Honesty may well be the policy, but it often deserts us when no one is watching, psychologists report today. Experiments with an honesty box to collect payments for hot drinks show that people are better at paying up when under the gaze(注视) of a pair of eyes. The surprise was that the eyes were not real, but photographed.
Researchers at Newcastle University set up the experiment in secret. They attached a poster to a cupboard of mugs above an-honesty box alongside a kettle ,with tea, coffee and milk. Over 10 weeks, they alternated each week between images of eyes and pictures of flowers.
Dr. Bateson, a behavioral biologist and leader of the study, said that even though the eyes were not real they still seemed to make people behave more honestly. They effect may arise from behavioral characteristics that developed as early humans formed social groups that increased their chances of survival. Individuals had to co-operate for the good of the group, rather than act selfishly.
"If nobody is watching us, it is in our interests to behave selfishly. But when we think we're being watched,we should behave better, so people see us as co-operative and behave the same way towards us, "Dr. Bateson said.
"We thought we'd get a slight effect with eyes, but it was quite striking how much difference they made. Even at a subconscious(潜意识的) level, it seems people respond to eyes, and that might be because eyes send a strong biological signal we have evolved(进化) to respond to."
The finding, which researchers believe sheds light on our evolutionary past, could be turned to practical use. The psychologists say images of eyes could promote ticket sales on public transport and improve monitor systems to prevent antisocial behavior.This passage is mainly about _______________.
A.the policy of honesty |
B.an honesty box to collect money |
C.evolution on honesty |
D.an experiment on honesty |
The reason for doing the experiment secretly is that the researchers _____________.
A.wanted to get a comparatively more exact result |
B.had known they wanted to do something illegally |
C.meant to get the co-operation of their colleagues |
D.intended to sell the hot drinks at a higher price |
People behave honestly under watchful gaze of eyes because _____________.
A.they want to leave a good impression |
B.they fear to be laughed at by others |
C.they've got the nature through evolution |
D.they take the photo for a real pair of eyes |
The underlined phrase" sheds light on" in the last paragraph means _____.
A.causes somebody to become cheerful |
B.makes something easier to understand |
C.comes upon something by accident |
D.brings something into the broad daylight |
Farmer John and Farmer Bob were neighbours. For more than 30 years, they had been getting along very well.
Then their good relationship broke. It began with a small thing, then bitter words, and then weeks of silence. One morning Farmer John woke up to find a stream between the two farms. “It must be Bob,” John thought.
Then one day there was a knock on John’s door. He opened it to find a carpenter(木匠) standing at the doorway.
“I’m looking for a few days’ work,” the carpenter said.
“I do have a job for you,” John said. “Look across the stream at that farm. That’s my neighbour Bob. He dug a stream between the two farms. I want you to build a fence—an 8-foot fence. I don’t want to see his place or his face any more. I don’t have such a neighbour!”
The carpenter said, “I think I know what to do, sir, and I’ll be able to do a job that pleases you.”
Farmer John helped the carpenter get the materials(材料) ready and then he was off for the day.
About sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer’s eyes opened wide. There was no fence there at all!
It was a bridge! And the neighbour, Bob, was coming across, with his hand outstretched(伸出). “Hi, John! You’re quite a fellow to build this bridge!”
Then they met in the middle, taking each other’s hands. “I’m terribly sorry for what I have said and done. We should be good to each other.” said Farmer Bob.
Then they turned to see the carpenter, who was ready to go. “No, wait! Stay a few days. I have a lot of other jobs for you,” said Farmer John. “I’d love to stay,” the carpenter said, “but I have more bridges to build.”What does the sentence “You’re quite a fellow to build this bridge!” mean?
A.John was great to build this bridge. |
B.John was not good at building bridges. |
C.John was foolish to build such a bridge. |
D.John should build the bridge earlier. |
What do you think of the carpenter?
A.Shy. | B.Wise. | C.Proud. | D.Careless. |
What is the best title for the passage?
