Decision-making under Stress
A new review based on a research shows that acute stress affects the way the brain considers the advantages and disadvantages, causing it to focus on pleasure and ignore the possible negative (负面的) consequences of a decision.
The research suggests that stress may change the way people make choices in predictable ways.
“Stress affects how people learn,” says Professor Mara Mather. “People learn better about positive than negative outcomes under stress.”
For example, two recent studies looked at how people learned to connect images(影像) with either rewards or punishments. In one experiment, some of the participants were first stressed by having to give a speech and do difficult math problems in front of an audience; in the other, some were stressed by having to keep their hands in ice water. In both cases, the stressed participants remembered the rewarded material more accurately and the punished material less accurately than those who hadn’t gone through the stress.
This phenomenon is likely not surprising to anyone who has tried to resist eating cookies or smoking a cigarette while under stress –at those moments, only the pleasure associated with such activities comes to mind. But the findings further suggest that stress may bring about a double effect. Not only are rewarding experiences remembered better, but negative consequences are also easily recalled.
The research also found that stress appears to affect decision-making differently in men and women. While both men and women tend to focus on rewards and less on consequences under stress, their responses to risk turn out to be different.
Men who had been stressed by the cold-water task tended to take more risks in the experiment while women responded in the opposite way. In stressful situations in which risk-taking can pay off big, men may tend to do better, when caution weighs more, however, women will win.
This tendency to slow down and become more cautious when decisions are risky might also help explain why women are less likely to become addicted than men: they may more often avoid making the risky choices that eventually harden into addiction.We can learn from the passage that people under pressure tend to ______.
A.keep rewards better in their memory |
B.recall consequences more effortlessly |
C.make risky decisions more frequently |
D.learn a subject more effectively |
According to the research, stress affects people most probably in their ______.
A.ways of making choices | B.preference for pleasure |
C.tolerance of punishments | D.responses to suggestions |
The research has proved that in a stressful situation, ______.
A.women find it easier to fall into certain habits |
B.men have a greater tendency to slow down |
C.women focus more on outcomes |
D.men are more likely to take risks |
When something goes wrong, it can be very satisfying to say, "Well, it’s so-and-so’s fault. "or "I know I’m late, but it’s not my fault; the car broke down. " It is probably not your fault, but once you form the habit of blaming somebody or something else for a bad situation, you are a loser. You have no power and could do nothing that helps change the situation. However, you can have great power over what happens to you if you stop focusing on whom to blame and start focusing on how to remedy the situation. This is the winner’s key to success.
Winners are great at overcoming problems. For example, if you were late because your car broke down, maybe you need to have your car examined more regularly. Or, you might start to carry along with you the useful phone numbers, so you could call for help when in need. For another example, if your colleague causes you problems on the job for lack of responsibility or ability, find ways of dealing with his irresponsibility or inability rather than simply blame the person. Ask to work with a different person, or don’t rely on this person. You should accept that the person is not reliable and find creative ways to work successfully regardless of how your colleague fails to do his job well.
This is what being a winner is all about — creatively using your skills and talents so that you are successful no matter what happens. Winners don’t have fewer problems in their lives; they have just as many difficult situation to face as anybody else. They are just better at seeing those problems as challenges and opportunities to develop their own talents. So, stop focusing on "whose fault it is. " Once you are confident about your power over bad situations, problems are just stepping stones for success.According to the passage, winners.
A.deal with problems rather than blame others |
B.meet with fewer difficulties in their lives |
C.have responsible and able colleagues |
D.blame others rather than themselves |
The underlined word remedy in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to .
A.avoid | B.accept | C.improve | D.consider |
When your colleague brings about a problem, you should.
A.find a better way to handle the problem |
B.blame him for his lack of responsibility |
C.tell him to find the cause of the problem |
D.ask another person for help |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A.Winner’s Secret. | B.A Winner’s Problem. |
C.A Winner’s Opportunity. | D.A Winner’s Achievement. |
Matt and his wife lived in the country. Matt was very mean and hated spending money. One day a fair(交易会)came to the nearby town.
