What if it isn’t a dog-eat-dog world? What if caring for a dog or for a mom with Alzheimer’s (老年痴呆症) makes you stronger and allows you to live longer?
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley are challenging our long-held belief that humans are born to be selfish.
Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was misunderstood by his male followers, the researchers say. Rather than “every man for himself”, Darwin believed that humans are successful as a species precisely because of our educational, selfless and sympathetic characteristics.
Why has it taken so long for Darwin’s central revelation(揭示) to be properly understood? “We’ve had too many men in social science,” Berkeley psychology professor Dacher Keltner told me in an interview. “Female scientists acknowledge that caring for people is part of human nature according to the research, which shows the human ability to care exists in our brains and nerve systems.”
In my book Passages in Caregiving , I urge women who take the whole responsibility for taking care of an elderly parent or a sick relative to build a “Circle of Care”. Reach out to your brothers and sisters, friends, neighbors and community volunteers to help you care, because no one can perform this overwhelming role alone. You will be as shocked as I to learn how the most selfless caregivers are rewarded with longer life.
Sympathy is not a woman’s word. In fact it makes all of us stronger under stress and more highly respected by our peers. For so long we have repeated the false saying “Nice guys finish last”. But the 40 richest Americans committed to doing good by donating half their fortunes are no spring chickens. So here is my new explanation：Nice guys die last.The first paragraph serves to .
| A．give the background of the topic |
| B．blame the world for selfishness |
| C．urge people to care for a dog |
| D．bring out the topic of the passage |
In Passages in Caregiving, women are advised to .
| A．share the responsibility of caring with others |
| B．take good care of themselves |
| C．learn how to live a longer life |
| D．help as many people as possible |
The underlined words “no spring chickens” in the last paragraph refer to .
| A．rich people | B．poor people | C．young people | D．aged people |
Why does the author mention the 40 richest Americans’ commitment in this passage?
| A．To argue against offering sympathy. |
| B．To use it as an example to support his opinion. |
| C．To show their generosity to society. |
| D．To call on people to learn from them. |
Which of the following might be the BEST title of the passage?
| A．Selflessness could be the secret to longer life |
| B．Darwin’s theory of evolution is out of date now |
| C．Measures must be taken to improve the world |
| D．Males and females have different opinions about selflessness |
Science Daily—Kids may roll their eyes when their mothers asks them about their school day, but answering her may actually help them learn．New research from Vanderbilt University reveals that children learn the solution to a problem best when they explain it to their mom．
“We knew that children learn well with their moms or with a peer, but we did not know if that was because they were getting feedback and help,” Bethany Rittle-Johnson, the study’s lead author and assistant professor of psychology at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College of education and human development, said．
“In this study, we just had the children’s mothers listen, without providing any assistance．We’ve found that by simply listening, a mother helps her child learn．”
Rittle-Johnson believes the new finding can help parents better assist their children with their schoolwork, even when they are not sure of the answer themselves．Although the researchers used children and their mothers in the study, they believe the same results will hold true whether the person is the child’s father, grandparent, or other familiar persons．
“The basic idea is that it is really effective to try to get kids to explain things themselves instead of just telling them the answer,” she said．“Explaining their reasoning, to a parent or perhaps to other people they know, will help them understand the problem and apply what they have learned to other situations．We saw that this simple act of listening by mom made a difference in the quality of the child’s explanations and how well they could solve more difficult problems later on．According to the passage, a mom had better ________．
| A．give a kid some help when he is explaining his problem |
| B．just listen while a kid is explaining his problem |
| C．work together with a kid toward the solution to a problem |
D．leave a kid alone when he meets a problem a t school |
If she wants to help a child with his schoolwork, a mom ________．
| A．should know the answer to a problem first |
| B．should pay attention to the child’s feedback． |
| C．may not know the answer herself |
| D．should not interrupt the child |
Who will be the least help to a kid when he is explaining, according to Rittle-Johnson?
| A．The kid’s mom． | B．The kid’s grandmother． |
| C．A peer． | D．A relative the kid doesn’t know． |
Which of the following best gives the main idea of the passage?
