪz(ə)n]

contradiction矛盾；否认[kɒntrə'dɪkʃ(ə)n]

impetus动力；促进['ɪmpɪtəs]

oesophagus食道[ɪ'sɒfəgəs]

epidemiological流行病学的['ɛpɪ,dimɪr'lɑdʒɪkl]

culprit犯人，罪犯['kʌlprɪt]

acetaldehyde乙醛；醋醛[,æsɪt'ældɪhaɪd]

emulate仿真；模仿['emjʊleɪt]

reckon测算，估计['rek(ə)n]

whiff吸；喷出[wɪf]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

5分37秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

3分23秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

2分51秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分20秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Will Christmas – and all the booze – kill you this year?（809 words）

By Anjana Ahuja

Someone has got it in for the British 2016 Christmas dinner. The centrepiece of the banquet,the free-range turkey,will have spent its final weeks stuck inside on government orders after a horrid strain of bird flu was detected in mainland Europe. Thanks to the weaker pound,sugar and other imported ingredients for Christmas puddings have become pricier.

Should you wish to console yourself with a tipple,the official consensus is that you are poisoning yourself. In January this year,drinking guidelines were revised downwards to reflect growing evidence about the toxicity of alcohol.

Dame Sally Davies,England’s chief medical officer,recommended that men and women should not exceed 14 units a week（about a bottle and a half of wine),and that the units should be spread out over at least three days rather than saved for a weekend binge.

There is now no such thing as“safe”drinking,because even small amounts can cause harm. Instead,sticking to the guidelines reduces your risk of dying from an alcohol-related condition to one per cent. The popular notion that drinking red wine benefits the heart has also been abandoned; a review of the evidence showed this applied only to women over 55.

I have already written about the contradiction involved in dishing out guidelines while simultaneously saying there are no safe limits. It is also peculiar that men and women are now subject to exactly the same limits,a point picked up in a thorough analysis by the Stats Guy,who remains sceptical about the dangers of moderate drinking.

One impetus behind the revision,however,seems to be the body of evidence pointing to alcohol as a carcinogen. Cancer-causing substances are classified into five groups by the International Agency for Research on Cancer（IARC),which is part of the World Health Organisation. Group one comprises the known villains — substances for which the evidence base is strong enough for scientists to state that they are indeed implicated in cancer.

Alcohol falls into group one — along with such nasties as diesel fumes,plutonium,tobacco（including smokeless) and X-rays. That doesn’t mean that they are all equivalently carcinogenic — just that the evidence points one way,particularly for cancers of the head and neck,oesophagus,liver and breast. Epidemiological studies tend to indicate that cancer risk is greatest among the heaviest drinkers; such dose-response relationships add credibility to the inference.

One study,published in the journal Addiction,suggested that alcohol was a culprit in at least seven types of cancer and potentially accounted for almost 6 per cent of cancers worldwide.

The mechanism by which alcohol raises cancer risk is unclear. We know,though,that the body breaks it down into acetaldehyde,which can cause genetic mutations. Such mutations prefigure tumour growth.

When Public Health England released another report on alcohol this month,it painted a portrait of a nation awash with cheap booze. In 2008,we downed 567m litres,up 42 per cent from 1980（although volumes have since declined); 10m people are indulging in a way that harms their health; in the 15-49 age group alcohol is the leading risk factor for ill-health,early death and disability,and alcohol has become cheaper,stronger and more attractive to women consumers. A separate report,by the Nuffield Trust,reveals that more than a million hospital admissions each year are due to alcohol-related diagnoses.

This is why most health experts advocate a minimum unit price for alcohol,an idea that was once considered by ministers in England and later rejected,although it has been adopted in Scotland.

A few years ago,I began recognising myself in the descriptions of middle-class women who,without quite realising it,were overconsuming.

Today,there are several tricks I employ to squeeze more pleasure from less booze. This is not a hard and fast rule but Monday to Thursday are dry nights. I no longer buy boxes of wine — it makes topping up too easy. I favour a small glass — it is less dispiriting and more elegant to sip from a full thimble than from an empty bucket and,to be honest,a glass feels like a glass.

Many of these suggestions are about breaking habits,which is hard and requires motivation. Here were my reasons: health,vanity（a large glass of wine can be as calorific as cake) and,most importantly,to be a good role model. Children learn by example — and I don’t think wine-as-stress-reliever is a particularly marvellous coping strategy for kids to emulate.

I would never give up — abstinence carries the whiff of joylessness — and I reckon I’m only just within the 14-unit weekly allowance. But alcohol feels a little less like a habit and more like a treat. A couple of glasses of bubbly to kick off a celebration,or a lovely Sauternes to accompany that expensive Christmas pudding? I’ll definitely drink to that.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Why the Christmas puddings’imported ingredients have become pricier this year?

A. the weaker pound

B. American Presidential Election

C. Brexit

D. too much visitors

答案(1)

2.How many days should people drink 14 units alcohol as Dame Sally Davies said?

A. 2

B. 3

C. 5

D. 7

答案(2)

3.Which one is not the member of group one to cause cancer?

A. tobacco

B. X-ray

C. alcohol

D. barbecue

答案(3)

4.Which one is not mentioned from the author as the useful tip?

A. Monday to Thursday are dry nights

B. only drinking dry red wine

C. to use a small glass

D. do not buy boxes of wine

答案(4)

(1) 答案：A.the weaker pound
解释：由于英镑贬值，圣诞布丁的进口原料变得昂贵。

(2) 答案：B.3
解释：英国首席医疗官Dame Sally Davies教授在今年表示：男性与女性每周的最大酒精摄入量为14单位（一个酒精单位约等于酒精含量5%的啤酒350毫升、12%的葡萄酒150毫升、40%的烈酒45毫升）而且应当至少分配到3天饮用，而不是一天喝完。

(3) 答案：D.barbecue
解释：文章提到根据癌症研究机构(IARC)的分类，酒精与柴油烟雾等有害物质、钚、烟草和x射线一起被分为第一组，最为可能致癌的一组，但是每种物种的比重是不同的。

(4) 答案：B.only drinking dry red wine
解释：大部分建议涉及到打破常规的习惯，这需要坚持和动力。而作者提出的建议未涉及只喝干红。

为什么会“空中愤怒”

尽管这类事件不算常见，但是当此类事件发生时，空中愤怒会让乘客和机组成员感到不安。飞机是密闭空间，在飞行中也是无法报警的。行为不当的乘客无法被逐走。改变飞行航线会造成数十万美元的损失。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

incident事变；插曲['ɪnsɪd(ə)nt]

unruly不守规矩的[ʌn'ruːlɪ]

rage愤怒；狂暴[reɪdʒ]

intoxication陶醉；喝醉[ɪn,tɒksɪ'keɪʃn]

privileged给予……特权['prɪvəlɪdʒd]

upgraded升级；改善['ʌpgreidid]

foil衬托；阻止[fɔɪl]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

5分45秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分54秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

2分30秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分13秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

We are all suckers in the airline cabin class war（736 words）

By Michael Skapinker

In the 18 years since I acquired a British Airways frequent flyer card,I have,according to the My Flightpath section on the company’s website,spent 500 hours in the air.

As I started flying more than 40 years ago,and have used other airlines too,I should probably double that number. Yet in all that time,I have never seen an incident of air rage or even mild unpleasantness.

Air rage is relatively rare. The US Federal Aviation Administration recorded 99“enforcement actions”on unruly passengers last year — down from 145 in 2014 and 310 in 2004.

A worldwide study of airlines by the International Civil Aviation Organisation found that,between 2007 and 2013,there was an average of one unruly passenger incident every 1,708 flights,of which a fifth were serious enough to warrant police involvement after landing.

But when it does happen,air rage is disturbing for passengers and crew. An aircraft is an enclosed space. While it is in flight,police cannot be called. Misbehaving passengers cannot be removed. Diverting an aircraft can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Passenger arguments about reclining seats have caused incidents. So has people objecting to where they are sitting. Airlines say the main cause of air rage is intoxication. But now a study from the University of Toronto and Harvard Business School has found an additional trigger: class envy.

The academics studied several years of air rage data from an unnamed large international airline. They found that having two classes of seating on an aircraft increased the amount of air rage. This was particularly true when the economy passengers boarded at the front and walked past the better seats on the way to theirs.

It wasn’t just economy passengers who were more enraged when viewing the seating inequality. The first-class passengers were also more likely to behave badly if the economy passengers walked past their seats while boarding.

Until recently,I witnessed the class divide from the wrong side of the curtain. There was an era when the Financial Times allowed its journalists to fly business class,but it was so long ago that I can hardly remember.

Our travel rules specify economy,with the occasional merciful purse-string holder allowing premium economy if the flight is long enough.

Even so,I did so much FT flying last year that I woke up one day in a hotel bed,looked at my BA app and discovered that I had a silver card. This was an entry into a privileged world.

Before boarding,there is a separate security queue for the special card holders. There is access to airline lounges,with free snacks and drinks.

Best of all,if the flight is full,or an extended family in economy wants to sit together,you are suddenly upgraded to business class,which has happened to me three times.

For anyone used to economy,business class is a revelation. You can stretch out or lie flat. Meals come on plates rather than in foil containers. On my first upgrade,the flight attendant said to me:“You all right there?”“I’m not complaining,”I told her.“Good,”she said.“Let’s see if we can keep it that way.”

She could,of course. But as with all pleasurable experiences,the novelty fades and you can begin to view your surroundings more objectively.

Business class is far less cramped than economy,but you still have to step over people’s outstretched legs to reach the toilets. That reclinable seat is as narrow as an office chair.

The exclusive security queue has fewer people in it,but you still have to remove the metal from your pockets and take off your shoes or put your liquids in a see-through bag,depending on where you are flying from.

The lounges become as crowded as the seats outside and those inside seem to speak more loudly on their phones.

The Toronto-Harvard research suggests bad behaviour from higher-class passengers shows they are“more selfish,entitled and scornful”. I suspect it is also because they can’t understand why they aren’t happier.

It is the genius of the airline industry to make people so uncomfortable that they will pay thousands of dollars more to be less uncomfortable — but still sitting in conditions that would be intolerable at home.

While air rage can never be justified,it is remarkable how co-operative and even-tempered most passengers are,wherever they are sitting.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.How many years have the author had British Airways frequent flyer card?

A. 9

B. 18

C. 40

D. 36

答案(1)

2.How many“enforcement actions”on unruly passengers happened last year?

A. 80

B. 99

C. 145

D. 310

答案(2)

3.What is the main cause of air rage as airlines said?

A. class envy

B. reclining seats

C. talking loudly

D. intoxication

答案(3)

4.Which one is not mentioned as the privilege with silver card?

A. a separate security queue

B. be exempt from security check

C. airline lounges with free snacks

D. upgrade to business class

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.18
解释：作者拥有英国航空(British Airways)的常客飞行积分卡已经18年了，根据该公司网站上“我的航线”一栏，我已经在空中度过了500个小时。

(2) 答案：B.99
解释：去年，美国联邦航空管理局(FAA)记录了99起对不守规矩的乘客采取的“执法行动”——低于2014年的145起、以及2004年的310起。

(3) 答案：D.intoxication
解释：航空公司称，引发空中愤怒的主要原因是醉酒。但是，多伦多大学和哈佛商学院的一项研究发现了一个额外的诱发因素：阶级忌妒。

(4) 答案：B.be exempt from security check
解释：尽管专属安检通道排队的人比较少，但是你仍然需要安检。并且不得不把金属物件从口袋中掏出来、脱掉鞋或是把随身携带的液体放在透明袋中。

英国《金融时报》原文阅读精选集Vol.26

福利太好也是错？

Facebook、谷歌等公司福利是出名的好，免费的三餐小食、干洗按摩都是些小case。然而批评者认为，公司这样“无微不至“的照顾，不仅父母教育的自食其力相悖，还让员工越来越没有行为能力。尽管为了减少不必要的外出时间，但是又有几个有意义的点子在公司餐吧上出现的呢？

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

avocado鳄梨；牛油果[,ævə'kɑ:dəʊ]

canteen食堂，小卖部；水壶[kæn'tiːn]

stretch伸展；足够买[stretʃ]

celebrated著名的；有名望的['selɪbreɪtɪd]

midnight feast宵夜

perk小费；额外待遇[pɜːk]

infantilism幼稚行为[ɪn'fæntɪlɪz(ə)m]

anonymous匿名的[ə'nɒnɪməs]

hyperbolic双曲线的；夸张的[,haɪpə'bɒlɪk]

fuzzy模糊的；失真的['fʌzɪ]

assertion断言，声明[ə'sɜːʃ(ə)n]

fatigue疲乏；杂役[fə'tiːg]

penny-wise and pound-foolish因小失大；捡了芝麻丢了西瓜

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

4分54秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分25秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分9秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分6秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Free canteens are a dubious perk for Silicon Valley’s workers（664 words）

By Hannah Kuchler

One Saturday afternoon,I was sitting on my sofa in my San Francisco apartment,spooning out the insides of an avocado. I had bought it in the conventional way,at the supermarket.

“I wish Google bought more avocados,”sighed my roommate’s girlfriend,disappointed at the free canteen’s inability to anticipate her desires. Her tech employee salary could stretch to acres of avocados,but her workplace culture had not empowered her to make the journey to the shop herself.

Silicon Valley companies are celebrated for their free canteens,serving breakfast,lunch,dinner and all the snacks necessary for a midnight feast. Not having to worry about food is part of the lure for millennials.

But this apparently generous gift to young employees — which comes on top of high salaries and perks ranging from dry cleaning to massages — also infantilises them. They learn the exact opposite lesson from that which most parents strive to teach their teenagers: that it is good to take responsibility for feeding yourself.

“Amazing not to have to think about lunch,”writes a LinkedIn enterprise relationship manager in New York on Glassdoor,the employer review website. More than 100 LinkedIn employees mention the food.

An anonymous Facebook employee seems fearful of procuring a meal in a review from January 2015:“Free food!!! Cannot stress enough how much I love this. This saved seriously my life.”

Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin,in their 2004 letter to potential shareholders before the company’s initial public offering,pledged not to be“penny-wise and pound-foolish”by skimping on employee benefits. These,they pointed out,could help the company in the long term by increasing health and productivity. Other tech companies copied the idea: free food attracts staff,stops people losing time and helps to generate ideas by encouraging employees to mix at meal times. But do the arguments stack up?

The Glassdoor reviews prove the techies right: free food lures employees. But the appreciative reviewers are hopeless and hyperbolic. Nothing screams grown-up like three exclamation marks.

Does free food stop people wasting time? Probably not. For shareholders,the evidence is fuzzy. Google,Facebook and Twitter are among the many offering meals for free,but Apple and Microsoft do not. Long-term productivity gains are not yet reflected in the share prices: in the past 10 years,Apple has risen by more than 700 per cent compared with Google’s 225 per cent. Twitter’s problems with user growth do not seem to have been solved by well-fed engineers. Microsoft did not fail to magic up a mobile strategy because it charges in the canteen.

Perhaps the best argument for free food is that ideas can spread,skipping from team to team at canteen tables like food poisoning. But in my years of technology reporting,I have found no evidence that smart ideas were dreamt up over the salad bar. The approach may have worked better when Google was a small company,deciding in 1999 to hire its first chef,Charlie Ayers,who once catered for the Grateful Dead. It cannot work as well in canteens spread across 2m square feet in Mountain View and around the world.

Instead,I hear vague assertions that food is core to corporate culture. Any anthropologist will tell you that food and culture are closely linked,but what if it creates the wrong kind?

Free food rewards the not-quite-grown-up employees,while excluding staff who should be prized: those with the ability to work and hold outside responsibilities at the same time — such as fetching the groceries and parenting.

Silicon Valley worries about decision fatigue. Mark Zuckerberg uses this fear to justify his wardrobe full of grey T-shirts. Software engineers use it as an excuse to drink Soylent,the sludge-like meal replacement drink. But instead of running away from complexity,employees and leaders should get comfortable with a hard pace of decision-making. It may even help to practise on the smaller decisions in life,like my personal achievement of buying an avocado.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What is the aim of offering free foods,dry cleaning from Silicon Valley companies?

A. reduce the cost of living

B. promote themselves

C. attract the interns

D. lure for millennials

答案(1)

2.Which corporate behavior refers to“penny-wise and pound-foolish”as Google founders said?

A. fire staffs without experience

B. work from home

C. employee benefits are skimped

D. offer a midnight feast

答案(2)

3.which one of the following does not offer meals for free?

A. Google

B. Facebook

C. Twitter

D. Microsoft

答案(3)

4.Which company may be true of using great benefits?

A. foreign company

B. early-stage technology company

C. state-owned enterprise

D. large transnational corporation

答案(4)

(1) 答案：D.lure for millennials
解释：文章提到很多硅谷的公司提供免费的食品和干洗等服务以吸引年轻人（入职）。

(2) 答案：C.employee benefits are skimped
解释：谷歌创始人谢尔盖·布林(Sergey Brin)和拉里·佩奇(Larry Page)曾在2004年公司上市时写道，如果员工福利能够“节省员工大量时间并改善他们的健康状况和生产率”，那么削减福利就可能“因小失大”。

(3) 答案：D.Microsoft
解释：文章提到苹果和谷歌是不提供这样的福利的。

(4) 答案：B.early-stage technology company
解释：作者表示像谷歌初期那样规模较小的公司更适合提供优渥的福利以吸引人才。

再见吧我的东北老家！

据国家统计局数字显示，中国城市化水平1990年才达到18.96%，东北地区城市化水平最高，达到52.1%。而如今这里正面临人口危机，受过教育的千禧一代正离弃这个工业重地。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

demographic crisis人口危机

rust生锈[rʌst]

exodus大批的离去['eksədəs]

depletion损耗；放血[dɪ'pliːʃn]

elite精华；中坚分子[[eɪˈliːt]]

revitalise使新生；活力再现[ri:'vaitəlaiz]

bankruptcy破产['bæŋkrʌptsɪ]

hub中心；毂；木片[hʌb]

census人口普查，人口调查['sensəs]

fertility rate生育率；人口出生率

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分0秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分22秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分24秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分50秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

China’s rust belt faces exodus of young talent（505 words）

By Lucy Hornby and Archie Zhang in Beijing

North-eastern China is facing a demographic crisis as educated millennials abandon the industrial heartland,the country’s worst-performing region.

Planning officials revealed this month that the economy of Liaoning,one of the three northeastern provinces,had shrunk 2.2 per cent in the first nine months of the year — the largest regional contraction in China in seven years.

The depletion of the educated workforce has“worried”the central government,according to Zhou Jianping,director of the office in charge of transforming the north-east’s economy at the National Development and Reform Commission.“Most of the people who left that region are elites,at the management level or the backbone of production lines,”Mr Zhou said.

For younger workers,the slowdown is made worse by the region’s extreme reliance on the state. Most new jobs in China are created in private companies but north-eastern China is home to the state-backed heavy industrial companies and state-owned farms that form the Communist party’s traditional support base. In some cities,new jobs in government or state-owned enterprises only open when an older worker leaves,leading to a practice whereby parents or other family members will retire to create a slot for a younger relative.

In the 1990s,China’s three north-eastern provinces saw net immigration of 360,000 people,but from 2000 to 2010,2m left.

The region’s problems are despite several waves of measures to“revitalise”the north-east since the bankruptcy of the state sector in the 1990s pushed millions of Chinese out of work or into early retirement,a strategy that kept unemployment rolls low.

In the past two decades the region has seen a resources boom that briefly revived the steel and coal industries and a real estate bubble that is now deflating. Today,it is at the heart of government plans for capacity cuts at steel mills and coal mines,offset by new infrastructure investment.

Beijing this month announced proposals for a new private bank to wean the region off its dependence on the state and encourage more lively private entrepreneurship.

Liu Dalu,a transplant to Shanghai,China’s financial hub,said he had left his home town of Dalian because of the difficulty finding jobs without connections,known as guanxi in Chinese.“Sixty or 70 per cent of my classmates back in high school have left town and have no plans to come back.”

Young people who depart are likely to leave behind older parents with few family members to care for them. Many Chinese moved to the north-east from Shandong and central China in the early years of the Communist revolution to populate the state-run industrial base there. Dependence on state employers meant few couples violated the one-child policy,first instituted in the early 1980s and only fully relaxed to allow two children last year.

China’s 2010 census showed that the fertility rate of the north-east had dropped to only 0.75,too low to replace an ageing labour pool. More recent mid-cycle census data from 2015 has not yet been released,but is likely to show a further decline.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Which province’s economy of 9 months was the largest regional contraction in China in seven years?

A. Liaoning

B. Heilongjiang

C. Jilin

D. Tibet

答案(1)

2.What kind of companies could offer most new jobs in China?

A. heavy industrial companies

B. state-owned firms

C. private companies

D. technology firms

答案(2)

3.People in which province move to the north-east as majority in the early years?

A. Guangzhou

B. Shanghai

C. Sichuan

D. Shandong

答案(3)

4.People in which province move to the north-east as majority in the early years?

A. Shanxi

B. Hebei

C. Sichuan

D. Shandong

答案(4)

(1) 答案：A.Liaoning
解释：辽宁的经济在今年头9个月萎缩了2.2%——这是中国7年来出现的最大幅度的地区经济萎缩。

(2) 答案：C.private companies
解释：中国的大多数新增工作岗位都是私营公司创造的，但中国东北是国家支持的重工业企业和国有农场的所在地，这些企业和农场构成了中共传统的支持基础。

(3) 答案：D.Shandong
解释：早年，许多中国人从山东和中国中部地区迁移至东北，在那里的国营工业基地落户。

(4) 答案：D.Shandong
解释：是从山东和中国中部地区迁移至东北，在那里的国营工业基地落户。

英国仍有许多“课堂作业”要做

政客们往往喜欢高调、雄心勃勃的改革，而把细节丢在一边，结果往往令人失望。与其美化学校的“面子工程”，不如静下心把注意力放在教室里面。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

reform革新；重新组成[rɪ'fɔːm]

OECD经济合作与发展组织

tinkering铸补，熔补['tɪŋkərɪŋ]

curricula课程[kə'rɪkjʊlə]

pupil学生；未成年人['pjuːpɪl; -p(ə)l]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分39秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分43秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分39秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分55秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Britain still has a lot more homework to do（559 words）

By FT View

Politicians tend to obsess over high-profile,ambitious reforms,while brushing details aside. The results often disappoint. This is certainly true of British education policy,where too much effort has focused on devising new school structures and standards. The pedestrian question of what happens in the classroom has received less attention. This has been a mistake.

For all the reforms of recent decades,the latest Pisa results show that the performance of Britain’s students has not improved over the past decade. In Scotland and Wales,performance fell in the most recent exams. The tests,undertaken by the OECD every three years,compare the skills of more than half a million 15-year-old students in maths,reading and science across 72 countries. Britain has emerged from the rankings above the OECD average but lagging far behind east Asia,Canada and northern Europe.

If tinkering by well-meaning ministers were enough to lift up student results,Britain’s schools would lead the world. Almost every successive education minister has tried to improve testing and curricula,revise school structures and give more hand-holding to struggling schools — all that with the objective of making Britain one of the world’s top-five performers. They are right to try. Over time,poor instruction will hurt any country that relies,as Britain does,on a skilled and educated population for economic prosperity.

The power of international tests is that they allow approaches that work in one place to be tried in another. One general lesson is that spending more on education in rich countries does not buy better student results. The UK pays more than $115,000 per pupil from the age of 6 to 15,outspending many top performers.

Nor is it clear that the introduction of academic selection — as proposed under prime minister Theresa May’s plans to increase the number of grammar schools — would improve the record. The Pisa results show clearly that many countries that achieve outstanding results keep selection to a minimum.

What distinguishes top performers is their strong focus on what happens inside the classroom. They prioritise high-quality teaching over smaller classes. Students thrive when they are exposed to good teaching. It is surprising that this common sense notion needs reinforcement,but it does.

Simple in principle,achieving classroom success is not easy in practice. It means recruiting good teachers,motivating them to stay on,devising robust curricula and giving every pupil the same chance to succeed in school. According to a recent survey,four in five schools across the UK struggle to retain teachers,and two in five teachers in England are planning to leave the profession in the next five years.

The success stories say that excellent teachers stay on when they are given opportunities to grow with continuous support and pedagogical training. The government should also build on the success of imaginative initiatives that work to this end,such as TeachFirst which encourages university graduates to go into teaching.

Government ministers should be embarrassed to be reminded of Britain’s stagnant performance with each batch of Pisa results. For all the structural reforms,the quality of classroom teaching has been the hardest factor to prioritise. A handful of positive examples across the country,notably in London,show that concentrated efforts and resources make change possible. It is time for ministers to focus on what matters most. The future prosperity of the UK is at stake.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Where does British education policy focus on for the most part?

A. devising new school structures and standards

B. what happens in the classroom

C. students’mistakes

D. the type of math

答案(1)

2.If the OECD’s performance test was undertaken in 2015,when will be the next happen?

A. 2016

B. 2018

C. 2030

D. 2030

答案(2)

3.What is the power of international tests as mentioned?

A. international influence

B. comprehend by analogy

C. international influence

D. doing an aggressive sales pitch

答案(3)

4.How many percent of UK schools are struggling to retain teachers?

A. 20%

B. 40%

C. 60%

D. 80%

答案(4)

(1) 答案：A.devising new school structures and standards
解释：事实上英国的教育政策把过多的注意力放在设计新的学校结构和标准上，而不是关注真正在教室发生了什么。

(2) 答案：B.2018
解释：这个针对15岁学龄青少年的调查每三年一次。

(3) 答案：B.comprehend by analogy
解释：国际测试的动力在于，在这个地方生效的方法可以拿来在另一处尝试，即举一反三、触类旁通。

(4) 答案：D.80%
解释：更关注教室内的情况在实践起来并不容易，根据最近的一项调查，英国境内五分之四的学校面临“教师荒”，五分之二的教师子啊5年之内有离职计划。

出售用户信息的“另类交易”

大数据的快速增长正被寻求关键投资优势的资产管理者视为一项越来越有吸引力的信息来源，而数据提供商可以出售一切信息——从社交媒体聊天记录、用电邮发送的收据。然而出售前，很多这样的“另类数据”未能充分抹去个人资料。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

adequately足够地；适当地['ædikwitli]

scrub用力擦洗；使净化[skrʌb]

anonymise使匿名[ə'nɒnɪmaɪz]

consultancy咨询公司[kən'sʌlt(ə)nsɪ]

misuse滥用；误用[mɪs'juːz]

zealous热情的，积极的['zeləs]

hedge fund对冲基金 对冲基金（又称避险基金或套利基金，是指由金融期货、金融期权等金融衍生工具与金融组织结合后，以盈利为目的的金融基金。）

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分18秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分32秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分31秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分53秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Big data sellers fail to hide personal information,say funds（530 words）

By Robin Wigglesworth,US markets editor

The“alternative data”industry,which sells information such as app downloads and credit card purchases to investment groups,is failing to adequately erase personal details before sharing the material,according to several hedge funds.

The rapidly growing world of big data is seen as an increasingly attractive source of information for asset managers seeking a vital investment edge,with data providers selling everything from social media chatter and emailed receipts to federal lobbying data and even satellite images from space. But several hedge funds say some vendors are selling information that still contains sensitive personal information that could be used to identify individuals.

“The vendors claim to strip out all the personal information,but we occasionally find phone numbers,zip codes and so on,”said Matthew Granade,chief market intelligence officer at Steven Cohen’s Point72.“It’s a big enough deal that we have a couple of full-time tech people wash the data ourselves.”

The head of another major hedge fund said that even when personal information had been scrubbed from a data set,it was far too easy to restore.“We were shocked at how easy it was to de-anonymise the data,”he said.“It took one of my analysts 30 minutes to discover someone who was probably having an affair.”

Sophisticated algorithmic approaches such as“machine learning”allow money managers to sift through enormous data sets for profitable patterns. Tabb Group,a consultancy,estimates that in the US alone,spending on big data will double in the next five years to $400m,while CB Insights,a data provider,has counted at least 30 start-ups in the field.

But the torrent of information being offered for sale,and the sensitivity of some of it,has raised concerns. Robert Schoshinski,assistant director in the Federal Trade Commission’s division of privacy and identity protection,said the issue was“on the FTC’s radar”.

Mr Schoshinski would not be drawn on whether there were any open investigations into misuse of personal data,citing FTC policy,but said:“It raises a number of privacy issues,given the amount of data available and how you can cross-reference it.”The Securities and Exchange Commission declined to comment.

Hedge funds stress that most vendors do a good job,and Tammer Kamel,chief executive of Quandl,a well-reputed alternative data vendor,said his company was“super zealous”about scrubbing any personal information out of its aggregated data.“No one wants to be on the wrong side of this,”he said.

Another hedge fund manager pointed out that if there were any legal issues,the litigation axe would be more likely to fall on them than the data vendors.“We are incredibly careful about licensing and privacy issues because when things go wrong legally,the plaintiffs go after the people with the money,”he said.

But there is no overarching US privacy law to protect consumers,with standards set individually by different states,industries and even companies,according to Albert Gidari,director of privacy at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society. Still,there are no signs of a backlash.

“Ultimately,history shows how willing people are to give up some privacy for some convenience,”Mr Gidari said.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.what could sensitive personal information be used to as several hedge funds said?

A. to steal card information

B. to identify individuals

C. to send spam

D. to discover someone who was probably having an affair

答案(1)

2.How many people did Point72 hire to wash the data?

A. 2

B. 4

C. 6

D. 0

答案(2)

3.What can help money managers to sift through enormous data sets for profitable patterns?

A. full-time tech people

B. sophisticated algorithmic approaches

C. sophisticated robots

D. strict law and legislation

答案(3)

4.Who is likely to be punished if there are any legal issues?

A. data vendors

B. algorithmic approaches

C. hedge fund managers

D. users

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.to identify individuals
解释：多家对冲基金表示，一些卖家出售的信息仍包含可被用于识别个人的敏感个人信息。

(2) 答案：A.2
解释：对冲基金Point72的首席市场情报官马修·格拉内德(Matthew Granade)说。“问题相当严重，以至于我们有两名专职技术人员负责清洗数据。”(a couple of full-time tech people)。

(3) 答案：B.sophisticated algorithmic approaches
解释：“机器学习”等复杂算法可以使得资金管理人可以梳理海量数据集，从中发现有利可图的规律。

(4) 答案：C.hedge fund managers
解释：一位对冲基金经理指出，如果出现法律问题，诉讼的矛头更有可能落在他们身上，而非数据提供商。

乔丹击败乔丹体育到底有多难?

北京时间12月8日，最高人民法院就乔丹商标争议行政纠纷系列案件给出了最终的宣判。据官方媒体称，该公司为其商标辩护的理由是，许多人——包括4600名中国公民——都叫“乔丹”这个名字，“乔丹”这两个字让人联想起中国南方常见的草和树木。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

soy milk豆奶；豆浆

silhouette轮廓，剪影[,sɪlʊ'et]

Heineken喜力（荷兰啤酒品牌）

verdict结论；裁定['vɜːdɪkt]

jersey运动衫，毛线衫['dʒɜːzɪ]

registration注册；挂号[redʒɪ'streɪʃ(ə)n]

malicious恶毒的；蓄意的[mə'lɪʃəs]

obsession痴迷；困扰[əb'seʃ(ə)n]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

4分17秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分5秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分55秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分1秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Michael Jordan claims victory in China trademark dispute（613 words）

By Tom Hancock in Hong Kong

China’s top court has ruled that Michael Jordan has rights over the Chinese translation of his surname,cancelling several trademarks that a local sports company registered to market products from swimsuits to soy milk.

