Every year, TIME selects the best inventions that are making the world better, smarter and — in some cases—a little more fun. Here’s which ones made this year’s unranked list.

●Morpher

People refuse to wear a helmet because they’re thick and bulky. Morpher, a bike helmet made from interweaved plastics that is just as strong as its traditional helmets, but flexible enough to fold almost totally flat, making it easier to transport. Morpher has raised almost $300,000 on Indiegogo and may be available for sale in stores in future.

● Hyper Adapt

Almost everyone who sees the movie Back to the Future wants a pair of self-lacing shoes. Now, thanks to Nike, the shoe dream is a reality. When wearers press a button near the tongue, the Hyper Adapt 1.0s automatically tighten and loosen around their foot. Simplified shoe fastening could give users an edge during sports competition, and it’s especially useful for people with impaired（受损的） motor function.

●Hello Sense

It's hard to believe that an alarm clock could not only be beautiful but also improve your sleep. That it could monitor the temperature, humidity(湿度), light and even air quality in your bedroom to help you engineer a perfect sleep environment. That it could monitor your sleep cycles and wake you when you’re least likely to feel groggy—all thanks to simple voice commands.

●Eatwell Assistive Tableware

It is hard for Alzheimer’s patients to use silverware without spilling. Eatwell Assistive Tableware is a dining set designed to make mealtime easier for people with Alzheimer’s and other diseases that affect brain and body function. The tableware uses bright colors to help people distinguish their plates from their food and putting wide rubber bases on the cups to prevent spills.

1.What is the advantage of Morpher over traditional helmets?

A. It is portable. B. It is safer.

C. It is stronger. D. It is folding and light.

2.Who may like Hyper Adapt most?

A. Athletes. B. Officer workers.

C. Taxi drivers. D. Regular travelers.

3.What does the underlined word “groggy” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A. Energetic. B. Dizzy.

C. Tiring. D. Uncomfortable.

4.What invention is unavailable on the market at present?

A. Hyper Adapt. B. Morpher.

C. Hello Sense . D. Eatwell Assistive Tableware.

Today, widespread social pressure to immediately go to college together with increasingly high expectations in a fast -moving world often causes students to completely overlook the possibility of taking a gap year. And after going to school for 12 years, it doesn't feel natural to spend a year during something that isn’t academic.

But despite common misconceptions, a gap year does not impede the success of academics—in fact, it probably promotes it.

Studies show that students who take a gap year are generally better prepared for and perform better in college than those who do not. Gap year experiences can lessen the difficulty when it comes to adjusting to college and being thrown into a brand new environment, making it easier to focus on academics and activities.

Nearly 80 percent of college students end up changing their majors at least once. Many students find themselves listing one major on their college applications, but switching to another after taking college classes. At Boston College, for example, you would have to complete an extra year were you to switch to the nursing school from another department. Taking a gap year to figure things out initially can help prevent stress and save money later on.

Many people, however, argue that the gap year itself can take much money. That’s a math. There are formal gap year programs that are rather pricey, but there are also many opportunities to volunteer and receive free housing or even get paid for your gap year.

Perhaps the most convincing reason for taking a gap year is that it offers a unique opportunity that will likely never reappear. After graduating from college, it's possible to take some time off. Students should think about the next step in their future lives: Don’t rule out anything, including a gap year.

1.What might be the author's purpose by writing the passage?

A. To explain what the gap year really is.

B. To prove the necessity of the gap year.

C. To introduce the way to take the gap year.

D. To describe the students taking their gap year.

2.What stops students taking their gap year?

A. The pricey gap year programs.

B. Bad performance in high school.

C. High expectations for college life.

D. Worrying about falling behind in study.

3.What can we know about students from the passage?

A. Nearly 80 percent of college students change their majors only once.

B. High school students have little experience to choose college majors.

C. many new comers of college are suffering from acclimation blunders.

D. All colleges allow their students to change their majors free of charge.

4.What is the author’s attitude towards the gap year?

