Canadian scientists have found that the more emotional or mental challenges a person faces in a day, the less determined they become to work out physically.
However, the findings should not stop us from keeping fit. Experts believe that willpower (意志力)is like a muscle, and needs to be exercised to help one avoid the temptation (诱惑)spending a night on the couch instead.
Kathleen Martin --Ginis, a professor of kinesiology---the science of movement 一 who led the study, says everyone has a limited amount of willpower, and that it will be reduced by stress. Miss Martin --Ginis, of Canada' s McMaster University, explains, "Cognitive (认知的)tasks, as well as tasks such as regulating (调整)one' s emotions, can reduce one' s capacity to force oneself to exercise."
Her team of scientists performed a so-- called " Stroop" test on volunteers to reach their conclusions. The experiment involved showing participants words associated with colors but printed in different colors, for example, the word " blue " written in red ink . Participants were divided into two groups. One group was asked to name the color of the ink, instead to say the printed word, while the other wasn't Martin ― Ginis says," After we used this cognitive task to use up their self--regulatory capacity, the participants didn't exercise as hard as those who had not performed the task.The more people concentrated on the cognitive task, the more likely they were to skip exercise sessions (活动时间)over the next eight weeks. You only have so much willpower .
However, there are ways to strengthen willpower. The study found the listening to music before going to the gym can help, as well as making a commitment to work out with friends. It also concluded that willpower can be stretched by constantly taking, or forcing oneself to study an extra hour each night.
Martin - Ginis adds, "There are strategies people can use to help revitalize (使恢复活动) themselves after they’ve used up their self-regulation. Willpower is like a muscle: it needs to be used to stay strong.
1.According to the experts, human willpower ____________. .
A. can be exercised through muscle movement
B. can regulate itself to resist temptations
C. is weakened by stressful cognitive or emotional tasks
D. is reduced by lack of physical exercise.
2.We learn from Paragraph 4 that the experiment__________..
A. made use of the Stroop test
B. asked one group of participants to name the words
C. required researchers to write the word "blue" in red ink to make it easily recognizable.
D. showed that those who hadn't performed the task were smarter than those who had
3.Which of the following is in agreement with Miss Martin ― Ginis' idea?
A. Human's willpower is limited to a certain level
B. The cognitive tasks could make people ignore exercise
C. Challenging tasks could make people ignore exercise
D. Exercise is an important way to strengthen one's willpower.
4.What can we infer from the passage?
A. Willpower can be challenged to become powerful.
B. McMaster University is famous for its kinesiology.
C. Effective ways to resist temptations have been found.
D. the study has an impact on the science of movement.
As we all know sewing-machine(缝纫机) repair is one of the fastest growing businesses in the world today. Newspapers, women’s magazines, high schools and colleges are all encouraging millions of American women to do their own sewing, not only to make their own shirts and sweaters, but also to make nice clothes for their husbands, sons, or boyfriends. The lattes figures(数字) show that over 89 million American women, because of the high costs of ready-to-wear clothing are now making almost all of their families’ clothes. Most of these women get great satisfaction from making the family clothes on their own sewing machines. So it is natural that the demand(要求) for excellent service of sewing machines is growing.
Think of it! 89 million or more sewing machines, not including another 10 million sewing machines in schools of all kinds, need service at least once a year, and quite possibly four or more times each year. I know some women who return their sewing machines to repairmen time after time to get them fixed properly. I’ve seen sewing machines come out of repair shops in worse condition than they were when they went in.
So I’ve decided to write an introduction book to sewing-machine repair and teach people how to repair their own sewing machines at home. It’s not that difficult. In the book, I will teach you everything you need to know about how to repair your sewing machine.The author wrote the passage to.
A.teach women to repair their sewing machines. |
B.explain his or her purpose in writing the book |
C.introduce the reasons for doing one’s own sewing |
D.tell us that sewing-machine repair is a fast-growing business |
American women make clothes by themselves because.
A.they cannot buy the clothes they see in magazines |
B.their husbands or boyfriends want them to do so |
C.ready-to-wear clothes cost a great deal of money |
D.they can’t get great satisfaction from buying clothes |
We learn from the passage that sewing machines.