The former Chicago Bulls basketball star sued Qiaodan Sports in 2012,saying the company — whose logo is a silhouette of a leaping basketball player — built its business around his Chinese surname Qiaodan（pronounced chow-dan) without permission.

It is a rare victory for a foreign brand in China,where companies from Apple to Heineken have lost trademark battles. But observers said the verdict did not guarantee the immediate disappearance of the name from the company’s basketball jerseys.

The supreme court on Thursday overturned previous verdicts supporting three of the Chinese company’s trademarks,adding that Mr Jordan’s right to use his name had been violated by Qiaodan,which had deliberately misled the public.

Citing Mr Jordan’s fame in China,judge Tao Kaiyuan said“Qiaodan’s registration of the disputed trademarks clearly showed malicious intent”,in an hour-long ruling that was streamed live on the court’s website. The trademarks cover several kinds of sports clothing,drinks and even Christmas tree decorations.

Mr Jordan is the highest-paid athlete of all time with earnings of $1.7bn since 1984,according to Forbes. He is hugely popular in China,where basketball — in particular the NBA — is a national obsession.

The case is the latest example of a high-profile western brand running into Chinese trademark trouble. Apple was forced in 2012 to pay $60m to a local company that had registered the iPad name after a court rejected its right to the trademark.

Mr Jordan said in a statement:“I am happy that the Supreme People’s Court has recognised the right to protect my name through its ruling in the trademark cases.”But the ruling represents only a partial victory for Mr Jordan,who has disputed as many as 70 of Qiaodan’s trademarks. Many of those are nearly impossible to revoke under Chinese law,which protects trademarks registered more than five years ago. The court also ruled that the company could keep trademarks using Qiaodan in Pinyin,a Romanised version of Chinese.

Qiaodan said in a statement that the supreme court had rejected Mr Jordan’s request to cancel 50 trademarks — probably those older than five years. The ruling“won’t have any impact on all on the trademarks the company is currently using”,it added.

A person close to Mr Jordan’s legal team said they viewed the verdict as a step towards victory in an upcoming civil case in Shanghai,which they hope will prevent Qiaodan from using their client’s name on its products and result in compensation of Rmb50m（$7m) — a sum Mr Jordan says will be donated towards basketball’s development in China.

The Chinese company started life in the 1980s as Fujian Province Jinjiang Township Chendi Brookside General Supplies Factory Number Two,reinventing itself as Qiaodan Sports in 2000.

It has defended its trademarks by saying that many people — including 4,600 Chinese citizens — have the name Jordan,and that the characters comprising the name evoke grass and trees found in southern China,according to state-run media.

Joe Simone,an intellectual property specialist based in Hong Kong,said Friday’s rulings left it uncertain whether Mr Jordan and Nike,which sells trainers under his name,could prevent the Chinese company from using the name through future proceedings.

Given the difficulties in overturning trademarks,the lesson for foreign businesses is clear,he added:“File for your marks in China early — preferably at the same time as you file in your home country. The Chinese market can be lucrative. But only if you have registered your names,designs and inventions locally.”

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.When did Michael Jordan sue Qiaodan Sports in China?

A. 1998

B. 2011

C. 2012

D. 2016

答案(1)

2.Which one is not right for Apple’s case in China?

A. Apple lost the trademark battle

B. Apple got $60m from a local company as compensation

C. verdict result was published in 2012

D. the Chinese company registered the iPad name first

答案(2)

3.Why is it nearly impossible to revoke the most Qiaodan’s trademarks?

A. the Chinese company has changed the name

B. they were registered more than five years

C. they are meaningless now

D. foreign brands are unprotected

答案(3)

4.Where did the Chinese company started life in the 1980s?

A. New York

B. Beijing

C. Fujian

D. Hongkong

答案(4)

(1) 答案：C.2012
解释：这位芝加哥公牛队前篮球明星在2012年起诉乔丹体育(Qiaodan Sports)，称该公司（其公司标识是一个在赛场上驰骋的篮球运动员的剪影）在未经许可的情况下，用他的中文姓氏“乔丹”打造了业务。

(2) 答案：B.Apple got $60m from a local company as compensation
解释：2012年，苹果在法院拒绝其商标权后，被迫向一家当地公司支付6000万美元，后者抢先注册了iPad名称。

(3) 答案：B.they were registered more than five years
解释：这项裁决对乔丹来说只是部分胜利；乔丹对乔丹公司的70多个商标提出异议。中国法律保护那些在超过5年前注册的商标，这意味着其中许多商标几乎不可能撤销。

(4) 答案：C.Fujian
解释：乔丹公司诞生于上世纪80年代，原名是福建省晋江市陈埭溪边日用品二厂，2000年更名为乔丹体育。

新年将至，送什么给你的宝贝

这几年你都买过什么价值不菲的玩具送给小朋友，却在玩过一次后就被遗忘在角落蒙灰？什么样的玩具才是小朋友的心头好？

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

exorbitant过高的；（性格等）过分的[ɪg'zɔːbɪt(ə)nt]

toddler学步的小孩；幼童装['tɒdlə]

gadget小玩意；小器具['gædʒɪt]

niche有利可图的市场[niːʃ; nɪtʃ]

gymnastics体育；体操运动[dʒɪm'næstɪks]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

5分17秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

3分12秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

2分43秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分18秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Parents turn entrepreneurial to make Christmas gifts（781 words）

By Maija Palmer

The robot dog still makes me cross. We spent an exorbitant sum on it last Christmas,my son played with it for about three hours and since then it has been gathering dust. It is too depressing to calculate the cost per hour of play.

Another Christmas tech failure was the kid-friendly digital camera that drained AA batteries at an alarming rate. It has not been used since the toddler filled the memory card with 734 blurry pictures of her socks,which no one can be bothered to look through or delete.

I am not the only one who struggles with tech Christmas presents for children.“Gadgets don’t really get used,”sighs Maria Little,a parenting coach and mother of four.“They play with it for a week then forget about it.”

Despite tech toys getting plenty of column inches in newspaper Christmas-gift wish lists,sales of technology-based toys have not dominated the charts of best-sellers.

“Over the last couple of years there has been a trend for connected toys and we thought there would be a big rise in their sales,”says Frédérique Tutt,global toy industry analyst at market researcher NPD Group.“But they still account for less than 1 per cent of all toy sales. It is very niche.”

A new version of the 1998 electronic pet,Furby,complete with a Bluetooth connection and app,is at the top of NPD’s best-selling toy list,but most are old-fashioned games,dolls and Lego sets,says Ms Tutt.

There is,however,a growing group of parents-turned-entrepreneurs who are trying to create better tech toys. One is Bethany Koby,who founded toy company Technology Will Save Us after becoming frustrated with the tech toys available for her son.

“Tech toys don’t really engage kids in a productive,participative range of experiences,”she says.“They don’t keep up with the pace of kids.”Her company sells,among other things,conductive play dough,that children can roll out to make electric circuits. Ms Koby believes that toys which allow children to build physical things will keep them engaged for longer.

An increasing number of toys combine the physical and digital,teaching children the basics of coding and encouraging them to take an interest in Stem（science,technology,engineering and maths) subjects.

Sharmi Albrechtsen’s failure to find educational but fun toys for her daughter led to the launch of SmartGurlz,Barbie-like fashion dolls that ride on mini-robots controlled through an app. The app teaches the basics of coding as users program the robots to move around.

“First,people were developing apps for children,now they are looking at ways to make things more concrete for a child,using physical things,”says Reyne Rice,a toy trends expert.

Making things more concrete and physical is also a concern for parents of older children,who fear losing their teenagers into a separate world of YouTube videos and instant messaging.

A study by research group Common Sense Media found that American teenagers spend on average about nine hours a day using electronic media,including watching TV,playing games and using social media.

Passive use of technology is a core concern for parents of older children,says Ms Little. She surveyed more than 180 parents while conducting market research for a new app.“Most parents with children under eight were looking for an app that limited screen time. Those with children over eight wanted something that engaged kids in normal activities. Their biggest fear was their kids becoming too passive and losing their creativity,”she says.

It is a reasonable fear. The Common Sense Media study found that US teens spent just 3 per cent of their time on electronic media on creative content,such as composing music,writing blogs or making artwork. About a third of parents of 12 to 15-year-olds surveyed by Ofcom,the UK communications regulator,said that their child’s screen time gets in the way of family activities.

One tech toy trying to pull older children back into the physical world is Happy Atoms,created by Jesse Schell and initially financed through a crowdfunding programme this year. Though it has an app,it mainly consists of physical rods and balls representing atoms that can be stuck to each other with magnets to make molecules. It is a hands-on way to show children how chemistry works.

“Parents like the physical part of toys like this. They are looking for toys and games that bring back the social part of family life,”says trends expert Ms Rice.“Technology has taken social awareness and social skills and put them on a backburner recently. Parents are now looking for ways to bring that back.”

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What is children’s attitude towards new tech toys at the beginning of the article?

A. temporary love

B. uneducated

C. hateful

D. permanent love

答案(1)

2.When was the first Furby“born”?

A. 1990

B. 1998

C. 2000

D. 2010

答案(2)

3.What will keep children engaged toys for longer by Bethany Koby said?

A. more technology content

B. add some emotion

C. accompanied by parents

D. build physical things

答案(3)

4.How many hours do American teenagers spend on using electronic media per day in a general way?

A. 3

B. 6

C. 9

D. 12

答案(4)

(1) 答案：A.temporary love
解释：从前三段可知，孩子们对于这种科技玩具总是短暂的激情。

(2) 答案：B.1998
解释：首先被制造于1998,Furby 实际上是有五个传感器的机器玩具。

(3) 答案：D.build physical things
解释：Technology Will Save Us公司的创始人认为，在玩具中加入动手DIY的元素，会延迟小朋友对玩具的失去耐心。

(4) 答案：C.9
解释：根据Common Sense Media的调查，美国青少年每天在电视、游戏或使用社交软件等上面平均花费9个小时。

为什么我们不能接受死亡？

因为恐惧，因为疼痛——或许是所有这些负面的观感，让我们难以接受死亡。近日盛大创始人陈天桥和雒芊芊向加州理工学院捐赠1.15亿美元用于大脑研究，目的是帮助人类接受死亡。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

institute协会；学院['ɪnstɪtjuːt]

mortality死亡率；必死性[mɔː'tælɪtɪ]

philanthropy慈善；慈善事业[fɪ'lænθrəpɪ]

endowed赋予；捐赠[[in'dau]]

perception洞察力；获取[pə'sepʃ(ə)n]

neuroscience神经系统科学['njuːrəʊsaɪəns]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分57秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分20秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分23秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分50秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Chinese donors fund studies into acceptance of death（501 words）

By Jeevan Vasagar in Singapore

A billionaire couple who pioneered internet games in China are donating $115m to the California Institute of Technology for brain research in an effort to help humans accept mortality.

The gift by Tianqiao Chen and Chrissy Luo,founders of Shanda — which began life as an online games developer before transforming into an investment group with stakes in Lending Club and Legg Mason — underlines the increasingly prominent role played by mainland Chinese entrepreneurs in global philanthropy.

“How can we cure death? That is the key of our philanthropy vision,”Mr Chen told the Financial Times. Understanding how the brain and mind worked would enable people to master emotions such as pain and fear.

“Why can’t we accept death?”he said.“Because of fear,because of pain — all the negative perception.”

The gift,which includes endowed funds,will create a neuroscience institute at Caltech named after the couple. They say it is intended for pure research,the direction of which will be decided by the university.

This will include building a $200m biosciences facility at the university in Pasadena,California. Caltech is contributing resources to the project.

Thomas Rosenbaum,Caltech president,said the university and the couple shared a vision of translating scientific insights into the brain into a“deeper understanding of how human beings perceive and interact with the world”.

The initiative is the latest high-profile donation to elite US universities by a new generation of Chinese entrepreneurs.

Chinese Ivy League graduates such as Neil Shen of Sequoia China have been generous donors to their alma maters. Zhang Xin,the real estate mogul,and Pan Shiyi,her husband,signed a $15m gift agreement with Harvard in 2014.

In May,Charles Chen Yidan,Tencent co-founder,launched a $7.6m annual award aimed at recognising outstanding research in education.

Mr Chen,43,and his wife,40,founded their business together in 1999 and have a fortune of $3.43bn,according to the Hurun Report’s annual China Rich List.

Nasdaq-listed Shanda Interactive became the largest Chinese games company by market capitalisation in 2004,later spinning off its games unit Shanda Games in a separate US initial public offering that raised $1.04bn — the biggest US public offering for a Chinese internet business at the time.

Shanda Group sold its stake in Shanda Games in 2014. The privately owned Singapore-based investment group has about $8bn in net assets under management,according to Mr Chen’s LinkedIn profile.

As well as its substantial stakes in US public companies,Shanda Group is an investor in ElMindA,an Israeli start-up specialising in medical technology analysing brain function,and SpaceVR,a US start-up that aims to offer virtual reality space tourism.

The couple plans to hire a chief scientist for Shanda Group to help direct future charitable giving and say the philanthropic support for brain research dovetails with an investment interest in technology that interfaces between computers and people.

“Our philanthropy is to find out the secret of the brain,but our technology is to leverage our brain,”Mr Chen said.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What is relationship between Tianqiao Chen and Chrissy Luo?

A. husband and wife

B. cousins

C. sister and brother

D. teacher and student

答案(1)

2.What kind of company is Shanda after transforming?

A. online games developer

B. charity organization

C. investment group

D. medical corporation

答案(2)

3.Who will decide the use of their gift,including endowed funds?

A. Shanda Games

B. the couple

C. white House

D. the neuroscience institute named after the couple

答案(3)

4.When did the couple found their business together?

A. 1992

B. 1999

C. 2004

D. 2014

答案(4)

(1) 答案：A.husband and wife
解释：盛大创始人陈天桥和雒芊芊是夫妻。

(2) 答案：C.investment group
解释：盛大最初是一家网络游戏开发商，后来转型为一家投资集团，持有Lending Club和美盛(Legg Mason)股份。

(3) 答案：
解释：包括捐赠资金的这份礼物将在加州理工学院创建一个以这对夫妇命名的神经科学研究所。他们表示，解释：该所将开展纯研究，具体方向将由校方决定。

(4) 答案：B.1999
解释：现年43岁的陈天桥和40岁的妻子在1999年创业。在纳斯达克(Nasdaq)上市的盛大互动(Shanda Interactive)在2004年成为中国市值最大的游戏公司。

如何打造天才儿童

作为父母望子成龙是难免的，但是成为天才儿童，是不可避免的遗传命运、还是虎爸虎妈的“人工打造”？是顺境中的水到渠成、还是逆境中的不断磨砺？

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

beg恳求；回避正题[beg]

adversity逆境；不幸[əd'vɜːsɪtɪ]

cyanide氰化物['saɪənaɪd]

bereaved丧失亲人的人[bɪ'rivd]

misfortune不幸；灾祸[mɪs'fɔːtʃuːn; -tʃ(ə)n]

inevitable必然的，不可避免的[ɪn'evɪtəb(ə)l]

variant变体；转化['veərɪənt]

prodigy奇事；奇才['prɒdɪdʒɪ]

biography列传，传记[baɪ'ɒgrəfɪ]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

4分53秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分51秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分45秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分57秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

How to create a child genius（579 words）

By Oliver James

What are the root causes of exceptional achievement?

When it comes to specific skills,such as playing the piano or golf,the answer often given is 10,000 hours of practice. But that begs the question of why some are motivated more than others.

One answer is childhood adversity. According to Parental Loss and Achievement by Samuel N Eisenstadt,Pierre DeSenardens and Marvin Eisenstadt,evidence suggests the loss of a parent before the age of 15 is a driver for many.

But before you reach for the cyanide so that little Johnnie or Clementine can excel,remember that the vast majority of the early bereaved are put at greater risk of depression,antisocial behaviour and underperformance.

So how to become a Jean-Paul Sartre or Gandhi? Strong clues as to the attributes required are provided in a recent report titled Winning Attitudes by Amanda Potter of Zircon Management Consultants. Half the 42 exceptional achievers her team interviewed had suffered a severe misfortune. This had spurred them to show others that they could succeed,redoubling their efforts in the face of the inevitable failures along the way.

Genes are the obvious candidates to explain why this happens,except that none have yet been found that give a reason for our individual psychology.

The Human Genome Project has drawn a blank in finding specific genetic variants that significantly explain any differences in our psychology. As this contradicts study findings of identical twins,the scientific literature dubs the results:“The Missing Heritability”. But it is increasingly looking to be more a case of nonexistent,than missing.

That leaves nurture and there can be no question that this plays a major part. In the great majority of cases,one or both parents have taken a strong interest in the top achiever from a young age. In the case of prodigies,virtually all known examples were hothoused and their role in the family script seems critical.

Most common is the favoured child who has sought the love of one or both parents through performance,frequently fulfilling the parent’s unfulfilled ambition. That seems to be why it was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,and not his talented older sister,who became the great composer.

In the case of Tiger Woods,an only son,his father Earl could have been an American football star. Before their son’s birth,he and his wife Kultilda decided to create a world-class champion,according to biographies of the golfer,using a mix of hard-won approval for successes and harsh hostility for failures. In 1997,age 21,Woods became the youngest winner of the US Masters.

But not all hothousing is necessarily harmful. In the 1960s,Laszlo Polgar was a Hungarian educational psychologist who courted Klara,his future wife,with the idea that they could create chess geniuses out of their offspring. Of their three daughters,the eldest became the first female grandmaster,their second-born achieved the fifth best single performance in chess history and the third was also a grandmaster.

The difference was that the Polgars were careful to treat chess in the early years as a playful activity. Where Woods’parents pushed for perfection,the Polgars encouraged enjoyment.

Behind every exceptional achiever I have studied there is either severe childhood adversity or hothousing,or,in a few cases such as the Polgars,a mutual enjoyment of a favourite activity,or a mixture of these.

The takeaway for parents is to stop being so obsessed with outcomes and embrace the playfulness of your children.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Until when could the loss of a parent be a driver of exceptional achievement?

A. the age of 5

B. the age of 10

C. the age of 15

D. the age of 25

答案(1)

2.What may happen to the vast majority of the early bereaved?

A. negative behaviors

B. positive behaviors

C. suicide

D. to be a genius

答案(2)

3.Why Mozart became the great composer rather than his older sister?

A. genes

B. parents' favour

C. 10,000 hours of practice

D. psychological age

答案(3)

4.What is the author’s attitude towards creating a child genius?

A. keep pulling it

B. have great ambitions for children

C. let nature take its course

D. create the adversity

答案(4)

(1) 答案：C.the age of 15
解释：Samuel N Eisenstadt、Pierre DeSenardens和Marvin Eisenstadt的经历表明，在15岁之前失去亲人（的逆境）或许是成为天才的一个动因。

(2) 答案：A.negative behaviors
解释：并非所有人都可以经受得住，对于大多数人，这样的打击会产生抑郁、反社会行为和表现不佳这样的消极行为。

(3) 答案：B.parents' favour
解释：是由于父母的宠爱不同，导致莫扎特的姐姐Maria Anna Mozart没能取得像弟弟一天成为知名的作曲家（姐姐小时候很有天赋，但是当时重男轻女）。

(4) 答案：C.let nature take its course
解释：文章最后作者表示父母不应该过度执念于结果，拥抱孩子的趣味成长，顺其自然即可。

亚马逊为什么要开线下实体杂货店？

亚马逊进军实体店，标志着它的一个戏剧性转变——告别仅供线上战略。正是该战略的成功，使这家公司成为全世界市值最高的企业之一。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

grocery食品杂货店['grəʊs(ə)rɪ]

tilted倾斜的，翘起的[tɪlt]

browse浏览；吃草[braʊz]

bricks-and-mortar传统的实体企业

departure出发；违背[dɪ'pɑːtʃə]

underscore强调[ʌndə'skɔː]

elusive难懂的；易忘的[ɪ'l(j)uːsɪv]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

4分56秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分26秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分10秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分6秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Amazon’s drive-in grocery store marks new offline push（667 words）

By Leslie Hook in Seattle

On a grey industrial block in north-west Seattle,the lights are already turned on in a building that has no name. This is set to be Amazon’s new grocery store,one of two that will open soon in its home town,marking the retailer’s first step into physical stores for grocery and convenience items.

It will be anything but your typical convenience store,however. The store functions around a drive-in concept,and features a large tilted awning that gives it the air of a 1950s drive-in diner. Customers who come here will not browse the aisles — they will order their goods online in advance,then stay in their car while their groceries are brought out to them.

Amazon’s move into bricks-and-mortar outlets marks a dramatic departure from its online-only strategy,whose success has made the company one of the most valuable businesses in the world. It also underscores a key new goal,one that has so far proved elusive: mastering the grocery market.

The company has been expanding its grocery delivery programme,Amazon Fresh. It has more than doubled its footprint this year and expanded to 17 markets,including London,yet Amazon controls just 1 per cent of the $800bn US grocery market,according to estimates from Cowen and Company.

“Grocery is the company’s biggest potential for revenue upside,”says John Blackledge,a Cowen analyst. He estimates that Amazon’s food and beverages sales could grow from $9bn this year,to $23bn in five years,making it one of the top 10 grocers in the US.

This could spell tough competition for Amazon competitors such as Walmart,which controls a fifth of the US food and beverage market,as well as smaller players such as Kroger and Albertson’s. Walmart is struggling to find growth in its grocery sales,which fell 2 per cent in October compared with the previous year,according to a consumer survey by Cowen. Amazon’s grocery sales grew 12 per cent in the same period.

Amazon’s experiments with physical stores come at a time when its soaring overall sales give it room to test out new strategies. In the past 12 months,Amazon’s sales rose to $117bn（excluding Amazon Web Services),up 25 per cent from the same period a year earlier — vastly outpacing the growth of the US online retail market.

Despite this,more than 80 per cent of US retail sales remain offline,and those familiar with the company’s thinking say Amazon is looking for new ways to get a piece of such sales.

Although groceries are a notoriously low-margin business,shoppers tend to purchase items more frequently than any other category. This makes it highly desirable from Amazon’s point of view,as the company works to get users ever more hooked on its Prime membership service,which could in future include groceries,and to cross-sell other items to grocery shoppers.

Mark Mahaney,analyst at RBC,points out that Amazon’s retail margins are already in the low single digits,and thus not dramatically different from typical operating margins in the grocery business.

A one-year subscription to Amazon Fresh,the company’s grocery delivery service,currently costs $15 a month. Amazon declined to answer questions about its new stores for this piece.

Analysts caution that the drive-in grocery stores are still an experiment at this point.“Do I expect them to set up a chain of physical retail stores? Absolutely not,”says Mr Mahaney.

However,the company has recently starting increasing its brick-and-mortar presence in other areas too. Amazon opened its first physical bookstore a year ago,in Seattle. It has since opened two more,in Portland and in San Diego,with a fourth set to open in Chicago next year.

Analysts expect that it is only a matter of time before Amazon starts testing out bricks-and-mortar strategies in other areas,starting with apparel. Amazon has already upended the traditional retail market with the success of its online model,and now it is looking to take the fight closer to its rivals’home turf.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Which one is not right about Amazon’s new grocery store?

A. it functions around a drive-in concept

B. it also provides 1950s cocktails

C. customers should order their goods online in advance

D. a large tilted awning is the feature

答案(1)

2.What has made Amazon been one of the most valuable businesses in the world so far?

A. online-only strategy

B. typical convenience store

C. expanding grocery delivery programme

D. efficient physical logistics

答案(2)

3.Who controls a fifth of the US food and beverage market now?

A. Amazon

B. Kroger and Albertson’s

C. Cowen and Company

D. Walmart

答案(3)

4.How much should customers pay for subscription to Amazon Fresh throughout the year?

A. 15 dollars

B. 150 dollars

C. 180 dollars

D. 365 dollars

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.it also provides 1950s cocktails
解释：然而，它绝不同于你见过的传统便利店。这家店围绕“免下车”概念打造，以巨大的倾斜雨篷为特色，营造出一种上世纪50年代汽车餐厅的氛围，并不提供相关餐饮。

(2) 答案：A.online-only strategy
解释：正是仅供线上战略的成功，使这家公司成为全世界市值最高的企业之一。

(3) 答案：D.Walmart
解释：到目前为止，沃尔玛控制着美国五分之一的食品饮料市场。

(4) 答案：C.180 dollars
解释：目前订购一年的亚马逊生鲜服务（亚马逊的食品杂货配送服务），每月只需支付15美元。

中国HIV新发病例趋势引发担忧

中国年轻男性同性恋者和60岁以上人群艾滋病毒(HIV)感染病例增多，这提出了一个问题，艾滋病是否正在不认为自己有感染风险的人群中悄然传播。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

HIV-positive艾滋病病毒测试呈阳性的

HIVhuman immunodeficiency virus,艾滋病病毒

stigma耻辱；污名

homosexuality同性恋['hɒməʊ,seksjʊ'ælətɪ]

hook-up连接；联播

prostitute妓女；卖淫['prɒstɪtjuːt]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

5分34秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分48秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

2分25秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分12秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Increase in number of HIV cases in China raises concerns（720 words）

By Lucy Hornby and Archie Zhang in Beijing

A rise in HIV cases among young gay men and people over 60 in China has raised the question of whether the disease is spreading undetected among people who do not consider themselves at risk.

Figures from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention released ahead of World Aids Day on Thursday,show 96,000 new HIV cases in the first nine months of this year,putting China on track to exceed the 115,000 new cases recorded in 2015. The country accounts for about 3 per cent of new HIV cases worldwide,and 2 per cent of the total global HIV-positive population.

Trends among the new cases indicate government efforts to manage HIV may be missing the mark.

“China is one of the countries with the best data but that comes at a price,”said Catherine Sozi,UNAids country director in China. Chinese data reflect documented HIV cases,not the survey projections used in many other countries.“By the time you know every gay man who is HIV positive or every female sex worker the disease has moved elsewhere.”

Of the new cases this year,28 per cent involved men who have sex with men. Last year’s data also showed new cases rising among young people and particularly among gay college students. Chinese commentators view this as a consequence of the stigma attached to homosexuality in China,which might prevent people from being tested for HIV,while non-government organisations worry that a crackdown on NGOs limits their ability to reach the gay community.

But Dr Sozi believes the new cases among gay men reflect not a failure to reach them,but the Chinese gay community’s relative success in persuading people to get tested. Blued,a gay hook-up app with millions of users,has initiated Aids-education campaigns and operates several free testing centres in Beijing. Its campaign could be boosted by the introduction of self-testing kits that allow people to test in privacy,without having to out themselves at a state-run hospital.

The World Health Organisation this week formally recommended the use of self-testing to help reach the estimated 14m people globally who do not know they are HIV positive. In China that includes young gay men who typically have very little sex education when they become sexually active in high school or college.

“Chinese society still has lots of misunderstanding toward homosexuality and Aids so affected people are reluctant to receive help from the government and NGOs,”says Blued founder Geng Le.

In a sign of evolving social norms,Chinese social media cheered when Aids testing kits popped up at a handful of universities in Beijing and Chengdu.“The school is so concerned about gays,”one post said,while others complained that testing kits should also be available in women’s bathrooms.

But outreach to groups known to be at risk could bypass migrant workers or sexually active college students,populations that are unaware Aids is a risk.

Chinese government officials and society believe Aids is limited to gay men,drug users,prostitutes and pockets of people who contracted the disease from blood sales or transfusions.“A whole generation may know about Aids,they are aware,but they don’t think it has anything to do with them,”Dr Sozi said.

She points to the otherwise unusual rise of Aids among older people — a group that could reflect migrant workers who visited prostitutes far from home and the wives they returned to after a life on the road. Figures show 15 per cent of the new cases in 2015 were recorded among people over the age of 60.

Chinese NGOs can apply for grants to do outreach to known at-risk groups,after Chinese premier Li Keqiang personally allocated money from the central government budget to fill a gap when international agencies stopped funding China programmes around 2013.

Provincial governments are also relatively flexible in allocating Aids spending to cities and regions where it is known to be prevalent. Only six provinces account for about 60 per cent of China’s known HIV cases.

While Chinese data track individuals diagnosed with HIV,it does not record the secondary infections that kill most Aids patients. In Africa,that is often tuberculosis,a disease that is common among segments of Chinese society including coal miners that are not categorised as at-risk groups for Aids.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.When is the World Aids Day?

A. November 11

B. December 1

C. December 12

D. The first Thursday in November

答案(1)

2.Why did Catherine think the data in China is best?

A. documented HIV cases

B. used survey projections

C. wider variability

D. strict security measures

答案(2)

3.Who is the main user group of Blued?

A. transgender

B. homosexuality

C. HIV carrier

D. students

答案(3)

4.Where can people find Aids testing kits in Chengdu and Beijing?

A. women’s bathrooms

B. hospitals

C. universities

D. whorehouses

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.December 1
解释：12月1日是世界艾滋病日，文章提到是昨天（周四）

(2) 答案：A.documented HIV cases
解释：中国的数据反映记录在案的HIV病例，而其他许多国家使用调查预测的数字。“等到你获知每一个HIV阳性的男同性恋者或者女性性工作者，疾病已经转移到其他地方。”

(3) 答案：B.homosexuality
解释：Blued是男同性恋交友应用软件

(4) 答案：C.universities
解释：当艾滋病试剂盒出现在北京和成都的几所大学时，中国社交媒体曾拍手称快。

英国《金融时报》原文阅读精选集Vol.27

机器人抢饭碗 什么岗位较安全？

今天各个行业不断加入“机器人同事”，不少白领担心自己饭碗不保。而在个人金融问题上，掺杂着太多现实社会中的复杂情况和情感，或许这个岗位的你，暂时不用担心位置被取代？

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

venture capital风险投资

allure诱惑；吸引[əˈlʊə(r)]

lucrative赚钱的；合算的['luːkrətɪv]

onus义务；负担['əʊnəs]

enduring持久的；能忍受的[ɪn'dʒɔːrɪŋ; en-]

portfolio证券投资组合[pɔːt'fəʊlɪəʊ]

column专栏；圆柱['kɒləm]

quantitative定量的；量的['kwɒntɪ,tətɪv; -,teɪtɪv]

scenario情节；剧本[sɪ'nɑːrɪəʊ]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

5分32秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分46秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

2分24秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分11秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Robots can’t solve real-world financial problems（717 words）

By Jason Butler

Barely a week goes by these days without a new online or app-based investment service being launched. Many millions of pounds of venture capital money has flowed into these start-up businesses,based on the allure of lucrative,percentage-based fees for providing investment management.

Typically,these new digital investment firms offer a slick website or app with pretty and engaging graphics. After answering some simple questions,the customer is shown a range of potential investment outcomes,and then“guided”to an investment strategy before being invited to sign up to the firm’s investment service.

The site or app is generally free to use,but the main attraction is that services are cheaper than those provided by most traditional wealth managers,stockbrokers and financial advisers: the total cost for most digital investment services is in the region of 1 per cent a year,compared with between 1.4 to 2.2 per cent a year for traditional advice firms.

Most of these new digital investment providers do not provide personal advice,because this would make the sales process too complicated,few people would persevere to the end and it would represent a higher risk for the provider. Instead,they provide“guidance”,which puts the onus on the customer to make the right investment choice,with much less protection than offered by a full advice service.

It makes sense,therefore,to compare these digital guidance services with other non-advised options. Vanguard,for example,offers a range of risk graded index investment portfolios through its LifeStrategy range at an all-in charge of 0.24 per cent a year.