A. Favorable. B. Critical.

C. Concerned. D. Indifferent.

Ben Underwood is blind. Both eyes were removed when he was just three years old, leaving him with no vision at all. So how on earth does he ride his bicycle, play football and basketball?

Ben uses many common aids for the blind, like speaking software. He's also written a book and does his schoolwork on a hi-tech Braille writer. But what’s unusual is what he doesn’t use. Ben has no guide dog and never uses a white cane. He doesn’t even use his hands. Instead, he sees with sound. Amazingly, Ben’s ears pick up the echoes(回声）and he can precisely locate where things are. Ben is the only person in the world who sees using nothing but echolocation.

Ben was born perfectly healthy, with dark eyes like his mum. But, when he was two she looked into his eyes and saw something was terribly wrong. This is a rare infant eye cancer that affects only one in every six million. In an attempt to save his sight, doctors immediately began intense chemo and radio therapy, but like a lead balloon. His eyes had been removed.

Just one year after the operation to remove his eyes, in the car he asked his mum what the big building was that they were passing. Ben’s ears were picking up the sounds of the city traffic reflecting from the building’s surfaces. His mum let him play in the street because his sound pictures seemed to make him more aware of danger than his sighted friends.

There’s nothing his friends can do that Ben Underwood won't attempt and conquer. Doctors suspect that Ben Underwood has developed super-hearing to make for his loss of sight. However, tests show that he has only normal hearing. So, has Ben’s brain learned to translate the sound he hears into visual information?

1.What is the main idea of the passage?

A. How to see with ears. B. A boy’s poor life without eyes.

C. The way to fight with fate. D. A boy who “sees” without eyes.

2.In what way does Ben have much common with other blind people?

A. He uses a white cane in his everyday life.

B. He takes advantaged of computer software.

C. He feels the same echolocation as others do.

D. He uses his ears instead of his both hands.

3.What does the underlined part mean in Paragraph 3?

A. His eye looked like a ball. B. The doctor stopped their efforts.

C. Nothing really worked. D. His mother was frightened.

4.What can we infer from the passage?

A. The case of Ben has shocked the doctors.

B. The case of Ben is common to children.

C. Quite a few believe what Ben has said.

D. lien does have the super-hearing ability.

After years of sales growth, major publishers reported a fall in their e-book sales for the first time this year, introducing new doubts about the potential of e-books in the publishing industry. Yet despite the increasing realization that digital and print can easily coexist in the market, the question of whether the e-book will “kill” the print book continues to surface. It doesn’t matter if the intention is to predict or dismiss this possibility; the potential disappearance of the book does not stop to inspire our imagination.

After television was invented, many claimed radio would die. But radio ended up surviving by finding new uses; people started listening in cars, during tram rides and on factory floors. The myth of the disappearing book isn’t new, either. As early as 1894, there was guess that they’d be replaced by what we today call audiobooks. This happened again and again. Movies, radio, television, and smartphones—all conspired to destroy print books as a source of culture and entertainment. It is not by chance that the idea of the death of the book surfaces in moments of technological change.

We create emotional bonds with media as they become an integral part of our life. The emergence of a new technology —like e-readers — doesn’t just in indicate economic and social change. It also causes us to adjust our relationship with something that has become an integral part of our day-to-day life.

The ones who still worry for the disappearance of print books may rest assured: Books have endured many technical revolutions and are in the best position to survive this one. Yet the myth of the disappearing medium will continue to provide an appealing narrative about both the power of technology and our dislike to change. Easy to remember and to spread, the story of the death of media reflects our excitement for the future, as well as our fear of losing parts of our intimate world一and finally, of ourselves.

1.What do people tend to believe according to the text?

A. Print books will disappear in the end.

B. It is unwise to invest in e-books.

C. Digital and print will exist all the time.

D. The death of books is just an imagination.

2.What can we learn from the second paragraph?

A. The forms of books change with new technology.

B. Books have a bright digital future actually.

C. Culture will disappear with the end of books.

D. The idea of book death follows technological changes.

3.What does the myth of disappearing books reflect?