A.aren’t very difficult to be repaired |
B.cannot work well after one year |
C.don’t easily get broken |
D.need service 4 times a month |
It can be inferred from the passage that.
A.the book will also show you how to make nice clothes |
B.there are not enough sewing-machine-repair shops in America |
C.over 99 million sewing machines need service at least once a year |
D.the demand for excellent service of sewing machines grows the fastest in America |
Can you imagine exchanging the pleasure of city life for a quiet life in the countryside?
Many people want to move from the country to the city because they think that life in the city is more exciting and better than that in countryside, especially young people who like new, modern things. People like popular things and feel that they can only find the latest styles in the city.
However, it is possible to enjoy the higher quality of country life and still enjoy some of the advantages of living in the city.
Nowadays, traveling is fast and easy, and information can be found on the Internet, so many people are able to do their work in home offices. Because they have e-mail and personal computers, they don’t have to be in big cities to manage their businesses. It is not important where they actually work because the results of their work can be sent everywhere with e-mails. Therefore, there is no need to put up with all of the disadvantages of the city. Now they can escape busy city life to enjoy the quiet country life and still be able to have successful jobs.
Other people are interested in technological things and high-tech jobs and think they can only find them in big cities. If they want to find a job, especially a good position in a company, they think that they have to live in a city. For these jobs, they are willing to put up with many of the disadvantages of city life, such as crime, heavy traffic, and pollution.The main idea of this passage is that.
A.life in the city is different from life in the countryside |
B.people prefer living in the city to living in the countryside |
C.cities have more disadvantages than the countryside |
D.more and more people like living in the city |
With the development of,people can enjoy life in the countryside as comfortably as they can in the city.
A.e-mail technology | B.personal computers |
C.transportation and computers | D.business |
According to the passage, what does the countryside have but cities don’t have?
A.Technology. | B.Traffic. | C.Education. | D.Natural environment. |
What is the author’s attitude towards city life?
A.He is for it. | B.He is against it. |
C.He likes neither. | D.He shows no opinion. |
Are some people born clever, and others born stupid? Or is intelligence developed by our environment and our experiences? Strangely enough, the answer to both these questions is yes. To some extent our intelligence is given us at birth, and no amount of special education can make a genius out of a child born with low intelligence. On the other hand, a child who lives in a boring environment will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in rich and varied surroundings. Thus the limits of a person's intelligence are fixed at birth, but whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on his environment. This view, now held by most experts, can be supported in a number of ways.
It is easy to show that intelligence is to some extent something we are born with. The closer the blood relationship between two people, the closer they are likely to be in intelligence. Thus if we take two unrelated people at random(随机地) from the population,it is likely that their degrees of intelligence will be completely different. If on the other hand we take two identical (完全相同的) twins they will very likely be as intelligent as each other. Relations like brothers and sisters, parents and children, usually have similar intelligence, and this clearly suggests that intelligence depends on birth.
Imagine now that we take two identical twins and put them in different environments. We might send one, for example, to a university and the other to a factory where the work is boring. We would soon find differences in intelligence developing, and this indicates that environment as well as birth playsa part. This conclusion is also suggested by the fact that people who live in close contact with each other, but who are not related at all, are likely to have similar degrees of intelligence.Which of these sentences best describes the writer’s point in Para. 1?
A.To some extent, intelligence is given at birth. |
B.Intelligence is developed by the environment. |
C.Some people are born clever and others born stupid. |
D.Intelligence is fixed at birth, but is developed by the environment. |
It is suggested in this passage that_______.
A.unrelated people are not likely to have different intelligence |
B.close relations usually have similar intelligence |
C.the closer the blood relationship between people, the more different they are likely to be in intelligence |
D.people who live in close contact with each other are not likely to have similar degrees |
of intelligence In Para. 1, the word "surroundings" means_______.
A.intelligence | B.life |
C.environments | D.housing |
The best title for this article would be_______.
A.On Intelligence |
B.What Intelligence Means |
C.We are Born with Intelligence |
D.Environment Plays a Part in Developing Intelligence |
Why doesn’t the unemployment rate ever reach zero? Economists, who generally believe that supply tends to meet demand, have long thought about this question. Even in good times, i.e. not now, there are people who can’t find work. And even in bad times, i.e. now, there are job openings. With over 14 million people out of work and looking for a job, you would think every available job would be filled. But that’s not the case. Not now and not ever.