A typical investor with taxable,Isa and pension accounts,using a low-cost investment platform,such as that operated by Alliance Trust,would bring the total cost to no more than 0.3 per cent a year — or less for portfolios above £500,000. Indeed this is how I invest my family’s portfolio.

As well as not really being low cost,digital investment providers are not set up to diagnose and address the real financial problems most people have — and are therefore unlikely to deliver enduring value.

A digital investment website has the sole aim of selling the company’s investment portfolio services and in that respect they are like a man with a hammer,who sees every problem as a nail. Yet putting capital into an investment portfolio isn’t always the right answer: debt reduction,building a cash reserve,making lifetime financial gifts or investing in a business may be more appropriate.

Aside from financial organisation（which I tackled in my last column) the most important financial task many people need doing for them is“lifestyle financial planning”. This is not something well-suited to a digital service. It entails identifying and articulating certain aspects of the kind of life you want,taking into account your attitude to money,psychological biases and personal circumstances. It also involves the quantitative aspect of how to make your money last your lifetime under various“what if”scenarios,using financial planning software and sensible underlying assumptions.

Doing it well requires a good deal of personal information,effective financial scenario modelling and a tax strategy. Although technology can streamline elements of this service,the emotional,coaching and collaborative aspects,together with the complexity of the tax system,mean it does need the input of a human adviser.

As I’ve said before,many people would benefit from lifestyle financial planning advice,which is charged on a fixed annual fee. The problem is that most established financial advice firms have very high costs which they have no incentive to reduce,and have become used to profit margins of between 25-40 per cent a year. They hide behind high,percentage based-charges levied on investment portfolios or charge a fixed fee that is so high it puts off many affluent potential clients.

In my view,the solution is not to spend many millions of pounds creating digital businesses that sell a painting-by-numbers investment solution for the price of a Picasso. Instead what’s needed is to rethink how to deliver a high quality,consistent and personalised lifestyle financial planning service at a fair price.

Good value and effective lifestyle financial planning can be delivered by blending the latest technology with experienced and well-qualified human professionals. It just requires a big vision,long-term commitment and a focus on customers’best interests.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Which one is not right about most apps from digital investment firms?

A. it is with pretty and engaging graphics

B. the total cost is cheaper than traditional ones

C. few apps provide personal advice

D. free to use is the main attraction

答案(1)

2.Why these apps can’t deliver enduring value as mentioned?

A. they are not set up to diagnose and address the real financial problems

B. there are much better new apps to take place the old one

C. they are robots in essence

D. it is not really being low cost

答案(2)

3.What is the solo aim of these digital investment firms?

A. to be professional harmers in lifetime

B. to sell their investment portfolio services

C. to address the real financial problems

D. to build a cash reserve

答案(3)

4.Which one of the following is not mentioned as a necessary to do“lifestyle financial planning”well?

A. a good deal of personal information

B. advance technology

C. effective financial scenario modelling

D. a tax strategy

答案(4)

(1) 答案：D.free to use is the main attraction
解释：大多数应用都是免费的，但这不是主要的吸引因素，最主要的是其提供服务的费用比传统的股票顾问和财务顾问便宜。

(2) 答案：A.they are not set up to diagnose and address the real financial problems
解释：由于这些数码顾问被创建之初就不是为了诊断和处理大多数人的金融问题，因此难以产生持续的价值。

(3) 答案：B.to sell their investment portfolio services
解释：事实上这些公司的目标就是出售自己的投资组合。

(4) 答案：B.advance technology
解释：生活方式理财计划是很多人急需考虑的，做好它需要大量的个人信息,有效的金融场景建模和对复杂税收策略的了解，这些意味着人类咨询师不可或缺。

该不该为孩子的新年表演而请假？

在各种孩子的表演、音乐会或颁奖仪式面前，在职父母总是容易格外内疚——选择老板或许会让你错过孩子在台上的关键时刻；选择孩子或许让你的工作承诺大打折扣。一面是老板，一面是孩子，你到底该如何选择。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

don穿上；指导教师[dɒn]

nativity play圣诞剧

assembly装配；集会[ə'semblɪ]

alleviate减轻，缓和[ə'liːvɪeɪt]

reassure使…安心，使消除疑虑[riːə'ʃʊə]

disenchanted不再着迷的[,dɪsɪn'tʃæntɪd]

halo光环；荣光['heɪləʊ]

ostentatiously铺张地；炫耀地[ˈɑstənˈteʃəslɪ]

sneak溜；向老师打小报告[sniːk]

enlightened开明的；文明的[ɪn'laɪt(ə)nd]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

5分43秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分53秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

2分29秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分13秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

The nativity play is a guilt trip for working parents（733 words）

By Emma Jacobs

About this time last year,I took the morning off work to watch my son don a crown and pull baby Jesus’s pants down. Who knows what this year’s nativity play will bring?

Plays,concerts,special assemblies,prize-givings and sports days can make working parents feel guilty — do you let down your employer or your child? According to research conducted by Working Families,a UK charity,this year,more than two-thirds of working parents of children under 18 said their job interfered with their ability to take part in school or nursery events.

This rang true for one friend who works in public relations. He told me that he frequently misses his sons’school events because of work commitments so makes up for his no-show with films,football or food — although his guilt is largely alleviated by the fact that his wife works part-time and attends most things.

Other families with two working parents do it in relay,ensuring that at least one attends school events.

Some refuse to feel guilt or obligation. Nativity plays are a pointless guilt trip,one friend told me.“I was delighted to see the back of them.”In any case,he reassures himself he is better than his own parents,who only attended one sporting event and one concert in his entire school career.

One parent has become so disenchanted with school activities that he has scratched them all out of his diary,preferring instead to get home for dinner and help the children with their homework. Another who works in advertising employs a“50-50 rule”.“Half the time I put work first. The rest of time I tell work I’ll be working from home as there is an important event for one of my kids. I’ve always made it pretty clear that if my employer doesn’t like it they can stick it.”Of course that is much easier now he runs his own business.

Ben Black,the director of My Family Care,which works with employers on family-friendly policies,has a zero-tolerance policy on missing school events.“Most children think their parents are the greatest parents in the world,until about age eight or nine when the truth dawns on them that they possibly aren’t. So attending an event when you still have that golden halo is truly magical.”

Do men and women differ on this issue? One manager observed that her male employees would baldly announce that they would be late in after seeing the nativity play. While the women,she said,tend to contort themselves with guilt,apologetically asking for permission or pretending they are at an external meeting. One colleague snuck out to her son’s school play under the guise of a doctor’s appointment,only to see a well-known male politician at the school,tweeting ostentatiously about his little angel beholding the baby Jesus.

Some companies have enlightened policies. A few years ago,Asda,the UK supermarket,even ran“nativity leave”to allow their employees to take time off. While a few even incorporate“caring time”into the working day,giving staff time out of their day for caring duties — a school assembly or taking an elderly relative to hospital. The expectation,of course,being that they make the time up later.

Rachel Suff,research adviser for the CIPD,the professional body for human resources,advises employers to recognise that staff have responsibilities outside work.“Employees could work from home around the event or make up the hours in some way,so managers would need a convincing business reason to refuse any requests.”

At the same time,make sure parents are not singled out for special treatment. Ms Suff says that if parents are allowed time off for an event like a school play,then the manager should offer the same to the rest of the team. This could mean allowing staff to leave early for Christmas shopping or whatever they choose.

Mr Black believes that if you are prevented from attending a school play,it is a good chance for a conversation with your manager. If that does not work“then quite simply you’re working for the wrong organisation”.

Are you a working parent struggling with attending school plays,concerts and events? Have you found a strategy for making sure you do not miss out? We are keen to hear from FT readers — please share your story in the comments section below.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What interfered with parents’ability to take part in school for most people from UK’s research?

A. money

B. interest

C. holiday

D. job

答案(1)

2.What makes the author’s friend feel less guilty?

A. his wife attends most things

B. he works in public relations

C. there are many people in the same case

D. nativity plays are a pointless guilt trip

答案(2)

3.Most children change their attitude towards parents at what age?

A. 7-8

B. 8-9

C. 9-10

D. 18

答案(3)

4.Which one is not right for the“nativity leave”?

A. it covered all UK supermarkets

B. it is enlightened

C. it allow their employees to take time off

D. taking an elderly relative to hospital is allowed with“caring time”

答案(4)

(1) 答案：D.job
解释：根据一份英国慈善组织的调查报告显示，有三分之二18岁以下儿童的父母在各种学校活动前表示内疚，因为由于工作导致其未能参加孩子的活动。

(2) 答案：A.his wife attends most things
解释：由于妻子从事的是兼职工作，还是参加了大多数的学校活动，所以他的内疚感稍微好了一些。

(3) 答案：B.8-9
解释：大多数孩子在八九岁之前认为他们的父母是全世界最好的父母。

(4) 答案：A.it covered all UK supermarkets
解释：并非所有的英国超市都有这样开明的政策。

中国遭遇“精子危机”

研究表明，中国政府提升中国出生率的努力面临一个严重的障碍——年轻男性捐精者的精液质量大幅下降。中国是世界上出生率最低的国家之一。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

reinvigorate重振；使复兴[riːɪn'vɪgəreɪt]

sperm精子；精液[spɜːm]

semen精液；精子['siːmən]

infertility不孕；贫瘠[ɪnfɚ'tɪləti]

fertility多产；肥沃；生育力[fə'tɪlɪtɪ]

notorious臭名昭著的[nə(ʊ)'tɔːrɪəs]

regime政体；社会制度[reɪ'ʒiːm]

skewed歪斜的；曲解的[skjuːd]

census人口普查['sensəs]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

4分9秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分0秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分51秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分0秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Sperm crisis in China as fertility slides（601 words）

By Yuan Yang and Hudson Lockett

Beijing’s efforts to reinvigorate China’s birth rate,one of the lowest in the world,face a serious obstacle as semen quality plummets among young male donors,research suggests.

Last year fewer than a fifth of young men who donated sperm in the inland province of Hunan had sufficiently healthy semen to qualify as a donor,according to a 15-year study of more than 30,000 applicants. In 2001 more than half qualified.

Local media reports indicate Hunan is not the only province suffering a shortage in qualified donors. State broadcaster China Radio International recently reported that a sperm bank in Henan province had dropped minimum height and education requirements for donors and was offering to store their semen free of charge for three decades in an effort to make up its own deficit.

“Growing evidence seems to suggest that male infertility is increasingly becoming a serious concern in the entire country,”said Huang Yanzhong,senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. If shown to reflect a broader trend,such findings would further complicate China’s mounting demographic problems.

China’s fertility rate — the number of children a woman is expected to have during her child-bearing years — was 1.05 last year,according to data from the Chinese government’s annual“1 per cent”population survey,which polls about 17m citizens each year.

The bottom territories in a World Bank 2014 survey — South Korea,Portugal,Hong Kong and Macau — had fertility rates of 1.2,against a global average of 2.5. That survey estimated China’s fertility at 1.6,still far below the 2.1 births per woman needed to keep a country’s population from shrinking.

China is ageing rapidly,leading to a shortage of young workers and warnings of a pensions crisis,but its fertility rate has long been in decline. From a peak of 6.4 births per woman in 1965 it had fallen to 2.8 by 1979,the year the notorious one-child policy was introduced amid fears of runaway population growth. That regime led to widespread sex-selective abortion,resulting in a significantly skewed sex ratio.

The blanket policy was scrapped late last year for a two-child policy. But previous loosening of the old policy has fallen short of policymakers’hopes in raising the country’s birth rate,with many Chinese couples apparently unwilling to take advantage of the chance to have a second child.

“The situation is probably worse than expected,”said Mr Huang,noting that the results of a government-commissioned national study on infertility in China that had been scheduled to end in 2011 had still not been made public. Some researchers also say previous census results have been manipulated by family planning officials in regions with a pro-birth policy,who inflate birth rates in order to make their policies look more effective.

The researchers in the Hunan semen study,published online in the journal Fertility and Sterility,say there is no clear explanation for why donors’reproductive health declined so rapidly. But they point to“increased environmental pollution,including pollution of water,air and food”,as a possible explanation.

However,World Health Organisation spokesperson Tarik Jašarević said the WHO could not yet determine with certainty which factors had caused deterioration in certain or multiple countries,as studies often employed different methodologies to analyse semen. He also cautioned that semen quality did not necessarily correlate directly with male fertility.

“It should be noted that male reproductive health can be affected by many complex factors,”including lifestyle,the environment and concomitant diseases,he said.“More research is needed to enable sound guidance or policy advice concerning deteriorating semen quality.”

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.How many percent of young men who donated sperm had unhealthy semen to qualify,according to a 15-year study?

A. a tenth

B. a fifth

C. three fifths

D. four fifths

答案(1)

2.How many years does Henan sperm bank store donors’semen for free?

A. 50

B. 30

C. 10

D. 3

答案(2)

3.What is the average of global fertility rate?

A. 1.2

B. 1.6

C. 2.1

D. 2.5

答案(3)

4.Which one of the following is not right?

A. there is a clear explanation for why donors’reproductive health declined so rapidly

B. increased environmental pollution is a possible explanation

C. which factors had caused deterioration is not determined

D. male reproductive health can be affected by many complex factors

答案(4)

(1) 答案：D.four fifths
解释：根据一项持续15年、对3万多名申请捐精者进行的研究，去年在中国内陆省份湖南捐精的年轻人中，只有不到五分之一的人精液足够健康，有资格捐赠。

(2) 答案：B.30
解释：河南省的一家精子库降低了对捐献者身高和学历的最低要求，并且免费保存捐献者的精子30年，以弥补精子的短缺。

(3) 答案：D.2.5
解释：在世界银行的调查中，生育率最低的国家和地区——韩国、葡萄牙、香港和澳门——的生育率是1.2，而全球平均生育率是2.5。中国的生育率是1.6。

(4) 答案：A.there is a clear explanation for why donors’reproductive health declined so rapidly
解释：研究人员表示，对于捐精者生殖健康为何下滑如此迅速，目前还没有明确解释。不过，他们提到“包括水污染、空气污染和食品污染在内的环境污染加剧”是其可能原因。

美国黑五网购 堪比双11

黑色星期五是美国一年来最大的购物狂欢，线下“血拼”过后，当然少不了线上的较量。相较于成交额150亿美元的“双十一”，美国人的剁手力又如何呢？

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

snap up抢购；锁键调节式

bonanza财源；繁荣兴旺[bə'nænzə]

bargain-hunting逢低买进；趁低吸纳

bitterly苦涩地，悲痛地['bɪtəlɪ]

vigilant注意的；警戒的['vɪdʒɪl(ə)nt]

wooing追求；向…求爱[wuː]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

4分50秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分50秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分44秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分57秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Black Friday online sales set to hit $3bn record（575 words）

By Lindsay Whipp in Chicago

US shoppers using mobile phones to snap up bargains pushed online sales towards a record breaking $3.05bn on Black Friday — the annual retail bonanza after the Thanksgiving holiday.

This adds to the nearly $2bn in online sales on Thanksgiving Day. Early data from Adobe Digital Insights indicated that mobile phones and tablet devices accounted for 57 per cent of visits to retailers online stores,and 40 per cent of all sales.

Mobile revenues alone are on target to exceed $1bn — the first time in retail history that this level of sales have been made via phones and tablets in a single day.

Walmart and Amazon were among the retailers battling to win customers with steep discounts and free shipping offers. Even president-elect Donald Trump sought to profit from the post-turkey bargain-hunting tradition: offering 30 per cent off his election campaign merchandise via his online store.

Both Walmart,the world’s largest retailer by sales,and Target,its smaller rival,said mobile sales accounted for 60 per cent of online sales so far. Target said online sales were at a record,though it declined to give specific figures.

Thanksgiving weekend through to“cyber Monday”is crucial for retailers across the country,both in-store and online. It is the busiest commerce period of the year,even though consumers are increasingly stretching their gift shopping over the whole of November and December. The strength of sales this season will help determine consumer sentiment after a bitterly fought presidential election.

“This year is about how vigilant the retailers are about not caring where the purchase ends up being made,”said Moody’s retail analyst Charlie O’Shea.“They need to accept the fact that bricks and mortar stores should see softening sales but should pick up [the slack] online.”

“The fastest growing retailer is Amazon and they’re completely online,”he said.

Morgan Stanley is predicting that the Seattle-based company“is best positioned to capture outsized market share”this season,thanks to a spurt in users of its mobile app,pointing out that it now has 2.7 times more users than the nearest rival.

Ecommerce has been a particular focus for Walmart this year,where it has invested billions of dollars as it plays catch-up with its online only rival Amazon. Although the vast majority of its near-$500bn of sales annually comes from its physical stores,there is no ignoring the importance of online growth for the future.

That focus is highlighted among many traditional retailers,which simultaneously began their online“door busters”with those on offer in-store this year. Walmart doubled the amount of products it offered online this year to 23m,compared with the holiday season last year,as well as starting online offers earlier. In line with this larger assortment,it now has 10“mega”fulfilment centres to handle online orders compared with five last year.

Still,underscoring the power of Amazon,Conlumino’s gauge of shopper share suggests that 59.6 per cent of spenders will be doing so on the company’s website or app,an 11.3 percentage point increase from last year,closing in on Walmart’s 69.8 per cent lead.

The best deals,as always,will play a huge role in wooing consumers who retailers then hope will spend more on other less-discounted items. Analysts at Jefferies estimate that Walmart has increased its level of discounting the most this year,raising it 4 per cent year on year,with some of the biggest discounts on TVs and toys.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.How long could the online stores spent to exceed $1bn as Adobe said?

A. 1 hour

B. 12 hours

C. 1 day

D. 2 days

答案(1)

2.How much discount if people buy Trump’s election campaign merchandise via his online store?

A. 30%

B. 40%

C. 57%

D. 70%

答案(2)

3.What day is the big day for online shops over the whole of November and December?

A. Monday

B. Tuesday

C. Wednesday

D. Friday

答案(3)

4.Who is the fastest growing retailer according to Moody’s retail analyst Charlie O’Shea?

A. Walmart

B. Target

C. Taobao

D. Amazon

答案(4)

(1) 答案：C.1 day
解释：Adobe预测称，今年的黑色星期五将是美国零售行业销售额首次突破10亿美元的一天。

(2) 答案：A.30%
解释：特朗普提供的折扣是百分之三十。

(3) 答案：A.Monday
解释：在“超级星期五”过后的周一，这一天称为“网购星期一”，超级网购日，网络商店会集中大力促销。

(4) 答案：D.Amazon
解释：穆迪的分析师表示亚马逊是增长最快的零售商，他们完全依赖于网络。

中国成专利申请首超100万件的国家

世界知识产权组织(WIPO)表示，这个纪录反映出全球人口最多的国家“非凡”的创新水平。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

patent专利权；执照；专利品['pæt(ə)nt]

skewed歪斜的；曲解的[skjuːd]

inventiveness创造性[ɪn'ventɪvnɪs]

explicit清楚的；直率的[ɪk'splɪsɪt; ek-]

intellectual知识分子[,ɪntə'lektʃʊəl]

utility model实用新型

jurisdiction审判权，管辖权[,dʒʊərɪs'dɪkʃ(ə)n]

crippling造成严重后果的['krɪplɪŋ]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分5秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分24秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分26秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分51秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

China smashes world patent record with 1m filings in a year（511 words）

By Tom Mitchell in Beijing

China has become the first country to receive more than 1m patent applications in a single year — a record the World Intellectual Property Organisation said reflected“extraordinary”levels of innovation in the world’s most populous nation.

“[The Chinese] are making innovation a central part of their economic strategy,”Francis Gurry,director-general of the UN agency,said at a briefing in Geneva.

While sceptics have long argued that China’s patent figures are skewed by state-driven filing targets,intellectual property lawyers argue that they also reflect the country’s growing inventiveness.

“The Chinese government still wants people to file patents and they get explicit and implicit rewards for doing so,”said Erick Robinson,a Beijing-based patent lawyer.“But the quality of patents in China is improving at breathtaking speed.”

According to Wipo figures,China’s patent office received 1,101,864 applications in 2015 from both domestic and foreign filers,accounting for almost 40 per cent of the global total and more than the next three countries — the US,Japan and Korea — combined.

“Once again we see an increasing dominance by Asia as the origin of filing activity for intellectual property,”Mr Gurry added,noting that Asian countries had received more than 60 per cent of total patent filings last year.

“The Chinese government’s strategic policies are encouraging innovation,”said Zhang Xuemei at Janlea,a Beijing intellectual property agency.“Chinese companies are also more aware of the importance of protecting their IP.”

Mr Robinson cited WeChat,the social media platform developed by internet group Tencent,as an example of Chinese innovation at its best.“WeChat took some functionality from a lot of other applications but just made it better,”he said.

However,Yang Yuzhou,a Shanghai patent lawyer at Dacheng Law,noted that China,unlike the US,recognises“utility model”patents,which are typically easier to secure and protect inventions for a shorter period of time than standard patents.“It’s also much cheaper to file for patents in China than in the US and Japan,”he said.

China is also becoming an increasingly attractive jurisdiction for patent infringement disputes,given the speed with which its court system processes cases. Companies whose intellectual property has been stolen can also secure bans that prevent the infringing party from selling in China’s vast market or exporting from the country — a crippling blow given China’s centrality to global supply chains.

In terms of overseas filings,US patent holders lodged the most applications,ahead of Japan and Germany. Mr Gurry said this reflected the importance of trade and foreign investment to the US business community.

President-elect Donald Trump has,however,pledged to withdraw from Barack Obama’s Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement,which would have bound the US more closely to 11 other Pacific trading nations.

Separately,Wipo said trademark applications surged 16 per cent worldwide to 5.9m last year,while industrial design applications increased 2.3 per cent globally to 873,000. China led the world in both categories as well.

Mr Trump recently won a protracted trademark case against a Chinese construction services company that had registered the Trump brand.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What did sceptics argue about China’s patent figures?

A. purposes

B. facticity

C. legality

D. practicability

答案(1)

2.Which one of the following is not right about patent figures last year?

A. China had received more than 60 per cent of total patent filings

B. Japan received less applications than China

C. 1,101,864 applications contain both domestic and foreign filers

D. China’s patent figures more than the next three countries combined

答案(2)

3.What kind of patents are much easier to secure in China?

A. standard patents

B. design patents

C. utility model patents

D. European patents

答案(3)

4.Which country’s patent holders lodged the most applications,as for overseas filings?

A. China

B. Japan

C. Germany

D. the US

答案(4)

(1) 答案：A.purposes
解释：怀疑者一直认为中国的专利数据被国家驱动的申请指标所扭曲，对其申请目的的怀疑。

(2) 答案：B.Japan received less applications than China
解释：根据世界知识产权组织的数字，中国国家知识产权局2015年从国内外申请者受理了110.1864万件专利申请，占全球总量近40%，超过美国、日本和韩国三个国家的总和。

(3) 答案：C.utility model patents
解释：与美国不同，中国承认“实用新型”专利，这类专利一般更容易获得，而且保护发明的期限比标准专利要短一些。在中国申请专利的成本也比美国和日本要便宜得多。

(4) 答案：D.the US
解释：在海外专利申请方面，美国专利持有人递交最多申请，其次是日本和德国。

广告，该听从于技术还是艺术

广告业正快速朝着史蒂芬·斯皮尔伯格执导的电影《少数派报告》中描绘的个性化广告世界迈进。但精准定位受众的新纪元是否能让品牌卖出更多产品？吸引你购买的是定位的相关性、还是真正用心好看的广告？

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

fundamentally根本上；基础地[fʌndə'mentəlɪ]

reliant依赖的；可靠的[rɪ'laɪənt]

fraud骗子；诡计[frɔːd]

punchy强力的；头昏眼花的['pʌn(t)ʃɪ]

variable变量；可变物['veərɪəb(ə)l]

telecommunications通讯行业['telɪkə,mjuːnɪ'keɪʃənz]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

4分21秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分7秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分56秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分1秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Advertising needs a rethink in a brand new world（618 words）

By Matthew Garrahan

Bill Bernbach,a founder of the DDB advertising agency and widely regarded as father of the modern marketing industry,once said that advertising“is fundamentally persuasion and persuasion happens to be not a science,but an art”.

Advertisers are having to work harder than ever to find their audience.

Technological change has made the task harder still. Ad blocking software has created real problems for digital publishers reliant on display advertising. Ad fraud is a similar worry,with the World Federation of Advertisers,whose members include McDonald’s and Unilever,recently warning of“endemic”digital ad fraud and claiming that up to 30 per cent of all online ads are never seen by real humans. The WFA is forecasting industry revenue losses of $50bn by 2025 unless marketers take immediate and effective action.

“Is it human beings seeing ads or just a machine? And if it’s a human being is it actually a consumer?”says Brinsley Dresden,head of advertising and marketing at law firm Lewis Silkin.

At the same time,there is a big shift in consumer behaviour. Smartphones and mobile devices are fast becoming primary sources of entertainment and advertising dollars are flowing there at an increasingly rapid rate.

Facebook and Google have become the biggest recipients of digital ad spending. Combined,they accounted for 75 per cent of all new online ad spending in 2015,according to the Internet Trends report published this year by Mary Meeker of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers,the US venture capital fund. In the US,85 cents of every new dollar spent on digital went to the two companies in the first quarter of 2016.

The emergence of new digital platforms and services means brands must also rethink the way they sell their products. For example,Instagram and Snapchat have different audiences and require shorter,punchier ads compared with traditional 30 second TV spots.

Christopher Vollmer,global entertainment and media advisory leader for PwC’s Strategy& consultancy,says advertising“has always been a combination of art and science. Technology is now becoming a third variable”. Advertisers“have to get all three of these things right”.

Not all aspects of advertising’s tech revolution have been a surprise. Video has become a big driver of advertising online and on social media.“It tends to get the most consumer engagement on social media and mobile devices,”Mr Vollmer says. This was one factor driving telecommunications company AT&T’s blockbuster $85.4bn bid for Time Warner,which faces a year of regulatory scrutiny and no guarantee that it will be approved.

Criteo uses available data and internet cookies — data sent from a website to a browser — to identify shopping patterns in order to send relevant ads to the right online or mobile user.

This targeted approach means the advertising beamed at consumers on their mobile devices can be more relevant.“Consumers want a seamless experience … they don’t want aggressive advertising that is intrusive,”he says. The company recently worked on a trial with several London retailers that installed beacons sending signals to the smartphones of shoppers. The beacons collected data about how long the people spent in the shops,as well as information about the items they spent time looking at.

The most important aspect is engaging the consumer,says Mr Vollmer.“There’s no shortage of screens and there’s no shortage of impressions. But there’s a shortage of high value connection points between brands and consumers,which is the whole point of advertising. You have to create effective engagement with the consumer that gets them to buy.”

In this respect,advertising is the same as it ever was. Technology may have disrupted it but the industry’s artistic heart still has a big role to play.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What is the essence of advertising as Bill said in the first paragraph?

A. persuasion

B. science

C. art

D. marketing

答案(1)

2.How many percent of advertising are seen by real humans according to WFA’s report?

A. 30%

B. 75%

C. 70%

D. 80%

答案(2)

3.Who have become the biggest recipients of digital ad spending?

A. Facebook and YouTube

B. Facebook and Google

C. YouTube and Snapchat

D. Instagram and Snapchat

答案(3)

4.What is a big driver of advertising online and on social media?

A. video

B. voice

C. consumers

D. words

答案(4)

(1) 答案：A.persuasion
解释：被广泛视为现代营销之父的DDB广告公司创始人比尔·伯恩巴克(Bill Bernbach)曾说过，广告“本质上是说服，而说服碰巧不是一门科学，而是一门艺术”。

(2) 答案：C.70%
解释：世界广告主联盟(WFA)声称比例高达30%的在线广告从未被真正的人类浏览过。

(3) 答案：B.Facebook and Google
解释：Facebook和谷歌已成为数字广告支出最大的接收方。

(4) 答案：A.video
解释：视频成为了在线平台和社交媒体平台广告的一大驱动力。

电商刷单，我该如何识破你

除了商品评论真假难辨，订单数量也存在猫腻。订单数量越多，在网页上的位置就越好，从而被更多的潜在消费者看到。即使相同的产品，页面最前端与最后端，相差的可不止是天上地下。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

skateboard滑板['skeɪtbɔːd

ukulele尤克里里琴[,juːkə'leɪlɪ]

oak bed frame橡木床架

cordially诚恳地；友善地[ˈkɔːdɪəli]

lacklustre无光泽的；呆滞的['læk,lʌstə]

tolerance宽容；容忍['tɒl(ə)r(ə)ns]

dispatch派遣；急件[dɪˈspætʃ]

unaudited未审计的；未稽核的['ʌn'ɔ:ditid]

GMV商品交易总额

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

5分35秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分48秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

2分26秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分12秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

China’s ecommerce sites try to sweep away‘brushing’（721 words）

By Sherry Fei Ju and Charles Clover

April Chen was one of millions of hopeful buyers logging on to Alibaba’s shopping platforms on November 11,hoping to take advantage of some discounts on Singles Day,China’s biggest online shopping festival of the year.

The Chongqing native had only intended to buy two items. But when she checked her account on Alibaba site Taobao later,she was in for a shock. In the space of less than a minute,at 11:05am,someone had placed orders for 80 items,everything from a Rmb91（$13) skateboard,a Rmb1,200 ukulele to a Rmb18,900 oak bed frame. The orders had been placed,but not paid for.

Ms Chen had become a victim of“brushing”,an unwanted growth industry in China and a practice that companies such as Alibaba are trying to stamp out. With online sellers under tremendous pressure to rack up sales,especially on Singles Day,many resort to the time honoured practice of placing fake orders. Higher sales mean better placement on ecommerce websites,leading in turn to more sales.

Whoever hacked Ms Chen’s account left a clue for the mysterious behaviour — each order contained a note for the merchant,advertising a unique“promotion”service:“We are a professional Taobao promoter and we cordially invite you to come communicate with us,mutual help in improving shop ranking,order numbers and business development.”

Specialised companies — which appear to have victimised Ms Chen — offer the services of what are known in China as“water armies”,capable of making a lacklustre online shop appear a thriving business. Many use bots or,increasingly,hack users accounts and place fake orders. Before Singles Day,regulators had promised to crack down on the practice,but with little success.

“If a company really wants to be successful with online sales,it needs to find a way to improve its on-deck search ranking [on ecommerce platforms],”said Mark Natkin of Marbridge Consulting in Beijing.“The difference between being at the top of a page of results and buried at the bottom is night and day. Brushing is a very tempting shortcut.”

Partly due to the prevalence of brushing,the impressive numbers that New York listed Alibaba reports every Singles Day have invited scrutiny,including from the US Securities and Exchange Commission. On November 11,Alibaba reported up to $17.8bn in sales over the 24 hours,more than Brazil’s projected ecommerce sales for the entire year,and a 32 per cent increase from the previous year.

In May,Alibaba said the SEC had queried its reporting of Singles Day numbers. This year,Alibaba said it would hire accounting firm PwC to audit the Singles Day GMV（Gross Merchandise Value) to ensure it was free of fake orders.

But this is easier said than done. Alibaba and other ecommerce sites play a cat-and-mouse game with“brushers”,as they try to safeguard the reputation of their sales platforms. In order to evade algorithms designed to detect brushing,merchants will go as far as to place orders for each other’s products in what are known as“brushing pools”,and even send each other fake parcels,paying and then cancelling the orders.