They went to the fair and looked at all the things to buy. Matt’s wife wanted to buy a hat only costing $28, but was refused. Later on, a comb of $5 attracted her attention, but he would not let her spend any money.
Then, in a nearby field, they saw a small airplane. “Fun flight!” the notice said, “$10 for 10 minutes.”
Matt had never been in an airplane and he wanted to go on a fun flight. However, he didn’t want to pay for his wife either. “I’ve only got $10,” he told the pilot. “Can my wife come with me for free?” The pilot wasn’t selling many tickets, so he said, “I’ll make a bargain with you. If your wife doesn’t scream, she can have a free flight.”
Matt agreed, and got into the small airplane with his wife. The pilot took off and made his airplane do all kinds of things. At one moment it was flying upside down.
When the plane landed, the pilot said, “OK, your wife didn’t make a sound. She can have her ride free.”
“Thank you,” Matt said, “it wasn’t easy for her, you know, especially when she fell out.”How much did the couple spend at the fair?
A.$28. | B.$5. | C.$43. | D.$10. |
The pilot flew the airplane upside down in order to _______.
A.throw the wife out of the plane |
B.get another $10 by making the wife shout |
C.show off his perfect flying skills |
D.provide the couple with pleasure of excitement |
The passage is intended to _______.
A.teach readers a lesson | B.attract tourists | C.make readers laugh | D.praise the couple |
What can we infer from the passage?
A.Matt loved money more than his wife. |
B.Matt would like to buy everything for his wife. |
C.The pilot didn’t mind whether Matt’s wife would pay. |
D.Matt’s wife enjoyed her riding in the plane. |
Today, roller skating is easy and fun. But many years ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, people never tried skating on wheels. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s work was making instruments. In his free time he liked to play the violin. Merlin was a man with many ideas and many dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to go to an important party. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think. He wanted to find a way to make a wonderful entrance at the party. Merlin had an idea. He thought that he would attract a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skate shoes. Merlin was very proud of them. He dreamed of arriving at the party and skating into the room while playing the violin. He was sure that everyone would be very surprised.
On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room, playing his violin. Everyone was really surprised to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skating. He rolled on, playing the violin. Then, with all eyes on him, Merlin hit into a huge mirror on the wall. The mirror broke into many pieces with a very loud noise.
Nobody forgot Merlin’s wonderful entrance after that.The story tell us that people began to enjoy roller-skating ______.
A.before the year 1750 |
B.before the invitation |
C.because of Joseph Merlin |
D.because it was dangerous |
People called Merlin a dreamer because ___________.
A.he slept and dreamed a lot |
B.he was full of different ideas |
C.he invented the first roller skates |
D.he always made people’s dreams come true |
___________ made Merlin think of skating on wheels.
A.Merlin’s work | B.Merlin’s violin |
C.A huge mirror | D.An important party |
What was Merlin’s problem after he rolled into the room?
A.He couldn’t stop his roller-skating. |
B.He couldn’t attract a lot of attention. |
C.Everyone was surprised at him. |
D.He couldn’t play the violin while rolling. |
What’s the best title for the passage?
A.Joseph Merlin’s Story |
B.How Roller Skating Was Invented |
C.A Surprising Entrance to the Party |
D.Roller Skating |
To master a language one must be able to speak and understand the spoken language as well as to read and write.Lenin and his wife translated a long English book into Russian but when they went to England in 1902, English people couldn't understand a word Lenin and his wife said, and Lenin and his wife couldn't understand what was said to them.This shows the importance of spoken language.
Speaking, of course can't go without listening.If you want to pronounce a word correctly, first you must hear it correctly.The sounds of Chinese and English languages are not exactly the same.If you don't listen carefully, you'll find it difficult or even impossible to understand the native speakers.
Well, what about writing﹖ Like speaking, it's to exchange ideas.People usually use shorter words and shorter sentences in their writing.
