Brrriiinnng. The alarm clock announces the start of another busy weekday in the morning. You jump out of bed, rush into the shower, into your clothes and out the door with hardly a moment to think. A stressful journey to work gets your blood pressure climbing. Once at the office, you glance through the newspaper with depressing stories or reports of disasters. In that sort of mood, who can get down to work, particularly some creative, original problem-solving work?
The way most of us spend our mornings is exactly opposite to the conditions that promote flexible, open-minded thinking. Imaginative ideas are most likely to come to us when we’re unfocused. If you are one of those energetic morning people, your most inventive time comes in the early evening when you are relaxed. Sleepy people’s lack of focus leads to an increase in creative problem solving. By not giving yourself time to tune into your wandering mind, you’re missing out on the surprising solutions it may offer.
The trip you take to work doesn’t help, either. The stress slows down the speed with which signals travel between neurons (神经细胞), making inspirations less likely to occur. And while we all should read a lot about what’s going on in the world, it would not make you feel good for sure, so put that news website or newspaper aside until after the day’s work is done.
So what would our mornings look like if we wanted to start them with a full ability for creative problem solving? We’d set the alarm a few minutes early and lie awake in bed, following our thoughts where they lead. We’d stand a little longer under the warm water of the shower, stopping thinking about tasks in favor of a few more minutes of relaxation. We’d take some deep breaths on our way to work, instead of complaining about heavy traffic. And once in the office—after we get a cup of coffee—we’d click on links not to the news of the day but to the funniest videos the web has to offer. According to the author, we are more creative when we are _______.
A.focused | B.awake | C.Relaxed | D.busy |
What does the author imply about newspapers?
A.They are solution providers. |
B.They are normally full of bad news. |
C.They are a source of inspiration. |
D.They are more educational than websites. |
By “tune into your wandering mind” (in Para. 2), the author means “_______”.
A.wander into the wild |
B.listen to a beautiful tune |
C.stop concentrating on anything |
D.switch to the traffic channel |
The author writes the last paragraph in order to _______.
A.summarize past experiences |
B.offer practical suggestions |
C.advocate diverse ways of life |
D.establish a routine for the future |
B
Science isn’t something mysterious, only for the few. Every one of us—whether a poet, worker, or physicist has to be able to think scientifically, and to understand some science, such as whether to smoke, what to eat, and what protection to use. Even for decisions that don’t depend on some scientific facts, science remains the proven set of best methods for getting exact information about the world.
Some people will end up as policy-makers in government or business. People such as these make decisions that affect the life of everyone, and most of them know no more about science than does the rest of the general public. Yet they are called upon to decide what to do about nuclear reactors(核反应堆), global warming, environmental toxins(环境霉素), expensive space programs, and biomedical research. It’s nonscientists, not scientists, who have the last word on whether the milk we drink can safely come from cows treated with medicine. To make such decisions wisely, the decision makers have to be drawn from a scientifically educated public.
Even if science is irrelevant(不相干的) to the lives of ordinary Americans, a strong scientific spirit is basic to our economy, educational system, and society. This requires lots of young people to become excited enough by science that they decide to become professional scientists. This also requires, to some degree, the support and understanding of the general public.
Scientists are not always able to communicate their findings in an easy-to-understand manner. Although the scientists should do a better job of explaining what they have discovered, members of the general public have to make efforts to understand what is being said.
46.What does the author mean by saying that “a strong scientific spirit is basic to the economy, educational system and society”?
A.School and society should encourage young people to become professional scientists.
B.The school should only teach lessons of economy and education·
C.A scientifically educated public is basic to the economy,educational system and society.
D.More scientists work in our economy, educational system and society.
47.The general public is required to _______.
A.support and understand the need of scientific education
B.check what the scientists are saying
C.give help to the policy-makers
D.become professional scientists
48.The main idea of this passage is _________.
A.policy—makers must be science professionals
B.science is not far from everyone’s life
C.science has nothing to do with ordinary Americans
D.science professionals make decisions that affect the life of everyone
49.According to the passage, who can decide whether the milk we drink can safely come from
cows treated with medicine?