“Alibaba has no tolerance for the practice of brushing on our platforms,”said Alibaba.“Our system swiftly blocked these orders to protect the affected user.”

One small business owner registered with Tmall told the FT that the common procedure for brushing is that merchants publish or give their brushing assignments to professional brushers; then the brusher places orders,makes payments and the merchants will fake an order dispatch online,or send an empty parcel.

Meanwhile,in a practice that has drawn fire from elsewhere in the industry,many sites like Alibaba and its competitors JD.com and eBay can take a relaxed view of what constitutes a“sale”,making brushing even easier. Some will even count ordering and not paying for a parcel in their sales totals in some cases.

Alibaba indicated that it was taking a more conservative approach to Singles Day sales than it takes to GMV — it said the $17.8bn final tally for the day referred to orders“settled through Alipay”,later confirming that this referred only to items that had been paid for.

This year,Alibaba has stopped publishing quarterly GMV figures — the unaudited measure was getting too much attention and inviting too much controversy,say analysts.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What is the aim of sellers’“brushing”behaviour?

A. to prove themselves

B. to more sales

C. to get a better position on websites

D. to raise efficiency

答案(1)

2.What did the“brushing”people call themselves in the ads?

A. online sellers

B. brushers

C. Taobao promoters

D. special buyer

答案(2)

3.Where did Alibaba list as mentioned?

A. New York

B. London

C. Shanghai

D. Hongkong

答案(3)

4.Which one of the following is not right?

A. final tally is lower than $17.8bn

B. Alibaba has stopped publishing quarterly GMV figures in 2016

C. JD.com could make brushing even easier

D. Alibaba plays a cat-and-mouse game with“brushers”

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.to more sales
解释：更多的下单量可以使产品在网站上占据更好的位置，最终带来更高的销量。

(2) 答案：C.Taobao promoters
解释：在陈女士收到的信息中，这些刷单的人称自己为“专业的淘宝推广者”，以相互帮助提高店铺的排名、订单数量和业务发展。

(3) 答案：A.New York
解释：文章提到，阿里巴巴在纽约上市。

(4) 答案：A.final tally is lower than $17.8bn
解释：阿里巴巴表示，这个数字是较为保守的。

电商开始不行了？

中国电商集团老大阿里巴巴斥资20亿元人民币入股折扣连锁超市的股份，或许纯电子商务已经触及增长极限。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

grocery食品杂货店['grəʊs(ə)rɪ]

bricks-and-mortar传统的实体企业

mortar用灰泥涂抹，用灰泥结合['mɔːtə]

bricks砖块[brɪk]

appliances电气用具[əp'laɪənsɪz]

affiliate隶属的机构[ə'fɪlɪeɪt]

hybrid混血儿；混合物['haɪbrɪd]

envisage正视，面对[ɪn'vɪzɪdʒ]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

2分50秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

1分42秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分56秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分40秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Alibaba buys stake in discount grocery store chain（ 406 words）

By Charles Clover in Beijing

Alibaba has bought a stake in a discount grocery store chain,as China’s biggest ecommerce group broadens its focus from online to offline retail as part of its expansion strategy.

In a sign of how Alibaba’s approach to ecommerce has changed,the Hangzhou-based company said the main reason it bought a 32 per cent stake in Sanjiang Shopping Club was its“extensive offline network and experience running retail stores”.

Alibaba on Monday said it had agreed to pay Rmb2bn（$290m) for the stake in Sanjiang,which is based in Zhejiang province where it operates 160 discount grocery stores. Sanjiang said it had more than 1m members.

Since the summer of 2015,Alibaba has made a number of investments in bricks-and-mortar retail as growth in ecommerce — where browsing and shopping take place entirely online — begins to slow.

In August 2015,Alibaba bought a 20 per cent share of electronic retailer Suning for $4.6bn. Suning has 1,600 outlets in 298 cities across China selling appliances,books and baby products.

Alibaba and its payment affiliate,Ant Financial,also last year announced they would each invest Rmb3bn to develop a food delivery service called Koubei.

Experts see this as evidence of a new hybrid commerce model emerging that combines physical stores with mobile internet,known as“online to offline”or“combined channel”commerce. Its rise reflects an emerging consensus in the industry that pure ecommerce will not completely displace bricks-and-mortar stores to the extent once envisaged.

Iresearch,a Beijing-based consultancy,predicts that pure ecommerce has started to hit the era of declining growth. From 70 per cent growth registered in 2011,it predicts that from 2018 growth will be at 16 per cent annually.

Cao Lei,director at China e-Business Research Center,said that 80 per cent of China’s sales were still made offline and the trend of ecommerce companies buying physical stores was now“very firm and likely to continue”.

Other companies that have placed bets on pure ecommerce have also begun to invest increasingly in physical stores,in a recognition that pure ecommerce may have hit its limits of growth.

These include Xiaomi — which used to be the top selling smartphone in China and relies on ecommerce sales but has seen its lead eaten away by competitors such as Oppo and Vivo that have more offline distribution.

“The [smartphone] market has shifted away from online to offline channels,”said Bryan Ma of tech consultancy IDC in Singapore.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What is the advantage of Sanjiang?

A. a large number of members

B. extensive network and rich experience

C. online shopping begins to slow

D. competitive prices and good service

答案(1)

2.When did the growth in ecommerce begin to slow?

A. 2011

B. 2013

C. 2015

D. 2016

答案(2)

3.Which one is not mentioned as Suning’s sold product?

A. appliances

B. books

C. cosmetics

D. baby products

答案(3)

4.What is the way to sell smartphones of Xiaomi?

A. online

B. offline

C. sole agent

D. telemarketing

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.extensive network and rich experience
解释：阿里巴巴表示收购三江的主要原因是后者“拥有布局广泛的线下门店网络及丰富的实体零售门店运营经验”。

(2) 答案：C.2015
解释：自2015年夏季以来，随着电子商务的增长开始放缓，阿里巴巴对实体零售进行了多笔投资。

(3) 答案：C.cosmetics
解释：苏宁在中国各地298个城市拥有1600个零售网点，销售家用电器、书籍和婴儿用品，未提及化妆品。

(4) 答案：A.online
解释：小米是中国最畅销智能手机的制造商，依赖电子商务销售，但最近看到其领先地位被竞争对手如Oppo和Vivo缩小，后两者有更多的线下经销。

在网上遭到仇恨言论煽动的青少年

根据Ofcom的调查发现，在过去一年中，超过三分之一的青少年在网上遭到仇恨言论，这些言论大多是包含种族、性别、性取向、性别认同的侮辱言论。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

discriminatory差别对待的[dɪ'skrɪmɪnɪ,t(ə)rɪ; dɪ,skrɪmɪ'neɪt(ə)rɪ]

consuming behavior消费行为

nasty下流的；肮脏的['nɑːstɪ]

legislation立法；法律[ledʒɪs'leɪʃ(ə)n]

tolerated可接纳的[ˈtɔləreitid]

harassment骚扰；烦恼['hærəsm(ə)nt]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分38秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分43秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分39秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分55秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

One-third of young teenagers encounter‘hate speech’online（ 558 words）

By David Bond

One-third of British children aged 12-15 have encountered sexist,racist or discriminatory content online,according to a new survey that reveals how children are spending more time on the internet than watching television.

The report by the UK media watchdog Ofcom says that for the first time the internet has overtaken TV as the most popular media pastime for children.

The report,published on Wednesday,says children aged 5-15 spent an average of just over 15 hours on the internet each week compared with 13.5 hours watching TV. The amount of time this age group spent using the internet increased by one hour and 18 minutes in the past year.

The shift in behaviour is being driven by the explosion of smartphone use and an increase in the number of devices available to children. Even younger age groups are consuming more digital media with a third of pre-school children aged 3-4 owning their own tablet or games console.

But the increase in time spent online has been accompanied by a new insight into the number of young people who say they have seen so-called“hate speech”on the web.

The media regulator concluded that 34 per cent of 12-15 year olds had seen something“hateful on the internet”directed at“a particular group of people,based on,for instance,their gender,religion,disability,sexuality or gender identity”.

In addition,one in five of the same age group and one in 10 children aged 8-11 said they had seen something online in the past year they“found worrying or nasty”.

The report’s findings may place social media and tech groups such as Facebook,YouTube and Snap under renewed pressure to introduce stricter rules to oversee the use of their platforms by children.

Messaging services such as Snapchat and Instagram are hugely popular with teenagers while Ofcom’s report found that 74 per cent of children aged 5-15 used YouTube. The research group eMarketer says 80 per cent of 12-17 year olds have a Facebook account.

From 2018 EU legislation will force all users of social media under the age of 16 to obtain parental consent before going online.

But while some technology groups have controls in place to monitor children who use their services,some rely on cookies to track underage users or on children telling the truth about their age.

Ofcom’s report said the majority of children reported negative experiences online. Meanwhile,nearly all parents of 5-15 year olds said they managed their children’s internet use in some way — through technical tools,talking to or supervising their child,or setting rules about access to the internet and online behaviour.

The NSPCC,the children’s charity,nevertheless described Ofcom’s findings as“very worrying”.“Every child has the right to feel safe online and hate posts should not be tolerated by social networks or any other website,”it said.

Jane Rumble,Ofcom’s director of market intelligence,said:“Children’s lives are increasingly digital,with tablets and smartphones commanding more attention than ever.”

A YouTube spokesperson said children under age 13 were not permitted to have an account and that it had developed a standalone app for children that was a“more controlled experience”.

“Bullying,harassment and hate speech have no place on the YouTube platform and we have clear policies against harassing and hateful content,which we remove when it’s flagged.”

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What is the nature of Ofcom as mentioned?

A. media company

B. media watchdog

C. research group

D. commonweal organization

答案(1)

2.How many hours did 5-15-year-old children spend averagely each week last year?

A. 13.5 hours

B. 13 hours and 42 minutes

C. 15hours

D. 16 hours and 18 minutes

答案(2)

3.Who should introduce stricter rules to oversee the use by children according to report?

A. the British government

B. parents

C. social media and tech groups

D. media supervision

答案(3)

4.How many years old children will be limited by their parents from 2018?

A. 12-15

B. under 13

C. under 16

D. 5-18

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.media watchdog
解释：Ofcom是英国的电信监管机构，而不是调查公司或公益组织。

(2) 答案：B.13 hours and 42 minutes
解释：5到15岁的孩子平均每周使用在电脑上花费15小时，比去年增加了1小时18分钟。

(3) 答案：C.social media and tech groups
解释：像Facebook,YouTube这样的社交媒体科技公司面临新的压力：引入更加严格的规范监管孩子们在其平台上的使用行为。

(4) 答案：C.under 16
解释：法案将在2018年生效，它规定所有16岁以下的孩童要想使用社交网站及其消息应用，必须首先征得父母的同意。

你的密码有多脆弱？

很多人不仅会重复使用密码，而且经常选择自己的宠物加数字、或是连着的键盘字母作为密码——对我们的密码设置习惯，黑客可比我们自己要了解地更多。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

memorable显著的，难忘的['mem(ə)rəb(ə)l]

leaked漏的[li:kt]

crummy微不足道的；寒酸的['krʌmɪ]

adultery通奸行为；外遇[ə'dʌlt(ə)rɪ]

capitalisation市值（等于capitalization）；资本化[,kæpɪtəlɪ'zeʃən]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

4分50秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分23秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分8秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分5秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Your passwords are a lot more vulnerable than you think（ 659 words）

By Lisa Pollack

The puppy’s name can be whatever you want,the father in the Bizarro comic tells his son,“but make sure it is something memorable. You’ll be using it as a security question answer for the rest of your life.”

Unfortunately the name given to the dog — say,Poppy — may or may not have been encrypted when it was leaked among details of 500m Yahoo accounts,which included the answers to security questions about first pets. The dog’s name was probably also used as a password at some point as people often use pets’names — maybe with a couple of numbers at the end.

“Poppy95”is not a secure password but it is fairly typical and it illustrates an uncomfortable fact: our crummy password construction is predictable. And with large breaches of popular websites,hackers are getting to know us better than ever.

People often pick animals（“monkey”),keyboard patterns（“zxcvbn”),dad jokes（“letmein”),sports teams（“liverpool”) and angst（“whatever”). All proved popular with users of the adultery site,Ashley Madison,hacked last year. In case you are thinking only adulterers use weak passwords,many of these also showed up in a leak from the Last.fm music service which surfaced more recently.

Both breaches — estimated at about 30m-40m each — are dwarfed by the 164m LinkedIn and 360m MySpace accounts that appeared in May.

Passwords are valuable to hackers in a couple of indirect ways. First,most people — about 60 per cent by some estimates — reuse passwords. This means the login details from one site can be tried out on more valuable sites — financial accounts,for example,or people’s work. And,combined with details such as previous addresses obtained from a retailer and a date of birth from the Yahoo hack or Facebook,they may be used to obtain credit fraudulently.

Second,the data sets can be added to“dictionaries”comprising actual dictionaries,tens of thousands of books and all of Wikipedia,which can be used to crack passwords.

If you are thinking:“I may use the same base password but I change it a bit for different websites”,well,I have a research paper for you. A group from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and elsewhere looked at the often simplistic changes people make. Using passwords for the same users from different leaks,they were able to guess almost a third of the transformed passwords within 100 or fewer attempts. Popular changes involved two to three appended characters. Keyboard sequence changes,capitalisation changes and“leet speak” — changing s to $,say — were also common.

Unfortunately,password strength meters aren’t much help as they underestimate hackers’understanding of users’habits.

In an ideal world,website owners would strengthen their own security to protect users. But if their customers use weak passwords — or reuse strong ones on other,less secure sites — there’s only so much they can do.

There is some encouragement to be had,though. University researchers from Pennsylvania tested whether people could correctly identify the more secure password among pairs,where“security”is“guessability”using cracking tools. Participants did reasonably well — identifying the benefits of capitals,digits and symbols in the middle of a password,and avoiding names.

However,they also overestimated the usefulness of appending digits,incorrectly selecting“astley123”as more secure than“astleyabc”. The former is easier to crack because of the pervasiveness of the pattern of appending digits — hence the problem with the variant of Poppy’s name.

Participants also“underestimated the poor security properties of building a password around common keyboard patterns and common phrases”. They wrongly believed that“iloveyou88”is stronger than“ieatkale88”（which frankly seems like an excellent name for a dog).

The researchers concluded that such misunderstandings,and poor password choices generally,stem from an underestimation of the risk of potential attacks and a lack of knowledge about how dangerously common certain construction techniques are. Which is not surprising,they note,as we don’t often see one another’s passwords. Unfortunately,hackers do.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Why the son should remember the puppy’s name in the Bizarro comic?

A. the dog is with us our entire life

B. it should be taken seriously

C. it may be a security question answer

D. the name will be the password

答案(1)

2.What is the password“Poppy95”illustrating with?

A. crummy password construction is predictable

B. stolen password is fairly typical

C. crummy password is unsafe

D. people often use pets’names

答案(2)

3.How many percent of people are used to reuse passwords?

A. 30%

B. 40%

C. 60%

D. 80%

答案(3)

4.Which one of the following is not right about password?

A. “iloveyou88”is not stronger than“ieatkale88”

B. using names is more secure

C. “astley123”is easier to crack than“astleyabc”

D. customers are best not to use weak passwords

答案(4)

(1) 答案：C.it may be a security question answer
解释：“这只小狗的名字你可以随便取，”漫画Bizarro中的父亲告诉儿子，“但要确保能记住。因为你一辈子都要把它作为安全问题的答案。”

(2) 答案：A.crummy password construction is predictable
解释：“Poppy95”并非一个安全的密码，但它相当普遍，而且说明了一个令人不安的事实：我们随随便便的密码结构是可以预测的。

(3) 答案：C.60%
解释：大概60%的人会重复使用密码。这意味着，一个网站的登录细节可能会在更有价值的网站上使用：例如金融账户或人们的工作。结合从零售商获取的以前的地址以及从雅虎或Facebook获取的生日日期，这些密码可能会被用来骗贷。

(4) 答案：B.using names is more secure
解释：密码要避免使用名字但后缀数字的用处也被高估，因为后缀数字模式很普遍，同时常见的键盘模式和常见短语设置密码安全性也很差。

英国《金融时报》原文阅读精选集Vol.28

45岁就退休？

中国一些问题严重的省份正在实行提前退休制度，以减少国有部门的劳动者数量。“裁员成为企业、政府和工人之间的长期战斗。内部退休只是意味着把问题踢到未来去解决。”研究员基根·埃尔默表示。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

payroll工资单；在册职工人数['peɪrəʊl]

mining capacity采矿能力；生产能力

demonstration证明；示威游行[demən'streɪʃ(ə)n]

compensation报酬；赔偿金[kɒmpen'seɪʃ(ə)n]

rust belt铁锈地带（铁锈地带指从前工业繁盛今已衰落的发达国家一些地区）

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分13秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分29秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分29秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分52秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

China plans early retirements to trim bloated state payrolls（ 523 words）

By Christian Shepherd in Shanghai and Lucy Hornby in Beijing

Hard-hit Chinese provinces are instituting early retirement to push workers off state sector employment rolls,generating a spate of small protests and further straining local economies in the nation’s rust belt.

The move is designed to help capacity cuts in bloated state-run heavy industry companies. It also marks a return to policies from the 1990s,when an estimated 30m workers were dropped from state payrolls and offered subsidies in a practice known as“internal retirement”,which avoided an increase in official unemployment numbers.

At least seven provinces have drawn up plans for workers to take early retirement,Chinese media reported this month. The plans are viewed as a way to comply with Beijing’s directives this year to reduce excess steel and mining capacity without the plant shutdowns that could lead to street protests.

“That they are encouraging it now suggests it has gone or is going well and is avoiding unrest,”said Keegan Elmer,researcher for China Labour Bulletin,which tracks workers’issues.

Nevertheless,an increase in protests in October followed a series of large demonstrations early in 2016 when steel and coal capacity cuts were first announced. Most were relatively small involving dozens of affected workers holding signs rather than the mass street marches that authorities fear.

Workers who were laid off or retired early in the 1990s often resurface to protest in provincial capitals or Beijing,usually because compensation has dried up. Many found informal jobs in the intervening years,but are now growing older without adequate state-backed insurance or pensions.

“Staff cutbacks become a long-term battle between the companies,governments and the workers. Internal retirement just means kicking the can further down the road. There has been lots of steelworker activism that has gone on for decades,”said Mr Elmer.“All these old sores can easily be brought back to the surface.”

China’s official retirement age is 60 for men. For female civil servants it is 55,for female workers,50. Early retirement brings that forward by five years,leaving female employees in depressed cities vulnerable to losing their jobs in their mid-40s when they still have dependants at home. Former employees get a stipend but must wait until formal retirement age to claim their pensions.

In February,labour and human resources minister Yin Weimin encouraged voluntary early retirement as one solution for the struggling steel and coal sectors,and the government said it would allocate Rmb100bn（$14.6bn) to retraining or relocating about 1.8m laid-off workers. Since then the top planning agency has put out a number of notices discouraging early retirement,indicating that there may be disagreement among bureaucracies about the merits of the practice.

One of the concerns is the rickety state of local pension funds,particularly in industrial areas that are also the centre for the slowdown.

“When you look at how [internal retirement] is put into practice,you realise that in the Chinese situation where the development of workers’organisations is weak and state-owned enterprises are overly powerful,it’s very easy for workers to become the biggest losers,”Liu Dapeng,a law professor at Wuhan University,wrote on a social media blog post.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What kind of companies would be helped to cut capacity?

A. high-tech companies

B. game companies

C. heavy industry companies.

D. internet companies

答案(1)

2.How many provinces have drawn up plans for workers to take early retirement by this month?

A. 7

B. 8

C. 9

D. 10

答案(2)

3.Why did workers often resurface to protest in provincial capitals in the 1990s?

A. dried-up compensation

B. informal jobs

C. unfair insurance conditions

D. company policy

答案(3)

4.What is the early retirement age for female civil servants as mentioned?

A. 45

B. 50

C. 55

D. 60

答案(4)

(1) 答案：C.heavy industry companies.
解释：此举旨在帮助臃肿的国营重工业企业削减产能。

(2) 答案：A.7
解释：据中国媒体本月报道，至少有七个省已制定了让工人提前退休的计划。

(3) 答案：A.dried-up compensation
解释：90年代下岗或者被提前退休的工人经常到省会城市甚至北京举行抗议，通常是因为补偿金花光了。

(4) 答案：B.50
解释：中国的官方退休年龄为男性60岁。女性公务员为55岁，女性工人为50岁。提前退休意味着在此基础上再提前五年，即50岁（女性公务员）。

网上购物能预测心理疾病？

一言不合就剁手，心情不好就想刷刷刷！网上买买买的大数据记录，更能够真实反映你的心理状态？

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

fintech金融科技；互联网金融

buzz嗡嗡声[bʌz]

bleep发出哔哔声[bliːp]

manic episodes躁狂发作

deteriorate恶化，变坏[dɪ'tɪərɪəreɪt]

biographical传记的，传记体的[baɪə'græfɪk(ə)l]

forge伪造；做锻工；前进[fɔːdʒ]

engagement婚约；约会；交战；诺言[ɪn'geɪdʒm(ə)nt; en-]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

5分56秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

3分0秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

2分34秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分15秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Could online shopping habits be used to predict mental illness?（ 751 words）

By Naomi Rovnick

Could our online banking transactions be used to predict a breakdown in our psychological health? An influential new charity believes the fintech industry,with support from the UK government,could use big data to break the link between mental illness and financial crisis.

Just as fitness trackers follow our steps and can be programmed to buzz,blink or bleep when we become inactive,the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute thinks apps could be built that closely monitor how people spend,sending warning signals when patterns emerge that suggest compulsive or destructive behaviour.

A quarter of the UK population will experience a mental health problem during the course of their lives,and clear links are emerging between psychological and financial wellbeing.

More than nine in ten people with mental health issues say they overspend and struggle to make sensible financial decisions when unwell,according to a survey of 5,500 people by the charity,which was launched earlier this year with a £2m donation from Money Saving Expert founder Martin Lewis.

Almost three-quarters said they let unpaid bills pile up,while more than half said they had taken out loans they otherwise would not have applied for.

The charity has uncovered a variety of unhealthy spending patterns reported by people who are psychologically unwell. These include overspending during manic episodes,and buying unaffordable items for oneself or others in an attempt to boost one’s perceived social status or self-worth.

Respondents to the survey said poor mental health leads to poor budgeting and decision making,while the ensuing financial distress made their psychological situation worse.

“When I am feeling unwell,it’s like I lose all sense of reality. I’m living and breathing someone else’s air,spending someone else’s money,”said one respondent.“Paying bills and maintaining financial stability is crucial in preventing my mental health deteriorating,”said another.

The charity’s“big data”solution is for fintech companies to develop tools capable of analysing large volumes of banking transactions. This could result in apps that monitor spending and are able to spot patterns that could be used to“signpost those at risk towards advice and support,hopefully preventing financial crisis”.

Ahead of the Autumn Statement,the charity is calling on chancellor Philip Hammond to fund research that closely analyses the banking data of 50,000 volunteers,who would provide 2-3 years of transactions data alongside biographical and demographic information. This would be anonymised and collated to allow researchers to analyse the financial situations of different groups,just as the 100,000 Genome project has embarked on building a massive DNA database that can be used to forge links between genetic mutations and diseases.

“There is no data to get your hands on if you want to understand consumer pathways into debt,”said Polly MacKenzie,the director of the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute.

“If there were,then just as banks can identity potential fraud on our accounts from spending many millions of pounds teaching computers to spot such things,why can’t those machines also be taught to spot periods of manic spending?”

To monitor spending,a Fitbit-style money and mental health app would rely on consumers granting access to their online banking data,said Conrad Ford,the chief executive of fintech group Funding Options.

He added that personal engagement with such an app would be crucial,and that people would not view behavioural nudges as an invasion of privacy if they had already signed up for the service.

British banks do not currently allow their customers to open up such data to third parties,but the government has compelled them to do so by 2018,as part of the Open Banking project to spur more competition in the current account market.

However,Mr Ford added that consumers — particularly millennials — were already displaying an appetite for personalised banking apps that helped manage financial behaviour. He cited Monzo,a start-up bank whose app tells account holders things such as how much they may have spent on takeaway coffee in the past month,as exemplifying the trend.

“These ideas do not only have to be for people whose health is at risk or whose finances are in trouble,”he said.“There is definitely a genuine‘wow’factor for consumers when they see an app that monitors and itemises their spending,whether that is telling you how much you really spend in Pret A Manger,or something more fundamental. There is no doubt the demand is out there for this kind of‘financial Fitbit’idea.”

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What could be built to closely monitor how people spend as the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute said?

A. app

B. fitness trackers

C. database

D. bank card

答案(1)

2.What will they do when unwell for most of people with mental health issues?

A. let unpaid bills pile up

B. overspend and senseless financial decisions

C. borrow money from parents

D. pay off their loans

答案(2)

3.What should be monitored by the app from charity’s“big data”solution?

A. transaction frequency

B. liabilities

C. spending

D. destructive goods

答案(3)

4.Which one is not right about this method?

A. personal engagement with such an app would be crucial

B. British banks do not allow customers to open up such data to third parties

C. the government does not support banks to share data

D. people would view behavioural nudges as an invasion of privacy if they had not signed up for the service

答案(4)

(1) 答案：A.app
解释：根据建议可以用app检测用户的消费行为，在出现异常的时候发出警告信号。

(2) 答案：B.overspend and senseless financial decisions
解释：在这份针对5,500人的调查中，十分之九有精神健康问题的人会在不舒服的时候过度消费或作出不理智的金融决定。

(3) 答案：C.spending
解释：同通过银行流水，根据用户花费（余额）进行观察预测。

(4) 答案：C.the government does not support banks to share data
解释：英国银行目前不允许其用户吧数据开放给第三方，但是政府已经迫使他们在2018年之前取消这个规定。

什么？雅虎高管早就知道黑客攻击？！

雅虎在当地时间周三在向美国证券交易委员会提交的文件中承认，2年前黑客攻击事件发生后不久，至少部分高管就获悉这一情况。而不久前雅虎才表示，它直到2016年8月份才首次发现曾遭到黑客攻击。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

sponsored赞助的；发起的['spɔnsəd]

scope范围；余地；视野[skəʊp]

sophisticated复杂的；精致的[sə'fɪstɪkeɪtɪd]

filing文件归档['faɪlɪŋ]

forensic法院的；辩论的[fə'rensɪk]

intruder侵入者；干扰者[ɪn'truːdə]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分52秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

1分17秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分21秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分49秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Yahoo admits some staff knew of hacking in 2014（ 494 words）

By Hannah Kuchler in San Francisco

Yahoo has admitted that at least some staff knew that a state-sponsored hacker had accessed its network shortly after an attack took place two years ago,adding to the uncertainty around Verizon’s $4.8bn deal to acquire the internet company’s operations.

An independent committee of Yahoo’s board has launched an investigation into“the scope of the knowledge within the company in 2014”regarding the security breach,which it announced six weeks ago.

Yahoo had said it first discovered the cyber attack — which affected data belonging to at least 500m users — in August 2016,a month after Verizon agreed to acquire the company’s core assets. Verizon,which would not comment on Wednesday’s filing,has previously said it wants to know whether the attack will have a material impact on Yahoo.

But in the filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission,Yahoo said:“The company had identified that a state-sponsored actor had access to the company’s network in late 2014.”

One person familiar with the investigation said Yahoo originally did not have a“full picture”of what happened because of the“sophisticated nature of state-sponsored attacks”. When it brought in outside experts to investigate the claim of a separate breach,which turned out to be false,it developed a more complete picture,the person said.

In the same filing,Yahoo also said that forensic experts are investigating evidence that indicates an intruder,possibly the same hacker,created a way to access users’account information without their passwords,raising the possibility that a cyber criminal could have access even after passwords are changed. The person close to the investigation said Yahoo did not believe it was currently possible for attackers to forge the Yahoo Mail cookies to allow access without a password.

The company also said in the filing that law enforcement agencies had begun sharing data provided by a hacker purporting to be Yahoo account information. It is not clear whether this information is thought to be from the same attack or a separate one.

A Yahoo spokeswoman said:“We are confident in Yahoo’s value and we continue to work towards integration with Verizon.”

Verizon’s general counsel said last month that the telecoms group had a“reasonable basis”to believe that the massive data breach would have a“material”impact on its deal,with Verizon’s chief financial officer saying it was working on the assumption that the breach would have an impact on the price.

However,Yahoo has insisted the attack did not have a material impact. Marissa Mayer,Yahoo chief executive,said in its earnings statement last month that she had been heartened by user loyalty and engagement trends which showed page views,searches and mail messages sent and read had all stayed flat before and after the announcement of the breach on September 22. The filing said the hack had cost Yahoo $1m in the quarter ending on September 30.

Shares in both Yahoo and Verizon were flat in after-hours trading in New York.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1. Who wanted to acquire Yahoo as mentioned?

A. SEC

B. Verizon

C. Wanda

D. Google

答案(1)

2. When did Verizon agree to acquire the Yahoo’s core assets?

A. June

B. July

C. August

D. October

答案(2)

3. Which one is not mentioned as Yahoo said in the filing?

A. possibly the same hacker fall

B. the hacker did not need the passwords

C. attackers forged the Yahoo Mail cookies to allow access without a password.

D. law enforcement agencies had begun sharing the data

答案(3)

4. How much was lost to Yahoo because of the hack before September 30?

A. ¥1m

B. ¥100m

C. $1m

D. $10m

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.Verizon
解释：文章提到想收购雅虎的是Verizon。SEC是美国证券交易委员会（the US Securities and Exchange Commission）

(2) 答案：B.July
解释：雅虎之前表示发现黑客攻击是在8月——Verizon与其达成收购协议后的一个月。

(3) 答案：C.attackers forged the Yahoo Mail cookies to allow access without a password.
解释：据一位知情人士透露，雅虎目前不相信攻击者有能力伪造有效的雅虎邮件cookies。

(4) 答案：C.$1m
解释：黑客攻击在截至9月30日的财季中给雅虎造成100万美元损失。

“光棍节狂欢”全球化？

曾经当过英语老师的阿里巴巴创始人马云(Jack Ma)为未来10年设定了一个20亿消费者的目标。换句话说，到2026年，他预计全球将有大约四分之一的人通过阿里巴巴的电商平台购物，包括淘宝和天猫。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

orgy狂欢；放荡['ɔːdʒɪ]

brouhaha吵闹；骚动['bruːhɑːhɑː]

trove收藏的东西[trəʊv]

pilot programme试点方案

merger合并；并购；吸收['mɜːdʒə]

unshackled不受束缚的['ʌn'ʃækld]

overturning颠覆性的[,ovɚ'tɝn]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分34秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

1分7秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分13秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分46秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Alibaba looks to expand Singles Day shopping spree beyond China（ 468 words）

By Louise Lucas in Hong Kong

With an opening concert from pop star Katy Perry and an appearance by former basketball player Kobe Bryant,China’s Singles Day sale — Alibaba’s annual orgy of consumption — kicks off this week with more glitz and money than ever before.

The 24-hour sale,which takes place on November 11（more graphically,11.11) was not invented by Alibaba but the ecommerce group has made it a fixture of the retail calendar. Now the company plans to use the brouhaha around the event to launch itself beyond mainland China.

As a China-only event,Singles Day has already blown America’s Black Friday out of the water. Alibaba turned over $14.3bn on November 11 last year,compared with the $11.1bn spent online in the US over the whole five-day period from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday,which includes Black Friday when retailers kick off the holiday season with big discounts.

