Whenever we see a button, we are eager to press it because we know something will happen. This is true in most cases, for example on a doorbell and on the "on/off" button on the TV. But some buttons are actually fake, like the "close" button on a lift. Many people are in the habit of pressing the "close" button because they don't have the patience to wait for the lift doors to shut. But lifts' "close" buttons are a complete scam , at least in the US-the doors will not close any faster no matter how hard you press. It started in the 1990s when the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in the US, making sure that all lifts stayed open long enough so that people with disabilities could enter. Only US firefighters and repairmen can use the buttons to speed up the door-closing process if they have a code or special keys. But to normal lift riders, the buttons aren't completely useless. According to psychologists, fake buttons can actually make you feel better by offering you a sense of control. "Perceived control is very important. It reduces stress and increases well-being," Ellen J. Langer, a psychology professor, said, " having a lack of control is associated with depression." Experts have revealed that a lot of buttons that don't do anything exist in our lives _ . For example, many offices in the US have fake thermostats because people tend to feel better when they think they can control the temperature in their workspace. But psychologists found it interesting that even when people are aware of these little "white lies", they still continue to push fake buttons because as long as the doors eventually close, it is considered to be worth the effort. "That habit is here to stay," John Kounios, a psychology professor, said. "Even though I have real doubts about the traffic light buttons, I always press them. After all, I've got nothing else to do while waiting. So why not press the button in the hope that this one will work?" In America, the "close" buttons on lifts _ . A) are fake for the convenience of disabled people B) work only when people press them hard for a while C) were specially designed to give people a sense of control D) cannot speed up the process of closing the door in any case
A
(Question)
As we all know, Stephen Hawking writes the book A Brief History of Time that explains the origin of the universe. The book spent 147 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List and has sold 10 million copies. He is, most agree, very smart. In his recently published autobiography My Brief History,Hawking offers four life lessons on how to become a genius. 1) Don' t miss opportunities by being too cool "We showed an air of complete boredom and the feeling that nothing was worth making an effort for. One result of my illness has been to change all that. When you are faced with the possibility of an early death, it makes you realize that life is worth living and that there are lots of things you want to do." Seize the moment, as Oxford would say. 2) Keep it simple When writing A Brief History of Time,he tried to make science understandable for the rest of Us. "I was sure that nearly everyone is interested in how the universe operates, but most people cannot follow mathematical equations . "He has trouble with them, too."This is partly because it is difficult for me to write them down, but mainly because I don't have an inborn feeling for equations. My aim in the book was to describe these mental images in words. It is such an easy book that everybody can understand it." The moral: You don't have to be a genius to know everything. 3)Have fun Hawking has a long history of being a joker,and he has placed lots of bets with other scientists on the nature of black holes. One was with Cal-Tech scientist John Preskill. After paying off his bet by giving Preskill a baseball encyclopedia, Hawking wrote,"but maybe I should have just given him the ashes." So lighten up! Geniuses like bad jokes too. 4) Always look for a silver lining (even if you are seriously ill) Hawking's disease has slowly robbed him of the ability to walk,move his arms,even speak. But, Hawking says,"in some ways I guess my disability has been an assist:I haven't had to lecture or teach students, and I haven't had to sit in meetings. So I have been able... The passage tells us the facts about A Brief History of Time EXCEPT that _ . A) it explained the origin of the universe B) it has sold 10 million copies up to now C) it spent 147 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List D) it included Hawking's four life lessons on how to become a genius
(Answer)
D
Ques: It's 10 pm. You may not know where your child is, but the chip does. The chip will also know if your child has fallen and needs immediate help. Once doctors arrive, the chip will also be able to tell them which drugs are not suitable for little Johnny or Janie. At the hospital, the chip will tell doctors his or her complete medical history. And of course, when you arrive to pick up your child, settling the hospital bill with your health insurance policy will be a simple matter of waving your own chip-the one embedded in your hand. To some, this may sound unbelievable. But the technology for such chips is no longer the stuff of science fiction. And it may soon offer many other benefits besides locating lost children or elderly patients. It could be used as credit cards and people won't have to carry wallets anymore. On the other hand, some are already wondering what this sort of technology may do to the sense of personal privacy and liberty. "Any technology of this kind could result in abuse of personal privacy," says Lee Tien, senior staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "If a kid can be tracked, do you want other people to be able to track your kid? It's a double-edged sword." Applied Digital Solutions, Inc. in Palm Beach, Florida, says it has recently applied to the Food and Drug Administration for permission to begin testing its device in humans. About the size of a grain of rice, the microchip can be encoded with bits of information and embedded in humans under a layer of skin. When scanned by a nearby reader, the embedded chip gives the data. Most embedded chip designs are so-called passive chips, which give information only when scanned by a nearby reader. But active chips-such as the proposed Digital Angel of the future-will give out information all the time. And that means designers will have to develop some sort of power source that can provide a continuous source of energy, yet be small enough to be embedded with the chips. In addition to technical problems, many suspect... It is indicated in the passage that chip producers have to consider the following issues EXCEPT _ . A) financial problems B) technical problems C) legal problems D) privacy problems
Ans:
A