A.What a Big Fence! | B.A Strong Bridge |
C.Three Kind Men | D.A Fence or a Bridge? |
This is a page from a college information handbook. It tells you where you can find several different college services and facilities(设施).
Where To Find Help In The College
Here are the places of some important college services and facilities.
Rooms numbered 100-130 are on the first floor and those numbered 200-230 are on the second floor of the main college buildings.
Students Services Center
Careers职业 113
The officers can offer you some advice on career choice and applications for higher education.
Accommodation Office 114
Mrs. J Mardle is here each afternoon from 1:30 to 4:30 to help students with housing problems.
Medical Room 115
Mrs. J Wright, the college nurse, helps you each morning from 9:30 to12:00 am.
The college doctor is on duty at the room on Wednesday mornings.
Sports office207
Mrs. B Murie can provide information about sporting and keep-fit activities.
Student Union Office 222
A range of services and advice (travel etc.) is provided.
Food service 127
Mr G Nunn is the manager and will do his best to help if you ask for a special diet.
Library 215
Besides books this also has photocopying, video, audio-visual and computing facilities.
Self Access Language Learning Center 203
Students can attend on a drop-in(无须预约的) basis from 9:00 am to 4:15 pm. Where should you go for help if you fail to find a place to live in?
A.Room 114 | B.Room 207 |
C.Room 222 | D.Room 113 |
As a foreign student, you may go to Room 127 to _________.
A.apply for a scholarship |
B.ask for supply of some special food |
C.inquire about educational fees |
D.obtain a copy of a certificate |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A.You need a reservation(预约) in the Language Learning Center. |
B.You are able to watch video programmes in the library. |
C.The college nurse is available for some time before noon. |
D.Student Services Center can help students apply for higher education. |
James Cleveland Owens was the son of a farmer and the grandson of black slaves. His family moved to Cleveland when he was 9. There, a school teacher asked the youth his name.
“J.C.”, he replied.
She thought he had said “Jesse”, and he had a new name.
Owens ran his first race at age 13. After high school, he went to Ohio State University. He had to work part time so as to pay for his education. As a second-year student, in the Big Ten games in 1935, he set even more records than he would in the Olympic Games a year later.
A week before the Big Ten meet, Owens accidentally fell down a flight of stairs. His back hurt so much that he could not exercise all week, and he had to be helped in and out of the car that drove him to the meet. He refused to listen to the suggestions that he give up and said he would try, event by event. He did try, and the results are in the record book.
The stage was set for Owens' victory at the Olympic Games in Berlin the next year, and his success would come to be regarded as not only athletic (体育的) but also political. Hitler did not congratulate any of the African-American winners.
“It was all right with me,” he said years later. “I didn't go to Berlin to shake hands with him, anyway.”
Having returned from Berlin, he received no telephone call from the president of his own country, either. In fact, he was not honored by the United States until 1976, four years before his death.
Owens' Olympic victories made little difference to him. He earned his living by looking after a school playground, and accepted money to race against cars, trucks, motorcycles, and dogs.
“Sure, it bothered(烦扰) me,” he said later. “But at least it was an honest living. I had to eat.”
In time, however, his gold medals changed his life. “They have kept me alive over the years,” he once said. “Time has stood still for me. That golden moment dies hard.”In the Big Ten meet, Owens __________.
A.hurt himself in the back |
B.succeeded in setting many records |
C.tried every sports event but failed |
D.had to give up some events |
We can infer from the text that Owens was treated unfairly in the US at that time because __________.
A.he was not of the right race |
B.he was the son of a poor farmer |
C.he didn't shake hands with Hitler |
D.he didn't talk to the US president on the phone |
When Owens says “They have kept me alive over the years,” he means that the medals __________.
A.have been changed for money to help him live on |
B.have made him famous in the US |
C.have encouraged him to overcome difficulties in life |
D.have kept him busy with all kinds of jobs |
Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?