The company is exploiting a trove of big data gathered through its retail,streaming and payment platforms in China,and this year it is launching a pilot programme targeting Singles Day shoppers in Hong Kong and Taiwan for the first time. Next year it plans to target Southeast Asia.

It is also expanding via mergers and acquisitions,such as its stakes in south-east Asian ecommerce group Lazada.

But internationalisation is a tough ask for Alibaba,say analysts,as it is for peers Baidu and Tencent. China’s tech trinity,collectively known as BAT,have grown rapidly at home,unshackled by international competition,but have taken little more than baby steps abroad. The reverse,analysts add,is also true: Amazon has failed to make much headway in China.

“There’s a tremendous challenge to take it global,”says Scott Likens,who heads PwC’s analytics and emerging technologies business in Hong Kong.“The model that works in China does not work outside China,or at least not as well.”

Jack Ma,the one-time English teacher who founded Alibaba,has set a target of 2bn consumers in the next decade. In other words,come 2026,he expects roughly one in four people in the world to shop through Alibaba’s ecommerce platforms including Taobao and Tmall.

These global ambitions are typically immodest. Mr Ma describes his plans for a“World e-Trade Platform”as a sort of World Trade Organisation without disputes,helping“the 80 per cent of companies and developing countries that cannot participate in world trade”to sell overseas.

His claims to be overturning the concept of ecommerce are equally bold. Alibaba is becoming a“consumer-to-business”company,rewriting the retail rule book,it says,so that shoppers,through big data,tell retailers what they want to buy.

“We will become the future of new retail,”says Daniel Zhang,Alibaba chief executive.“Product design and manufacturing will move in the direction of truly being driven by big data.”

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Which one wrong about the Singles Day shopping spree?

A. it was invented by Alibaba

B. Alibaba has made it a fixture of the retail calendar

C. it only took place in China last year

D. it surpassed America’s Black Friday on online shopping

答案(1)

2.Where will be the oversea target next year?

A. Hong Kong

B. Taiwan

C. London

D. Southeast Asia

答案(2)

3.What is the reason of BAT’s rapid development in China?

A. a trove of big data

B. unshackled by international competition

C. attractive and reasonable price

D. expanded by mergers and acquisitions

答案(3)

4.How many percent of people around the world will shop through Alibaba’s ecommerce platforms in 2060 by Jack Ma’s expectation?

A. 25%

B. 40%

C. 60%

D. 80%

答案(4)

(1) 答案：A.it was invented by Alibaba
解释：这一发生在11月11日的24小时销售活动并不是阿里巴巴的发明，但这家电子商务集团已令该日期成为零售业日历中的一个固定节日。

(2) 答案：D.Southeast Asia
解释：今年，它要在香港和台湾首次推出面向光棍节购物者的试点计划。明年，该公司还打算以东南亚地区的购物者为目标。

(3) 答案：B.unshackled by international competition
解释：BAT在国内因未受国际竞争约束而迅速增长，但在境外只能小步走。同理，亚马逊(Amazon)在中国也未能打开局面。

(4) 答案：A.25%
解释：到2026年，他预计全球将有大约四分之一的人通过阿里巴巴的电商平台购物，包括淘宝和天猫。

女性员工一定要穿高跟鞋吗？

一些就业律师表示，公平地讲，既然男性和女性都必须达到类似程度的“仪容整洁”，这种着装规定并不违法。比如男性也可能被要求穿西服外套、打领带。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

PwC普华永道(Price Wterhouse Coopers)

receptionist接待员；前台[rɪ'sepʃ(ə)nɪst]

deem认为，视作；相信[diːm]

trainers运动鞋['treɪnəz]

scantily缺乏地；吝啬地['skæntili]

totter蹒跚；踉跄['tɒtə]

enlightened开明的；文明的[ɪn'laɪt(ə)nd]

scrapped报废的[skræpt]

stubble残株；发茬['stʌb(ə)l]

ponytails马尾辫['pəʊnɪteɪl]

decorative装饰性的；装潢用的['dek(ə)rətɪv]

intervene干涉；调停；插入[ɪntə'viːn]

tights紧身裤袜[taɪts]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

4分29秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分11秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分59秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分2秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

The high heels dress code is stamped on（629 words）

By Brooke Masters

When Nicola Thorp turned up for her first day’s work as a receptionist at PwC’s global headquarters in London,she was sent home without pay for wearing the wrong shoes.

The problem,according to managers from the staffing agency Portico — which supplies workers to the professional services firm — was that Ms Thorp’s footwear was flat. She then refused to go out and buy the heels that are part of the agency’s dress code: between 2in and 4in.

To be fair,some employment lawyers say this kind of dress code is not illegal as long as men and women have to meet a similar level of“smartness”. Men can be required to wear a jacket and tie,for example,even when women are not.

Faced with all the negative publicity,and a complaint from PwC,Portico announced that it was changing its policy. But one has to wonder about the purpose of the requirement in the first place. Did Portico think it was supplying waitresses to Hooters?

A sexualised dress code might be deemed appropriate for a casual restaurant chain that advertises with pictures of scantily clad waitresses and describes itself as“delightfully tacky yet unrefined”.（I confess I am not a fan. But at least the place is honest about what it offers.

In fact,while Hooters waitresses are required to sport low-cut T-shirts and hot pants,even they are allowed to wear trainers. Long hours on their feet carrying huge trays of drinks would make uncomfortable footwear an impractical addition to the uniform.

Here at the Financial Times,the newsroom includes women in ballet flats and 4in spikes,while men don anything from brightly coloured running shoes to old-fashioned Oxford brogues. I have my own rule that I totter around on high heels only when wearing a dress that would look out of place in the office.

Whatever your personal preference,a heels requirement certainly has no place in the lobby of a consulting firm that regularly bangs on about the need for diversity and even sponsors a blog about equality issues called“The Gender Agenda”.

PwC argues,in a letter sent to those who complained through its website about the heels policy,that Portico’s policy is“industry standard”. The firm notes that many of its own female employees wear flats“because of the high mobility required by many of our roles”. So highly educated PwC accountants and consultants,who could obviously seek employment elsewhere,have a choice and can avoid the pain that goes with wearing high heels. How enlightened. But when PwC hired Portico to staff its lobby,the management either did not care about,or did not bother to look at,the rules the agency imposes on its receptionists.

Though the heels requirement has been scrapped,Portico’s dress code for women still specifies that a minimum of five different types of cosmetics must be worn“at all times and regularly re-applied”. It also regulates acceptable colours of nail polish（plum is OK but green is not) and lays down rules for tights（black for darker skin tones and“natural”for everyone else).

The company also bans stubble,bright coloured hair dye and ponytails for men,but in general the rules for women are far more prescriptive. The whole thing puts me in mind of 1950s airline stewardesses or geisha entertainers in Japan,who used to wear their own brand of uncomfortable footwear — wooden sandals balanced on tiny stilts.

Dress codes that force female staff to be decorative are particularly outdated at a time when companies are being urged to boost the ranks of women on their boards. No wonder more than 100,000 people have already signed Ms Thorp’s petition asking Parliament to intervene. Women are sick and tired of being told to toe the line.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Why Nicola Thorp was dismissed by PwC as a receptionist?

A. e-wore the high heels

B. wore the flats

C. wore the miniskirt

D. affronted the boss

答案(1)

2.Which one is not right for Hooters’waitresses?

A. sport low-cut T-shirts and hot pants are required

B. they are scantily clad in advertisement

C. they can wear comfortable shoes

D. trainers are forbidden

答案(2)

3.What is author’s attitude toward PwC’s heels requirement?

A. disapproving

B. favorable

C. sympathetic

D. sensible

答案(3)

4.Which one is wrong as the dress code for women in PwC?

A. a minimum of five different types of cosmetics must be worn

B. bans bright coloured hair dye and ponytails

C. plum is acceptable of nail polish

D. a black pair of tights is only suitable for darker skin

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.wore the flats
解释：Nicola Thorpe第一天去普华永道(PwC)在伦敦的全球总部当前台接待员，结果还没领薪水就被请回家了，原因是她穿错了鞋子。为这家专业服务公司输送工作人员的人才中介机构Portico的经理们表示，问题在于索普穿的是平跟鞋。

(2) 答案：D.trainers are forbidden
解释：虽然猫头鹰餐厅的女侍应生按规定须穿低胸T恤和热裤，但她们也被允许穿运动鞋。

(3) 答案：A.disapproving
解释：作者表示不管你的个人偏好是什么，必须穿高跟鞋的要求在这样一家咨询公司的大堂并不合适，毕竟普华永道经常宣扬多样化，甚至还赞助了一个讨论平等问题的博客。

(4) 答案：B.bans bright coloured hair dye and ponytails
解释：女性着装要求规定女性要使用最少5种不同种类的化妆品，“并且经常补妆”。还规定了可以接受的指甲油颜色（紫红色是允许的，但绿色不行），还有关于连裤袜的规定（肤色较深的人必须穿黑色，而其他所有人必须穿“肉色”）。男性留胡子、染亮色头发、留马尾辫。

假如你要跳槽到竞争对手公司

这篇文章告诉你，该如何和昔日的老板开口并且优雅离开？在新东家那里的大忌又是什么？

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

headhunter猎头['hed,hʌntə]

non-compete clauses竞业禁止条款

gardening leave花园假期

moan抱怨；呻吟[məʊn]

carp吹毛求疵[kɑːp]

integrity完整；正直[ɪn'tegrɪtɪ]

non-solicitation clauses禁止招揽条款

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分33秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分40秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分37秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分55秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Plan an exit strategy when quitting for a rival（551 words）

By Emma De Vita

Switching sides to work for a rival can be awkward yet there are ways of ensuring things go as smoothly as they can.“Telling your boss you are leaving [for a competitor] is never going to be an easy conversation,”says Sarah Lim,who left a rival headhunter to join Korn Ferry last year.

When handing in your resignation,explain that you want new experiences with a different company and that you have taken your job as far as you can,advises Michael Jenkins,chief executive of HR training organisation Roffey Park. If the response is cold,you can put up with it or try negotiating an earlier exit,says Steve Wigzell,partner of coaching firm Praesta.

If you have non-compete clauses in your employment contract,you will be asked to leave immediately.

“It can be quite a shock but don’t take it personally,”says Ms Lim. If you are put on“gardening leave”,when you are asked not to do any work during your paid notice because of a conflict of interest,you must sever ties with your employer,says Jonathan Trevor,a professor at Saïd Business School.

If you are working out your notice in the office,it is important to be active to the end,not to moan or carp,and to thank colleagues for their support.

“Act with good grace because you don’t know when you might end up back there,”says Mr Jenkins. Ms Lim adds that“the most important thing is for you to be able to hold a mirror up to yourself and be able to say you acted with integrity.”

While it is acceptable to spend time familiarising yourself with your new company,it is not advisable to do any work of value,even if you are not party to any legal restrictions. While non-compete clauses can be difficult to enforce it will not stop a company trying to do so if managers suspect business is actively being taken away from them,says Mr Jenkins.

Once you start your new job,Prof Trevor’s advice is to reveal nothing when it comes to talking about past clients,projects or colleagues. In fact,it will cause alarm if you reveal sensitive information.“It implies you can’t be trusted with anything sensitive,”he says.

You must stick to any legal restrictions that apply,which can include non-solicitation clauses that prevent you approaching clients or former colleagues for a certain period of time. However,after that,it is reasonable to mention job opportunities at your new company to old colleagues.“That’s not a compromising situation,”Prof Trevor says.

Be careful not to tell stories from your old place of work too many times or to trade on past glories as they will lose freshness and relevance.“No one likes you going on and on about how great life was in the old company,”says Mr Jenkins.“You have to be self-aware about what to share and what to discard.”

Finally,if you are being headhunted,then be sure that it is you that they want and not just your clients,says Mr Jenkins.

Also,says Prof Trevor,it is inadvisable to use a headhunter’s approachsolely as a bargaining tool to get a pay rise from your employer,without any intention of leaving:“It can easily backfire.”

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Which one is a better reason when handing in your resignation?

A. want higher wages

B. want a nice boss

C. want new experiences

D. dislike boring environment

答案(1)

2.Which one would not happen during“gardening leave”?

A. be asked to leave immediately

B. be asked not to do any work

C. sever ties with new employer

D. get the paycheck

答案(2)

3.Which one is suggested once you start your new job?

A. talk past glories

B. talk about past clients

C. approach former colleagues immediately

D. reveal nothing

答案(3)

4.If you are being headhunted,what do they really want?

A. your clients

B. yourself

C. information about old company

D. your money

答案(4)

(1) 答案：C.want new experiences
解释：递辞呈时不妨这样解释，说你想换换环境尝试一些新事物，并表示对工作你已经尽心尽力了。

(2) 答案：A.be asked to leave immediately
解释：如果你被要求休“花园假期”(gardening leave)——这段时间内你会继续领薪水，但由于存在利益冲突，你会被要求不能从事任何工作——那么你不能与你的新雇主往来。

(3) 答案：D.reveal nothing
解释：你的新工作一旦开始就别在言谈中透露任何有关你过去客户、项目或同事的信息。事实上，如果你泄露了敏感信息，将会使别人警觉。

(4) 答案：B.yourself
解释：如果你被猎头相中，要明白他们想挖的是你，而不只是你的客户。

优步大变能否捕获你的心？

Uber 将于近期推出国际版的更新，这将是继 2012 年以来变化最大的一次更新：将若干个手机应用集成于 Uber 客户端内，如果你在车上觉得饿了，可以向左滑出UberEATS，外卖将会在行程结束时同时到达；如果你觉得无聊，还能滑出 Pandora 听歌。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

roll out铺开；滚出

overhaul彻底检查；大改[əʊvə'hɔːl]

integrated完整的；互相协调的['ɪntɪgreɪtɪd]

augment增加；增大[ɔːg'ment]

backlash强烈反对；发生后冲['bæklæʃ]

tribunal法庭；裁决[traɪ'bjuːn(ə)l; trɪ-]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分37秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分42秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分38秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分55秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Uber adds lifestyle tracking to ride-hailing app（556 words）

By Leslie Hook in San Francisco

Uber no longer wants just to deliver you or your dinner from point A to point B. Its new app aims to become an integral part of your daily life,including anticipating where you want to go,telling you where your friends are and suggesting things you may want to eat.

Uber users will be able to link to their calendars,track friends’locations,and find information such as reviews and news at their destinations as the ride-hailing service seeks to build its business beyond simple transportation.

The new services highlight Uber’s ambition to connect to more facets of its passengers’lives. Users will need to opt in to the calendar and friend-locating features.

Travis Kalanick,chief executive of Uber,said the features,which will be rolled out worldwide over the next few weeks,were its biggest product overhaul in four years.

“We wanted to get into an experience where we could personalise the app,”said Mr Kalanick.

Uber’s app will start to predict where its users are likely to go at certain times,and make suggestions based on past trips to recommend the most convenient pick-up and drop-off points.

The new app will also work more closely with partners. Services from Yelp,a review site,Snapchat,the messaging service,and music-streaming app Pandora will become closely integrated. Mr Kalanick said news and weather services would be added soon.

Uber’s food delivery service will also be more closely linked to riders’trips,for example,by displaying food options that could be delivered at a passenger’s house at the same time as they arrive.

Mr Kalanick said the new design,which will show riders an information feed while they are in the car,will“make you feel like you are living in the future”.

Uber is working to improve and augment its service in the face of strong competition from rivals such as Lyft in the US and Ola in India. Although Uber does not disclose how many active passengers it has,its app is one of the most popular in the world in terms of daily downloads,according to data from App Annie.

The Silicon Valley company operates in more than 60 countries,but has faced serious regulatory backlash in many of them. Last week a tribunal in the UK found that Uber drivers should be classified as workers,not self-employed contractors,a ruling that could up-end Uber’s business in one of its largest European markets.

The voluntary service is likely to raise privacy concerns given its potential access to a large amount of data on its users,however.

“This is not a company that has a strong record on privacy and now they want to behave more like Google,which is worrying,”said Gus Hosein,executive director of Privacy International.

“They’re going to become an intelligence company,a mining company and all our data will end up in the US which has no strong privacy laws.”

Earlier this year,Uber paid a $20,000 fine because of failure to report its“God View”tool,which enabled employees to track individual users of the app in real-time as well as their journey history without their express permission.

Uber’s investors include Goldman Sachs,TPG,Fidelity and Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. The company was valued at more than $68bn during its most recent financing round.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What will be linked to on the phone from Uber app?

A. e-mails

B. calendars

C. cookies

D. photos

答案(1)

2.What is the aim of this product overhaul?

A. benefit maximization

B. gather information

C. work more closely with partners

D. personalize the app

答案(2)

3.What kind of services would be added soon?

A. news and weather

B. food delivery

C. messaging service

D. music-streaming

答案(3)

4.What should Uber drivers be classified as from the tribunal in the UK?

A. self-employed contractors

B. workers

C. taxpayers

D. analysts

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.calendars
解释：用户可以关联他们的日历，以获得更多定制服务。

(2) 答案：D.personalize the app
解释：这是Uber四年来最大的改动，主要的目的是为用户提供更多定制化的服务。

(3) 答案：A.news and weather
解释：Mr. Kalanick表示新闻和天气服务未来会上线，信息、音乐流媒体等服务内容已经确认与合作伙伴进行中。

(4) 答案：B.workers
解释：Uber的司机应该被是为员工，而不是自由职业者。

学会倾听，让你的员工更高效

很多时候,就是因为缺乏有效倾听而与员工间产生误解和冲突,有时还会因为没有及时发现员工问题而导致人才的流失。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

intensive加强的；集中的[ɪn'tensɪv]

coachee马车夫；学员（等于coachman）['kəʊtʃiː]

straightaway通俗易懂的；立刻的[,streɪtə'weɪ]

reinforced加固的；加强的[riːɪn'fɔːst]

underestimate低估；看轻[ʌndər'estɪmeɪt]

intervention介入；调停；辅导[ɪntə'venʃ(ə)n]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

2分45秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

1分6秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

0分30秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分31秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Learn to listen and you will improve employees’performance（315 words）

By Kim Johnstone,The University of Sydney Business School

I have just finished an intensive unit on coaching and performance management and it has been a revelation. Hands on from the start,students were required to have a“live coachee”for the six weeks of the course.

We jumped into our first coaching session with a work colleague after only one weekend of lectures – which was terrifying.

As someone who likes to talk,I found the formal coaching environment an excellent way to force myself to ask“good”questions and sit back and listen. Listening often revealed“hidden”issues,those things not talked about straightaway. It also meant I could challenge my assumptions about what my coachee wanted and how they worked.

Throughout the MBA we learn again and again how important it is to listen if we are to be effective leaders,and this course reinforced this. We were asked to record our coaching sessions so we could review how they went and my recordings showed I could talk even less. They also highlighted how important it is to ask open and clear questions.

As a leader I have learnt two important things from the course. First,do not underestimate the importance of providing the time and space to talk. My coachee commented several times about how useful it was to be able to talk about things,and have someone ask them questions they needed to think about.

Second,significant changes can come from small interventions. Throughout the course of our sessions,my coachee had a significant change in attitude to speaking up at meetings. It highlighted how you can lead change without needing big investment.

As a coach it has been highly rewarding to see someone think about things differently as a result of conversations that took place in my coaching sessions.

It is one of those great moments doing the MBA when you realise you have a new skill for life.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.How long is the course?

A. 6 days

B. 12 days

C. one and a half months

D. 6 months

答案(1)

2.What kind of questions were recommended from the course?

A. macroscopical

B. simple and naive

C. implied and excited

D. open and clear

答案(2)

3.What should be valued while talking?

A. fully respected

B. free-thinking

C. time and space

D. quiet environment

答案(3)

4.What is the meaning of the second learnt thing?

A. changing significantly is the most important

B. do not underestimate the importance of small interventions

C. no one can lead change without needing big investment

D. someone think about things differently

答案(4)

(1) 答案：C.one and a half months
解释：在课堂上除了强调倾听的重要性还强调了公开和清晰的问题也很重要。

(2) 答案：D.open and clear
解释：在课堂上除了强调倾听的重要性还强调了公开和清晰的问题也很重要。

(3) 答案：C.time and space
解释：笔者学到的第一点就是不能忽视为说话在提供时间和空间。

(4) 答案：B.do not underestimate the importance of small interventions
解释：有些重大的改变都发生于小的辅导干预，我们不能忽略。

流浪狗，该杀吗？

由于宗教信仰，印度街头常常可见自由流浪的动物。然而近年来流浪狗伤人事件频频爆出，每年有18,000到20,000人死于狂犬病。如何妥善对待这些让人又爱又恨的狗狗们，成为印度街头一场硝烟的鏖战。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

turf活动领域；地盘[tɜːf]

stray流浪；迷路[streɪ]

dweller居民，居住者['dwɛlɚ]

intersection交叉；十字路口[ɪntə'sekʃ(ə)n]

impoverished穷困的；用尽了的[ɪm'pɒvərɪʃt]

vaccination接种疫苗；种痘[,væksɪ'neɪʃən]

rabies狂犬病，恐水病['reɪbiːz; -ɪz]

menace威胁；恐吓['menəs]

cull精选；剔除[kʌl]

denounce告发；公然抨击[dɪ'naʊns]

sterilisation绝育[,stɛrəlɪ'zeʃən]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

2分45秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

1分6秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

0分30秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分31秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Human rights clash with canine rights on India’s streets（602words）

By Amy Kazmin

A violent battle is being waged in the streets of urban India. It isn’t between armed gangs fighting to dominate turf. It is a battle between people and the packs of stray dogs permitted to run free under India’s tolerant animal control policy.

Nourished by abundant rubbish — and by soft souls who regularly feed strays as acts of compassion — street dogs have proliferated. The country’s population of feral canines has been estimated at about 25m,many of them highly territorial and aggressive.

These dogs often see children as potential competitors for food. A few years ago,my friend’s little girl was bitten while entering New Delhi’s most popular park. This is a prime location for wealthy city-dwellers to feed stray dogs — and not far from an intersection where impoverished street children sell pens,flowers and balloons,and beg for food.

My friend rushed her daughter to a doctor for vaccinations to prevent rabies. But many of those who are bitten are either not so lucky or do not know they need urgent medical attention. About 18,000 to 20,000 Indians die of rabies annually — about 36 per cent of all rabies deaths in the world,says the World Health Organisation.

The public finally awoke to the menace in August,when a 75-year-old woman in the coastal Kerala state — a popular international tourist destination — was fatally mauled by a pack of strays on a beach in her fishing village.

Her gruesome death came just a year after a young boy in New Delhi was killed by a pack of street dogs after tripping over in his crowded residential neighbourhood.

Keralans now are demanding tough action,including a cull — and the state government has announced plans to permit urban authorities to kill dangerous strays.

These plans have been denounced by animal rights activists,including Maneka Gandhi,a member of the Gandhi political dynasty（she is a daughter-in-law of Indira Gandhi). Ms Gandhi,minister for women and child development,says a cull would be“unlawful and unscientific”. It would even make street dogs more hostile and aggressive,she claims.

During the British colonial era,and for decades afterwards,India tried to control its stray dog population — and rabies — through culls. Many cities and states still have rules on their statute books permitting mass elimination. But in 2001,New Delhi unveiled its new national Animal Birth Control（Dogs) rules — known as the ABCD policy — and one that ostensibly superseded city rules. These rules prohibit killing stray dogs and instead require authorities to set up programmes to vaccinate and sterilise them,then release them back to wherever they were picked up.

In the past decade such efforts have proved largely ineffectual,and were constrained by limited financial and human resources. The Animal Welfare Board of India estimates that just 10-15 per cent of street dogs are sterilised.

The conflict has reached the Supreme Court,where animal rights activists have mounted a long-running defence against city administrations and citizens groups that challenge the ABCD ban on killing stray dogs.

Until now,the court has sought to strike a delicate balance between compassion for animals and the need to protect people,ordering local authorities to become more serious about campaigns to vaccination and sterilisation campaigns.

However,a Supreme Court-appointed fact-finding panel in Kerala has now recommended an“immediate reduction”in the state’s street dog population,calling them a“grave”threat to the residents.

India’s battle between humans and dogs will only escalate in the days ahead. It is unclear how this will play out — but India is clearly in need of a dog control policy with a bit more bite.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Which one is not mentioned as the reason of the sharp increases of street dogs?

A. good sanitation conditions

B. abundant rubbish

C. people’s sympathy

D. tolerant animal control policy

答案(1)

2.Who are potential competitors for food according to stray dogs?

A. stray cats

B. girls

C. birds

D. children

答案(2)

3.What disease may be caused by street dogs?

A. fever

B. pneumonia

C. rabies

D. cancer

答案(3)

4.Which one is wrong about ABCD policy?

A. stray dogs should be vaccinated and sterilized by the government

B. it is permitting mass elimination

C. dogs will be released back

D. it has been challenged by animal rights activists

答案(4)

(1) 答案：A.good sanitation conditions
解释：由于印度宽容的动物控制政策和人们的喂养或垃圾，造成印度街头流浪狗数量激增。

(2) 答案：D.children
解释：流浪狗常把孩子们当作争抢食物的潜在竞争者。

(3) 答案：C.rabies
解释：这些流浪狗很可能造成狂犬病，据世界卫生组织，印度每年大概有18,000到20,000人死于狂犬病，占据全球的36%。

(4) 答案：B.it is permitting mass elimination
解释：很多国家允许对流浪狗的大型捕杀，但在印度在2001年发布一条禁止杀狗的法律，而ABCD政策是全国性捕捉节育计划，捕狗大队会在大街小巷寻找流浪狗，把它们带回去打狂犬病疫苗，并做结扎手术再放回。

“零工经济”能否“解救”跨性别人士

以自由职业者组成的“零工经济”，或许会减少跨性别人士在工作环境中，可能面临的歧视。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

LGBT同性恋、双性恋及变性者（Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender）

inconvenience麻烦；打扰

keep the wolf from the door勉强度日，免于饥饿

overqualified资历过高的[əʊvə'kwɒlɪfaɪd]

trigger引起；触发['trɪgə]

vulnerable易受伤害的；有弱点的['vʌln(ə)rəb(ə)l]

freelance自由职业的['friːlɑːns]

bolster支持；支撑['bəʊlstə]

precarious危险的；不确定的[prɪ'keərɪəs]

sketchy写生的；概略的['sketʃɪ]

tectonic构造的；建筑的[tek'tɒnɪk]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

4分41秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分44秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分40秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分56秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Gig economy offers risks and rewards for transgender workers（562words）

By Emma Jacobs

When Owen Francis transitioned in 2011,he did so after his postgraduate studies. This was so he could have a“clean break”and avoid explaining the changes in his appearance and requesting breaks from work.“I followed the pattern of others transitioning — I didn’t want to inconvenience HR or take time out,”he says.

To keep the wolf from the door he took a job in a burger bar,for which he was overqualified. Today,however,as an ambassador for trans*formation,a networking and advocacy group for trans professionals,he sees many opting for self-employment or casual work in the gig economy because they believe there is less chance of discrimination and they do not have to commit to one workplace. Tech platforms like ride-hailing app Uber could provide a non-discriminatory workplace as jobs are triggered by an algorithm,not a human. Yet they are vulnerable to customer ratings.

As the International Labour Organisation,a UN agency,points out,“Many LGBT [people] stay away from formal employment altogether,taking up freelance or informal work,fearing a discriminatory workforce.”

Jordan Marshall,policy development manager at the UK-based Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed,sees this as a positive step.“If you freelance,you can pick and choose your clients. In many sectors you don’t need to be based on the client’s premises,so your exposure to discriminatory colleagues can be minimal.”However,he makes the point that creating a network as a freelancer may help.

For Jennifer Glauche,a trans woman in Germany,it has been the support of a local co-working group that has bolstered her confidence to seek work.“My skills and the quality of my work is more important than small details about my person such as gender,”she says.

Yet for some of those who are casual workers,in warehouses,for example,their status can make them feel vulnerable. While corporate human resources departments have made strides in LGBT policies（if not always practices) those who are not employees may feel excluded.

Huma Munshi,senior policy officer for equality at the Trades Union Congress,says people in precarious work arrangements are often too frightened about losing their jobs to speak out about harassment.“LGBT disclosure rates are small and the data are very sketchy. But it’s likely that LGBT workers have higher rates of discrimination and are vulnerable in the casual workforce.”This particularly applies to younger workers,who are more likely to be casually employed.

Precarious contracts might make people less likely to out themselves in the workplace and concealing their true identity can have an impact on their mental health and productivity. A survey by US advocacy organisation the Human Rights Campaign found that 30 per cent of LGBT workers（all types,not just casual) were unhappy or depressed at work.

Todd Sears,founder of Out Leadership,a consultancy that works to empower LGBT executives,says the effort of“covering”your sexuality is extremely stressful. He poses the challenge to straight people:“How many pictures are on your desk? How often do you talk about your wife?”

The increasingly casualised workforce,says Ruth Hunt,chief executive of Stonewall,the UK LGBT rights campaign group,is a cause for concern.“These are massively changing tectonic plates and LGBT equality isn’t sufficiently entrenched in society for it to withstand that kind of cultural shifting. That is our worry.”

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Jobs will be triggered by what in the gig economy model?

A. algorithm

B. employer

C. machine

D. customer

答案(1)

2.Why many LGBT people stay away from formal employment altogether?

A. tough clients

B. discriminatory workforce

C. low salary

D. educational requirements

答案(2)

3.Which one of the following is less important at work as Glauche,a trans woman in Germany,said?

A. skills

B. the quality of work

C. gender

D. capacity

答案(3)

4.How many percent of LGBT workers were unhappy or depressed at work?

A. 10%

B. 15%

C. 30%

D. 70%

答案(4)

(1) 答案：A.algorithm
解释：共享经济中，工作机会是有算法匹配而不是人，所以一部分减少了歧视的可能性。

(2) 答案：B.discriminatory workforce
解释：他们很多人选择自由职业是因为对工作中的歧视感到担心。

(3) 答案：C.gender
解释：在工作中更加重要的是技巧能力，而不是例如性别的细节问题。

(4) 答案：C.30%
解释：根据美国组织Human Rights Campaign的调查，有百分之三十的LGBT人群在工作中感到不开心或沮丧。

英国《金融时报》原文阅读精选集Vol.29

没人比它更懂你

这款软件会时刻都跟随着你——倾听你的声音，记录你的心跳，甚至睡觉的时候他都“坐”在你身边继续工作，了解你的小小改变，反映出容易被自己忽略的真实。本想缓解职场压力的这款软件，却让一些人人觉得更加焦虑。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

premise预先提出；作为…的前提['premɪs]

subtle微妙的；精细的

depression沮丧；抑郁症[dɪ'preʃ(ə)n]

tailored定做的；裁缝做的['teɪləd]

hazard危险，冒险['hæzəd]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

1分40秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

797

3分18秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

2分47秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分19秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Smartphone app on track to monitor staff stress and mental health（797words）

By Sarah O’Connor

It goes with you everywhere. It listens to your voice. It sits next to you when you sleep. Your smartphone might know you better than you know yourself.

This is the premise behind a start-up that promises to help employees and employers spot and deal with stress in the workplace. Soma Analytics,the creation of an engineer,a mathematician and a computer scientist,uses the sensors in people’s smartphones to identify behavioural changes that signal they are in danger of burning out. It might be subtle shifts in the tone of their voice,how long it takes them to read and absorb some text,or how much they toss and turn in bed at night.

Now the company,founded four years ago,has been given €1.8m by the EU to fund a large-scale randomised controlled trial of the technology.