On Monday, the Nobel Prize committee awarded the prize for economics to the three scholars who have done the most to explain this phenomenon. Two of the winners are Americans, Peter Diamond of MIT and Dale Mortensen of Northwestern. The third winner is Christopher Pissarides, who teaches at the London School of Economics and was born on Cyprus.
Like most of economics, what they have found about why the jobless and ready-employers don’t find each other seems obvious. You have to find out there is job opening you are interested in. Employers need to get resumes (简历). It takes a while for both employers and employees to make the decision that this is what they want. And these guys came up with a frame-work to study the problem of why people stay unemployed longer than they should and what can be done about it.
So what would today’s Nobel Prize winners do to solve the current problem of the unemployed? And does the awarding of the prize contribute to the politicians’ lowering joblessness?
Speaking from his north London home, Pissarides told The Associated Press the announcement came as “a complete surprise” though his work had already helped shape thinking on both sides of the Atlantic.
For example, the New Deal for Young People, a British government policy aimed at getting 18-24-year-olds back on the job market after long periods of unemployment, “is very much based on our work,” he said.
“One of the key things we found is that it is important to make sure that people do not stay unemployed too long so they don’t lose their feel for the labor force,” Pissarides told reporters in London. “The ways of dealing with this need not be expensive training – it could be as simple as providing work experience.”According to the writer, which is true about finding jobs?
A.It is always difficult to find a job. |
B.Everyone can find a job in good times. |
C.Contrary to popular belief, it is easier to find a job in bad times. |
D.It is possible to find a job even in times as bad as now. |
What is it that leads to their winning the prize?
A.They have found the reason for unemployment. |
B.They have put forward a set of ideas to deal with unemployment. |
C.They have found out why people don’t want to be employed. |
D.They have long studied the problem of unemployment. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A.Pissarides thinks his work surprising. |
B.The work of Pissarides has influenced many economists. |
C.Some of the winners’ ideas have been put into practice. |
D.It is probable that unemployed young people in Britain benefit from Pissarides’ work. |
According to Pissarides, _________ is effrctive in dealing with unemployment.
A.spending large sums of money on training |
B.teaching some knowledge of economics |
C.providing work experience |
D.keeping people unemployed for some time |
Sydney Airport International Terminal—Arrival Area
SPECIALTY RETAIL
Newslink: Two separate Newslink stores cater to all your reading needs including newspapers, magazines and the latest bestsellers.
Downtown Duty Free: Make sure you shop at Downtown Duty Free for great savings on a range of items including perfume, alcohol, skincare and cigarettes. It’s your last chance before customs.
Beach Culture: A must for those into the latest in beach clothing. Top surfer street and fashion labels including Mambo, Stussy and Quicksilver, including children’s sizes.
DINING
Blue Sky Cafe: Speedy service leaves you time to keep an eye on the arrivals gate. Fresh milk, coffee, lemon juice, beer, whisky, ice-cream, soda water, cakes and dumplings are on sale.
Macdonald’s: hamburgers, fries, pancakes, toasted potatoes, muffins, Pepsi, Coca-Cola and chocolates—all your family favorites. Breakfast served until 10:30.
SERVICES
ATM: ATMs are conveniently located throughout Arrival and Departures. Dollars, pounds and francs and RMB are all available.
Vodafone Rentals: This communications center offers the very latest technology for mobile phone rentals, sales and serving.Where is the passage likely to appear?
A.A morning newspaper. | B.A monthly magazine. |
C.A geography book. | D.An official guide. |
The underlined phrase “cater to” probably means ________.
A.satisfy | B.afford | C.support | D.help |
You may have better choices to deal with _________.
A.your hunger problem in Blue Sky Cafe and your thirsty problem in Macdonald’s |
B.your thirsty problem in Blue Sky Cafe and your hunger problem in Macdonald’s |
C.your hunger and thirsty problems in the Blue Sky Cafe |
D.your hunger and thirsty problems in the Macdonald’s |