Passage one
Most episodes of absent-mindedness—forgetting where you left something or wondering why you just entered a room-are caused by a simple lack of attention, says Schacter. “You’re supposed to remember something, but you haven’t encoded it deeply.”
    Encoding, Schacter explains, is a special way of paying attention to an event that has a major impact on recalling it later. Failure to encode properly can create annoying situations. If you put your mobile phone in a pocket, for example, and don’t pay attention to what you did because you’re involved in a conversation, you’ll probably forget that the phone is in the jacket now hanging in your wardrobe (衣柜). “Your memory itself isn’t failing you.” says Schacter. “Rather, you didn’t give your memory system the information it needed.”
    Lack of interest can also lead to absent-mindedness. “A man who can recite sports statistics from 30 years ago.” says Zelinski, “may not remember to drop a letter in the mailbox.” Women have slightly better memories than men, possibly because they pay more attention to their environment, and memory relies on just that.
    Visual cues can help prevent absent-mindedness says Schacter. “But be sure the cue is clear and available.” he cautions. If you want to remember to take a medication (药物) with lunch, put the pill bottle on the kitchen table—don’t leave it in the medicine chest and write yourself a note that you keep in a pocket.
    Another common episode of absent-mindedness: walking into a room and wondering why you’re there. Most likely, you were thinking about something else. “Everyone does this from time to time.” says Zelinski. The best thing to do is to return to where you were before entering the room, and you’ll likely remember.
    What is the passage mainly about?
A) The process of gradual memory loss. B) The causes of absent-mindedness.
  C) The impact of the environment on memory. D) A way of encoding and recalling.
                                Passage two
Americans are proud of their variety and individuality, yet they love and respect few things more than a uniform, whether it is the uniform of an elevator operator or the uniform of a five-star general. Why are uniforms so popular in the United States?
    Among the arguments for uniforms, one of the first is that in the eyes of most people they look more professional than civilian (百姓的) Clothes. People have become conditioned to expect superior quality from a man who wears a uniform. The television repairman who wears a uniform tends to inspire more trust than one who appears in civilian clothes. Faith in the skill of a garage mechanic is increased by a uniform. What easier way is there for a nurse, a policeman, a barber, or a waiter to lose professional identity(身份) than to step out of uniform?
Uniforms also have many practical benefits. They save on other clothes. They save on laundry bills. They are tax-deductible(可减税的). They are often more comfortable and more durable than civilian clothes.
deductiblePrimary among the arguments against uniforms is their lack of variety and the consequent l
oss of individuality experienced by people who must wear them. Though there are many types of uniforms, the wearer of any particular type is generally stuck with it, without change, until retirement. When people look alike, they tend to think, speak, and act similarly, on the job at least.
    Uniforms also give rise to some practical problems. Though they are long-lasting, often their initial expense is greater than the cost of civilian clothes. Some uniforms are also expensive to maintain, requiring professional dry cleaning rather than the home laundering possible with many types of civilian clothes.
    The best title for this passage would be _______.
    A) Uniforms and Society  B) The Importance of Wearing a Uniform
  C) Practical Benefits of Wearing a Uniform D) Advantages and Disadvantages of Uniforms
                                 
                            Passage three
Communications technologies are far from equal when it comes to conveying the truth. The first study to compare honesty across a range of communications media has found that people are twice as likely to tell lies in phone conversations as they are in emails. The fact that emails are automatically recorded-and can come back to haunt (困扰)you appears to be the key to the finding.
    Jeff Hancock of Cornell University in Ithaca, Mew York, asked 30 students to keep a communications diary for a week. In it they noted the number of conversations or email exchanges they had lasting more than 10 minutes, and confessed to how many lies they told. Hancock then worked out the number of lies per conversation foe each medium .He found that lies made up 14 per cent of emails，21 per cent of instant messages,27 per cent of face-to-face interactions and an astonishing 37 per cent of phone calls.

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