Soma is one of many companies trying to tap the growing market for corporate“wellness”initiatives. Many focus on employees’physical health. BP gives Fitbits to employees in North America and offers them rewards if they meet activity targets. Soma focuses on stress.

Soma’s founders Johann Huber,Peter Schneider and Christopher Lorenz（all 29) say they had the idea when a friend was diagnosed with depression. Beforehand,they had felt“there was something going on”,what with their friend’s mood swings and bags under his eyes.“But what was puzzling us was that he didn’t feel it,”Mr Huber says.“Because they were small and gradual changes over a longer period of time.”

Soma’s app aims to let employees know when they are slowly becoming stressed. It gives them tailored tips to help them sleep better and relax. On average,users report a 14 per cent reduction in perceived stress. The company plans to use the EU money,awarded in August,to fund a bigger and more rigorous piece of research into the effectiveness of the technology.

Stress and anxiety are clearly workplace problems. A charity,Business in the Community,has just surveyed 20,000 UK workers and found that — in one recent month alone — 24 per cent of all employees had experienced symptoms of poor mental health where work was a contributing factor. Stress topped the list of workplace hazards in the UK Trades Union Congress biennial survey of trade union health and safety representatives this year. About 70 per cent of reps said stress was a problem,up from 67 per cent two years ago and a higher proportion than in any previous survey.

Still,“wellness”companies have their critics,with some claims that they do more harm than good. Researchers André Spicer and Carl Cederström investigated effects of corporate wellness programmes and found they often caused anxiety by eating into employees’free time. Others say such schemes let employers off the hook. You can give employees tools to deal with stress and burnout but should employers not put staff under so much pressure in the first place?“Too many workers are still becoming ill through work,and simply introducing‘wellbeing programmes’is not a substitute for stopping workers becoming ill,”says Frances O’Grady,TUC general secretary.

Mr Huber says Soma can help employers by telling them when they are putting staff under too much pressure. Soma supplies employers with anonymised data on stress levels in their workforces,which they can break down by department or geographic area but not by person. He insists the point is not to give bosses intimate employee details.“They don’t really want to know how you sleep,”says Mr Huber,data he describes as of no value to employers.“It’s more of value to say‘what can I do for department A so they’re less stressed and have fewer sick days?’”

Drazen Nikolic,a partner at EY who leads the consultancy’s work on analytics,says this is the attraction for a company like his.“I don’t know how familiar you are with the consulting world but people tend to be crazy,they are running themselves until they drop dead.”He says part of the problem from a manager’s point of view is how often teams work virtually,across offices and time zones.“You seldom see the people that are working with you,”he notes.“If you would be sitting in the same office,you see the red eyes,you can say‘hey calm down Johnny,take a break.’”EY trialled Soma last year with 100 employees over eight weeks. The app received very good feedback,Mr Nikolic says.

Mr Huber hopes Soma can help create the right atmosphere. He has noticed that when employees use the app,it prompts a lot of conversation as colleagues compare notes. It creates a“culture of speaking”about the often tough subject of mental health,he says:“it gives them a language they can use.”

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What will be identified as signals by the sensors?

A. strange noises

B. behavioural changes

C. general positions

D. web browsing history

答案(1)

2.How many years has this company been going on?

A. 3

B. 4

C. 5

D. 6

答案(2)

3.What does Soma focus on?

A. physical health

B. exercise habit

C. stress

D. depression

答案(3)

4.What is the first workplace hazard in the UK Trades Union Congress biennial survey?

A. stress

B. dyslipidemia

C. sleep-deprived

D. electron radiation

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.behavioural changes
解释：通过在手机上的传感器来识别用户行为变化，确定他们的疲惫程度了。

(2) 答案：B.4
解释：文章提到该公司是四年前建立的。

(3) 答案：C.stress
解释：同类很多公司关注的是用户的身体健康，而Soma关注的是用户的压力。

(4) 答案：A.stress
解释：根据其对20,000名应该劳动者的调查，排名第一的是压力问题。

谁是中国快递大佬？

当前顺丰及圆通、申通、中通、韵达（称“三通一达”）都在冲刺资本市场，这些快递公司的财务数据也在2016年陆续披露出来。近日中通快递赴美上市筹资14亿美元，有可能是今年最大规模美国IPO。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

ecommerce电子商务（electronic commerce）

surpass超越；胜过[sə'pɑːs]

parcel包裹，小包['pɑːs(ə)l]

capitalise投资于；利用（等于capitalize）['kæpitəlaiz]

portfolio文件夹；证券投资组合；部长职务[pɔːt'fəʊlɪəʊ]

ubiquitous无所不在的[juː'bɪkwɪtəs]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分45秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

1分13秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分18秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分48秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

China’s ZTO raises $1.4bn in biggest US listing this year（483words）

By Charles Clover and Sherry Fei Ju in Beijing and Nicole Bullock in New York

The largest listing in the US by a Chinese company in two years will again give investors a chance to own part of the engine of China’s ecommerce boom.

ZTO,one of a dozen express delivery companies that work closely with Alibaba,raised $1.4bn in a listing on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday,piggy backing on the Hangzhou-based ecommerce group’s record $25bn listing in 2014.

ZTO was the biggest US IPO in the year-to-date,according to data from Dealogic.

ZTO priced 72.1m shares at $19.50 each — above its previously indicated range of $16.50 to $18.50 — according to Reuters. That gave the Shanghai-based company a market value of more than $12bn.

Since Alibaba’s listing,ecommerce transactions in China have surpassed the US and last year amounted to $609bn,compared with the US total of $342bn. Parcel deliveries have risen yearly by 80 per cent since 2011 to hit $20.7bn last year.

“They are trying to capitalise on the growth prospects in China to lure western investors to get a piece of a very attractive company with a very attractive market share in a very attractive geography,”said Michael Underhill,a portfolio manager at US-based RidgeWorth Investments.

A major part of the success of Chinese ecommerce is down to cheap and fast delivery companies such as ZTO — which claims 14.3 per cent of the country’s express delivery market. They ship mountains of small parcels across the country and deliver them door-to-door on electric powered tricycles that have become ubiquitous in Chinese cities.

A wave of listings by delivery companies occurred this year,each seeking to raise money for fleets of cargo aircraft and expanded networks.

Competitor YTO became the first Chinese express company to go public in Shanghai last Thursday,while SF Express announced plans in May for a backdoor listing in Shenzhen.

“This [listing] trend shows that the delivery/logistics industry has a strong need for capital funding,”said Yao Jianfang,analyst at China e-Business Research Center,adding that those that managed to list will quickly put distance between them and the smaller players.“The delivery industry in China will see a clear market segmentation after this [IPO wave].”

For the US market,the deal comes at what could be a turning point in a slow year. US IPOs are running at their lowest level in years,but have been picking up of late.

Companies in ZTO’s hugely competitive industry ship high volumes with razor-thin margins. ZTO has drawn attention — and some scepticism — for announcing high profit margins compared with peers. ZTO’s prospectus said its net profit margin was 21.9 per cent in 2015,far above industry peers. SF Express,for example,had a net profit margin of 6.3 per cent,while YTO had a 3.4 per cent margin.

ZTO is one of several official logistics partners for Alibaba,which accounted for 77 per cent of ZTO’s parcel volume last year.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Where is ZTO 's headquarters?

A. Hangzhou

B. Guangzhou

C. Shanghai

D. Shenzhen

答案(1)

2.What is the sign that ecommerce transactions in China have surpassed the US?

A. Alibaba’s listing

B. ZTO’s listing

C. parcel deliveries work closely with Alibaba

D. ZTO risen yearly by 80 per cent since 2015

答案(2)

3.Which one is not right to describe Chinese delivery companies as mentioned?

A. ubiquitous

B. cheap

C. metropolitan

D. fast

答案(3)

4.Where was the first Chinese express company,YTO,listed last Thursday?

A. Shenzhen

B. New York

C. Hongkong

D. Shanghai

答案(4)

(1) 答案：C.Shanghai
解释：中通速递的总部在上海，杭州是阿里巴巴的总部。

(2) 答案：A.Alibaba’s listing
解释：阿里巴巴的上市标志着中国的电子商务交易超过美国。

(3) 答案：C.metropolitan
解释：文章提到中国电子商务的发展很大程度得益于快速便宜的快递服务，而且他们无处不在。

(4) 答案：D.Shanghai
解释：10月20日，圆通速递在上海证券交易所举行A股上市仪式，成为“中国快递第一股”。

中国打击网络“刷单、刷好评”动真格了？

中国电子商务中充斥着虚假销售和评论，阿里巴巴等互联网公司已同意对政府机构共享数据打击网络“炒信”行为，但也引发了关于隐私安全的担忧。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

eliminate消除；排除[ɪ'lɪmɪneɪt]

merchant商人，批发商；店主['mɜːtʃ(ə)nt]

rhetoric花言巧语的['retərɪk]

integrity完整；正直[ɪn'tegrɪtɪ]

incentive动机；刺激[ɪn'sentɪv]

deputy代理人；副的；代理的['depjʊtɪ]

surveillance监督；监视[sə'veɪl(ə)ns]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分4秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分24秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分25秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分51秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

China tech groups to share data with state in online fraud battle（510words）

By Charles Clover and Sherry Fei Ju in Beijing

China's largest internet companies have agreed to share data with government authorities in an effort to eliminate fake online reviews for services such as taxi rides and restaurants.

Alibaba,Tencent,JD.com,58.com,Didi Chuxing and Baidu have all agreed to support the initiative,which aims to improve consumer trust online in a country where faking sales and reviews is commonplace in ecommerce. The practice,known in Chinese as“brushing”,is used by merchants to gain prominent placement and more sales.

The National Development and Reform Commission,a government agency,said on Tuesday the agreement to fight“credit manipulation”would be part of a larger project announced last year to create a national“social credit system”aimed at promoting online trustworthiness.

“This [brushing] industry is becoming bigger and bigger,causing increasing danger to the healthy development of e-commerce business,”Zhao Chenxin,an NDRC spokesperson,said at a press conference Tuesday.

Despite the pro-consumer rhetoric,there were worries that tightening rules around online reviews and transactions would also help the government create more accurate online profiles of Chinese citizens. The NDRC would be compiling a“credit blacklist”as part of a“joint disciplinary scheme”,one official acknowledged.

The“social credit”plan published by the government last year already has the aim of using algorithms and big data to rate not just citizens’creditworthiness but their overall“honesty”and“trustworthiness”by as early as 2020.

“The incentive scheme for integrity and joint disciplinary scheme for dishonesty is an important part of China’s social credit system’s top-level establishment,as well as a key starting point to improve the social credit system,”said Zhou Min,deputy director of the NDRC’s state information centre.

Privacy advocates fear the social credit system is actually designed for mass surveillance. So far,however,the government’s efforts have been largely theoretical.

A draft of the plan said it would“use encouragement”to increase trust online,and outlines the objective to raise“the honest mentality and credit levels of the entire society”.

The new system depends on China’s largest internet companies sharing user data,although no details of what would be provided to the government have been released. One employee of a large internet company admitted that“this is mostly driven by our government relations people and we don’t have any details”.

Baidu,China’s largest search engine,described the agreement as an“anti-credit manipulation alliance”between corporations and the government.

Alibaba,the ecommerce group,said in a statement:“We believe the joint effort will benefit consumers to combat fraudulent activities involving false transactions and reviews.”

The NDRC said it would first focus on combating fake reviews on“Singles Day”sales on November 11,China’s largest online shopping day that last year posted $14.3bn in revenues.

“At the time of this year’s Singles Day sale,the emphasis on the issues of business integrity and the improvement of social credit is a great opportunity to defend consumer rights and also a reminder to merchants,”Cheng Xiaobo,president of China Reform Daily,the NDRC’s official newspaper,said at Tuesday’s press conference.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Which company is not mentioned to support the initiative with state in online fraud battle?

A. Uber

B. Alibaba

C. Tencent

D. JD.com

答案(1)

2.What is the aim of creating a national“social credit system”?

A. to promote online trustworthiness

B. to boost sales

C. to improve the quality of online product

D. to share data

答案(2)

3.When the Chinese government published the“social credit”?

A. 2010

B. 2014

C. 2015

D. 2020

答案(3)

4.What day is China’s largest online shopping day?

A. January 11

B. October 1

C. November 1

D. November 11

答案(4)

(1) 答案：A.Uber
解释：阿里巴巴(Alibaba)，腾讯(Tencent)，京东(JD.com)，58同城(58.com)、滴滴出行(Didi Chuxing)以及百度(Baidu)都已同意支持这一举措。

(2) 答案：A.to promote online trustworthiness
解释：打击“炒信”协议是全国“社会信用体系”大型项目建设的一个组成部分，该项目于去年宣布，旨在提高网络上的可信度。

(3) 答案：C.2015
解释：政府在去年（2015）发布了“社会信用”计划：不仅要用算法和大数据对公民信用评分，还要对他们的整体“诚实度”和“可信度”评分。

(4) 答案：D.November 11
解释：“光棍节”双十一是中国最大的在线购物日，2015年阿里巴巴在“双十一”购物节取得创纪录的912亿元人民币（折合143亿美元）交易额。

Airbnb和Uber的大难题？

本是互联网时代这是革命性创新的代表，却从未间断被传统商业模式和政府“刁难”。无论Airbnb能否采取措施软化政府立场，想要穷游的小伙伴们都要考虑或许以后只能住酒店了。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

dawning破晓；展现；曙光['dɔ:niŋ]

incumbent在职者；现任者[ɪn'kʌmb(ə)nt]

disrupter破坏者；垃圾焚毁炉[dɪ'strʌktə]

gamut全音域；整个范围['gæmət]

metropolitan大都市的[metrə'pɒlɪt(ə)n]

hipster赶时髦的人[hɪpstə]

nauseating令人恶心的；厌恶的['nɔːzɪeɪtɪŋ]

rebellious造反的；难控制的[rɪ'beljəs]

opprobrium耻辱，不名誉；责骂[ə'prəʊbrɪəm]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分32秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分39秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分36秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分54秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Disrupters? There is nothing revolutionary about Airbnb and Uber（549words）

By Matthew Vincent

Will the history（e-) books describe our times as a golden era of digital disruption? Is this the dawning of the age of the“app economy”?

As the valuations attached to property rental app Airbnb and car hailing service Uber reach $30bn and $62.5bn respectively,it appears that many people think so.

Last year,a report from Cisco and the International Institute of Management Development concluded that“digital disruption…has the potential to overturn incumbents and reshape markets faster than perhaps any force in history”. It forecast that four in 10 companies would be displaced by digital rivals by 2020. Earlier this year,consultants at McKinsey noted that digital disrupters now“run the gamut from database software to boxed beef”.

As if to prove it,Microsoft and Dell currently advertise their soft and hard wares with the inspirational story of a metropolitan American couple who — with just a laptop and some video editing software — “evolved" their honeymoon into a travel blogging business.

With their self-regarding hipster charm and new media savvy（him: beard and indoor hat to denote freethinking; her: sort of ironic millennial Sarah Jessica Parker 2.0),they demonstrate the power of the web to disrupt…well,mainly the contents of any viewers’stomach,be that boxed beef or any other app-ordered delicacy.

Because behind all the nauseating smugness and touchscreen technology,there is little new or revolutionary here. Overestimating the value that others attach to one’s travel anecdotes arguably began with Odysseus and peaked with“gap yah”students.

Much the same may be said of multibillion-dollar disrupters — and the value that investors,ranging from Google to Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund,are being asked to see in them. Airbnb does little that a holiday cottage brochure and a pen cannot achieve. Uber puts a taxi a few taps on a screen,rather than a phone call,away（but you end up phoning the driver when his satnav fails).

All of which makes their noisily rebellious posturing seem financially counterproductive.

Next week,Airbnb risks having New York become the latest city to ban it,ostensibly because the company refuses to admit that it is basically a short-term lettings agency whose landlords must comply with local registration and tax rules.

Berlin has already banned the letting of whole properties via Airbnb’s app,and such is the opprobrium over rule breaking that 3,000 citizens have reported transgressing neighbours. Even in its home town of San Francisco,Airbnb has resorted to a lawsuit over the registration of rental owners. Its initial response to the New York move was also to threaten to sue.

Likewise,Uber has pulled out of cities rather than have drivers submit to security checks,it has been fined €850,000 in France,and paid $100m to settle a US lawsuit.

However,as the prospect of stock market flotations heaves into view — rather faster than boxed beef on a bicycle — might this pretence to disruptive behaviour be dropped,in favour of co-operation?

On Wednesday,Airbnb offered to introduce mandatory host registration in New York and the collection of local taxes. If anything,an acceptance of conventional status,higher revenues and lower fines would benefit the very investors first attracted by the disrupter claims.

And it might also allow a couple of cash-strapped US bloggers to rent out their spare room.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.How many percent of companies would be displaced by digital rivals by 2020 as Cisco’s prediction?

A. 30%

B. 40%

C. 60%

D. 70%

答案(1)

2.How to“evolved" the couple’s honeymoon into a travel blogging business as Microsoft and Dell said?

A. with just a laptop and some video editing software

B. run the gamut from database software to boxed beef

C. to be a self-regarding hipster

D. with just beard and indoor hat

答案(2)

3. Airbnb may be banned in which city next week?

A. Berlin

B. New York

C. Beijing

D. San Francisco

答案(3)

4.What do Uber and Airbnb have in common as mentioned?

A. enforce the security checks

B. to settle a US lawsuit

C. be pulled out of cities

D. cash-strapped people with lower fines

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.40%
解释：根据思科和国际管理发展学院的推测，2020年之前10家公司中就有四家会被取代。

(2) 答案：A.with just a laptop and some video editing software
解释：在微软和戴尔近日的宣传中，只需要一个笔记本电脑和一些视频编辑软件就可以“演进”其蜜月到旅行博客的生意。

(3) 答案：B.New York
解释：纽约州州长正在考虑批准一项法案，该法案将限制Airbnb的使用。他将于下周（10月29日）做出批准或否决该法案的决定。

(4) 答案：C.be pulled out of cities
解释：文章中提到的相似之处是Uber也遭到了城市禁令，而不是要求司机安全检查。

中国：全球金融科技创新的领导者

毕马威与H2 Ventures的最新报告显示，全球前五大金融科技创新企业中有四家来自中国，尤其P2P在中国增长迅猛。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

KPMG毕马威会计事务所

Indisputable明白的；无争论之余地的[ɪndɪ'spjuːtəb(ə)l]

powerhouse精力旺盛的人；动力室['paʊəhaʊs]

innovate创新；改革['ɪnəveɪt]

cite引用；传讯；想起[saɪt]

dub配音；打击；授予称号[dʌb]（过去式 dubbed)

P2P（peer-to-peer）,点对点网络借款，是一种将小额资金聚集起来借贷给有资金需求人群的一种民间小额借贷模式。属于互联网金融（ITFIN）产品的一种。

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分27秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分37秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分35秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分54秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

China challenges London’s fintech lead（543words）

By Emma Dunkley

The UK is at risk of losing its reputation as the world’s leading fintech centre as the number of innovative companies in China is rising rapidly,according to a new report.

The annual study by advisory firm KPMG and investment company H2 Ventures shows that four of the top five global innovators in financial technology now come from China,reflecting the“indisputable”growth of fintech in the country.

Topping the list,which is determined by the amount of capital raised and the degree of traction with consumers,among other factors,is Hangzhou-based Ant Financial,an online payment service provider. Earlier this year,Ant Financial raised $4.5bn in a record fintech private placement.

The report shows that the UK is losing ground,occupying 13 of the top 100 positions compared with 18 last year. Only Atom,a mobile-focused bank that launched this year,made the top 10.

Fintech companies seeking to shake up the traditional bank-dominated business of lending and payments have all flocked to London in recent years with the aim of offering customers superior and often lower cost services.

London is considered a fintech powerhouse as it provides efficient access to capital,skills and regulation that is focused on the sector.

But Warren Mead,global co-head of fintech at KPMG,said the emergence of China as“a market leader”and the increasing globalisation of fintech means UK policymakers and regulators will“have to continue to work hard to maintain our position”.

Competition is heating up globally with 17 countries now making the top 50 established companies,up from 13 last year. The UK is still in second place to the US,which holds a quarter of the 100 spots on the list.

Funding for fintech is on the rise,with the top 50 companies attracting $14.6bn of capital since last year,marking an increase of more than 40 per cent in just 12 months.

However,funding in the UK has come into question following the Brexit vote and intensifying competition elsewhere,especially in China.

Innovate Finance,the UK’s financial technology trade body,recently reported a decline in venture capital funding for UK fintech companies,which fell by a third in the first half of the year.

Companies saw $386m of investment for the first half,down from $580m for the same period last year. Innovate Finance cited Brexit as the main reason for the dip. In contrast,venture capital funding for global fintech companies grew nearly 150 per cent.

Toby Heap,of H2 Ventures,said that although China is growing rapidly in this sector,there are a number of“exciting”fintech companies emerging globally,in countries such as India and the Philippines.

Most of the top 50 fintech companies are dubbed as“disruptors”that seek to challenge established financial services companies and traditional business models.

A number of peer-to-peer or marketplace lenders have grown in the past decade,as a way to provide more efficient lending compared to traditional banks. P2P matches investors with borrowers through a website,allowing for loans to be made more quickly.

P2P has surged in China,which is dominated by large state-owned banks that prefer lending to state-owned industrial companies. Chinese platform Lufax,which was valued at $19bn earlier this year,is fourth on the KPMG list.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Which company is at the top of list according to the report?

A. Atom

B. Lufax

C. Ant Financial

D. Pingan Bank

答案(1)

2.Where is the world’s leading fintech centre now?

A. USA

B. UK

C. China

D. India

答案(2)

3.What is the main reason for the dip of investment in UK?

A. policymakers's fault

B. Brexit

C. China is growing rapidly

D. traditional business models

答案(3)

4.Which one is the ideal target as P2P’s borrower in China?

A. state-owned bank

B. large private enterprise

C. state-owned industrial company

D. graduates with a good job

答案(4)

(1) 答案：C.Ant Financial
解释：名列榜首的是总部位于杭州的互联网支付服务提供商蚂蚁金服(Ant Financial)，这一排名是由所筹资本金额以及消费者吸引力等因素决定的。

(2) 答案：A.USA
解释：这次前50大企业分布在17个国家，去年为13个国家。英国仍排名第二，排名第一的美国在前100大公司中占据四分之一。

(3) 答案：B.Brexit
解释：上半年这些公司获得3.86亿美元投资，低于去年同期的5.8亿美元。Innovate Finance将英国退欧列为这一下滑的主要原因。与之相比，全球金融科技公司的风投融资增长了近150%。

(4) 答案：C.state-owned industrial company
解释：中国的贷款由大型国有银行主导，它们更倾向于贷款给国有工业企业。

消费者技术的创新总费力不讨好？

三星不久前发布的旗舰机型Galaxy Note 7，花大力气研究的虹膜识别、IP68级别防水等诸多黑科技被应用到这款高端智能手机，但人们记住最多的却是“爆炸门”。热衷于消费者技术创新的各大科技公司，到底哪些创新才真正深得人心、值得一试？

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

specs规格，说明书[speks]

pique刺激；伤害…自尊心[piːk]

vibrate振动；颤动[vaɪ'breɪt]

cease to停止；不再出现某种情况

pundit专家；博学者['pʌndɪt]

lacklustre无光泽的；无生气的['læk,lʌstə]

by leaps and bounds飞跃地，突飞猛进地

sketch素描；略图；梗概[sketʃ]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

6分42秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

3分59秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

2分16秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分29秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Why innovation in consumer technology does not always work（899 words）

By Kate Bevan

When Samsung recalled some 2.5m new Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in early September,it was a stark reminder of how difficult it is to differentiate a product,however good,in a crowded marketplace.

The Note 7 is undoubtedly a good device,with its octa-core processor,4GB of RAM and its sparklingly clear 5.7in display. But it is the exploding batteries that people will remember the device for,not those top-of-the-range specs.

Similarly,the iPhone 7,which launched a few days later,is not sparking discussion about its A10 processor,dual camera or“taptic”home button,which vibrates to alert you that it has been pressed; it is the fact that Apple ditched the analogue headphone jack that piqued people’s interest.

Apple has long been revered as an innovator and previous bold decisions to dispense with hardware features that we take for granted have eventually been accepted after the initial outcry: nobody misses the floppy disk drive or the optical drive now.

So perhaps this“innovation”will eventually cease to feel like the big deal it did when Tim Cook,Apple’s chief executive,unveiled the jack-free iPhone to scepticism and outright derision. So what exactly is“innovation”? What drives it and when and why should you innovate?

Smartphones have become increasingly uninspiring in the past few years,since the hardware-makers moved away from the flip-phones,circular phones,swivel phones and other curious-looking devices that characterised the first wave of mobiles and settled on the wide and rectangular form. There is some variation in size and materials,you can choose between a plastic or metal body,but these days the mobile phone is a slim rectangular slab with more or less rounded corners and a shiny touchscreen.

All the innovation now takes place inside the device,in the hardware and software that provides an increasingly dizzying range of functions: we use smartphones to guide us to a meeting,to pay for a coffee,to go on a date. We can even have conversations with our smartphones thanks to Siri,Cortana and OK Google,yet pundits grumble about Apple having lost its way since the death of Steve Jobs and about lacklustre hardware offerings from other manufacturers.

The point is that innovation is hard to convey to would-be customers when so much of it goes on behind the scenes,as it were,and it is therefore difficult for companies to make their product stand out.

This is true for other hardware,too: the trusty laptop is a case in point.

Your 2016 laptop probably does not look very different to the one you had five or 10 years ago,yet what it can do has come on by leaps and bounds in that time.

What should drive innovation is identifying a new market and developing a product to fill that. However,it is probably not too cynical to note that what has tended to drive innovative hardware designs has been the need of manufacturers to come up with new products to sell into increasingly saturated markets. The boom in tablet purchases since 2012 has matched the ongoing decline in PC sales as buyers put off buying a PC and turned to tablets instead.

Tablets,however,have driven a fresh wave of innovation,with hybrid and convertible devices,such as Microsoft’s range of Surface PCs and Apple’s iPad Pro,that aim to combine the convenience of a tablet with the function of a more powerful device. Suddenly there is a much bigger range of devices to choose from: you can have a tablet that turns into a laptop,a tablet you can write and draw on with a“pen”,or a cover for your tablet that becomes a keyboard.

Right now on my desk I have the laptop I am writing this column on,a solid and respectable Lenovo Thinkpad,and two Android tablets: a Google Pixel C and a Lenovo Yoga Book.

The Yoga Book is probably the most interesting of the three devices. Launched in September at the IFA technology show in Berlin,it is a 10in Android tablet（with a Windows version coming soon) that folds open like a laptop.

The panel where you would expect to find a keyboard is flat and lights up with a virtual keyboard when summoned,but turn this off and whip out the“pen”and you can write on the panel and watch your scribbles appear on the screen,saving your handwritten notes in digital form. Swap the pen’s nib to a ballpoint and add paper and you can have both analogue handwritten notes and their digital equivalent captured on to a device that is thin and light enough to throw in a bag.

It is not perfect — there is no built-in way to turn those digitised scribbles into type that you can import into,say,a Word document,and it is in the same price range as a capable laptop — but it is a thoughtful take on familiar devices.

I think the Yoga Book is an excellent example of what the best innovations really are — and they are not the flashiest or the most radical paradigm shifts.

The best and most useful innovations build thoughtfully on what has gone before to deliver functions — such as paying for coffee with a wave of your smartphone or using your tablet to scribble down notes and sketches — that you did not know you wanted or needed.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What piqued people’s interest for iPhone 7?

A. “taptic”home button

B. A10 processor

C. dual camera

D. headphone jack

答案(1)

2.How have smartphones performed in the past few years?

A. uninspiring

B. surprising

C. annoying

D. with the same material

答案(2)

3.What is the difficulty to attract would-be customers on innovations?

A. the death of Steve Jobs

B. innovations take place inside the device

C. too much lacklustre hardware offerings

D. devices now offer the same functions

答案(3)

4.Which one is not right as the feature of the Yoga Book?

A. can have conversations with Cortana

B. with a virtual keyboard

C. saving handwritten notes in digital form

D. light enough

答案(4)

(1) 答案：D.headphone jack
解释：iPhone 7在很多地方做出改变，但真正激起人们兴趣的只是移除模拟信号的音频接口。

(2) 答案：A.uninspiring
解释：近年来智能手机的表现越来越平淡无奇。

(3) 答案：B.innovations take place inside the device
解释：因为太多的革新都发生在屏幕之后，难以吸引潜在顾客去购买，因此很多科技公司的产品很难脱颖而出。

(4) 答案：A.can have conversations with Cortana
解释：Yoga Book非常轻薄，可显示光晕键盘，并将手写内容数字化。

在电影院睡着真的好吗？

道理我都懂，可就是无法抵挡这股“洪荒困意”……

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

premiere初次的演出；女主角['premɪeə]

drab单调的；土褐色的[dræb]

silver screen银幕；电影

Morpheus梦神；睡神；睡眠['mɔ:fiəs; -fju:s]

utterly完全地；绝对地['ʌtəlɪ ]

snooze小睡；打盹儿[snuːz]

flashback倒叙；闪回['flæʃbæk]

gaunt憔悴的；荒凉的；枯瘦的[gɔːnt]

agonise挣扎；烦恼['æɡənaiz]

somnambulist梦游者；梦游症患者[səm'næmbjʊlɪst]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分10秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

1分54秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分4秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分43秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Is it OK to fall asleep at the movies?（435 words）

By David Tang

To the editor:

While at a movie premiere at the London Film Festival,I was so bored by the feature’s drab content that I almost instantly fell asleep. Soon,however,my friend woke me up with a sharp pat on the head,sparking moderate ire on my part. Apparently,the director was sitting beside us. Do you think it impolite or improper to fall asleep at the movies? After all,if one is quiet,there is no disturbance to fellow movie-goers,and certainly no offence to the actors who are present merely as projections on the silver screen. According to my friend,if one is bored,one should resist the call of Morpheus and leave the theatre rather than comfortably rest in its chairs. What are your thoughts?

By John

David Tang:

I often fall asleep in cinemas. My wife absolutely hates it because apparently I also start snoring when I drop off. She thinks my snoring is utterly embarrassing and unacceptable,and that out of consideration to others,I shouldn’t go to the cinema. But then you don’t seem to snore and so you won’t be chastised by my wife. For her,silent nodders are acceptable while loud ones are not.

So you could stay in your seat and enjoy the snooze,whereas I should stay at home lest I disturb others. And I would add that in your case it serves the director right for sitting next to you because he really ought to know first hand that his film has failed to hold your attention. Which probably means others are also dropping off.

Recently I went to watch a film called The Girl on the Train. She was merely a commuter,but seemed to be on a very long journey as all I saw for the first half hour was her face peering through the window with flashbacks of more of the same. Occasionally we would be treated to an aerial shot of the dirty moving train. Not only was it monotonous,but also pretentiously incomprehensible. Needless to say I fell asleep fairly soon.

Every time my wife jogged me awake,I seemed to be looking at the same sequence of a gaunt-looking girl looking out of a train window and would fall asleep again. By the time I’d agonised through the entire wretched film,I felt as exhausted as if I had been on the Trans-Siberian. The film was not exactly Agatha Christie’s 4.50 from Paddington. I wouldn’t even recommend it to a somnambulist because there is a danger they might lie down while somnambulating and never manage to get back to bed.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What did John’s friend do at the London Film Festival?