A.Scientists B.Young people C.The public D.Policy-makers
三、阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
A
What exactly is a lie? Is it anything we say which we know is untrue? Or is it something more than that? For example, suppose a friend wants to borrow some money from you. You say, "I wish I could help you but I'm short of money myself." In fact you are not short of money but your friend is in the habit of not paying his debts and you don't want to hurt his feelings by reminding him of this. Is this really a lie?
Professor Gerald Gullion of the University of Southern California has made a scientific study of lying. According to him, women are better liars than men, particularly when telling a "white lie", such as a woman at a party telling another woman that she likes her dress when she really thinks it looks awful. However, this is only one side of the story. Other researchers say that men are more likely to tell more serious lies, such as making a promise which they have no intention of fulfilling. This is the kind of lie politicians and businessmen are supposed to be particularly skilled at: the lie from which the liars hopes to profit or gain in some way.
Research has also been done into the changes of people’s behavior in a number of small, clearly unimportant ways when they lie. It has been found that if they are sitting down at the time, they tend to move about in their chairs more than usual. To the trained observer they are saying “I wish I were somewhere else now”. They also tend to touch certain parts of the face more often, in particular the nose. One explanation of this may be that lying causes a slight increase in blood pressure. The nose is very sensitive to such changes and the increased pressure makes it itch (痒).
Another gesture which gives away is what the writer Desmond Morris in his book Man Watching calls “the mouth cover”. He says there are several typical forms of this, such as covering part of the mouth with fingers, touching the upper-lip or putting a finger of the hand at one side of the mouth. Such a gesture can be understood, as an unconscious attempt on the part of the liar to stop himself or herself from lying.
Of course, such gestures as rubbing the nose or covering the mouth, or moving about in a chair cannot be taken as proof that the speaker is lying. They simply tend to occur more frequently in this situation. It is not one gesture alone that gives the liar away but a whole number of things, and in particular the context in which the lie is told.
41.According to the passage, a “white lie” seems to be a lie _______.
A.that other people have interest in
B.that other people cannot believe
C.told in order to avoid offending(冒犯) someone
D.told in order to take advantage of someone
42.Research suggests that women _______.
A.are better at telling lies than men do B.generally lie far more than men
C.often make promises they later break D.lie at parties more often than men do
43.Researchers find that when a person tells lies.
A.his or her blood pressure increases greatly
B.he or she looks very serious and moves about more
C.he or she tends to make small changes in his behavior
D.he or she uses his unconscious mind
44.One reason people sometimes rub their noses when they lie is that_______
A.1ying causes a slight increase in blood pressure
B.the nose is sensitive to physical changes caused by lying
C.they want to cover their mouths
D.they are trying to stop themselves from telling lies
45.Which of the following may best betray (出卖) a liar?
A.The touching of the tip of one’s nose. B.The change of one’s behavior.
C.“The mouth cover” gesture. D.The situations in which his lies are told.
C
Very few people were coming to eat at the White Rose Restaurant and its owner did not know what to do . The food in its restaurant was cheap and good , but nobody seem to want to eat there .Then he did something that changed all that , and in a few weeks his restaurant was always full of men with their lady friends .Whenever a gentleman came in with a lady , a smiling waiter gave each of them a beautiful menu . The menu looked exactly the same on the outside , but there was an important difference inside . The menu that the waiter gave to the men gave the correct price for each dish and each bottle of wine , while the menu that he gave to the lady gave a much higher price . So when the man calmly ordered dish after dish and wine after wine , the lady thought he was much more generous than he really was .
54. How was the food in the White Rose Restaurant?___________ .
A. Its quality had always been good and its price low
B. It was poor and expensive at first and became much better and less expensive later
C. It was cheap and good at the beginning but became more expensive later
D. It looked beautiful on the outside but it was became more different inside
55. How did the restaurant attract so many people?______________ .
A. By lowering the price of its food
B. By improving the quality of its food
C. With waiters smiling at the guests when they came into the restaurant and giving them better service while they are
D. By showing men and women menus with different price on them
56. According to this passage , when a man and a woman ate at the restaurant the food was paid by whom ?_____________ .
A. Usually by the man and sometimes by the woman
B. Always by the man only
C. Sometimes by the man only and sometimes by both of the man and the woman
D. Normally by the woman
57. The White Rose succeeded because__________ .
A. women liked their men friends to be generous
B. men liked their women friends to be generous
C. men were more generous than women
D. women were more generous than men
B
Hi, everybody !