A.How to Be a Successful Athlete? |
B.Golden Moment—a Life-time Struggle |
C.Making a Living as a Sportsman |
D.Jesse Owens, a Great American Athlete |
If you ask people to name the one person who had the greatest effect on the English language, you will get answers like “Shakespeare,” “Samuel Johnson,” and “Webster,” but none of these men had any effect at all compared to a man who didn’t even speak English—William the Conqueror(征服者).
Before 1066, in the land we now call Great Britain lived people belonging to two major language groups. In the west-central region lived the Welsh, who spoke a Celtic language, and in the north lived the Scots, whose language, though not the same as Welsh, was also Celtic. In the rest of the country lived the Saxons, actually a mixture of Anglos, Saxons, and other Germanic and Nordic peoples, who spoke what we now call Anglo-Saxon (or Old English), a Germanic language. If this state of affairs had lasted, English today would be close to German.
But this state of affairs did not last. In l066 the Normans led by William defeated the Saxons and began their rule over England. For about a century, French became the official language of England while Old English became the language of peasants. As a result, English words of politics and the law come from French rather than German. In some cases, modern English even shows a distinction (区别) between upper-class French and lower-class Anglo-Saxon in its words. We even have different words for some foods, meat in particular, depending on whether it is still out in the fields or at home ready to be cooked, which shows the fact that the Saxon peasants were doing the farming, while the upper-class Normans were doing most of the eating.
When Americans visit Europe for the first time, they usually find Germany more "foreign" than France because the German they see on signs and advertisements seems much more different from English than French does. Few realize that the English language is actually Germanic in its beginning and that the French influences are all the result of one man's ambition(雄心).The two major languages spoken in what is now called Great Britain before l066 were_.
A.Welsh and Scottish! | B.Nordic and Germanic |
C.Celtic and Old English. | D.Anglo-Saxon and Germanic |
Which of the following groups of words are, by inference(根据推断), rooted in French?
A.president, lawyer, beef | B.president, bread, water |
C.bread, field, sheep | D.folk, field, cow |
Why does France appear less foreign than Germany to Americans on their first visit to Europe?
A.Most advertisements in France appear in English. |
B.They know little of the history of the English language. |
C.Many French words are similar to English ones. |
D.They know French better than German. |
What is the subject discussed in the text?
A.The history of Great Britain. |
B.The similarity between English and French. |
C.The rule of England by William the Conqueror. |
D.The French influences on the English language |
Children have their own rules in playing games. They seldom need a referee(裁判) and rarely trouble to keep scores. They don’t care much about who wins or loses, and it doesn’t seem to worry them if the game is not finished. Yet, they like games that depend a lot on luck, so that their personal abilities cannot be directly compared. They also enjoy games that move in stages, in which each stage, the choosing of leaders, the picking-up of sides, or the determining of which side shall start, is almost a game in itself.
Grown-ups can hardly find children’s games exciting, and they often feel puzzled(迷惑的)at why their kids play such simple games again and again. However, it is found that a child plays games for very important reasons. He can be a good player without having to think whether he is a popular person, and he can find himself being a useful partner to someone of whom he is ordinarily afraid. He becomes a leader when it comes to his turn. He can be confident, too, in particular games, that it is his place to give orders, to pretend to be dead, to throw a ball actually at someone, or to kiss someone he has caught.
It appears to us that when children play a game they imagine a situation under their control. Everyone knows the rules, and more importantly, everyone plays according to the rules. Those rules may be childish, but they make sure that every child has a chance to win. What is true about children when they play games?
A.They can stop playing any time they like. |
B.They can test their personal abilities. |
C.They want to pick a better team. |
D.They don’t need rules. |
To become a leader in a game the child has to ________.
A.play well |
B.wait for his turn |
C.be confident in himself |
D.be popular among his playmates |
Why does a child like playing games?
A.Because he can be someone other than himself. |
B.Because he can become popular among friends. |
C.Because he finds he is always lucky in games. |
D.Because he likes the place where he plays a game. |
The writer believes that _____.
A.children should make better rules for their games. |
B.children should invite grown-ups to play with them. |
C.children’s games can do them a lot of good. |
D.children play games without reasons. |