A. was askedB. askedC. was askingD. is asked

A. A B. An C. The

A. a B. an C. the D. /

【題目】

Art, as we know, is subjective. What one person considers a priceless masterpiece others might see as nothing more than a giant black square. But there’s one very specific kind of painting that almost everyone sees the same way — the kind with the “strange” eyes that seem to follow you around the room. So what causes this optical illusion (視覺(jué)錯(cuò)覺(jué)) and how do artists achieve this effect?

It turns out, for even a moderately skilled artist, this effect isn’t a difficult thing to achieve. In fact, the artists need to use a little illusion of depth, making the person depicted on the canvas appears somewhat 3D on a 2D canvas, and to adjust the gaze (凝視) of the eyes so that they would be looking at someone standing right in front of the picture.

So what exactly is going on here in our brains that then makes it seem like the eyes follow you even if you move away from being front and center? As demonstrated by a team of researchers from Ohio State University, as you move to the side, the “near” and “far” points of the 2D image don’t really change. These near and far points are defined as visible points that, if the image was 3D, would appear nearest and furthest away from the viewer at a given angle.

The idea is simple. No matter what angle you look at a painting from, the painting itself doesn’t change. You’re looking at a flat surface. The key is that the near points and far points of the picture remained the same no matter the angle the picture was viewed from. When observing real surfaces in the natural environment, the near and far points vary when we change viewing direction. When we observe a picture on the wall, the visual information that defines near and far points is unaffected by viewing direction. Still, we willingly accept and interpret the thing in the painting as if it were a real object.

Thus, because the perspective, shadows, and light on the painting don’t change as you move around, if the eyes in the painting would be staring directly at the observer who is standing in front of the painting, it creates something of an optical illusion in your brain so that the eyes will continue to seem to stare at you as you move to the side.

In contrast to the eyes following you trick, if the artist tweaks the painting a bit, for example the artist adjusts the gaze of the eyes so that the eyes are looking off somewhere else instead of directly looking at a potential observer, no matter where you stand, the eyes will never seem to be looking at you.

The technique first began popularly showing up in art around the 14th century when the artist and architect Fillipo Brunelleshi introduced the art world to the idea of “l(fā)inear perspective”, being painting with the idea of everything in the picture converging (聚集) on a specific point on the horizon, creating the illusion of depth. Linear perspective, combined with skilled use of light and shadow allows artists to create masterfully realistic paintings, including sometimes of people that stare at you creepily no matter where you stand.

【1】What’s the writer’s purpose of writing Paragraph 1?

A.To lead in the question why staring eyes seem to follow us in a painting.

B.To make a comparison between a priceless masterpiece and a black square.

C.To introduce the topic that the optical illusion can make the painting look real.

D.To prove that people can think alike when they admire a certain kind of painting.

【2】What can't we learn from the passage?

A.The visible points of the image won’t change in the natural environment.

B.The near and far points of a painting are affected by our viewing direction.

C.The viewing direction of viewers can make the image in the painting look real.

D.The optical illusion in our brain makes us feel the eyes in the painting staring at us.

【3】The 3rd paragraph is mainly about ________.

A.who took part in the research.

B.how long the research lasted.

C.what was found in the research.

D.how the research was performed.

【4】What’s the meaning of the underlined word “tweek” in the passage?

A.changeB.decorateC.moveD.turn

【題目】

Some people claim they “never forget a face”. But what does that saying mean? Is there really no limit to the number of faces a person can remember? A new study at the University of York in England has found that, on average, people can remember as many as 5,000 faces.

The study is the first time that scientists have been able to put a number to the abilities of humans to recognize faces. The research team tested people on how many faces they could remember from their personal lives and in the media. They also tested them to see how many famous faces they recognized. Rob Jenkins works in the psychology department at the University of York. He said the researchers’ study centered on the number of faces people actually know. He said the researchers were not able to discover whether there is a limit on how many faces the brain can handle.

In the study, people spent one hour writing down as many faces from their personal lives as possible. At first, they found it easy to come up with many faces. But by the end of the hour, they found it harder to think of new ones. Their change in speed let the researchers estimate when they would have run out of faces completely.

The results showed that these people knew between 1,000 and 10,000 faces. Jenkins explained that some people may have a natural ability for remembering faces. “There are differences in how much attention people pay to faces and how well they process the information,” he said. Jenkins also said it could be because of different social environments. Some people may have grown up in more populated places. Therefore, they may have had more social contact throughout their lives.

