1. （1） What can we learn about this year's Waste Management Phoenix Open?

   A . Its admission reaches a peak on Sunday. B . Those aged 16 should purchase full-price tickets. C . The funds raised is used for fighting desertification. D . The first prize winner is awarded over one million dollars.
3. （2） How much should a couple pay to watch Wednesday and Thursday's country show?

   A . $400. B . $240. C . $120. D . $90.
5. （3） In which section of a newspaper may this passage appear?

   A . Entertainment. B . Sport. C . Education. D . Advertisement.

阅读理解

Imagine being handed a fake(假的) pill by your doctor to treat an illness. You would be pretty mad if you found out the pill was not a real medication, wouldn't you? Better yet, imagine the doctor tells you the pill is fake. At that point, you'd probably question whether the doctor even knows his staff at all. But wait, there's more to the story.

Ted Kaptchuk of Harvard University conducted an experiment to help treat irritable bowel syndrome(肠过敏性综合征) pain in 2010, in which he clearly marked the patients 'pills as "placebo"(安慰剂), or fake. Unbelievably, the group that was aware that it was receiving the placebo reported significant improvement in their condition.

Many of you probably know about the placebo effect. It's the idea that giving patients an ineffective treatment -such as a sugar pill-for their condition might actually produce beneficial effects.

Why does it work? We don't really know. One theory is that the placebo causes your brain to have a response that flows down to other parts of the body. Placebos presented as stimulants (兴奋剂) tend to increase the heart rate and blood pressure, and those presented as depressants do the opposite.

In fact, the placebo effect can be compared to the experience of watching a horror movie. Although you know that what you're seeing isn't actually real, you most likely experience some pretty real effects such as increase in the heart rate and sweating.

Kaptchuk's work differed from the traditional placebo effect, in that he told the patients that the pill they were receiving was not real medicine. When the patients have this knowledge, the term" open-label placebo" is used. The resulting improvement' proved that in many cases, patients don't need to be tricked in order for the desired effects of a placebo to take place. In fact, the fake medication helped some patients so much that they requested additional pills after the experiment was over.

Of course, the natural question is: was this an extraordinary medical phenomenon, or just plain luck? That's why Kaptchuk and his team are attempting to do a seven-week trial before introducing the results to cancer survivors to treat severe tiredness caused by the aftereffects of the disease.

1. （1） The first paragraph of the article implies that____.

   A . doctors have poor medical ethics B . fake medicines are sold in hospitals C . patients don't really trust doctors D . we may have a wrong idea of fake pills
3. （2） According to the passage, " the placebo effect" refers to the idea of ____.

   A . taking fake pills to feel much better B . using sugar pills to treat the patients C . benefiting patients with real medicines D . treating patients in an ineffective way
5. （3） What is the writer going to discuss next?

   A . Why does the placebo effect work in real life? B . How will they carry out the seven-week trial? C . Will a fake medication really exist in the world? D . Are patients being totally treated with fake pills?

阅读理解

Whenever she was having a tough day, Selena Berry would look at the sky and imagine herself, flying high in the clouds above her troubled neighborhood and challenging school life. "Flying makes you feel big," Betty said. "You're on top of everything. You look down and all you see is the view, the beauty. "

This summer, Berry and seven other African-American students in the Chicago area participated in a program to learn how to fly. The program is new and challenging for participants. In the end, successful students will graduate with a private pilot's license.

The unique program is called Tuskegee Next. "It is a special effort to increase the number of African-Americans who can work as pilots." said Stephen L. Davis, who owns a big company Wheaton, lllinois and founded the organization. The main mission of the group is to help students follow in the footsteps of the country's first black military pilot Tuskegee. It costs about$25, 000 to take the lessons and pay for the flying time. But it is free tor these students. Davis donates his own money and raises funds to cover the costs.