A. slept and snored

B. accosted the actors

C. left the theatre

D. patted his head

答案(1)

2.Why does the writer’s wife hate his sleeping at the movies?

A. he will talk loudl

B. he will start snoring

C. the director was sitting beside them

D. she will be chastised by movie-goers

答案(2)

3.What is the writer’s proposal to John?

A. stay at home

B. pay attention to the film

C. just stay in the seat

D. tell director his feeling

答案(3)

4.what did Tang think of this film called The Girl on the Train?

A. tedious

B. inspiring

C. workmanlike

D. brilliant

答案(4)

(1) 答案：D.patted his head
解释：朋友在他快睡着的时候拍头让他清醒。

(2) 答案：B.he will start snoring
解释：作者睡着了就会打呼噜，妻子因此讨厌他在影院睡着，这种行为令人尴尬。

(3) 答案：C.just stay in the seat
解释：作者认为John可以待在座位上享受这一刻小憩，但是之于作者自己，为了不让鼾声影响别人就最好在家待着。

(4) 答案：A.tedious
解释：这部电影无聊又晦涩难懂，作者几次都要睡着。

屏幕对我们的视力伤害有多大？

在数字化时代的今天，好多人在电子屏幕上花费的时间，累积比睡觉的时间还多。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

glued to不愿离开；盯住不放

sore疼痛的，痛心的；剧烈的[sɔː]

optometrist验光师；视力测定者[ɒp'tɒmɪtrɪst]

ophthalmology眼科学[,ɒfθæl'mɒlədʒɪ]

emitted射出的[ɪ'mɪt]

retina视网膜['retɪnə]

tissue组织；纸巾；薄纱['tɪʃuː; 'tɪsjuː]

melatonin褪黑激素[,melə'təʊnɪn]

myopia近视；目光短浅[maɪ'əʊpɪə]

blurred vision视力模糊；模糊视线

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

4分59秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分28秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分11秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分7秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Screen use can affect your eye health in digital age（671 words）

By Brian Groom

The amount of time people spend looking at screens has grown dramatically,from using computers at work to watching television at home and being glued to a smartphone or tablet most of the day. It is a wonder how little trouble this appears to be causing our eyes.

The number of people complaining of tired,dry or sore eyes — some optometrists call this“digital eye strain”or“computer vision syndrome” — has risen but experts note that little reliable evidence exists of longer-term damage.

While smartphone and tablet use has greatly increased the average person’s exposure,says Chris Hammond,ophthalmology professor at King’s College London,“we are not seeing any epidemics of eye problems related to that”.

He does,though,recommend limiting children’s screen use because the phenomenon of pre-school children spending hours on phones and tablets is recent and effects are unknown.

Globally,a 16-45-year old typically spends 418 minutes — two minutes short of seven hours — a day looking at screens,say researchers Millward Brown（see graphic). This comprises watching television,using the internet on a laptop or personal computer and viewing smartphones and tablets.

Smartphones have become the world’s largest screen medium. Combining smartphone minutes with tablet use,mobile devices account for nearly half of all screen time.

In many cases,people may spend longer on screens than they do sleeping. Figures range from 317 minutes in Italy to 540 in Indonesia. The average US user clocks up 444 minutes（480 in China,411 in the UK).

One concern has been the effect of high-energy visible light — “blue light” — emitted by devices. Laboratory studies suggest that high levels of exposure can damage retina tissue. But Prof Hammond,who sits on the scientific committee of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists,says there is no evidence that low levels of blue light are harmful:“The energy level emitted by phones and iPads is extremely small. Even on a grey day outside,your blue light exposure is something like 30-fold more than looking at a tablet or a screen.”

Some evidence does show that using screens before going to bed disrupts the circadian cycle,or sleep-wake cycle,since blue light inhibits release of melatonin,the hormone that makes us sleep. Daniel Hardiman-McCartney,clinical adviser at the UK’s College of Optometrists,advises people not to use devices for an hour before they go to bed.

Another concern is myopia among children. A big increase in short-sightedness has emerged particularly in urban east Asia where children spend a lot of time reading and little time outdoors. Research results this year from the UK College of Optometrists and University of Ulster say 16.4 per cent of UK children are myopic,compared with 7.2 per cent in the 1960s.

Studies in Australia and the US indicate that spending time outdoors protects children against myopia. Some people suggest there may be a link between the condition and close-up work,though that could apply to books as well as screens. Prof Hammond says close-up work seems not to be the problem because indoor activity in sports halls does not protect children either,whereas outdoor activity does.

That leaves eye strain as the most common problem. Some 50-90 per cent of people who work at computer screens have symptoms of“digital eye strain”,say studies. This can include dry,sore eyes,headaches or blurred vision.

“We are now spending the vast majority of our day looking at things less than a metre away,”says Mr Hardiman-McCartney.“Our eyes are not designed to focus that close.”

Even a small defect in vision can lead to strain as the eyes seek to compensate. If your eyes do not work well together,looking at a screen all day can cause headaches. People also tend to blink incompletely when they stare at a screen,which can lead to dryness.

Optometrists recommend frequent breaks or the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes,look 20ft away（6m) for 20 seconds to give your eye muscles a break. Also,they say,make sure to take full blinks.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What is the symptom of“computer vision syndrome”as mentioned?

A. diminution of vision

B. tired,dry or sore eyes

C. pain,red eyes

D. foreign body sensation

答案(1)

2.How many hours does a 16-45-year old roughly spend on looking at screens per day?

A. 6

B. 7

C. 8

D. 9

答案(2)

3.What is the world’s largest screen medium?

A. laptops

B. televisions

C. smartphones

D. tablets

答案(3)

4.Which one of the following is right about“blue light”?

A. blue light inhibits release of melatonin

B. blue light is the most common problem of“digital eye strain”

C. blue light makes us sleep

D. blue light can cause headaches

答案(4)

(1) 答案：C.pain,red eyes
解释：foreign body sensation是异物感的意思，这种验光师把这种觉得干涩疼痛的视觉疲劳称为电脑视觉综合症。

(2) 答案：B.7
解释：16岁到45岁的人每天大概要花费418分钟（大概7个小时）在电子屏幕上。

(3) 答案：C.smartphones
解释：文章提到，智能手机是世界上最主流的屏幕媒介。

(4) 答案：A.blue light inhibits release of melatonin
解释：这种高能蓝光会对视网膜造成损伤，同时也一直褪黑素的分泌，影响睡眠。（褪黑素是一种帮助我们入睡的激素）

重塑消费市场的中国千禧一代

出生于上世纪最后20年的那一代人的喜好是如此独特，以至于中国新兴的跨国企业正在全球搜寻目标，以满足他们的愿望。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

diosyncratic特殊的；异质的[,ɪdɪə(ʊ)sɪŋ'krætɪk]

individualistic个人主义的；单个的[,ɪndɪvɪdjʊə'lɪstɪk]

tech-savvy精通科技的

cohort一群；同生群['kəʊhɔːt]

outbound出站；驶向外国的['aʊtbaʊnd]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分32秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分39秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分36秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分54秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Millennials’tastes shape China’s outbound acquisitions（549 words）

By James Kynge

Behind many of the decisions of Chinese acquirers overseas lie the idiosyncratic needs of some 415m millennials. So distinctive are the tastes of the generation born in the final two decades of the last century that China’s emerging multinationals are scouring the world to answer their desires.

As Goldman Sachs,an investment bank,put it in a 2015 report:“Chinese millennials are probably the single most important demographic on the planet today.”

Not only is this individualistic,tech-savvy and internationally minded cohort reshaping the contours of China’s domestic consumer markets,it is also leaving an increasingly deep imprint on global M&A trends.

“Young consumers are increasingly willing to pay for quality,”said Lu Wenjie,China equity strategist at UBS,an investment bank.“They seem more sophisticated than their parents and can tell the difference between overseas brands that are good quality and those that aren’t.”

The craving of millennials for quality — as well as for fun and healthy lifestyles — are evident in China’s largest outbound deals so far this year.

The acquisitions by Haier and Midea,two Chinese household appliance firms,of the white goods divisions of GE and Toshiba respectively were driven by an imperative to upgrade their technology for an increasingly discerning domestic consumer.

Wanda’s $3.5bn acquisition of Legendary Entertainment,a US movie company,was motivated largely by millennials’love affair with cinema. ChemChina’s intention to purchase Syngenta,a Swiss seed and chemical firm,was prompted by an appetite for quality food.

Even the approaches this month by a Chinese buyer to AC Milan,the Italian football club,are reinforced by the popularity among millennials for overseas sport,which they often livestream on to their mobile phones inside China.

Such preferences are driving shifts in the pattern of outbound Chinese M&A activity,according to a new report by UBS.

The number of outbound M&A deals completed in 2015 in the technology and tourism sectors — both of which are buoyed by millennial demand — rose 4.5 times since 2012 to a total of 18 last year.

Tourism deals also jumped,from zero in 2012 to 10 last year（see chart),partly because millennials are becoming insatiable global travellers. Total spending by outbound Chinese travellers in 2025 is likely to reach $255.4bn,more than that by UK,German and French travellers put together in the same year,according to a study by Oxford Economics,a consultancy,and Visa,the payments company.

Conversely,the number of deals in“old economy”sectors such as energy and metals — which are associated with the investment-driven model of growth that China is trying to transition away from — have dwindled significantly since 2012 both in absolute terms and as a share of transactions.

Outbound acquisitions in the real estate sector rose strongly between 2012 and 2015,though this is not primarily a phenomenon driven by millennials’demand.

Overall,UBS expects the compound annual growth rate（CAGR) in Chinese outbound direct investment to hit 18 per cent over the 2015-18 period,up from a 14 per cent CAGR between 2008 and 2014. Total outbound direct investment was $118bn last year.

As the M&A activity speeds up,so the pattern of purchases is set to shift.“We view the changes…as closely linked to the structural shifts now playing out in China’s economy,”according to the UBS report.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Which one is not right about Chinese millennials as Lu Wenjie（UBS) said?

A. They are increasingly willing to pay for quality.

B. They are more tenacious than millennials from other countries.

C. They seem more sophisticated than their parents.

D. They can tell the difference between overseas brands that are good quality and those that aren’t.

答案(1)

2.What is the key driver of acquisitions by Haier and Midea this year?

A. upgrade technology

B. promote brand recognition

C. meet government purposes

D. avoid taxation

答案(2)

3.Who acquired the movie company Legendary Entertainment?

A. Haier

B. Midea

C. Wanda

D. ChemChina

答案(3)

4.What kind of deals have dwindled since 2012?

A. technology

B. energy

C. tourism

D. real estate

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.They are more tenacious than millennials from other countries.
解释：投资银行瑞银(UBS)中国股票策略师陆文杰表示，年轻消费者越来越乐于为品质掏钱，他们看来比父母一代更见多识广，能够区分海外优质的品牌和其他品牌之间的差别。

(2) 答案：A.upgrade technology
解释：推动因素在于它们必须升级自己的技术，以满足鉴别力越来越强的国内消费者的需求。

(3) 答案：C.Wanda
解释：万达(Wanda)以35亿美元收购美国电影公司传奇娱乐，主要推动因素在于千禧一代对于电影的喜爱。

(4) 答案：B.energy
解释：自2012年以来，能源和金属等“旧经济”部门的并购交易数量，不论是绝对值还是占比都大幅下降。

向机器人求个职

机器人并不只抢走人类的工作，它们也开始招聘人类员工了，因为它们可以快速筛选应聘者，但这很危险。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

the air is thick with空气里弥漫着

seductive有魅力的；性感的[sɪ'dʌktɪv]

inherently内在地；固有地；天性地[ɪnˈhɪərəntlɪ]

bias偏见；偏爱；斜纹；乖离率['baɪəs]

ethnicity种族划分[eθ'nɪsɪtɪ]

proxy代理人；委托书 ['prɒksɪ]

scenario剧本；设想[sɪ'nɑːrɪəʊ]

murky黑暗的；朦胧的；阴郁的['mɜːkɪ]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

4分30秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分12秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分0秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分3秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

The risks of relying on robots for fairer staff recruitment（630 words）

By Sarah O’Connor

Robots are not just taking people’s jobs away,they are beginning to hand them out,too. Go to any recruitment industry event and you will find the air is thick with terms like“machine learning”,“big data”and“predictive analytics”.

The argument for using these tools in recruitment is simple. Robo-recruiters can sift through thousands of job candidates far more efficiently than humans. They can also do it more fairly. Since they do not harbour conscious or unconscious human biases,they will recruit a more diverse and meritocratic workforce.

This is a seductive idea but it is also dangerous. Algorithms are not inherently neutral just because they see the world in zeros and ones.

For a start,any machine learning algorithm is only as good as the training data from which it learns. Take the PhD thesis of academic researcher Colin Lee,released to the press this year. He analysed data on the success or failure of 441,769 job applications and built a model that could predict with 70 to 80 per cent accuracy which candidates would be invited to interview. The press release plugged this algorithm as a potential tool to screen a large number of CVs while avoiding“human error and unconscious bias”.

But a model like this would absorb any human biases at work in the original recruitment decisions. For example,the research found that age was the biggest predictor of being invited to interview,with the youngest and the oldest applicants least likely to be successful. You might think it fair enough that inexperienced youngsters do badly,but the routine rejection of older candidates seems like something to investigate rather than codify and perpetuate.

Mr Lee acknowledges these problems and suggests it would be better to strip the CVs of attributes such as gender,age and ethnicity before using them. Even then,algorithms can wind up discriminating. In a paper published this year,academics Solon Barocas and Andrew Selbst use the example of an employer who wants to select those candidates most likely to stay for the long term. If the historical data show women tend to stay in jobs for a significantly shorter time than men（possibly because they leave when they have children),the algorithm will probably discriminate against them on the basis of attributes that are a reliable proxy for gender.

Or how about the distance a candidate lives from the office? That might well be a good predictor of attendance or longevity at the company; but it could also inadvertently discriminate against some groups,since neighbourhoods can have different ethnic or age profiles.

These scenarios raise the tricky question of whether it is wrong to discriminate even when it is rational and unintended. This is murky legal territory. In the US,the doctrine of“disparate impact”outlaws ostensibly neutral employment practices that disproportionately harm“protected classes”,even if the employer does not intend to discriminate. But employers can successfully defend themselves if they can prove there is a strong business case for what they are doing. If the intention of the algorithm is simply to recruit the best people for the job,that may be a good enough defence.

Still,it is clear that employers who want a more diverse workforce cannot assume that all they need to do is turn over recruitment to a computer. If that is what they want,they will need to use data more imaginatively.

Instead of taking their own company culture as a given and looking for the candidates statistically most likely to prosper within it,for example,they could seek out data about where（and in which circumstances) a more diverse set of workers thrive.

Machine learning will not propel your workforce into the future if the only thing it learns from is your past.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What is not the reason of using these robots in recruitment?

A. sift job candidates more efficiently

B. take a more procedural approach to save time

C. sift job candidates more fairly

D. recruit a more diverse and meritocratic workforce

答案(1)

2.Which one is not right about relying on robots for fairer staff recruitment as mentioned?

A. algorithms are inherently neutral

B. it is seductive but dangerous

C. robots see the world in zeros and ones

D. machine learning algorithm is only as good as the training data from which it learns

答案(2)

3.What was the biggest predictor of being invited to interview of Colin Lee’s research?

A. gender

B. ethnicity

C. age

D. education

答案(3)

4.What should employers do if they want a more diverse workforce by computer recruitment?

A. use data more accurately

B. use data more imaginatively

C. gather more data

D. strip the CVs of attributes such as gender,age and ethnicity

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.take a more procedural approach to save time
解释：机器人招聘者可以快速筛选数以千计的应聘者，效率远高于人类。它们还能做到更加公平。因为它们不会像人类那样带着有意或无意的偏见，它们会招聘到一批更多元化和择优录用的员工。

(2) 答案：A.algorithms are inherently neutral
解释：这是个很诱人的想法，但也是危险的。算法的中立并非是其固有，而是因为它们看到的世界只是“0”和“1”。任何机器学习的算法，并不会比它所学习的训练数据更好。

(3) 答案：C.age
解释：研究发现，年龄因素可以在最大程度上预测该应聘者是否会被邀请面试，最年轻和最年长的应聘者最不可能成功。

(4) 答案：B.use data more imaginatively
解释：那些希望把招聘交给电脑去做，又要拥有更多元化的员工队伍的雇主，应该把数据运用得更富想象力一些。

英国《金融时报》原文阅读精选集Vol.30

马云“牵手”斯皮尔伯格

中国企业近来以前所未有的规模进军好莱坞，这是中资海外收购狂潮整体的一部分，但这些投资正在某些圈子引发越来越大的争议。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

tycoon企业界大亨，巨头；巨富[taɪ'kuːn]

board seat董事会席位

distribution分布；分配[dɪstrɪ'bjuːʃ(ə)n]

premium额外费用；奖金；保险费['priːmɪəm]

spree狂欢；狂饮[spriː]

M&A tables并购市场排行榜

reciprocity相互性；互惠主义[,resɪ'prɒsɪtɪ]

bilateral双边的；有两边的[baɪ'læt(ə)r(ə)l]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分31秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

1分5秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分12秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分46秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Alibaba’s Jack Ma joins up with Spielberg’s film group Amblin（464words）

By Tom Mitchell in Beijing

Jack Ma,the internet tycoon,is teaming up with Hollywood director Steven Spielberg in the latest Chinese investment in the US entertainment industry.

Alibaba Pictures,a Hong Kong-listed unit of China’s largest ecommerce group,said on Sunday that it would take a minority equity stake and board seat in Mr Spielberg’s Amblin Partners,a film production and distribution company. Terms of the deal were not announced.

Amblin was established at the end of last year with investments from Anil Ambani’s Reliance Group and Entertainment One,distributor of the British animation series Peppa Pig.

Alibaba will co-produce films with Amblin and help distribute them in China.

“Among Chinese consumers,there is an increasing demand for premium global content,”Mr Ma said in a statement,adding that he hoped the partnership would serve as a“cultural bridge”.

“Amblin Partners and Alibaba Pictures will be able to bring Chinese-themed stories to the American audience,”Mr Spielberg said at a briefing.“We can bring more of China to America,and bring some more of America to China.”

Chinese companies have been making unprecedented inroads into Hollywood as part of a much larger overseas buying spree. Investors from the world’s second-largest economy are on track to top global M&A tables for the first time this year.

But the investments are increasingly controversial in some circles. Last week,John Culberson,head of a US Congressional subcommittee that oversees funding for the Justice Department,said Hollywood investments by China’s richest man,Wang Jianlin,should be reviewed.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States,which vets acquisitions by overseas investors on national security grounds,has traditionally not expressed concerns about Chinese investment in Hollywood.

US entertainment purchases by Mr Wang’s Wanda Group include cinema chain AMC Entertainment Holdings and production company Legendary Entertainment.

Wanda has also entered into exclusive negotiation to acquire Dick Clark Productions,which stages the Golden Globe Awards and Miss America pageant.

Similar investments by foreign investors in China’s tightly controlled entertainment and media industries are not allowed,leading to calls for an increased emphasis on reciprocity in US and EU trade negotiations with Beijing.

On Saturday,China’s State Council said it would encourage foreign investment in sectors including sports and culture,but did not provide specifics.

Washington and Brussels are currently negotiating bilateral trade deals with Beijing that they hope will pry open industries last liberalised in the late 1990s,ahead of China’s entry into the World Trade Organisation.

According to the Hurun rich list,Mr Ma is China’s second wealthiest person with a fortune worth $22.7bn. Alibaba Pictures has previously invested in sequels from film series including Mission Impossible,Star Trek and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

The Alibaba Group is best known for its Taobao ecommerce site and also owns Youku Tudou — China’s YouTube equivalent. Like Facebook and Twitter,YouTube is blocked in China.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.When was Amblin established?

A. 2002

B. 2013

C. 2014

D. 2015

答案(1)

2.What is the partnership in the future as Jack Ma hoped in a statement?

A. business bridge

B. political union

C. cultural bridge

D. business empire

答案(2)

3.What is Chinese investors’rank on the global M&A tables this year?

A. first

B. second

C. third

D. fourth

答案(3)

4.Why did John Culberson say that Wang Jianlin should be reviewed?

A. unfair bilateral trade deals

B. invested Hollywood

C. over-investment in cultural

D. investments by foreign investors in entertainment and media industries are not allowed

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.2013
解释：Amblin成立于2015年12月(文中提到去年年底)，主要股东机构包括梦工厂等，导演史蒂文·斯皮尔伯格担任该公司董事长。

(2) 答案：C.cultural bridge
解释：马云在一份声明中表示，希望这一伙伴关系成为一座“文化桥梁”。

(3) 答案：A.first
解释：来自世界第二大经济体的投资者今年将首次领衔全球并购排行榜。

(4) 答案：B.invested Hollywood
解释：这些投资正在某些圈子引发越来越大的争议。美国国会负责监督对司法部(DoJ)拨款的小组委员会的主席John Culberson表示，中国首富王健林对好莱坞的投资应该受到审查。

赚多少钱才会感到富有？

面对不断上涨的房价、学费和生活成本，要多少收入才会有富足的安全感？

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

make ends meet使收支相抵

mortgage抵押；房屋抵押贷款['mɔːgɪdʒ]

make the grade成功；达到标准

provoke驱使；激怒[prə'vəʊk]

publication出版；出版物；发表[,pʌblɪ'keɪʃ(ə)n]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分10秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分27秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分28秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分51秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

How much do you have to earn to feel wealthy?（519words）

By Hugo Greenhalgh,Wealth Correspondent

Forty per cent of households earning £100,000 or more say they are struggling to make ends meet in the face of rising rents and mortgage costs and an increase in school fees and living expenses.

According to research from Lloyds Bank,which questioned 2,500 people,just 2 per cent of UK households across all income bands say they actually feel wealthy. That figure rises to 18 per cent for those with an annual household income stretching into triple figures.

The findings come in the wake of a claim by Jeremy Corbyn,the leader of the Labour party,that he does not consider himself wealthy even though he earns almost £138,000 a year and lives in a home worth £600,000.

In May,an FT Money article about a couple who claimed they were struggling on £200,000 a year provoked huge debate.

People living in the south-east,contending with expensive housing and rising school fees,said they were struggling the most with a fifth claiming their living expenses outstripped their monthly income.

“£100,000 feels like a really large household income and you would expect people to feel wealthy,”said Sarah Deaves,private banking director at Lloyds.“But with rising costs,there are many who are earning significant amounts and yet they’re still feeling like they’re struggling to meet their monthly outgoings each month.”

Prices of family homes within the M25 have rocketed. According to JLL,the global property advisory group,the price of a family home in the Greater London area over the past 10 years has risen by 86 per cent to an average of £550,000. Over 30 years,it has shot up by 475 per cent.

A recent survey by the Association of Residential Letting Agents concluded that more than a fifth of people renting in London have given up on the idea of ever being able to afford to buy in the capital.

Yet renting is not always the answer. Property group CBRE estimates the monthly rent on a two-bedroom flat in London costs more than twice what it would in Paris.

One solution therefore,suggests Michael Lavin,a financial adviser with Expat Wealth Advice,is to leave not just London — but also the UK.

“A couple living on a lower income in another European city may often have a higher level of disposable income and be better off in real terms,”he said.“Their costs of living are often far lower.”

But for those for whom leaving is not an option,the question many now face is just how much they need to earn — or accumulate — to feel truly wealthy.

Hugh Wade-Jones,managing director of Enness Private Clients,a mortgage broker for the super-rich,suggests the tipping point is £16m.

“You’d start off with a property worth about £4m — and you’d have two or three of those — and then £4m in the bank,”he said.“That is where I think you start to get comfortable.”

Note: the article has been corrected since publication to reflect the fact that 18 per cent of those earning more than £100,000 feel wealthy,rather than 2 per cent.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.How many percent of UK households feel wealthy with earning over £100,000 now?

A. 2%

B. 18%

C. 20%

D. 86%

答案(1)

2.What is Corbyn’s feeling about his wealth?

A. very wealthy

B. poor

C. not wealthy

D. not mentioned

答案(2)

3.What is the reason of people feeling struggling even with significant amounts monthly salary?

A. inflation

B. banks' mal-management

C. poor money handling skills

D. rising costs

答案(3)

4.Which one is not right from the article?

A. People feel better because of a lower income and savings deposits.

B. People living on a lower income in city may be better off in real terms.

C. The question is how much they need to earn or accumulate to feel truly wealthy.

D. Rent on a two-bedroom flat in London costs more than twice what it would in Paris.

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.18%
解释：文章最后说明，截至发表年收入超过10万英镑会感到收支平衡的是18%，而不是2%。

(2) 答案：C.not wealthy
解释：就连年收入£138,000 的工党领袖Jeremy Corbyn也不认为自己是富有的。

(3) 答案：D.rising costs
解释：文章没有提到通货膨胀和银行管理不善等问题，而是多次强调住房和教育等费用的上涨。

(4) 答案：A.People feel better because of a lower income and savings deposits.
解释：人们在收入低的地方更容易感到满足不是因为低工资和在银行有存款，而是因为当地相应更低的物价，有更多的可支配盈余。

你注定就是胖子吗？

为什么有人怎么吃都胖不了？为什么还有人喝口凉水都长肉？一项对肠道微生物的深入研究，找到你天生是胖或是瘦的线索。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

gut内脏；肠子；剧情[gʌt]

bacteria[微] 细菌[bæk'tɪərɪə]

slender细长的；苗条的；微薄的['slendə]

gluttons酷爱…的人；贪吃的人['glʌt(ə)n]

fungi真菌；菌类[ˈfʌŋɡaɪ]

endocrinology内分泌学[,endəʊkrɪ'nɒlədʒɪ]

ferment发酵；酵素[fə'ment]

visceral内脏的；出于本能的；粗俗的['vɪs(ə)r(ə)l]

abdominal腹部的；有腹鳍的[æb'dɒmɪn(ə)l]

visceral fat内脏脂肪

faeces 粪便；糟粕（等于feces）['fiːsiːz]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

4分42秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分45秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分40秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分56秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Are you prone to obesity? The clues are in your gut bacteria（563words）

By Charles Wallace

Have you ever wondered why some people remain enviably slender while others,eating the same diet,gain weight like gluttons? Or why it is so much easier to put on weight than lose it?

The answers could lie deep in the human gut,inhabited by the 100tn bacteria,viruses and fungi that,it turns out,may affect how many calories are absorbed from your diet.

Only a few years ago these microscopic creatures were dismissed as waste products,but the microbiome is now becoming one of the hottest areas of medical research,thought to be associated with a host of health issues ranging from depression to Parkinson’s disease.

Now two fascinating studies provide clues as to how gut bacteria may be directly connected to the growing worldwide problem of obesity.

The first paper,published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism showed that lean children and young teens had a different mix of gut microbiota than their obese peers.

Nicola Santoro,a scientist in endocrinology at the Yale School of Medicine in the US and one of the study’s authors,explained a key finding: the gut microbes in the obese young people were better at fermenting digestive fibre to produce short-chain fatty acids. This suggests that overweight people accumulate more fat because their gut microbes absorb energy from food with greater efficiency — not because the obese lack willpower.

Another clue about obesity came from a paper published in Genome Biology that associated the gut microbiome with the amount of visceral fat in the body — the fat that sits around the organs in the abdominal cavity and has been linked to metabolic diseases such as diabetes and arteriosclerosis.

Michelle Beaumont,a research associate in the Twins Research and Genetic Epidemiology Department at King’s College London and the paper’s main author,said the study had found 70 per cent of the risk of obesity to be genetic.

Her research found that visceral fat was“highly heritable”and had a higher association than previously thought with the state of the microbes in faeces. But inheriting a predisposition towards obesity,she added,does not necessarily mean becoming obese.

“If you maintain a wide,healthy diet,and if you continue doing lots of exercise,even though you have genetic disposition towards obesity you won’t become obese,because you are taking in less energy than you consume,”she said.

One area the two papers agreed on is that obesity is associated with too little variety in the types of bacteria in the microbiome. Looking at the gut as an ecosystem,it can either be as diverse as the Brazilian rainforest or relatively less diverse like desert areas. Depletion of gut bacteria can be caused by too little fibre in the diet or by taking antibiotics.

While we wait for the billion-dollar probiotic pill or procedure that promises to make obese people lean,there are already ways to measure microbe diversity in the gut. You can have your own microbiome quantified through such organisations as the American or British Gut Projects,or commercial outfits like Ubiome,which serves customers around the world and charges $89 for a test kit.

In general,according to Miss Beaumont,you need to eat as many different types of plants and meats as possible,which will provide the bacteria in your body with the widest assortment of fibre to maintain your gut’s ecosystem.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Where can we find the answer to some people are easier to put on weight than lose it?

A. brain

B. gut

C. diet

D. gene

答案(1)

2.Who had a different mix of gut microbiota than their obese peers according to the research?

A. fat children and young teens

B. lean children and young adult

C. lean children and young teens

D. lean children and babies

答案(2)

3.What did the first evaluation show as the root cause of overweight people accumulate more fat?

A. they lack willpower

B. the obese eat too much sugar

C. they lack good gut microbes

D. energy can be absorbed very efficiently

答案(3)

4.Which one is not right about clue of obesity came from the second paper?

A. visceral fat had a higher association with the state of the microbes in faeces

B. visceral fat was“highly non-heritable”

C. “highly heritable”does not necessarily mean becoming obese

D. too little fibre in the diet or by taking antibiotics can cause the depletion of gut bacteria

答案(4)

(1) 答案：B.gut
解释：这个问题可以在人们的肠道中找到线索，那些肠道细菌会影响人们对卡路里的吸收。

(2) 答案：C.lean children and young teens
解释：根据第一份调查，精瘦的孩子和年轻的青少年拥有不同的肠道微生物群组合。

(3) 答案：D.energy can be absorbed very efficiently
解释：原因是他们的肠道微生物对于营养的吸收非常高效。

(4) 答案：B.visceral fat was“highly non-heritable”
解释：内脏脂肪的基因比较容易遗传，但并不意味着一定会发胖，保持健康的饮食和多做运动有助于保持身材；而缺乏膳食纤维和服用抗生素可能会导致肠道细菌的损耗。

百岁老人压力大

根据官方统计数据，未来20年内英国百岁老人的数量会再次翻两番。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

quadruple成为四倍['kwɒdrʊp(ə)l]

ageing population人口老龄化

socio-economic社会经济的

cutback削减；情节倒叙['kʌtbæk]

constrained被强迫的；不舒服的[kən'streɪnd]

mortality死亡率；必死性[mɔː'tælɪtɪ]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分45秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

1分13秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分18秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分48秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

British people living over 100 quadruples（483words） By Gemma Tetlow

The number of people in Britain reaching the age of 100 has quadrupled in the past 30 years and is likely to quadruple again by 2035,according to official statistics.

The rapid growth in the number of centenarians reflects advances in medicine and improvements in nutrition and living conditions earlier in the 20th century,which have boosted life expectancy.

Between 1985 and last year the number of people over 100 years old rose from 3,420 to 14,570,according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics. By 2035,there will be 57,586.

Britain’s ageing population is putting growing pressure on the public purse in terms of health and social care spending.

But“the problem is not the rapidly ageing population per se,”said David Eaton of the International Longevity Centre UK,a think-tank that focuses on demographic change.“It is that healthy life expectancy is not keeping up”.

One way of supporting an ageing population is for people to work longer. But this is only possible if workers remain in sufficiently good health. In recent years,total life expectancy at age 65 has increased more rapidly than healthy life expectancy,particularly for men.