| A．Children learn better when their mom is hearing their explaining． |
| B．Children learn better if they find the solution to a problem themselves． |
| C．Parents should not provide any assistance to their children’s schoolwork． |
| D．A mom should listen more to their children when they have problems at school． |
The Wife-carrying World Championship has been celebrated in a small town in central Finland since 1992．In 1992, the people of the town decided to restart some long-forgotten traditions．Back in the late 1800s, there was a robber called Rosvo-Ronkainen in that area．He was said to only accept men as members of his gang who proved their worth in challenges．At that time, it was also a common practice to steal women from neighboring villages．
This event is becoming increasingly popular．A large number of competitors, people, and journalists from Finland to Canada attend the Wife-carrying World Championship every year．
The event is famous for its warm and humorous atmosphere．The Wife-carrying World Championship is held on a 253．3 meters long official track．The track has two dry obstacles （障碍物）and a water obstacle, about a meter deep．
There are a few basic rules and the winner is the couple who complete the course in the shortest time．The wife to be carried may be your own, or your neighbor’s．The minimum weight of the wife to be carried is 49 kg．If she is less than 49kg, the wife will be given a heavy bag to carry．Each time a competitor drops his wife, that couple will be fined 15 seconds．
Alongside with the Wife-carrying World Championship, there is also a team competition．The distance is the same but three men in the team carry the wife in turns．At the exchange point the carrier has to drink official “wife-carrying drink”．Then he may continue the race．A special prize is awarded to the team with the best costumes．
While the Wife-carrying World Championship is being held, there are bands playing music, a wife-carrying dance and other forms of entertainment．The Wife-carrying World Championship is famous because ________．
| A．it is held on a 253．3 meters long official track |
| B．many competitors take part in it |
| C．it has a pleasant atmosphere |
| D．the winner will be awarded a lot of money |
If a husband drops his wife 3 times in the competition, he will be fined ________．
| A．15 seconds | B．30 seconds |
| C．45 seconds | D．60 seconds |
Compared with the Wife-carrying World Championship, the team competition ________．
| A．is more exciting | B．has a special prize |
| C．has a different track | D．has three teams altogether |
The passage is written mainly to ________．
| A．warn people that the competition is dangerous． |
| B．attract more visitors to the Wife-carrying World Championship． |
| C．introduce how the Wife-carrying World Championship has become popular． |
| D．tell us something about the Wife-carrying World Championship． |
Yesterday was my stepmother’s birthday．I haven’t been home for a long time, so I wanted to stop by the house to see her on this special day．
I have been struggling on a low inc
ome so I was afraid that I couldn’t afford the long trip．Gas is so expensive nowadays! Anyway, I filled my tank with gas and set off．
I stopped at a shopping mall and found a present．It was the perfect gift and I knew she would love it．But when I got to the cashier, my card wasdeclined! I didn’t have enough money in my account to pay for the gift!
So I pondered the issue for a few minutes．I could put it back and get something cheaper, but I knew there was nothing else in the store she would have liked as much．So, I got to my smart-phone and transferred some money from my saving account and was able to buy the gift．It took a big part of my savings but I wanted her to have something special．
It turned out that she loved the gift and I felt that even though I had spent almost all my money, my stepmother deserved the best．I was glad I gave her the best I could．
Before I left my parents’ house, my dad took me to one side and, with our secret handshake, he gave me some money．I hadn’t said anything to him about my financial condition, but I guessed my dad just knew it．When I got to the car, I saw the amount he gave me was three times what I had spent on the gas and the gift!
It goes to show that doing the right thing always comes with great rewards．Why was the writer unwilling to have a long trip?
| A．Because gas was hardly available． |
| B．Because the writer didn’t like driving． |
| C．Because the writer was short of money． |
| D．Because the road was difficult to drive on． |
The underlined word “pondered” in Paragraph 4 probably means ________．
| A．thought about | B．tried on |
| C．depended on | D．got through |
From the passage, we can infer that ________．
| A．the writer loves his stepmother very much |
| B．the gift the writer bought was loved by his father very much |
| C．the writer spend all his savings buying the gift for his stepmother |
| D．the gift the writer bought was the most expensive one in the shop |
Why did the writer’s father shake hands with the writer in secret?
| A．Because he wanted to ask the writer for something special． |
| B．Because he wanted to give the writer some money． |
| C．Because he knew the writer had been struggling financially． |
| D．Because he didn’t want others to copy their handshake． |
A recent study, published in last week’s Journal of the American Medical Association, offers a picture of how risky(冒险的) it is to get a lift from a teenage driver. Indeed, a 16-year-old driver with three or more passengers is three times as likely to have a deadly accident as a teenager driving alone, while the risk of death for drivers between 30 and 59 decreases with each additional passenger.