Welcome to our newly-opened Richards Cinema Bookstore!
Now let me introduce to you some of the new film books in our store.
Are you Chinese film fans? OK, here comes the latest 25 New Takes about Chinese films. It is a collection of 25 fresh readings of different Chinese films from the 1930s to the present. In recent years, Chinese films are very popular in the States, such as Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon, Hero, and Flowers of Shanghai.
Do you like French films? Well, here is The French Cinema Book. It covers French films from the 1890s to the beginning of the 21st century. It is written for all lovers of French cinema: students and teachers, specialists and fans, and so on.
Maybe you are Indian film fans and star-chasers. Then here is Encyclopedia ( 百科全书 ) of Indian Cinema. The book is a complete introduction to all the best Indian films. It also offers a full list of names of the famous and successful film stars in the past ten years. You know, the Indian film industry is the largest in the world after our Hollywood.
If you like British films, we have The British Cinema Book. It is a good review of British cinema. This book contains a good many nice pictures.
In our bookstore, you can also find books about Mexican, Japanese, Australian, German and Italian films.
Well, please help yourselves to some coffee or tea, and have a good time here!
50. The speaker of the passage is most probably _______
A. the author of 25 New Takes B. a tourist in the cinema bookstore
C. the manager of the cinema bookstore D. a reader of Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema
51. How many Asian countries does the speaker refer to when he talks about the film books?
A. Two. B. Three. C. Four. D. Nine.
52. Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A. Indian cinema is second only to Hollywood.
B. The British Cinema Book includes a complete list of names of stars.
C. Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon is well received in the States.
D. The French Cinema Book covers over a century's French films.
53. The purpose of the speaker is_______.
A. to satisfy the customers' various tastes
B. to keep the authors in the cinema bookstore
C. to offer the tourists chances to meet the film stars
D. to take the readers into film producers
四、阅读理解(本题有两节,共16小题,每小题2分,共32分)
第一节:阅读下列材料并做后面的题目。从每题多给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳答案。
A
I was walking along Orchard Road when I realized a tall young man wearing a jacket and tie was following me. I noticed him because not many people wear a jacket and tie in the middle of a hot summer day, and I had already seen this man four times that afternoon.
To make sure he was following me, I walked on quickly, turned right into a shopping center and then stopped to look in a shop window. Soon the man appeared and stopped at another shop window. I walked on and stopped several times. When I stopped, he stopped too.
I began to be rather worried and decided to try to lose this strange man. When I saw a taxi coming, I jumped into it. As I was telling the taxi driver where to go, I found the man get into another taxi, which then followed mine. As the two taxies slowly made their way along Orchard Road, I looked back at the taxi behind, and saw that the stranger was looking out at me. At MRT station, I told the taxi driver to stop and I got out. As I was paying my fare, I saw the man was getting out of his taxi.
By now I got angry, so I turned and walked straight to him. I asked him why he was following me. At first he said he was not following me at all, but when I threatened(威胁) to call the police, he admitted he was. He then told me that he was a news reporter and that he was writing an article on how elderly people in Singapore spend their time. He said he was observing me to gather materials for his article.
46. What is strange about the man who followed the writer?
A. He seemed to be wearing too much. B. He was out on such a hot day.
C. He walked quickly behind. D. He was a tall young man.
47. What did the stranger do when the writer jumped into a taxi?
A. He got into another taxi. B. He tried to stop the taxi.
C. He almost gave up following him. D. He made his way along Orchard Road.
48. How did the writer have the stranger admit(承认) he was following him?
A. He threatened to take him to the police. B. He called the police.
C. He said he would call the police. D. He talked to the police.
49. Why did the stranger follow the writer?
A. He was interested in elderly people. B. He often does such things.
C. He was writing a book about young people. D. He needed materials for his article.