Andrew Scott and Lynda Gratton of the London Business School recently explored what“The 100-Year Life”might mean in a book.“The idea that we are living longer on average and are healthier for longer on average has to be good news”said Prof Scott. But,he added,the“on average”is important.

Not everyone has benefited from improvements in life expectancy in recent years. Life expectancy always has been lower for people living in poorer areas and from lower socio-economic groups.

The gap between the life expectancies of the longest and shortest lived has also increased recently — for the first time since 1879,according to a report published earlier this year by researchers at Cass Business School.

For those who do not have the skills or resources necessary to construct the type of multi-stage working career that Prof Scott said will be needed,life could turn out to be“nasty,brutish and long”.“The big issue for government is how to tackle that inequality,”said Prof Scott.

In the short term,the rapidly rising number of very old people will increase demands on health and social care services at a time when public spending is constrained. There are concerns that cutbacks in spending may have contributed to the rise in mortality that occurred last year.

Housing is also an important issue. Too many elderly people live in unsuitable properties,with too many stairs,without appropriate adaptations and — in some cases — with more rooms than they need. Though the focus of recent government policy has been on first-time buyers,“last-time buyers”may be just as important.

“We would see an immediate decrease in pressures on health and social care if people lived in suitable housing,”said Mr Eaton.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Which one is not mentioned as the reason of centenarians’rapid growth?

A. scientific genetic modification

B. advances in medicine

C. improvements in nutrition

D. living conditions earlier

答案(1)

2.What is the real problem of Britain’s ageing population as David(think-tank) said?

A. health and social care spending

B. rapid growth in the number of centenarian

C. healthy life expectancy is not keeping up

D. optimistic mentality is not keeping up

答案(2)

3.What is the key point to increase retirement age?

A. psychologic status

B. physical condition

C. financial burden

D. the quantity of children

答案(3)

4.Which one is not right for ageing population issue?

A. Housing is also an important issue.

B. It can relieve the pressure if people live in the house with more rooms than they need.

C. One way of supporting an ageing population is for people to work longer.

D. Not everyone has benefited from improvements in life expectancy in recent years.

答案(4)

(1) 答案：A.scientific genetic modification
解释：文章并没有提到科学的基因改造。

(2) 答案：C.healthy life expectancy is not keeping up
解释：英国智库的David表示，问题不在人口迅速老龄化本身,而是健康预期寿命没有跟上。

(3) 答案：B.physical condition
解释：能够缓解老龄化的方法之一是提高退休年龄，但这个想法只有工人身体条件良好的情况才可以考虑。

(4) 答案：B.It can relieve the pressure if people live in the house with more rooms than they need.
解释：住在合适的住房才会减少对健康和社会关怀的压力，并不是占用过多的房间。

黑莓离场 英雄落幕？

在巅峰时期，每销售的5部智能手机当中就有一部是黑莓手机，这些黑莓手机成为企业高管的标配。而该公司今天证实将停止研发和生产智能手机。财报显示，在今年第二财政季度营收为3.34亿美元，净亏损3.72亿美元。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

pioneering首创的；先驱的[paɪə'nɪərɪŋ]

coveted垂涎的；梦寐以求的['kʌvitid]

zenith顶峰；顶点；最高点['zenɪθ]

haemorrhage出血['hemərɪdʒ]

ramp down斜降；缓降；软停止

dismay使沮丧；使惊慌[dɪs'meɪ]

appease使满足；使和缓；对…让步[ə'piːz]

joint venture合资企业；联合经营

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

4分45秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分20秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分6秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分5秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

BlackBerry hangs up on handset business（652words）

By David Crow in New York

BlackBerry,the pioneering smartphone maker,said it would stop making its own handsets and pull out of the devices business entirely,as the company behind the tiny Qwerty keyboard once coveted by the corporate world focuses on selling software and services instead.

The Canadian group said it would“end all internal hardware development”with immediate effect,and instead license its brand and software to third-party manufacturers,who would develop phones bearing the BlackBerry badge.

“It’s the end of the line for the firm’s hardware business,”said Nick McQuire,an analyst at CCS Insight.

At its zenith in 2008,BlackBerry accounted for one in every five smartphones sold,after its handsets became a staple for business executives. Designed to be as easy for writing emails as making phone calls,they eventually captured the consumer market too.

As sales soared,the company’s market value hit $80bn,compared with roughly $4bn today.

Since its peak in popularity it has haemorrhaged sales in the face of strong competition from Apple and Samsung,as well as low-cost Asian manufacturers,leaving it with a share of the global smartphone market that is practically a rounding error: 0.1 per cent,according to Gartner.

Revenues from the company’s smartphones slumped to $105m in the latest quarter,compared with $417m in the same period of last year.

Shares in BlackBerry gained 2.6 per cent in early trading in New York as the company predicted the moves would boost profitability

John Chen,chief executive,said the company had signed a licensing deal with BB Merah Putih,an Indonesian joint venture led by one of the country’s largest telecoms groups,PT Tiphone Mobile Indonesia,which would have sole responsibility for making,promoting and distributing devices in the region.

The company is exploring similar deals with groups in India and China,he said.

But in regions such as the US and Europe,a hardcore of loyal BlackBerry customers or“Crackberry addicts”will struggle to buy new devices,unless the company finds a partner,Mr Chen said.

“My new model is to ramp down the selling of hardware anywhere — but we might have partners to sell it,”he said.

Some Crackberry addicts responded with dismay to Mr Chen’s decision and took to social networks such as Reddit to express their displeasure.

“This is really disappointing — if it’s not BlackBerry hardware,what’s the point of buying a BlackBerry,”said one.

Another added:“I definitely consider myself a fan first and can only hope there is one last phone to appease BlackBerry addicts on the way.”

But in a sign that BlackBerry is pursuing a hard exit from the smartphone business,Mr Chen said the company would not take an equity stake in any of the joint ventures,and would instead receive a royalty on each device sold by a third party.

“We have nothing to do with the joint venture — we are not part of it,”he said.“All we did was license our brand and software.”

He said the moves would result in“a long list of savings on people,equipment and so forth”,allowing BlackBerry to upgrade its full-year forecasts: the company had been expecting an annual loss of 15 cents per share,but is predicting between a 5 cent loss and break-even.

BlackBerry’s departure from the smartphone business is the most radical step taken by Mr Chen,who joined as chief executive in 2013 with a pledge to transform it into a security-focused software company.

He has expanded the software division in recent months through a string of acquisitions,including Good Technology,a mobile security provider,and AtHoc,a company that helps build emergency alert systems for governments.

BlackBerry broke even in its fiscal second quarter,which runs from June to August,and generated revenues of $352m.

The typical Wall Street analyst had expected the group to post a loss of 5 cents per share on revenues of $391m.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What will be BlackBerry’s next production object in the future?

A. smartphone

B. tiny Qwerty keyboard

C. software and services

D. headphones

答案(1)

2.Who will be licensed to develop phones bearing the BlackBerry badge?

A. third-party manufacturers

B. Canadian government

C. BlackBerry

D. no one

答案(2)

3.When was BlackBerry’s zenith,accounted for one in every five smartphones sold?

A. 2006

B. 2008

C. 2010

D. 2013

答案(3)

4.Where did BlackBerry’s CEO focus on after 2013?

A. emergency

B. security

C. fashion

D. policy

答案(4)

(1) 答案：C.software and services
解释：智能手机制造先驱黑莓(BlackBerry)将停止生产自己的手机，退出硬件业务，这家曾经推出一度被商界渴求的迷你型QWERTY键盘的公司今后将致力于销售软件和服务。

(2) 答案：A.third-party manufacturers
解释：这家加拿大集团表示，将其品牌和软件授权给第三方制造商使用，后者将开发带有黑莓标识的手机。

(3) 答案：B.2008
解释：在2008年巅峰时期，每销售的5部智能手机当中就有一部是黑莓手机。

(4) 答案：B.security
解释：黑莓退出智能手机业务是程守宗推出的最为激进的举措，后者在2013年加入黑莓担任首席执行官，并承诺让黑莓转型为聚焦安全的软件公司。

是时候给女性她们想要的了

在职场，男女的工资差距到底有多大？你是否能够意识到性别的平等？改变职场中的“男女大不同”的确是一件艰难的事情，但是有很多想法值得去尝试。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

parenthood亲子关系；父母身份['peər(ə)nthʊd]

of late最近；近来

normalise（使）正常化；（使）恢复友好状态['nɔːməlaɪz]

hefty重的；肌肉发达的['heftɪ]

exchequer财源；国库；财政部[ɪks'tʃekə; eks-]

narrative叙述；故事['nærətɪv]

miscarriage流产；失败[mɪs'kærɪdʒ; 'mɪskærɪdʒ]

rummage检查；搜出['rʌmɪdʒ]

metaphorical比喻性的，隐喻性的[,metə'fɒrɪkl]

discrimination视；区别，辨别[dɪ,skrɪmɪ'neɪʃ(ə)n]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

4分25秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分9秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分58秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分2秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

It is time to give women what they want — possibly even a raise（624words）

By Justine Roberts

The impact of parenthood on women’s careers has become a hot topic of late,with initiatives aimed at normalising flexible working patterns,parliamentary investigations into women at work and maternity discrimination,and a hefty report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies exploring the gender wage gap.

I am not complaining. Mumsnet users have been fired up about this for some time,which is why we have a jobs site that showcases family friendly work opportunities and also why we run an annual event to help mothers attain the careers they want. As with childcare — a related area of concern and another that has slowly come into political focus over the past few years — it is heartening to see this topic creeping up the agenda. British businesses（as well as the Exchequer) cannot afford to see generations of experienced,hard-working women leave the workforce against their wishes,or fail to reach their potential.

At the same time,there is an energetic media narrative questioning whether female politicians have to choose between having children and making it to the top.

There is also now a prominent cadre of women in British politics who do not have children: Nicola Sturgeon,Theresa May,Kezia Dugdale,Ruth Davidson. From the point of view of the media,this is a tempting feature story. But as we have seen from the painful personal disclosures wrung from Sturgeon（who recently spoke about experiencing a miscarriage) and May（who has talked about her sense of loss at not having children),it can be both misleading and cruel to personalise this issue. It is never a good idea to force someone to tell you why they do not have children,or to make your own assumptions; there are echoes here of William Hague responding to speculation about his marriage and sexuality by revealing that his wife had suffered several miscarriages.

Rummaging through the metaphorical bathroom bins of female politicians is no substitute for addressing structural unfairness. The IFS report revealed,among other things,that the gender pay gap widens consistently for 12 years after a first child is born,by which point women’s hourly wages are a third below men’s. When we surveyed Mumsnet users in 2015,65 per cent felt that having children had had a negative effect on their careers. If we want a society that is fairer for mothers and for all women,we need to plough on with the difficult work of finding solutions and encouraging behavioural change.

A good starting point would be to tackle the discrimination women face in the workplace — a recent Mumsnet survey found that a third of women had been asked in an interview whether they have children and that a third of employers have heard someone responsible for recruitment expressing the view that employing women is an extra hassle.

Companies can make simple changes such as being forthcoming about policies that they have already introduced: emailing staff to remind them of maternity,return to work and flexible working policies and stating in job ads that they are open to job flexibility. After all,employers who reach the end of the interview process having found their ideal candidate are pretty much always going to grant some flexibility when asked for it. If working from home on a Wednesday or finishing at 4 on a Friday is a deal clincher,you will probably agree to it without a moment’s thought. So why cut out all those likely applicants before you have even begun the process by insisting on a rigid pattern of full-time office work?

Changing the working culture for women is a big task,but there are many ideas worth trying. We could even try giving women a pay rise when they ask for one.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Who does Mumsnet help for to attain the careers they want?

A. female politicians

B. children

C. mothers

D. fathers

答案(1)

2.What the similarity between Theresa May and Kezia Dugdale?

A. without children

B. without husband

C. stay-at-home mom

D. miscarriage experience

答案(2)

3.How many years does the gender pay gap widen consistently after the first child?

A. 5

B. 6

C. 12

D. 13

答案(3)

4.Which one is not mentioned as the simple changes to tackle the discrimination against women in the workplace?

A. emailing staff to remind them of maternity

B. changing the working culture for women

C. more flexible working policies

D. giving women a pay rise when they ask for one

答案(4)

(1) 答案：C.mothers
解释：越来越多人关注职场女性的议题，Mumsnet因此设置求职网站和年度活动来帮助妈妈们在获得更多的职业机会。

(2) 答案：A.without children
解释：这些女政客都没有孩子。

(3) 答案：C.12
解释：根据IFS的调查，这种性别工资差距的拉大会持续12年。

(4) 答案：B.changing the working culture for women
解释：改变工作中的女性文化是一件大而艰巨的任务，我们可以先从其他小的改变开始。

如何管理“不忠的”千禧一代

似乎很多人抱怨老板如何不在乎员工，但是有一个棘手却被人忽略的问题——如果是员工常常不在乎老板呢？面对总是寻求着下一个工作机会的千禧一代，老板也有难以言喻的苦恼。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

loyalty忠诚；忠心['lɒɪəltɪ]

feckless无效的；软弱的；不负责任的['feklɪs]

defined contribution plans养老金固定缴款计划

tear up撕毁（协议、合同等）

revel狂欢；陶醉['rev(ə)l]

mock不尊重，蔑视；模拟的，虚假的[mɒk]

exasperation恼怒；恶化[ɪg,zæspə'reɪʃ(ə)n]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分25秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分36秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分34秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分54秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

How to manage disloyal millennials with an eye on their next job（540words）

By Michael Skapinker

A reader has emailed to object to a column I wrote about employees whose bosses do not care about them. What,he wrote,about employees who do not care about their bosses?

The reader runs a family business started by his father 90 years ago. It is the kind of company,he says,“where employees work with us,not for us”. Three of the current directors joined the company straight from school and have been with the business for a collective total of 100 years.

In recent years,the company took on four university graduates,trained them,promoted them and then doubled and,in one case,tripled their salaries. Today,only the one with the tripled salary is still there. The rest have left for other jobs.

This is not,the reader says,how employment should work.“Like a marriage there has to be co-operation and joint input,not take but no give. If the young are not happy today it is because they are too impatient,think only very short term and have no understanding of the word loyalty.”

The generation coming into the workplace today do not strike me as feckless. Many millennials seem serious,intelligent and recognise the world has changed.

They saw where job loyalty got their parents. Many of the older generation were pushed out before they were ready to go. Their final salary pension schemes were closed and replaced by defined contribution plans that will pay far less than they were hoping to live on. Consultants are now suggesting that even the promised annual increases to those old-fashioned pensions should be cut.

The reader’s organisation may well be an exception to this trend. But many companies tore up the implicit loyalty contracts they had with their employees. They can hardly be surprised if the children of those employees do not feel like signing up to new ones.

Employers need to be realistic about the world their millennial recruits live in. It is not just that they see no permanence to the jobs they are entering. They also have little prospect of being able to buy a home. With interest rates so low,any small savings they manage to accumulate will stay small.

So of course they are going to keep an eye out for the next,possibly better-paid,or more exciting job.

What can well-intentioned employers such as our reader do?

They can revel in their reputation as companies whose recruits leave for better jobs. There is also the chance that those who leave will one day be customers. If they succeed in their careers,your company will be noted on their LinkedIn profiles. They will probably send new recruits your way. They may even return as senior managers.

There were four journalists at that small magazine I worked for. Two of us were steadily rotating youngsters. The other two were older and had been there for some time. They were not as fast-paced but they made hugely experienced and accomplished mentors.

A mix of ages is worth aiming for. Those older employees could take some of the training strain off my reader. And even high-tech companies have older employees. As I heard one say:“I have clothes older than some of my colleagues.”

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What kind of companies does the reader run for?

A. family business

B. government-owned corporation

C. limited liability company

D. foreign-funded enterprise

答案(1)

2.What are consultants suggesting now about those old-fashioned pensions?

A. should be cut

B. should be raised

C. should be eliminated

D. should be transferred to their children

答案(2)

3.Which one is not mentioned as the reason of employers need to be realistic?

A. millennials see no permanence to the jobs

B. millennials have little prospect

C. the interest rate is so low

D. millennials are too bored to work for a long time

答案(3)

4.What should well-intentioned employers do when recruits leave for better jobs?

A. work for the rest

B. revel in their reputation

C. pay them starter salaries

D. update LinkedIn profiles

答案(4)

(1) 答案：A.family business
解释：他在一家90年前由老板父亲创建的家族企业。

(2) 答案：A.should be cut
解释：在父母那一代，离职时其最后工资的养老金计划被关闭，取而代之的是远低于期待的固定缴款计划。而顾问们现在建议甚至承诺每年增加的过气的养老金计划也应该削减。

(3) 答案：D.millennials are too bored to work for a long time
解释：文章只提到下一份工作或许有更高的工资或者更让人兴奋的内容，并没有说他们一定会感到无聊。

(4) 答案：B.revel in their reputation
解释：出于善意的雇主应该欣慰于他们的员工可以去更好的地方工作。

会玩：可以录像的太阳镜

一向不走寻常路的Snapchat（阅后即焚）这次在硬件设备的首次尝试也遵循了之前的传统——推出视频共享墨镜Spectacles，当你按下侧边按钮，眼镜就可录制视频，而且还能与手机同步！

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

unveil揭开；揭幕[ʌn'veɪl]

integrated综合的；完整的；互相协调的['ɪntɪgreɪtɪd]

teal水鸭；青色，蓝绿色[tiːl]

coral珊瑚的；珊瑚色的['kɒr(ə)l]

accumulation累积；堆积物[əkjuːmjʊ'leɪʃ(ə)n]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分10秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分27秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分28秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分51秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Snapchat launches video sunglasses（518words）

By Hannah Kuchler

Snapchat,the app used for rapid fire exchange of selfies and stories,has unveiled its first ever hardware product,launching sunglasses with an integrated video camera named Spectacles.

The company also announced it had changed its name to Snap,as it tries to move beyond its app for disappearing messages and 24-hour collections of photos to redefining photography in the internet age.

Snap said it believed“reinventing the camera represents our greatest opportunity to improve the way people live and communicate”.

It said it had created one of the smallest wireless video cameras in the world. The glasses — which come in black,teal and coral — will cost $129.99 and are not expected to be a significant revenue driver at first. Snapchat is in the early days of generating revenue from advertising.

The new photos will be circular with a 115 degree field of view,capturing all that human eyes can see in a scene. Spectacles can take one day’s worth of snaps on a single charge and connect directly to Snapchat via Bluetooth or WiFi.

Evan Spiegel,Snap’s founder and chief executive,told the Wall Street Journal that he saw the sunglasses as a toy but one which helped Snap with its mission to harness the power of the camera for“instant expression”.

“It’s not about an accumulation of photos defining who you are,”he said.“What it does is allow you to share your experience of the world while also seeing everyone else’s experience of the world,everywhere,all the time.”

Snapchat,which last raised funds at a valuation of at least $15bn,has an audience of more than 150m daily active users and high engagement rates for a social media app. What started as a teen phenomenon has spread to millennials and even some parents of teens.

The Financial Times reported earlier this month that Snapchat had joined the industry group that runs the Bluetooth wireless standard,the strongest hint yet that it was moving from the app into hardware.

Mr Spiegel had been spotted sporting the glasses on vacation,prompting speculation that the company could be trying to go where Google had failed with Google Glass: designing an internet-connected wearable for the face. Google Glass was a pricey device widely criticised for being the domain of only super geeks and lacking a‘killer app’that could lure a wider market.

Many guessed Snapchat would look at creating an‘augmented reality’device,as Apple,Google,Facebook and Microsoft have all recently shown interest in the technique,where virtual images are laid on top of real world images（most recently shown in the hit gaming app Pokémon Go). But the glasses so far appear to focus on capturing reality with no lenses or stickers shown in the introductory video.

Snapchat had been hiring hardware experts since the beginning of the year,recruiting electrical engineers,marketers and product managers from Nest,the smart thermostat maker,sports camera company GoPro and start-ups including Ring,Canary and Sphero. It also acquired Vergence Labs,which had been developing a headset similar to Google Glass,for a reported $15m in 2014.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What did Snapchat announce besides the new hardware product?

A. redefined the photography

B. said goodbye to the age of the Internet

C. changed its CEO

D. changed its name

答案(1)

2.Which one of the following is wrong for the glasses?

A. it has three colors

B. it is made from coral

C. it can capture all that human eyes can see in a scene

D. it is not a significant revenue driver

答案(2)

3.How to send the video from glasses to the phone?

A. via Bluetooth or WiFi

B. by scanning printed code

C. via converters

D. automatically synchronize by the app

答案(3)

4.where had Google failed with Google Glass?

A. too expensive

B. received an email

C. designed an internet-connected wearable for the face

D. lacked a‘killer app’that could lure a wider market

答案(4)

(1) 答案：D.changed its name
解释：Snapchat发布了第一款硬件产品Spectacles太阳镜，同时宣布公司将更名为Snap Inc，这意味着Snapchat将成为不会仅靠软件营收的公司。

(2) 答案：B.it is made from coral
解释：眼镜有三款颜色：黑色、青色和珊瑚色，目前并不会成为公司的主要收入来源。

(3) 答案：A.via Bluetooth or WiFi
解释：视频可通过无线网或蓝牙同步到手机。

(4) 答案：C.designed an internet-connected wearable for the face
解释：在谷歌失败的地方，Snapchat继续前行。

优步司机什么“鬼”

一些优步用户下单约车，结果发现接单司机的相片扭曲，而且面容可怖，同时在车抵达之前，他们的行程突然开始并很快结束。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

creepy诡异的；令人毛骨悚然的['kriːpɪ]

spook惊吓；鬼怪般地出没[spuːk]

squelch消除；镇压；压碎[skweltʃ]

exploit开拓；剥削[ɪk'splɒɪt; ek-]

subsidy补贴；津贴['sʌbsɪdɪ]

fade-out渐隐；消失 ['feid'aut]

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

3分29秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分38秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分35秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分54秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Mystery of China’s‘ghost’Uber drivers（545words）

By Sherry Fei Ju and Lucy Hornby in Beijin

It’s not quite Halloween,but an eruption of creepy faces on driver profiles at Uber in China has spooked potential passengers and raised suspicions of an organised attempt to scam the car-booking app.

Some Uber users have booked cars only to be assigned drivers with distorted photos and scary faces,while their trips suddenly begin and end before a car has arrived. In other cases,“ghost”cars appear in the app but never arrive,resulting in false charges.

The incidents come at a time of transition for Uber,which merged its China operations with rival Didi Chuxing in August. The similarity of the“ghost driver”incidents in a number of different Chinese cities over the past month imply an organised attempt to exploit staffing gaps during the handover,experts said.

Uber said the complaints reflected“individual drivers’scamming behaviour”,adding that it would“use technology to squelch such behaviour”and block the accounts involved.

Nathy Chen,an Uber customer,had an experience typical of many recent complaints. She booked an Uber car but the driver that accepted had a scary picture. Before she had left her building to meet the car,the driver had already initiated the trip and ended it 30 seconds later,leaving her with a small charge of Rmb9（$1.40).

Uber has been refunding the charges to customers who complain.

“It was at night and from the driver’s location I was expecting the driver to arrive very soon. The map showed the driver just passed me,but there was no car around,”said Veaer Wang from Shandong province,who realised the next day he had encountered a‘ghost driver’when he saw similar complaints online.“The road was very narrow and there’s no way a car could have passed me without me seeing it.”

It’s not the first time that Chinese scammers have developed sophisticated means to exploit the car-booking service. Scams were particularly common when both Uber and local rival Didi Chuxing were offering generous subsidies to both passengers and drivers in an effort to gain market share. That battle ended with the merger deal last month,in which each company took a 20 per cent share of the other and Didi acquired Uber’s China operations.

But the recent rash of“ghost drivers”are very different from traditional individual scammers,said one analyst with a leading data group.“They seem to be an organised group with the technical back-up for such incidents,and not without a purpose,”he said.“This is a time of transition for Uber after the merger with Didi. A lot of the team work handover has not been finalised yet,which gives scammers an opportunity t o exploit the system.”

Yin Zuoning,Uber’s chief anti-scamming officer,recently joined Yidao,another car-booking company,contributing to the staffing gaps during the transition.

Since the merger was announced,both companies have reduced the subsidies that in Uber’s case were costing $1bn a year. Uber’s popularity has already begun to fade,with its app on Apple’s Chinese App Store dropping from number one to number 80 among all iPhone apps and fifth place among travel apps.

A similar fade-out occurred after Kuaidi Dache,a top ranking car-booking company before it merged with Didi Dache in February 2015 to form Didi Chuxing.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.What it the performance of China’s‘ghost’Uber drivers?

A. the trips suddenly begin and end before a car has arrived

B. distorted photos and scary faces

C. cars appear in the app but never arrive

D. all of them

答案(1)

2.When did‘ghost’Uber drivers appear for the first time in China?

A. February

B. May

C. August

D. September

答案(2)

3.How to“squelch such behavior”by Uber said?

A. increase subsidies

B. use technology

C. discharge of contract with Didi Chuxing

D. dismiss the drivers

答案(3)

4.Which one is not the difference between the incidents and other traditional individual scammers?

A. primary purpose for money

B. organized

C. with the technical back-up

D. with a purpose

答案(4)

(1) 答案：D.all of them
解释：接单司机的相片扭曲，而且面容可怖，同时在车抵达之前，他们的行程突然开始并很快结束。还有一些情况是，“幽灵”车出现在应用中，但从未在等车的乘客面前出现，导致虚假收费。

(2) 答案：C.August
解释：这些事件发生在优步中国今年8月与竞争对手滴滴出行(Didi Chuxing)合并之后的过渡期间。

(3) 答案：B.use technology
解释：优步表示，将“使用技术手段打击此类行为”，并封掉相关账户。

(4) 答案：A.primary purpose for money
解释：最近相继出现的“幽灵司机”与传统的个人刷单者非常不同：他们似乎是一个有组织的集团，拥有刷单技术支持，而且并非毫无目的。

1万美元的天价药膏

是的，你没有看错：这种药膏每支近1万美元天价，而且只是用来治疗湿疹和痤疮等常见症状。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

acne痤疮，粉刺['æknɪ]

eczema湿疹['eksɪmə; 'ekzɪmə]

gouging乱要价，搜刮[gaʊdʒ]

ointment药膏['ɒɪntm(ə)nt]

outcry强烈抗议；尖叫；倒彩['aʊtkraɪ]

pariah贱民；受鄙视的人[pə'raɪə]

iodoquinol双碘喹啉(药)

fungal真菌的（等于fungous）['fʌŋg(ə)l]

aloe polysaccharides芦荟多糖

阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。

如果您读完全文用时为：

那么，您的阅读速度相当于

每分钟阅读的英文单词数

4分1秒

母语为英语者的朗读速度

140

2分29秒

母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度

250

1分12秒

母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度

350

0分7秒

母语为英语的速读高手

1000

Novum faces spot of bother over $10,000 acne cream（674words）

By David Crow in New York

A US drugmaker producing skin creams for common conditions such as acne and eczema has raised the price of two of its treatments to almost $10,000 a tube in the latest instance of“gouging”in the world’s largest healthcare market,according to figures seen by the Financial Times.

Novum Pharma,a Chicago-based group,last week more than doubled the price of the ointments,even after similar increases by other drugmakers prompted outcry and propelled the topic of high healthcare costs into the US presidential campaign.

Martin Shkreli became an international pariah last year after he increased the price of a drug given to Aids patients from $13.50 to $750 a pill while Mylan,the maker of EpiPen,recently came under fire for a sharp rise in the price of its life-saving allergy injection.

Novum last week raised the price of a 60g tube of Aloquin,which is used to treat conditions such as eczema and acne,by 128 per cent to $9,561.

The ointment contains two inexpensive main ingredients: iodoquinol,a decades-old antibiotic that prevents fungal growth,and aloe polysaccharides,derived from the aloe vera plant. A similar cream containing iodoquinol is readily available as a generic and costs less than $30,while a tube of aloe vera can be bought for a few dollars.

Aloquin’s label says it is“possibly effective”,meaning the US Food and Drug Administration has decided there is only limited clinical evidence suggesting it is safe and works as intended.

“From a clinical standpoint,a drug listed as‘possibly effective’by the FDA,shouldn’t be a likely treatment choice by doctors — especially not with a $10,000 price tag,”said Michael Rea,chief executive of Rx Savings Solutions,which sells software designed to help employers and their workers reduce the cost of prescription medicines.

Novum also increased the price of Alcortin A,another skin cream,by the same amount,while a third ointment,Novacort,went from $4,186 for a 29g tube to $7,142.

The high price of medicines in the US has become a central issue in the presidential campaign,with Hillary Clinton,the Democratic nominee,launching attacks on several companies,including Turing Pharmaceuticals,which Mr Shkreli used to run,and Valeant,a Canadian drugmaker.

Most recently,Mylan came under the spotlight for raising the price of its EpiPen by more than 500 per cent since 2007 to roughly $600 for a pack of two. The company has raised the price roughly 30 per cent this year.

Heather Bresch,Mylan’s chief executive,is due to be grilled on the price increases by US policymakers at a congressional hearing on Wednesday.

Novum’s price rises far outstrip Mylan’s — and rival Mr Shkreli’s in size.

As recently as May 2015,a tube of Aloquin cost $241.50,but shortly after acquiring the drug from its previous owner,Primus Pharmaceuticals,Novum raised its price overnight by 1,100 per cent. In January it again increased the price before raising it a third time last week,according to the figures seen by the FT.

Overall,the price of Aloquin has increased by nearly 3,900 per cent since May of last year.

Novum’s creams are prescription-only medicines. For most patients,the bulk of the cost is covered by health insurance plans or government assistance schemes. Although patients are usually required to pay a copay for their medicines,Novum offers coupons that reduces this to zero or $35,while it collects the rest of the price from the health plan.

The strategy of acquiring drugs and then implementing sharp price increases — known as“buy and raise” — has become so controversial that many pharmaceutical executives have pledged to abstain from the tactic.

Novum is a privately held company that does not report its sales or revenues. It was launched in 2015 by“a group of like-minded investors who believe in the firm’s focus of providing therapeutic innovations that are affordable for patients”,according to a company spokesperson.

The company said it would invest the revenues generated by raising prices in schemes that ensured more patients could access the medicine.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Where is the world’s largest healthcare market?

A. Britain

B. China

C. America

D. India

答案(1)

2.Why did Martin Shkreli become an international pariah last year?

A. false endorsement

B. makes the drug price gouge

C. poor quality of a drug given to Aids patients

D. run for the US president

答案(2)

3.How much is the 60g tube of Aloquin before the price adjustment?

A. about $2500

B. about $5000

C. about $7500

D. about $10000

答案(3)

4.How many ointments’price has been changed more than doubled by Novum at this time?

A. 2

B. 3

C. 4

D. 5

答案(4)

(1) 答案：C.America
解释：文章第一段说美国的一家公司“哄抬物价”,根据英国《金融时报》看到的数字，这里是全球最大的医疗保健市场。

(2) 答案：B.makes the drug price gouge
解释：马丁·史克雷利(Martin Shkreli)去年受到国际憎恨，因为他把艾滋病患者需要的一种药物的价格从13.5美元一片抬高到750美元一片。

(3) 答案：B.about $5000
解释：Novum上周把每支60克的Aloquin药膏价格上调128%，至9561美元。所以原价大概在$5000（$4193）。

(4) 答案：A.2
解释：Novum上周把两款药膏的价格上调一倍以上。

The End

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