The authors also found that the death rates for teenage drivers increased sharply after 10 p.m., and especially after midnight. With passengers in the car, the driver was even more likely to die in a late-night accident.
Robert Foss, a scientist at the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, says the higher death rates for teenage drivers have less to do with “really stupid behavior” than with just a lack of driving experience. “The basic issue,” he says, “is that adults who are responsible for issuing licenses fail to recognize how complex and skilled a task driving is.”
Both he and the author of the study believe that the way to mitigate (使……缓解)the problem is to have states set up so-called graduated licensing systems, in which getting a license is a multistage process. A graduated license requires that a teenager first prove himself capable of driving in the presence of an adult, followed by a period of driving with night or passenger limits, before graduating to full driving licenses.
Graduated licensing systems have reduced teenage driver crashes, according to recent studies. About half of the states now have some sort of graduated licensing system in place, but only 10 of those states have limits on passengers. California is the strictest, with a new driver under 20 forbidden to carry any passenger (without the presence of an adult over 25) for the first six months.Which of the following situations can we infer is most dangerous according to the passage?
| A．A teenager driving after midnight with passengers in the car. |
| B．Adults giving a lift to teenagers on the highway after 10 p.m. |
| C．Adults driving with three or more teenage passengers late at night. |
| D．A teenager getting a lift from a stranger on the highway at midnight. |
According to Robert Foss, the high death rate of teenage drivers is mainly because of _______.
| A．their frequent driving at night |
| B．their improper ways of driving |
| C．their driving with passengers |
| D．their lack of driving experience |
According to Paragraph 3, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．The licensing departments are partly responsible for teenagers' driving accidents. |
| B．Driving is too complex a skill for teenagers to learn. |
| C．Teenagers should be forbidden to apply to take driving lessons. |
| D．Teenagers should spend more time learning to drive. |
A suggested measure to be taken to reduce teenagers' driving accidents is that_______.
| A．driving in the presence of an adult should be made a rule |
| B．the licensing system should be improved |
| C．they should not be allowed to drive after 10 p.m. |
| D．they should be forbidden to take on passengers |
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama ended their first trip to India on Monday. The First Couple set off on the ten-day tour of Asia on Friday. Obama’s goals for the tour are to improve ties between the US and the region, and to promote (促进) economic growth and job creation. The President and his team will return to Washington, D.C. on November 14.
The Obamas began their trip in Mumbai, India, the financial and economic center of the country, on November 6. There, they met with government officials, business leaders and school groups. Up first on the schedule was a visit to a memorial at the TajMahal Palace and Tower Hotel. Obama’s second day in India was lighter than the first. The Presidential visit took place on Diwali, or the Festival of Lights. The five-day religious festival is celebrated each year by Hindus, Sikhs and others. The Obamas spent the holiday visiting with local schoolchildren.
On Monday, Michelle Obama joined 15 Indian school girls on a field trip to a museum of Indian craft work. During the tour, the First Lady stressed to the students the importance of education. Most of the children on the trip are the first girls in their families to attend school. Mrs Obama also encouraged the young women to stay fit, telling them that she likes to exercise because “women have to stay strong”.
Early tomorrow, the Obamas will travel to Indonesia, the country in which the President spent four years as a boy. After that, they will fly to Seoul, South Korea, to attend the Group of Twenty, or G-20, economic summit. The conference brings together leaders from 20 wealthy and developing nations and the European Union. They meet twice a year to address challenges that affect the global economy.
The final leg of the tour will be in Japan, where Obama will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. According to Paragraph 1, what are the goals for the ten-day tour?
a. To improve ties between the US and Asia.
b. To do sight-seeing in the countries.
c. To help economy grow faster.
d. To help create more jobs.
| A．abc | B．acd | C．ad | D．abcd |
What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?
| A．What the First Couple did in India. |
| B．How long the First Couple stayed in India. |
| C．Introduction to a traditional holiday in India. |
| D．What the First Couple thought of their tour in India. |
During the field trip to a museum of Indian craft work, the First Lady _____.
| A．asked why only the first girls could go to school |
| B．told the students the importance of craft work |
| C．explained why women must stay strong |
| D．encouraged the students to study hard |
We can know from the passage that Mr Obama _____.
| A．will stay in Indonesia for four days |
| B．will stay in Japan for the shortest time |
| C．hasn’t attended the Group of Twenty before |
| D．will attend an important conference in Seoul |
How many countries does the First Couple plan to visit in total in their ten-day tour in Asia?
| A．3. | B．4. | C．5. | D．6. 32．B |