For much of his early life, Davis wanted to become a pilot. But growing up, he could not afford the expensive schooling. By the time he could afford lessons, he had a wife and children and did not want to take the risk. For the students, the benefits of learning to fly are greater than being pilots. "When you don't see black pilots, you don't think you can do it, he said. "Even if these kids don't become pilots, learning to fly will give them confidence to do other great things. "

Tuskegee Next targets African-American teenagers from rough communities who might never have such a chance. The experience will change their lives and let them see a happy future. Some of the students in the program will receive a small stipend, which makes up for the summer jobs they would have otherwise.

All eight of the students have passed the written exam. Now they are spending hours piloting a Cessna airplane with an instructor. Some are already flying the planes alone. On a recent sunny afternoon, 20-year-old Quiana White spent about an hour alone in a Cessna airplane practicing turns. This was her first solo flight and her classmates crowded around her after she landed. "You're not the same person once you go up on your own," she said. "No matter what happens, I know I'm a pilot."

1. （1） Thinking of being in the sky brought Selena Berry ___________.

   A . some relief from her daily life B . some memories of her school life C . some trouble her neighbors made D . the beautiful view she saw from the sky
3. （2） What can we learn about Tuskegee Next?

   A . It encourages teenagers to serve in the army. B . It aims to find another Tuskegee in the country. C . It helps black teenagers build hope for their future. D . It is a commercial organization founded by Davis.
5. （3） What does the underlined word "stipend" in Paragraph 5 refer to?

   A . Chance. B . Fine. C . Job. D . Pay.
7. （4） How does the passage explain the POSITIVE effects of this program?

   A . It quotes community leaders who see the difference this program has made. B . It quotes students who have experienced its positive influence on their lives. C . It quotes family members who have noticed the progress made by their kids. D . It quotes a study that shows the program has positively changed the lives of teenagers.

阅读理解

As prices drop and their functionality expands, you can expect to see humanoid(类人的) robots in more places, including schools, airports, and hospitals. Will they influence human behavior?

In a study published recently, scientists found that mean robots can help people concentrate. The experiment, published in Science Robotics, was based on something called the Stroop Task, which is widely used in psychology and described as the "gold standard" of attentional tests. It challenges participants to name the colors of words and ignore their meanings while calculating reaction time.

The researchers put a modern twist on the task, though-this time, there was a robot in the room. The goal was to see if the presence of a robot would affect cognition(认知), and the researchers found it did, but only when the robot was mean.

How do you make a robot mean? In this case, a meter-tall toy robot called a Meccanoid G15KS was made to respond to seven questions. The good robots told jokes, spoke about friendship, and described test subjects as nice. The bad robots replied to questions with passive aggressive comebacks, such as "I enjoy doing analysis programs but you would not understand" and statements like "I do not value friendship. "Then the participants rated the robots. "The more participants thought the robot made them uncomfortable, the greater the improvement of their Stroop performance was, " the researchers wrote. "Not surprisingly, the bad robot was rated as less warm, friendly and pleasant than the good robot. "

The study authors argue that robots are crossing the line in some situations from machines to social agents. That will change how humans interact with(与……相互作用) and behave around them.

"Similar to a human's presence, the presence of a robot might not be neutral(无倾向性的) in situations like school or in the office when you are working. "Nicolas Spatola, one of the study authors said in an email, " So before your boss decides to introduce a robot in your office, 1t could be a good idea to evaluate how you feel about it and how it can positively or negatively impact your work, how comfortable you may feel with it or if you feel it to be a threat."

Just 58 students from University Clermont Auvergne in France participated in the experiment but the researchers found an increase in the speed of correct answers among those in the presence of a mean robot when compared to those who were with a nice robot or alone.

In the future, robots will almost certainly become more and more common in nursing homes, hotel check-in desks, behind the wheel, and elsewhere. "If we want to improve the use of robots in our daily life, there seems to be a need to first understand how Human Robot Interaction can impact human psychology, " Spatola said.

1. （1） What was the finding of the new study?