The important thing is to make your idea clear in your mind and then to write it in a clear lively language.
Chinese students read too slowly.If you read fast, you understand better.If you read too slowly by the time you have reached to the end of a page you have forgotten what the beginning is about.When you meet with new words don't look them up in the dictionary.Guess the meaning to form the context. You may not guess quite correctly the first time but as new words appear again and again in different context their meaning will become clearer and clearer. If you look up every word you'll never finish a book.
Students of a foreign language need a particular knowledge, the knowledge of the life, history and geography of the people whose language they're studying. They should study those subjects in the foreign language not only in translation.In this way one can kill two birds with one stone: learn a foreign language and get some knowledge of the foreign country at the same time.In England Lenin .
A.could be understood by Englishmen |
B.could understand Englishmen |
C.and Englishmen couldn't understand each other |
D.and Englishmen could understand each other |
In the first paragraph the writer told us .
A.how to speak English |
B.how to read and write |
C.why English people couldn't understand the Lenins |
D.spoken English is important |
In the fifth paragraph the writer advised us on .
A.how to guess the meaning of the words |
B.how to read fast |
C.how to look up new words in the dictionary |
D.how to read carefully |
“Kill two birds with one stone” means .
A.to get some particular knowledge |
B.to get more than what one pays |
C.the stone is very useful |
D.the birds are blind enough |
In the last paragraph the writer advised us .
A.to kill two birds with one stone |
B.to learn two languages at the same time |
C.to study all the subjects in a foreign language |
D.to get some knowledge of the foreign country whose language we are studying |
Internet has become part of young people’s life. You can do lots of things on line such as chatting, sending messages and emails, getting useful knowledge and information, buying things without going to the shops, visiting cool websites, and so on. But it’s also easy to be cheated online. Here’s a story about a girl named Mary.
Mary is an 18-year-old girl who lives in New York. The people in Mary’s family are so busy that they hardly have time to be with her. In fact, Mary is quite lonely. So she spends a lot of time on QQ.
Last year Mary made a very special friend on QQ. His name was David and he lived in San Francisco. David was full of stories and jokes. He and Mary had a common interest in rock music and modern dance. So it always took them hours to talk happily on QQ and sometimes they even forgot the time. David sent Mary a picture of “himself”: he was a tall, good-looking young man with a big, happy smile. As time went by, they became good friends and often sent cards and small things to each other.
Before David’s birthday, Mary wanted to give him a surprise. She flew to San Francisco. But when Mary knocked on David’s door, she found that the special friend was a twelve-year-old boy named Jim!
So when you make friends on the Internet, please be careful. Here are some rules to make sure you are safe and have fun on the Internet.
uDon’t give your password to anyone else, and never let out the following information: your real name, home address, age, school, phone number or other personal information.
uNever agree to meet someone you met on the Internet without your parents’ permission. Never meet anyone you met online alone.
uAlways remember that people online may not be who they say they are. Treat everyone online as if they were strangers.
uRemember — not everything you read on the Internet is true.Why does Mary spend a lot of her time on QQ?
A.Because she feels lonely. |
B.Because she doesn’t like learning. |
C.Because she wants to make a boyfriend. |
D.Because she likes computer games. |
Mary thought David was special because __________.
A.he was tall and good-looking | B.he sent her a picture of himself |
C.he was from San Francisco | D.he made her quite happy on QQ. |
It’s good for children to _________ on the Internet.
A.give password to others |
B.get useful knowledge and information |
C.give phone number to others |
D.believe everything they read |
What shouldn’t be done when you are online according to the passage?
A.Sending messages and emails. |
B.Visiting cool websites. |
C.Giving your real name to others. |
D.Treating everyone online as strangers. |
What’s the main idea of this passage?
A.Things might not be real on the Internet. |
B.It’s not good to chat on QQ. |
C.Don’t meet some one you get to know on QQ. |
D.Don’t buy anything on line. |