A. Our doubt about the power of technology.

B. Our fear of losing ourselves in society.

C. Our preference for new technology.

D. Our pleasure of experiencing technical revolutions.

Three Simple Ways to Make Exercise a Habit

A lot of people want to build an exercise habit that sticks. Of course, wanting to make exercise a habit and actually doing it are two different things. Changing your behavior is difficult. Living a new type of lifestyle is hard. This is especially true when you throw in very personal feelings about body image and self-worth. 1. Here are three simple ways to make exercise a habit.

Develop a ritual to make starting easier.

Habits are behaviors that you repeat over and over again, which means they are also behaviors that you start over and over again. 2. In many ways, building new habits is simply an exercise in getting started time after time.

3.

The best way to make exercise a habit is to start with an exercise that is so easy that you can do it even when you are running low on willpower and motivation. In the words of an expert, start with something that is so easy you can't say no.

Focus on the habit first and the results later.

4. Most people start with some type of goal. This is the wrong approach. It's better to focus on the system rather than the goal. What matters most in the beginning is establishing a new normal and building you will stick to; not the results that you get. In other words, in the first 6 months it is more important to not miss workouts than it is to make progress. 5.

A. Exercise even when you're “too tired”.

B. Start with an exercise that is ridiculously small.

C. The typical approach to diet and exercise is to focus on results first.

D. It is more important not to miss taking exercise than to make progress.

E. In other words, if you don't consistently get started, then you won't have a habit.

F. Both there are some strategies that can make it easier to stick with an exercise habit.

G. Once you become the type of person who doesn’t miss workouts, then you can worry about making progress and improving.

I allowed myself to receive. These flowers were __ to me by our local florist(花商）. I had placed an order with him for flowers to be delivered to a close ___overseas. For reasons __ to us, the flowers were never delivered and after many __ with the overseas supplier with no __ , we canceled the ___at last.

My florist called to __ and said he wanted to send me some flowers to __ the mistake. Even if I assured him it wasn’t his __ in my order, he __ he wanted to send me flowers. We went back and forth on this and __ I realized this was something that would make him feel __ and that I should just say thank you and let him __ !

I am always saying allowing ourselves to __. It took me a while here to __ what I said!

Having learnt the story, my friend overseas said perhaps the universe felt I needed the __ more. She made me smile.

Immediately after writing this passage, I received a(n) __ from this friend, telling me she had just received my flowers! In fact, our emails __, because I had sent her a copy of my passage at the same time she sent me her email!

When I called my florist, he told me he would not charge me for the flowers because he was sorry for the __ I had with my order!

Looks like the universe wanted __ of us to have flowers!

1.A. gifted B. sold C. donated D. showed

2.A. relative B. friend C. teacher D. colleague

3.A. impossible B. unfair C. unknown D. obvious

4.A. appointments B. agreements C. challenges D. contacts

5.A. expectation B. suggestion C. discussion D. results

6.A. order B. journey C. invitation D. request

7.A. congratulate B. greet C. apologize D. complain

8.A. get rid of B. make up for C. put up with D. take advantage of

9.A. excuse B. fault C. responsibility D. business

10.A. insisted B. predicted C. realized D. pretended

11.A. finally B. naturally C. immediately D. gradually

12.A. worse B. poorer C. busier D. better

13.A. leave B. go C. give D. fail

14.A. present B. share C. receive D. collect

15.A. reply to B. practice C. correct D. take back

16.A. flowers B. friendship C. money D. appreciations

17.A. gift B. warning C. letter D. email

18.A. were lost B. sank C. were refused D. crossed

19.A. satisfaction B. convenience C. trouble D. sorrow

20.A. either B. both C. all D. none

When I was driving after school on Monday on 1. ( I ) way home, I saw a wallet on top of a white car just as the driver turned into the main road. The wallet 2. (fall) from the car and I sounded the horn（喇叭）twice but he didn't hear. So, I picked it up and checked 3. wallet to see if I could get any phone number 4. (call). I found and called two 5.(number) but I was told they were wrong number.