The people in the study included 25 men and women between 18 and 61 years old. Researchers think age may be an interesting area for further research. “It would be interesting to see whether there is a peak age for the number of faces we know”, Jenkins said. He said it is possible that we gather more faces throughout our lifetime. But, he added, there also may he an age at which we start to find it harder to remember all of those faces.

The study suggests our facial recognition abilities enable us to deal with the many different faces we see on the screens, as well as those we know, like family and friends. Today, facial recognition technology is used in many ways, including by law enforcement agencies to prevent crime and violence. Governments use it to keep secret areas secure and, in extreme cases, control populations. Even Facebook uses facial recognition. For example, when you “tag” or name a friend, Facebook technology may recognize the person’s face from a different picture you had shared before.

【1】The study at the University of York centers on ________.

A.how different people’s faces are

B.how important knowing faces is

C.how many faces people actually know

D.how much attention people pay to faces

【2】What can you learn from the passage?

A.It’s possible for anyone to remember 5000 faces.

B.The number of faces that people can remember is unlimited.

C.There is a change in the speed of people’s coming up with faces.

D.Facial recognition technology can improve social contact greatly.

【3】What does Rob Jenkins probably agree?

A.Remembering faces is not a natural ability for people.

B.People should gather more faces throughout their lifetime.

C.There is an age at which people can no longer know more faces.

D.People from a place with a large population may know more faces.

【4】What does the writer want to tell us in the last paragraph?

A.To present people’s abilities to recognize faces.

B.To tell us how facial recognition helps humans.

C.To explain the meaning of facial recognition technology.

D.To introduce the development of facial recognition technology.

【題目】

I have a problem. Her name is Luca. We do not see eye to eye.

Like yesterday, we saw the number 9, 999. She said, “All lose nines. They feel so... so purple!”

Purple? I saw it as logical and orderly. Not as colours. I think Luca and I live in different universes.

But we have to do a report on the Statue of liberty. I really doubt if I can work with her.

At our first meeting on Friday, we come up with a plan. She will make a Statue of Liberty, and I’ll write the report. But on Monday, with only one week until our report is due, she tells me she’s leaving to visit her great-grandfather for six days, because he’s ill. It means that I, the one who can’t even draw a stick figure, will have to make the statue. And she the one who doesn’t like to think logically, will have to write the report.

“Please be at my house at 2:00 on Sunday,” I say I cross my fingers.

While she’s gone, I spend lots of hours making the sculpture according to some directions I find online.

Sunday at 2:00 arrives, and Luca is late. Finally, I see her skipping down the sideway, carrying only a small piece of equipment

“What’s that?” I ask. “Where’s the report?”

“It’s a digital recorder,” she says. “A report didn’t feel right, so I did something else.”

I try to keep my voice calm as I say, “But this is not about feelings. It’s about the Statue of Liberty. Statues don’t have feelings.” Our project is due tomorrow. We’re doomed.

“Statues don’t have feelings, but my great-grandfather does.” Luca says.

Now I am quite sure that we’re from two different universes because I have no idea about what she’s talking about.

“I interviewed him about when he came to America and saw the Statue of Liberty,” she continues. “Listen.” She turns on the recording.

A scratchy voice comes on. “In Hungary, I had no food and hoped to go to America, where I could eat, have a better life. Finally I got on the ship. Then the sunshine started. Oh! There she was. Lady Liberty Like hope itself. All of us cried. All my life, I remember that feeling of seeing the lady.”

Looking at Luca. I think a while. “You are right That’s what the Statue of liberty is all about. Who says a report has to be on paper? I say quietly. And a smile spreads over her face.

Can you imagine what happens while we are making the presentation the next day? When Luca’s great-grandfather says “All my life. I remember that feeling, of seeing the Lady.” everyone is staring at our statue, quiet.

【1】The idiom “see eye to eye” in Paragraph 1 probably means “________”.

A.like each otherB.have good eyesight

C.want to see each otherD.share the same viewpoint

【2】What can we know about Luca from the passages?

A.She doesn’t like writing reports.

B.She is not a very friendly person.

C.She has her own ideas about the report.

D.She visits her great-grandfather to interview him.

【3】What does everyone think of their presentation?

A.Boring.B.Relaxing.C.EmbarrassingD.Moving.

A. get on B. get to C. get off D. get up

A. on B. over C. above D. in

A. our B. us C. myself D. ourselves

A. shy B. friendly C. polite D. hard-working