   A . The use of robots is rising.            B . Humanoid robots can be mean. C . Unkind robots can sharpen our focus.    D . Robots are becoming more functional.
3. （2） According to the passage, how did the participants judge the robots?

   A . By their words. B . By their actions. C . By their appearance. D . By the Stroop Task.
5. （3） Which of the following might Nicolas Spatola agree with?

   A . Be careful about using robots. B . Leave the robot if it presents a threat. C . Robots will have a good impact on offices. D . Robots may replace humans in the workplace.
7. （4） What was the drawback of the study?

   A . The participants were too young. B . The study method wasn't scientific. C . There was a slight difference in speed. D . The number of the participants was too small.
9. （5） What can we infer from the last paragraph?

   A . Scientists have already developed humanoid robots. B . Humanoid robots have already found its way into our daily life. C . Humanoid robots will certainly come into our daily life sooner or later. D . There is no difficulty we'll meet with before humanoid robots are widely used.

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

When big news breaks, it's easy to get caught up in following the story online. The Internet can be a place to find useful information. Helping kids understand the news and how to separate fact from fiction is an important job for parents and educators.

Here's some advice that parents can offer kids to help them be quicker to judge as they consume news online.

In the rush to cover stories, reporters make mistakes, officials don't always have correct information and tidbits (八卦新闻) that sound reasonable often get passed around before anyone has checked them for accuracy.

Use social media wisely. Some say Twitter is a great source of news in the first few minutes of a tragedy. On the other hand, Facebook can be a great way to connect with friends affected by in the news and to spread personal news within a more limited circle.

Be skeptical. After the Boston Marathon bombing, NBC Sports reported that some runners kept running all the way to the hospital to donate blood for the victims. Not true. There are plenty of websites devoted to exposing false news stories. The Washington Post also has a Fact Checker column that delivers claims made by public officials and politicians. Visit them to find out if a story is true.

Keep it age-appropriate. Kids aren't always ready to digest big tragic news--especially if the news is about kids, such as school shootings or abuses. The constant repetition of information can be confusing for younger kids, and at the beginning of a news event, parents might not be able to offer any correct answers.

A. Remember, breaking news is often wrong.

B. It also can be the source of misinformation.

C. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

D. The government should take measures to prevent false news.

E. However, after that it just becomes messy and largely inaccurate.

F. With social media at your fingertips, it's convenient to express your opinion.

G. Kids who are eager to learn more about certain events can check kid-guided news sources.

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。

A cold March wind danced around in the dead of night in Dallas as the doctor walked into the small hospital room. Complications(并发症) had1Diana Blessing, only 24 weeks pregnant(怀孕的), to early give birth to her baby, Danae. After the operation, her husband David was holding her hand and they had 2 themselves for the doctor's words.

The doctor's words 3 them even though they had planned for something not good Detore. "I don't think she's going to 4 it," he said, as kindly as he could. "If with a(n) 5 chance she does make it. her life in the future could be6 by endless suffering"

David and Diana were numb(麻木的) with disbelief as the doctor described the7problems Danae would likely face if she could 8 . "No! No! was all Diana could say.

Diana had 9 confidence that their tiny daughter would live to be a healthy, and happy. But David. 10 listening to additional awful details, knew he must 11 his wife be ready for the worst outcome. David walked in and said, we need to talk about making12for the funeral(葬礼) "Words of 13 didn't pass her lips. "No, that is not going to happen. One day she will 14 and she will come home with us!" Diana said.

If she willed herself to live, according to Diana's wish, Danae15life hour after hour, with the help of every medical machine. As the weeks went by, Danae's physical condition showed a slight 16, slowly gaining weight and strength. And two months later, though the doctor 17 that her chance of surviving,18 living any kind of normal life, was next to zero, Danae went home from the hospital, just as her mother had 19Today, many years later, Danae is a lively girl, showing no signs of any mental or physical 20. And that happy ending is far from the end of her story.