6.(late), I found an ID card and used the address to find his home, which is a 15-minute drive. When 7. (arrive) there, I saw his wife and the first thing she asked was 8. I found a wallet. I started smiling and said yes. The lady was really 9. (happily) and called her husband. After I gave the wallet to him, he saw everything was inside. The couple offered me 20 yuan for gas 10. I refused it.

假定英语课上老师要求同学们交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10 处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词：

2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

Last week, I had a argument with my best friend. All of us went home with anger, After finishing dinner, I began to do my homework. Sudden, my stomach hurt badly. My parents took me the hospital immediately. The doctor said I eat unclean food and I needed to stay in the hospital for two days, that made me feel worse and worried about my lessons. To my surprised, my best friend came to see me. She was so worried about me and helped me about my lessons. We understood it each other better and were back together. Now I have realized

that friendship is very importance to me.

假定你是李华。过去三年一直利用业余时间打工，你想在高考后去一家国际书店(Global Books)兼职。请给书店经理Ms Jenkins写一份英文短信。

要点包括：

1. 有客户服务经验；

2. 有很强的语言、人际交流和组织技能；

3. 希望通过在Global Books的工作掌握更多技能。

注意：

1. 词数100左右；

2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；

3. 开头和结尾已写好。

Dear Ms Jenkins，

I would like to apply for the bookshop assistant position with Global Books.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

I would love the opportunity to discuss my application with you in further detail, and look forward to hearing from you.

Your sincerely,

Li Hua

With the development of science and technology, new inventions, especially new electronic products, have made people’s lives easy and convenient. But as the saying puts: A coin has two sides.

One day, I was walking in the park with a friend and his cell phone rang, interrupting our conversation. There we were, walking and talking on a beautiful sunny day and…I became invisible, absent from the conversation.

The telephone used to connect you to the absent. Now it makes people sitting next to you feel absent. Why is it that the more connected we get, the more disconnected I feel? Every advance in communications technology is a tragedy to the closeness of human interaction. With email and instant messaging over the Internet, we can now communicate without seeing or talking to one another. With voice mail, you can conduct entire conversations without ever reaching anyone. If my mom has a question, I just leave the answer on her machine.

As almost every contact we can imagine between human beings gets automated, the alienation(疏远) index goes up. You can't even call a person to get the phone number of another person any more. Directory assistance is almost always fully automated.

Pumping petrol at the station? Why say good morning to the attendant when you can swipe(刷)your credit card at the pump and save yourself the bother of human contact?

Making a deposit at the bank? Why talk to a teller who might live in the neighborhood when you can just insert your card into ATM?

Pretty soon you won’t have the burden of making eye contact at the grocery shop. Some supermarket chains are using a self-scanner so you can check yourself out, avoiding those check-out people who look at you and ask how you are doing.

I am not against modern technology. I own a cell phone, an ATM card, a voice mail system, and an email account. Giving them up isn't wise…they're a great help to us. It's some of their possible consequences that make me feel uneasy.

More and more, I find myself hiding behind e-mail to do a job meant for conversation. Or being relieved that voice mail picked up a call because I didn't really have time to talk. The communications industry devoted to helping me keep in touch is making me lonelier.

So I've put myself on technology restriction: no instant messaging, with people who live near me，no cell phoning in the presence of friends, no letting the voice mail pick up when I'm at home.

1.Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?

A. The Advance of Communications Technology

B. The Consequences of Modern Technology

C. The Process of Communications Revolution[

D. The Automation of Modern Communications

2.Paragraphs 5 to 7 are listed as examples, which show that the use of modern communications is___________.

A. encouraging B. disappointing

C. satisfying D. embarrassing

3.The passage implies that _______________.

A. modern technology is bridging the people

B. modern technology is separating the people

C. modern technology is developing too rapidly

D. modern technology is interrupting our lives

4.What does the writer think to do with the modern technology?

A. We may use them no matter what others are doing.

B. We can throw them away and return to the ancient.

C. We can be far away from them forever.

D. We can use them less and communicate with the people around us.