installed (安装).

If you live in a smaller place, that’s no big deal; the ecobee3 still has distinct advantages. It is touch-enabled and more spacious, making it less annoying when you want to enter a WiFi password, see weather information, and so on. Still, all the smart thermostats are pretty great. Which one is best just depends on whether you need a whole-home solution or a more straightforward one. For now, if it’s the former, go with the ecobee3.

Ecobee3 Smarter WiFi Thermostat with Remote Sensor, available at all shopping websites. 21. What is the function of the ecobee3?

A. Planning schedules. B. Making decoration. C. Adjusting temperatures. D. Storing information.

22. According to the passage, one of the advantages of the ecobee3 is that ______.

A. it can be operated easily by phone B. it has different sizes C. it is a product without using energy D. it follows the same pattern 23. What makes the ecobee3 superior?

A. It costs less than those similar products. B. It may work without access to WiFi networks. C. It is more effective with fewer remote sensors. D. It can control the temperature in a larger area.

【答案】CAD

B

It used to be a matter of fact when Peter Pan — a character from James Matthew Barrie’s 1911 book — said: “All children, except one, grow up.” But this “fact” doesn’t seem to apply to today’s world anymore.

According to the NPD Group, a US market research company, sales of toys to adults in the UK increased by more than 20 percent in 2016, three times the pace of the children’s toy market itself. These toys ranged from puzzles and Lego building sets to vehicle models and action figures. And more than half of the sales came from

millennials — people born between the 1980s and 2000s.

“Adults of the 21st century are channeling their inner child, one toy at a time,” commented website Koreaboo. This is also why these adults are sometimes referred to as “kidults”.

According to Frederique Tutt, an analyst at NPD, the motivation of these grown-ups is to escape the stress of today’s fast-paced world. They are driven toward the more immediate pleasures brought by toys than those brought by, say, getting a promotion, which is far less easy to achieve.

“It reminds me of the playful side of life,” Rob Willner, a 25-year-old PhD student in the UK, told The Telegraph when talking about his love for Lego, which he said brings him both comfort and entertainment.

Despite this, some social scientists see the trend as disturbing. To Frank Furendi, a professor at the University of Kent in the UK, the fact that so many adults are pursuing “the thrills of youth” is the evidence that “adulthood has got nothing attractive about it anymore”, he told The New York Times. “That’s actually quite sad.”

But scientists are probably just worrying too much. According to Canadian comic book artist Todd McFarlane, collecting toys could simply be a way for people to express their individuality. “It’s just pop culture stuff. It’s stuff that says, ‘I like a little of this and I like a little of that’,” he told ABC News. “It’s no big deal.” So now that over 100 years have passed since Peter Pan, perhaps it’s time to introduce a new “fact”, as stated in the tagline (标语) of the UK fashion brand KIDULT: “Growing old is mandatory (被迫的), but growing up is optional.” 24. What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 2 imply?

A. Many adults still have some childlike features. B. Something old is not suitable for a new world. C. All children grow up as they become adults.

D. It’s difficult for some children to grow up in today’s world. 25. Which of the following statements is true?

A. Rob Willner believes that the pleasure brought by toys is easier to achieve. B. Frederique Tutt believes that some adults enjoy playing with children’s toys to escape the stress.

C. Frank Furendi believes that the thrill of youth does not attract adults. D. Todd McFarlane is worrying too much about collecting toys. 26. What is the writer’s attitude towards the trend of growing kidults?

A. Supportive B. Doubtful C. Critical D. Disapproval 27. What can be the best title for the passage?

A. Growing Old Or Growing Up B. Toys Sales On The Rise C. Kidults In Fashion Again 【答案】ABAD

C

A British man who lived in the Alps as a goat for three days has won one of this year's Ig Nobel prizes.

Thwaites had special articifical organs made so he could walk like an animal. The take-off

awards, which are not quite as famous as the real Nobels, were handed out during their annual ceremony at Harvard University, US. Other studies honoured during the event examined the personalities of rocks, and how the world looks when you bend over and view it through your legs. On the surface, all the celebrated research sounds a bit silly, but a lot of it - when examined closely - is actually intended to handle real-world problems. And nearly all of the science gets published in peer-reviewed(同行评议的), scholarly journals. The firm has been awarded the chemistry prize for the way it cheated emissions tests.

D. Staying Young Forever

Goat-man Thwaites actually shares his biology prize with another Briton, Charles Foster, who also has spent time in the wild trying to experience life from an animal's perspective. Clearly, the practice is fast-becoming a national character. Mr Thwaites admits his effort was initially an attempt to escape the stress of modern living, but then became a passion. He spent a year researching the idea, and even persuaded an expert in action, Dr Glyn Heath at Salford University, to build him a set of goat legs.

\and then suddenly realised that everyone else had stopped chewing and there was this tension which I hadn't kind of noticed before and then one or two of the goats started tossing their horns around and I think I was about to get in a fight,\BBC News.

The American science humour magazine, the Annals of Improbable Research, is the inspiration behind the Ig Nobels, which are now in their 26th year. Thursday night's ceremony was reported as disorderly as ever, with audience members throwing the compulsory paper planes while real Nobel winners attempted to hand out the prizes.

28. What does the underlined word “take-off” in Para2 most probably mean?

A. famous B. interesting C. ridiculous D. serious

29. Which of the following is correct？

A. Ig Nobles are as well-known as the real Nobels.

B. Ig Nobels are rooted in the Annals of Improbable Research.

C. Both Ig Nobels and the real Nobels are of equal importance to human

achievemnet.

D. Ig Nobels are nothing but a laughter.

30. What words can best describe Thwaites according to the passage? A. selfish and ambitious

B. amazing and patient